Their movements on the court looked sluggish, and they repeatedly made mistakes in transition, showing none of their usual sharpness.
Chi Tong saw it clearly. They were desperately suppressing the emotions churning inside them, putting on faces of concentration, but the unease deep in their eyes ultimately failed to escape his notice.
It was a deeply contradictory state. They wanted to give everything they had on the court and erase their past humiliation, yet invisible shackles seemed to bind their strength, leaving them unable to summon it.
Chi Tong could more or less guess why they had fallen into this state. The psychological scars left by the national tournament simply ran too deep.
Now that they stood before Kanagawa again, the apprehension and fear buried deep within them had quietly resurfaced, disrupting their rhythm and composure.
But those were ultimately Big Axe's own problems, hurdles they would have to overcome themselves.
Chi Tong withdrew his gaze, his expression unchanged.
None of this had anything to do with him or the others from Kanagawa. All they needed to do was focus on the game itself and secure the win.
Before the game, almost everyone had assumed that, with the tournament down to its final four, every remaining team was among the best. The action would surely be more intense than in the group stage or quarterfinals. At the very least, they expected an evenly matched contest.
But the Great Axe Representative Team's actual performance left the expectant spectators looking disappointed.
In the stands, the once-enthusiastic cheering gradually faded. Many spectators frowned and murmured among themselves, their faces filled with regret and bewilderment.
This was nothing like the semifinal everyone had imagined. Big Axe showed none of the fierce drive they had displayed against other teams.
Back then, they had dared to