Ryota Kudo looked in the direction Wang Zhizhi pointed.
Under the only basket in the main gym where the lights were still on, a huge figure was repeating the same tedious close-range baby-hook drills with his left and right hands, over and over.
It was Hiroshi Morishige.
His training clothes were completely soaked, clinging to his massive frame. With every jump, raised arm, and flick of his wrist, his muscles bulged and sweat flew.
Compared with the afternoon's specialized post training, his movements seemed to have gained a hint of deliberately imitated "softness," but what stood out more was still his stubborn brute force and focus.
"Huff... huff..." His heavy breathing was faintly audible even from a distance.
Watching Morishige's persistent, even somewhat clumsy figure from behind, Kudo gave an understanding smile and said to Wang Zhizhi:
"I guess you got him fired up. He's probably desperate to prove himself.
"In Japanese high school games, he hardly ever faced anyone who could stand up to him in the paint. He always overwhelmed them with his physique.
"Facing you this time let him truly see the power of combining skill and talent, and recognize his own shortcomings."
Kudo thought to himself, Too bad Morishige didn't face Sannoh Industrial High School at the National Tournament. A matchup between him and a skilled center like Masashi Kawata would definitely have been interesting too.
Wang Zhizhi watched Morishige toss the ball toward the basket again and again, his movements far from textbook but utterly earnest.
Something complicated flickered in his eyes. Suddenly, with a hint of concern, he said quietly to Kudo, "Actually... we have a 'monster' of the same type as Morishige in China too. He might even be... more extreme.
"He signed up for this training camp too, but because of scheduling