It turns out to be Minori Kishimoto from Toyotama High School!
Toyotama made it into the top eight in the country last year, and the team also has five-star high school student Tsuyoshi Minami on the roster.
Although he didn't win the championship in the Osaka division, Tsuyoshi Minami's absence from the final made the championship somewhat questionable.
A grade is certainly warranted.
But it's clear that Kishimoto was extremely unhappy about being on equal footing with Shohoku.
Or rather, he was furious that Shohoku, a team that was making its first appearance in the national tournament, could be directly designated as a seeded team!
"What are you looking at? Oh... you guys don't actually think you're not trash, do you? Hahaha!"
to be honest,
The Problem Children Army haven't encountered someone this arrogant in a while.
The last one this arrogant Ryu.
He then spent several months in the hospital.
However, Coach Anzai was sitting right next to them, and his eyes seemed to be glancing this way.
This made the troublemakers hesitate to make any rash moves.
But Kishimoto thought that the other side had backed down...
He's getting cocky now, thinking he can single-handedly intimidate the entire Shohoku team.
Ryota Miyagi, who was closest to him, was about to lose his temper.
Just as he was about to stand up, Kogure grabbed him and pressed him down.
This time, the vice-captain decided to go first.
"Whoever you are, please leave now."
Kogure pushed up his glasses, his expression serious.
But for Kishimoto, that was too polite a statement.
Their politeness made him feel like he'd run into an easy target, and he'd be doing himself a disservice if he didn't take advantage of them.
"Who are you, you four-eyed guy? Who are you trying to act all high and mighty with?"
As he spoke, Kishimoto grabbed Kogure by the collar, as if he were about to attack at any moment, which startled Kogure.
Just then,
The first person to react was Coach Anzai!
The old man slowly stood up and muttered to himself, "I should go get some hot water..."
To say that this former national team player has no temper is pure nonsense.
Sometimes, you have to use special methods.
There might be unexpected benefits for the team.
Of course, it must be kept within manageable limits.
For example now,
Even if he leaves, he's confident the two teams won't fight, firstly because Takenori Akagi will be there to keep things under control.
Secondly, there are train attendants on board, so nothing serious is likely to happen.
He walked away mainly to give the Shohoku guys a chance to respond!
They've really gone too far! Ha, these young people probably haven't seen another side of Shohoku yet...
As soon as Coach Anzai left, Miyagi and the others exchanged glances and immediately perked up.
Miyagi was the first to jump up, grab Kishimoto's wrist, and force him to release Kogure.
"Where did this brat come from? I've been putting up with you for ages."
Miyagi stared coldly at Kishimoto. The two were almost twenty centimeters apart in height, but Miyagi's grip was just as strong.
Mitsui and Sakuragi, seeing Miyagi's interest, didn't move.
Do we need to attack all of them at once to deal with this kind of trash?
That's giving him too much credit.
As for Shirasawa, he was sleeping soundly...
"Damn it, you little shorty, are you asking for a beating?"
Kishimoto shook off Miyagi's hand, glared back angrily, and showed no sign of backing down.
"Get out of here before we change our minds."
Hisashi Mitsui leaned back in his chair and casually uttered a remark.
The smell of gunpowder was getting stronger and stronger.
Toyotama's head coach Jinpei, rushed over with a few players in a panic.
" Kishimoto! What are you doing!"
Jinpei grabbed Kishimoto's arm, afraid he would cause trouble.
"I didn't do anything, I just came to say hello to our opponents."
Kishimoto smiled smugly.
"... Excuse me, everyone, I am Jinpei, the coach of Toyotama. If any of my players have offended me in any way, I apologize on their behalf."
Jinpei adopted a peacemaker's stance, knowing full well that Kishimoto was a troublemaker wherever he went.
Toyotama's reputation has been bad these past two years, but to be honest, it has little to do with Jinpei.
The main problem is that he simply can't control Tsuyoshi Minami and Kishimoto.
At this point, the people of Shohoku realized that the braided hairstyle belonged to Toyotama!
"Coach, why are you apologizing? I already said I was just saying hello."
" Shohoku guys, enjoy these last two days! The day after tomorrow you'll be crying your way home, hahaha~~"
Kishimoto just wouldn't stop, showing Jinpei whatsoever.
"Heh, let me tell you, we don't even consider Toyotama a threat, so don't try to make a name for yourself here." Mitsui sneered.
Seeing that the two sides were about to fight, Jinpei quickly called over two honest team members, who pushed and shoved Kishimoto away.
He was naturally uncomfortable with Mitsui's words, and the slight apology on his face had long since vanished; he only hoped to calm things down as soon as possible.
Kishimoto walked along, shaking his head and looking incredibly smug.
Hanamichi Sakuragi, who hadn't had a chance to shine until now, finally got his chance.
No, it was a kick!
Suddenly, an Jordan shoe peeked out and landed right in front of Kishimoto's ankle.
Clang!
It gave Kishimoto a real thud, making him fall flat on his face!
Miyagi and Mitsui burst out laughing on the spot.
Enraged, Kishimoto got up and slapped Sakuragi on the head!
"Are you fucking tired of living?!"
Before the words were even finished, Miyagi and Mitsui darted forward.
Seeing this, Takenori Akagi quickly stood up as well; he couldn't ignore it now.
Arguing is fine, but if it really comes to blows, that would be a big problem.
But at that moment,
Kishimoto's wrist was suddenly grabbed by a large hand.
The pain made his face instantly contort.
A chill suddenly rushed up.
He looked up and met a pair of cold, piercing eyes.
"Let go... let go!"
Kishimoto stopped mid-sentence.
It wasn't that he didn't want to shout, but the pain in his wrist made it impossible for him to open his mouth.
His whole face was contorted; he looked terrible.
"Hey, Xiao Bai's awake."
Hanamichi Sakuragi grinned.
In this situation, the problem children from Shohoku remained remarkably calm.
"Ugh--"
Kishimoto twisted his body, desperately trying to pry Shirasawa's fingers open with his other hand, but they wouldn't budge.
" Shohoku, let go right now! Otherwise, I'll report this to the tournament!"
Jinpei was sweating profusely in a panic. Seeing that things were about to get out of control, he could only resort to threatening to report the incident to intimidate people.
However, the idea of reporting him is just talk.
If we really get to the bottom of this, Kishimoto himself can't escape responsibility either.
So Jinpei was just making a show of force, hoping to quell the situation.
" Xiao Bai, let go first."
Takenori Akagi also hurriedly tried to persuade him.
Just then, several train attendants rushed over.
"What are you doing! Causing trouble?!"
Shirasawa took one look and then let go. Minori Kishimoto caught her breath.
Clutching his numb and painful wrist, he was covered in cold sweat.
"It's a misunderstanding. This guy with the braid is my friend. We were just exchanging greetings."
Right?
Shirasawa smiled, looking completely harmless, but his gaze towards Kishimoto was like a knife.
"Yes... yes, I'm saying hello."
Kishimoto gritted his teeth; the situation was pressing, and he had no choice but to continue the conversation.
Otherwise, you won't get away with it.
We're definitely going to suffer this loss today!
"All of you, behave yourselves!"
The train conductor warned them impatiently, not believing it was some kind of friendly greeting.
But now it's a case of one party willing to give and the other willing to receive...
They couldn't say much, so they could only keep a close eye on the kids later.
Finally, Kishimoto, clutching his wrist, slunk away in disgrace.
Aside from giving Shirasawa a fierce glare before leaving, he didn't dare utter another word.
Coach Anzai returned just then, all smiles.
As if he knew nothing, he leisurely sat back down, sipped his hot tea, and looked completely content...
"I really want to meet Toyotama as soon as possible."
Miyagi twisted his neck and a cruel smile appeared on his lips.
Hanamichi Sakuragi nodded vigorously, "Exactly, my head is still itchy."
"By the way, Xiao Bai, when did you wake up?"
Shirasawa yawned, tears still glistening in the corners of his eyes, "Just when you, this hard-boiled egg, were being used as a ping-pong ball..."
As soon as he finished speaking, the whole team burst into laughter.
Takenori Akagi shook his head helplessly.
These problem children are the center of attention wherever they go.
That was well done!
Shohoku is not a pushover that anyone can easily bully!
Two hours later.
The train gradually slowed down and came to a stop at Hiroshima Station.
Most of the passengers on the bus got off here; they were either players or fans.
The platform suddenly became as bustling as a vegetable market.
"Let's go. There's a bus outside to pick us up; we'll go directly to the stadium to meet up."
Takenori Akagi waved his hand and led the entire Shohoku team out.
The Summer National Tournament is the most watched of the three major high school basketball tournaments.
The other two are the Autumn National Sports Festival and the Winter Selection Tournament.
The Autumn National Sports Festival is also a major event, attracting considerable attention.
Because this competition is organized by county, each county selects its best players to form an all-star team, and then a knockout tournament is held to determine the national champion.
While it's more for entertainment, if we're talking about real honors, we have to look to the Summer Games.
The final Winter Selection Tournament
It was essentially an extension of the Summer National Tournament, so it didn't garner much attention, and even the players themselves didn't take it too seriously.
Therefore, all the teams fight tooth and nail throughout the year for this Summer National Tournament.
It's no exaggeration to call it the premier event in the national basketball community.
The National Basketball Association also attaches great importance to this.
The procedures were naturally handled with extreme rigor.
All 59 participating teams were required to arrive at the main venue one day in advance for group registration, oath-taking, and other similar activities.
The entire process takes at least two hours.
To put it simply, it boils down to one sentence...
"Do your best, everyone. It's up to you guys from now on..."
The oath-taking ceremony was over by 1 p. m.
But these hundreds of players haven't even had a chance to eat yet.
However, the young men all looked quite excited; after all, for many, just being able to stand here was a victory.
Having participated in national competitions is a shining achievement on one's resume.
Moreover, the exposure here is off the charts; as long as you play a good game, your name will immediately spread throughout the country.
Many third-year students also came with a mission, just like what Shota Sugiyama mentioned to Akagi —to get into the top eight in the country and receive an invitation from Fukazawa Sports University.
Anyway, no one complained, and no one dared to slack off.
A large electronic screen stands at the entrance of the sports center, displaying a densely packed matchup chart of 59 teams.
The system refreshes daily after each match, updating the latest advancement results so that each team is aware of the situation.
At this moment, several groups of people gathered below the screen, and the most enthusiastic chatter was, of course, from Group C—the infamous group of death.
"Group C is too fierce! Two A-level teams and two A+ level teams, the intensity is comparable to the finals of a cup competition..."
"You can argue with that. Getting through this group is tough enough to leave you badly injured, but it makes things much easier for the other groups."
"Look at Sannoh Industrial High School in Group B, their schedule is incredibly easy. There isn't a single team above the B-level in the entire group, it's practically a guaranteed spot in the top four."
The groups for the national competition are randomly drawn by computer, and a lot of people watch the draw to ensure fairness and transparency.
There are five seeded teams in total. The top four are last year's top four teams, and the fifth team is determined by the points from various competitions—referencing the Autumn National Sports Festival, the Winter Selection Tournament, and the County Tournament.
The fifth seed was created so that after the first round, there would be exactly 32 teams left, and then they could compete head-to-head.