There are still six months until the Winter Selection Tournament. You'll have to train the toughest way possible during these six months. Are you ready?
Everyone shouted in unison, "It's done!"
Coach Akai said, "Very good, now go to the track, today's training is the 10,000-meter run!"
A week passed in the blink of an eye. Training had just ended, but Shirota didn't leave, saying he wanted to practice more with Yo Aoki.
Yo Aoki looked at him. " Shirota, why did you decide to save some time for extra practice today?"
Shirota scratched his head, smiling sheepishly, "Hehe, Aoki, I need your help with something."
Yo Aoki raised an eyebrow and teased, "Do you have a crush on some girl and want me to help you confess?"
Shirota's face flushed red. "No, it's my older sister who asked you for help."
Yo Aoki was taken aback. "Your older sister?" I didn't play any serious competitions before high school. I was even in your sister's "800" streetball team, but I rarely went after I started high school.
Shirota nodded. "Yes."
Yo Aoki asked, "What does she want from me?"
Shirota exclaimed excitedly, "My sister's team has been challenged! It's a team from Gunma Prefecture!"
Yo Aoki was taken aback and blurted out, " Gunma Prefecture? Are you sure it's a basketball team and not a racing team?"
Shirota was even more puzzled. " Aoki, why do you ask that?"
Yo Aoki scratched his chin. "Is there anyone named Takumi Fujiwara in that team? And the Takahashi Brothers?"
Shirota shook his head. "I don't know, you'll have to ask my sister." He then asked, "Do you know them?"
Yo Aoki chuckled, "I don't know him, I was just asking casually." Actually, when I heard that Gunma Prefecture was coming to challenge us, I couldn't help but think of the sports manga " Initial D " that I had read before, but that was about road racing.
Shirota grabbed his arm, his voice earnest. "My sister hopes you can help ' Fire Phoenix ' win against this opponent, Aoki, can you do this favor?"
Yo Aoki readily agreed, "Of course! We're good friends!"
Shirota immediately laughed, "Great! Let's talk in detail at the coffee shop next to the school tomorrow at noon."
On his way home, Yo Aoki was still quite excited. He wondered if Takumi Fujiwara existed in this world. He thought he should go to Mount Akina sometime and look for that famous Fujiwara Tofu Shop.
The next day, on the campus of Takezato High School.
As soon as lunch break ended, Yo Aoki dragged Shirota straight to the coffee shop next to the school.
As soon as they lifted the curtain, they saw Shirota's older sister, Mika, already sitting there, waving and calling from afar, " Naoto, Aoki, over here!"
Once the two were seated, Shirota Mika thanked Yo Aoki first, " Aoki, thank you so much for coming to help."
Yo Aoki waved his hand. "No need to thank me, I'm part of Fire Phoenix now too."
Mika's eyes lit up. "Great! I knew I hadn't misjudged you!"
Yo Aoki smirked, " Naoto and I are best buddies, of course I have to come."
Mika quickly chimed in, "Alright, let's skip the formalities."
Yo Aoki went down the slope and asked directly, " Mika, could you tell me about that team first?"
Mika immediately became serious. "Okay! This team is called ' Emperor,' a streetball team from Gunma Prefecture."
It's said that they've never lost in Gunma, and they came to Kanagawa specifically to challenge us. They've dominated several teams from Saitama before, and now they've set their sights on our Fire Phoenix.
Holding his coffee cup, Yo Aoki casually asked, "Any other news?"
Mika shrugged. "That's all, that's all."
"What? That's all?" Yo Aoki almost spat out his coffee.
"I haven't watched their matches; the information came from a friend in Gunma," Mika explained.
Yo Aoki calmed himself down and asked, "When are they coming to challenge us?"
Next Sunday.
Yo Aoki thought for a moment, then turned to Shirota and said, "Here's what we'll do: go to Gunma this Sunday and find out what that team is all about."
Shirota immediately grabbed his arm. " Aoki, come with me, I'm a little scared to go alone."
Shirota Mika immediately bristled. " Naoto, can't you act like a man for once!"
"But sister, I'm really scared..."
"What's there to be afraid of! So what if I get beaten up?"
"Huh?" Shirota's face turned pale.
Yo Aoki waved his hand helplessly. "Alright, Mika, stop teasing him. I'm going with Naoto."
Shirota Mika immediately beamed, "That's great! Naoto still needs you! I'll have my friend pick you up."
Yo Aoki thought to himself: His face changes faster than turning the pages of a book.
Early Sunday morning, Yo Aoki and Shirota boarded the train to Gunma.
Gunma is located north of Kanagawa, requiring a detour around the eastern border and Saitama. The area is lush with greenery and has a thriving agricultural sector, making it a great tourist destination.
After several hours of travel, the two finally arrived in Gunma.
Besides investigating the " Emperor " team, Yo Aoki had another ulterior motive—to find Fujiwara Tofu Shop.
The two got off the bus and went looking for the friend Mika had mentioned, but they couldn't find her anywhere after searching for a long time.
Shirota had no choice but to call his sister, "Hey sis, why didn't Ryo come?"
"That bastard had to work overtime! You guys wait a bit, I'll call you back later!" Mika said and hung up immediately.
Shirota huffed, "This is so unreliable!"
Yo Aoki chuckled inwardly: You didn't leave your phone number here, and your home phone doesn't have caller ID, how is she going to call you back?
After thinking for a moment, he smiled and patted Shirota on the shoulder, "It's okay, we have plenty of time anyway, why don't we take a stroll?"
Before Shirota could agree, Yo Aoki had already grabbed his arm and headed straight for the Fujiwara Tofu Shop.
Two hours passed, Shirota sat on a stone bench by the roadside, wiping his sweat. Looking at Yo Aoki, who was still looking around anxiously, he couldn't help but complain, "Hey Aoki, how long have you been looking? It's been two hours!"
"Soon, soon. Anyway, I have nothing to do, so let's go for a walk," Yo Aoki said dismissively.
"But my sister said to wait," Shirota said anxiously.
"She doesn't know our phone number, how are we supposed to contact her?" Shirota was taken aback. Right!
"It's okay, I'll call your sister later and have her friend take us directly to the stadium. There's no point in going now."
Shirota immediately lost his temper.
As evening approached, after walking for more than four hours, Yo Aoki sighed and muttered to himself, "Sigh, it seems there's no such thing as a racing god on Mount Akina..."
Shirota called his sister again, bracing himself for a scolding, but to his surprise, Mika apologized first. " Naoto, I'm sorry, Ryo's company has to work overtime, so I can't pick you up. Just go to his company at seven o'clock, he'll be waiting there."
When the two arrived at the location, a man in his early twenties, about the same height as Shirota, stood at the entrance of the building. He had his hair parted in a 3/7 style, wore glasses, and had a refined and cultured appearance.
Shirota tentatively asked, "I'm Naoto, Shirota Mika's younger brother. Are you Ryo?"
The man glanced at his watch. "My name is Matsumoto Ryo. I just got off work. Come with me, it's not too late." He then turned and walked away, oblivious to everything else.
Yo Aoki and Shirota had no choice but to follow Matsumoto Ryo forward. After winding their way through the streets, they soon arrived at a park.
The park was packed with people, so much so that it was hard to find even a place to stand.
As they were squeezing in, Matsumoto Ryo suddenly raised his chin to show off. "See? Pretty lively, right? By the way, the ' Emperor ' team hasn't arrived yet."
Just as he finished speaking, a whistle blew, and the " Emperor " team arrived.
The crowd automatically parted to make way for the leader, who appeared to be about 1.9 meters tall.
Matsumoto Ryo pointed at the man and added, "This is Captain Hiraide Shuichi, he's 1.88 meters tall, and his signature move is called the Tiger-Style Dunk!"
Yo Aoki suddenly burst into laughter. " Tiger-Style Dunk? These guys must have gotten it wrong!"
Matsumoto Ryo's face darkened. "What are you laughing at?"
Yo Aoki laughed and explained, "I know a soccer player named Kojiro Hyuga, and his signature move is the Tiger Shot. What a coincidence!"
Matsumoto Ryo snorted and didn't reply.
Shirota tugged at Yo Aoki's sleeve and whispered, " Aoki, that's very rude."
Yo Aoki ignored Shirota and patted Matsumoto Ryo on the shoulder. "What's the name of that guy in the turban over there? What's he good for?"
Matsumoto Ryo was knocked off balance by the slap and was about to explode in anger, but when he caught a glimpse of Yo Aoki's tall stature and muscular build, he suppressed his anger and patiently said, "His name is Yamakawa Mitsuhiro, he's 1.8 meters tall, and his skill is Swift Shadow Dribble."
Yo Aoki suppressed a laugh, "What does 'Swift Shadow Dribble?"
"His speed when he dribbles past opponents is so fast that he leaves a shadow behind him, hence the name 'Swift Shadow Dribble '."
Yo Aoki burst into laughter again. "These people really know how to come up with names!"
At this time, the " Emperor " team was already warming up on the field.
The blond-haired Hiraide Shuichi dribbled the ball to the basket, suddenly grabbed the ball with both hands, jumped up, stretched out his arms, and slammed the ball into the hoop.
"Here it comes!" Matsumoto Ryo shouted excitedly, " Tiger-Style Dunk!"
Before Yo Aoki could speak, Shirota frowned. "This is the Tiger-Style Dunk? It's too ordinary."
Matsumoto Ryo immediately roared, "What do you know, you high school freshman!"
Shirota, fearing he hadn't grasped the point, turned to look at Yo Aoki.
Yo Aoki smiled and said, " Shirota, it's good enough that you can dunk, don't be so picky."
Matsumoto Ryo dared to yell at Shirota, but he didn't dare to provoke Yo Aoki. He could only curse inwardly and continue watching the " Emperor " team's performance.
The " Emperor " team finished their warm-up and began playing a 3-on-3 half-court offensive and defensive game.
Shirota pulled out his notebook and started taking notes. " Aoki, look at that guy with the headscarf, he broke through pretty quickly, but his last shot was so inaccurate."
Yo Aoki nodded. "This guy is a typical streetball player. His skills are flashy and attractive, but they're all show and no substance. In a real game, he'd get shut down so badly he'd question his existence."
Yo Aoki then said, " Shirota, we need to pay special attention to that guy in the blue tracksuit on this team."
"Him?" Shirota asked doubtfully. "I think he's quite ordinary."
"No! He's the core of this team!"
Why?
"He may not look impressive, but he has an exceptionally good tactical awareness. He can always find the most suitable position to receive the ball, and his basketball fundamentals are solid. His techniques are practical, without any unnecessary movements, and his shooting accuracy is consistent."
"And most importantly, he's an exceptionally strong defender!"
" Aoki, how did you figure out he was a strong defender?"
"Watch his footwork. When he's defending, he always manages to get into position first and block the opponent's attack route."
Yo Aoki chuckled, " Shirota, this team is definitely stronger than ' Fire Phoenix,' it'll be difficult for them to win."
Shirota laughed, " Aoki, as long as you're here, how could we possibly lose?"