The basketball gym of Shohoku High School.
The air was thick with the smell of sweat and the scorching scent produced by rubber soles scraping against the hardwood floor.
"Run! Move your feet faster!"
"Defense! Don't lose your man!"
The thunderous roar of Akagi Takenori echoed throughout the empty gymnasium, full of overwhelming pressure.
Rukawa Kaede was drenched in sweat, yet his eyes remained cold and razor-sharp.
Like a tireless blade, he repeatedly tore through the substitute team's defense.
Meanwhile, Sakuragi Hanamichi was still a bit clumsy with his movements.
But relying on his monstrous physical ability—and the brand-new Air Jordan 6 on his feet—he bounced around the paint like a red grasshopper, jumping wildly and making life miserable for Kakuta Satoru and Yasuda Yasuharu.
While the entire team was passionately running shuttle drills—
Everyone suddenly realized something.
Today, there seemed to be one extra person in the lineup.
Makino Juro.
During normal practices, he either slipped away halfway through or slept somewhere in the corner.
Yet today—
He was actually participating in training seriously?!
Even Sakuragi was shocked and leaned closer.
"M-Master…?"
"Oh! I know!"
"Master's been possessed by a ghost!"
Sakuragi's remark made everyone burst into laughter.
Makino Juro's face immediately turned red. He could only roll his eyes at Sakuragi.
During the shuttle runs, Makino Juro finished dead last.
But none of the others left.
They waited for him in silent understanding.
When Makino Juro finally finished and collapsed on the floor, drenched in sweat—
Akagi's enormous face suddenly appeared above him.
A massive shadow engulfed him completely.
"You…"
"You really possessed by a ghost or something?"
Makino Juro blinked his dead-fish eyes and looked at Akagi speechlessly.
"Captain… I'm just afraid I won't be able to sleep tonight."
"Exercise helps with sleep…"
Akagi suppressed a laugh and didn't expose Makino Juro's terrible excuse.
He already knew why Makino Juro had suddenly started working hard.
"Back in formation!"
Akagi stopped bothering with him and shouted at the team.
"Alright."
Makino Juro quickly stood up and slipped into the last row of the lineup.
Then he adjusted himself into the most comfortable standing position possible.
At that moment, Ayako walked over holding a tactical board.
She lightly tapped her palm with her paper fan, her expression serious.
"Listen up, everyone."
"Even though we won the practice match against Ryonan High School, don't get careless."
"Next week, the regional preliminaries begin."
Ayako unfolded a large tournament chart.
The dense web of lines made people dizzy just looking at it.
"This year's Kanagawa Prefecture Tournament has over two hundred teams participating."
"Only the top two teams will qualify to represent Kanagawa in the **Inter-High School Championship (IH)."
When Makino Juro heard the phrase "over two hundred teams," his face instantly turned pale.
His mind began calculating rapidly.
Over two hundred teams… single-elimination format…
I need to raise my stamina before the tournament starts.
Ayako didn't notice Makino Juro spacing out and continued analyzing.
"Our biggest opponent is last year's champion—"
"Kainan University Affiliated High School, known as the 'Kings.'"
"They've reached the Inter-High for ten consecutive years. They're the true overlords."
"The second is last year's runner-up, Shoyo High School."
"And of course, there's Ryonan High School, with the genius Sendoh Akira and the monster center Uozumi Jun."
At the mention of those names, the eyes of Akagi and Rukawa instantly ignited with fighting spirit.
Only Makino Juro… yawned.
"And another thing!"
Suddenly, a red-haired head popped out of the lineup.
Sakuragi Hanamichi proudly pointed at the brand-new Air Jordan 6 on his feet and burst into laughter.
"And there's also this genius—Sakuragi Hanamichi!"
"As long as I wear these 'Genius Shoes' my master gave me, Kainan and Shoyo will all fall before me!"
As he spoke, he deliberately lifted his foot and waved it around so everyone could clearly see the flashy Jumpman logo.
"Nice shoes. Shame the owner's an idiot."
Rukawa coldly stabbed from the side.
"Shut up, you damn fox!"
Sakuragi exploded.
"My master bought these for me! You're just jealous!"
"Alright."
At that moment, Anzai Mitsuyoshi slowly stood up.
His round figure looked especially kind under the glow of the sunset, the lenses of his glasses reflecting light.
"Hohoho…"
"Everyone has improved a lot recently."
"As long as we keep this momentum—and add a little luck and effort…"
Anzai's gaze swept across the players.
It paused briefly on Makino Juro and Rukawa.
"Shohoku… will become even stronger."
The simple words seemed to carry a strange magic.
The exhausted team suddenly felt their fighting spirit reignited.
"Yes, Coach!"
Everyone shouted in unison.
After Practice
Players gradually left the gym.
Akagi wiped his sweat while calling out to Ayako, who was organizing some data.
"Ayako."
"That problem child… should be back soon, right?"
Ayako paused for a moment before realizing who he meant.
She closed her folder, a complicated smile appearing on her lips.
"Yeah."
"I heard he's been discharged from the hospital."
"He supposedly returned to school today."
Akagi nodded, his expression thoughtful.
"That kid's a troublemaker…"
"But his ball-handling skills are undeniable."
"If he's back, we'll be even more stable this year."
Meanwhile
Near a park close to the school.
The sunset dyed the streets orange-red.
Several Shohoku students stood facing each other, the atmosphere tense.
"Hey. You looking for a fight?"
Ohkusu Yuji rubbed his sore shoulder and glared at the short boy in front of him.
The boy wasn't tall—only about 168 cm.
He had stylish curly hair and a shiny earring in his left ear.
Though small in build, he stood with his hands in his pockets, radiating a rebellious aura that warned others not to mess with him.
Miyagi Ryota.
Shohoku's point guard—freshly discharged from the hospital.
Miyagi lifted his head, his eyes dark like a volcano ready to erupt.
"Huh?"
"You wanna fight?"
His voice was low and hoarse.
His fists were already clenched inside his pockets.
He had been lying in a hospital bed for so long—
The frustration inside him had nowhere to go.
"What did you say?!"
Takamiya Nozomi and Noma Chuichirou immediately stepped forward.
The conflict was about to explode.
Suddenly—
A hand gently rested on Ohkusu's shoulder.
Mito Yohei stepped forward.
With a calm smile, he looked Miyagi up and down.
"Forget it, Ohkusu."
"We were walking too fast."
Yohei then nodded politely toward Miyagi.
"Sorry, man."
"Just got out of the hospital, right? I can still smell the disinfectant."
Miyagi froze.
Looking into Yohei's calm yet deep eyes—
He could sense that the seemingly gentle guy in front of him possessed unfathomable strength.
"Tch."
Miyagi clicked his tongue and relaxed the fists in his pockets.
"Forget it. I'm not in the mood today."
He turned and walked away.
His back looked a little lonely.
"What's with that arrogant little shrimp?" Ohkusu muttered.
Yohei looked in the direction Miyagi left, deep in thought.
"That guy…"
"Looks like he's got quite a story too."