I want to reach 20 paid subscriptions on Patreon this week to complete this novel, as it has been over a month since the last subscription.
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Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
The Round of 16 matches of the Winter Selection Tournament began as scheduled.
The rules for the Round of 16 to 8 were very simple.
The 16 teams were divided into four groups, with each group playing two-on-two matches.
A team that won two consecutive matches would directly advance to the Round of 8.
A team that lost one match would have to play against another team that had lost one match.
The winner would advance to the Round of 8, while teams that lost two or more matches would be ruthlessly eliminated.
On the bus heading to the competition venue.
Ryu sat in the back of the bus, holding the Round of 16 schedule, a slight smile playing on his lips.
Toho Kotei Gakuen VS Kaijo High School.
'Kise… I didn't expect to meet him so soon!'
I wonder how much Kise has grown now.
On the other side.
The Kaijo team had already arrived at their locker room early.
Everyone's face was unusually serious.
Kise's eyes practically blazed with fighting spirit.
He had finally waited for his moment of revenge.
Ever since his defeat to Ryu, he had begun a frenzied training regimen.
After months of self-torture, his progress had been phenomenal.
Now, he possessed absolute confidence.
He had every reason to believe that he could now stand a chance against Ryu.
Hayakawa Mitsuhiro, as always, was like a man possessed, excitedly shouting.
"Zarru...zaru...monk stand, enemy one-ground black absorption five gates, then the air one-ground we must first produce a crisp Zeng Guo. (Go...go...victory will definitely be ours, this time we must show our best results)"
Listening to his indistinct words, the others in the locker room were used to it and simply laughed it off.
Kasamatsu Yukio observed his teammates' every move.
He possessed a persistence and desire for victory unknown to others.
Therefore, his nerves were much more tense than the others.
He saw Kise sitting silently in a corner, so he went over and asked.
"Kise, your opponent is that Ryu, are you okay?"
His question contained both inquiry and concern.
Kasamatsu Yukio had great faith in his team's ace.
However, their opponent today was no ordinary player; it was the national champion of the Summer League, currently the No. 1 high school team.
This made him extremely cautious.
Hearing his captain's question, Kise smiled and nodded.
"Of course, my efforts these past few months haven't been in vain. Although I don't know if I can beat Ryu, I will do my best to help the team win."
Replying to this, Kasamatsu Yukio nodded.
"Okay, if you need anything later, just let us know."
Kise nodded in reply.
"I know, Kasamatsu-senpai, but I think the one who needs help the most right now is Moriyama-senpai!"
He pointed in a direction.
Kasamatsu Yukio turned his head, somewhat puzzled.
Then his face darkened instantly.
He saw Moriyama Yoshitaka holding a comb in one hand and a mirror in the other, admiring himself and muttering something to himself.
"That bastard…"
Kasamatsu Yukio couldn't take it anymore, stood up, and walked over, saying…
"Moriyama…we're here to play basketball, don't worry about your hairstyle, it'll get messed up during the game anyway."
Moriyama Yoshitaka replied, casually combing his hair.
"I've decided, I'm going to fight for the beautiful women here today, and to live up to their expectations, I'll give them my best hairstyle as a thank you gift."
"Enough…you fight for the team, you bastard…"
Kasamatsu Yukio said, veins bulging, his face dark.
Then he turned and roared at the incessantly chattering Hayakawa Mitsuhiro.
"And you…Hayakawa…be quiet! You're talking so fast and you're slurring your words, I can't understand a word you're saying! Idiot…"
After yelling, he wearily glanced around at everyone, then turned and said.
"I'm going out for a bit, remember to call me when it's time."
With that, he walked out of the locker room.
Watching him leave, Kise said with some confusion.
"Kasamatsu-senpai seems a bit off today?"
Moriyama Yoshitaka chimed in.
"Kasamatsu! He's just too nervous. He'll be fine during the match."
Others might not know, but he knew perfectly well.
As a fellow third-year student, he naturally knew about Kasamatsu Yukio's past.
During the National Tournament, Kasamatsu Yukio's mistake caused the team to miss the tournament, a lifelong regret.
This made Kasamatsu Yukio feel extremely guilty.
From then on, to prevent the same thing from happening again, he would strictly demand of himself before every match, habitually keeping his nerves on edge.
...
Too's locker room.
"Sorry, Aomine seems to be a little late, so he probably won't be able to play in the first half."
Momoi Satsuki said apologetically to the Too team in the locker room.
"So that's how it is. Well, there's nothing we can do then."
imayoshi shoichi said, already knowing this.
"Damn it... It's okay if that bastard doesn't come, we'll just pretend he doesn't exist."
Wakamatsu Kosuke roared angrily.
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."
Sakurai Ryo, as always, kept bowing.
Momoi, watching the familiar scene, could only sigh inwardly.
'Fortunately, today's opponent isn't very strong; even without Aomine, we can handle it.'
Thinking this, she tilted her head, suddenly remembering something.
'Speaking of which, Ryu doesn't seem to have arrived yet! I remember the Toho Kotei Gakuen's match should be after ours!'
...
Shūtoku's locker room.
Takao changed into his jersey, closed the locker, and then said to Midorima beside him.
"I heard that Toho Kotei Gakuen's opponent today is Kaijo; their match should be after ours. Want to go watch?"
Midorima pushed up his glasses, a look of interest on his face as he replied.
"Of course we're going, no doubt about it."
Takao grinned.
"As expected, you're interested too, Shin-chan! Although I don't think Kaijo can beat Toho Kotei Gakuen, I'm still really looking forward to it."
He paused, then teased.
"Speaking of which, our opponents today seem pretty tough! We might lose."
Midorima completely ignored his comment.
"What nonsense are you spouting? The idea of us losing is simply impossible; just bigger ants."
"Is that so?"
Takao smiled but said nothing.
Midorima had the right to ignore his opponents.
Unless they were from the other Generation of Miracles, he couldn't imagine his team losing.
...
Yosen's locker room.
Crunch...crunch...
Murasakibara sat in a corner, snacking on a snack.
Yosen's coach, Araki Masako, held a bamboo sword, her eyes scanning her players with hostility.
Smack...
A sudden striking sound made the Yosen players shudder.
White smoke rose from the spot where the bamboo sword struck.
Araki Masako spoke.
"Everyone better be alert for the match later. Anyone who's not enthusiastic will be kicked off the field immediately."
Crunch...crunch...
The untimely sound of chewing snacks drew everyone's attention.
All eyes turned to Atsushi Murasakibara in the corner.
Murasakibara was still engrossed in his snacks, seemingly oblivious to what the coach had just said.
Seeing this, the members of Yosen's team subtly twitched their lips, as if out of habit.
Masako Araki's forehead veins bulged, and her hand gripped the bamboo sword so tightly it cracked.
Himuro Tatsuya, sensing the situation was getting out of hand, nudged Murasakibara, who was still eating.
"Atsushi, stop eating! The coach is still giving a lecture!"
Huh?
Murasakibara turned to look at Himuro Tatsuya, then looked up at his coach.
"Did the coach say anything?"
Pfft...
An eerie silence fell over the entire arena.
Though tinged with amusement, there seemed to be a hint of laughter within the silence.
"You bastard..."
Araki Masako couldn't help but raise her bamboo sword and strike Murasakibara on the back.
Smack...
The sound was loud, but Murasakibara seemed unresponsive, still stuffing snacks into his mouth.
"You better listen to me properly, and... don't eat so much before the match!"
Araki Masako roared angrily.
Crunch... Crunch...
Murasakibara nodded in agreement, chewing.
"Oh... okay... then I'll finish this one."
With that, he took a snack bar from the bag, opened the packaging, and started eating it.
Crunch... Crunch...
Seeing him like this, Araki Masako could only grit her teeth and huff angrily.
Himuro Tatsuya quickly tried to smooth things over.
"Speaking of which, our opponent today seems to be a team that excels at defense!"
Hearing this, Murasakibara licked his fingers and said.
"Is that so? It's alright! We'll just play casually."
Smack...
The bamboo sword struck Murasakibara's back again, and Araki Masako scolded.
"What are you saying... You need to take this match seriously, you hear me?"
"Ouch..."
Araki Masako's blow this time might have been a little too strong.
Murasakibara felt a slight pain.
He said irritably.
"Compared to that, I'm more interested in Yu-chin and Ki-chin match."
Hearing this, Himuro Tatsuya raised an eyebrow.
"You mean the match between Toho Kotei Gakuen and Kaijo?"
Murasakibara nodded.
"That's right! And… it's not just the two of them!"
…
Rakuzan locker room.
"Akashi, in the match between Toho Kotei Gakuen and Kaijo, who do you think has the better chance?"
Reo Mibuchi asked curiously.
Akashi replied calmly with a smile.
"Ryu and Kise, I think Ryu will have the edge!"
"You think so too?"
Reo Mibuchi looked knowing.
He thought so too.
After all, Akashi was once the captain of the Generation of Miracles.
And Ryu had defeated them.
So, compared to them, Kaijo seemed slightly weaker.
"Although I'd like to say that, but…"
Just then.
Akashi's voice rang out again.
"Kise's talent is no less than any of ours. Like Ryu, he possesses a unique talent. If he can master his talent, it's hard to say who will win."
Upon hearing this, Reo Mibuchi was startled.
"Really? I didn't expect you to have such a high opinion of Kise Ryota."
He looked at Akashi meaningfully and continued.
"But speaking of which, there seem to be more than just those two with unique talents!"
Kotaro Hayama suddenly chimed in.
"That's right, that's right. You Generation of Miracles are all monsters, each possessing a unique talent. I'm so envious."
Akashi smiled knowingly.
"You're right."
…
Time passed.
The bus from the Toho Kotei Gakuen Academy finally arrived at the competition venue.
After being surrounded by a group of reporters, Ryu and his group finally arrived at their locker room.
The Round of 16 was being held simultaneously in four groups.
However, each group had a specific order.
The match between Toho Kotei Gakuen and Kaijo was scheduled later.
Coincidentally, the match before theirs was that of Fukuda sogo Academy.
This was something no one had expected.
Ryu was somewhat surprised by this.
He hadn't anticipated that Haizaki Shogo would be in the same group as him.
This meant that regardless of how the three schools fared in their first matches, win or lose, they would eventually meet.
Of course, unless Fukuda Sogo Academy lost their first match.
However, Ryu didn't believe that an unknown school could defeat Haizaki Shogo.
Although he disapproved of Haizaki Shogo's behavior, character aside, strength was strength.
He acknowledged Haizaki Shogo's ability.
Ryu changed into his jersey, put on his jacket, and left with Karupin in his arms.
He planned to watch other players' games and gather some information.
With [Data Basketball 3.0],
his data collection speed was terrifying.
Under full concentration, within 10 minutes—the length of a quarter of a game—
Ryu could collect comprehensive data on both his own and opposing players, including dribbling, penetration, defense, shooting, habits, and more, allowing him to develop targeted tactics.
Unless one possesses exceptional talent and perseverance, like the Generation of Miracles or the "Uncrowned Generals," and forcibly surpasses their own limits to break through the [Data Basketball] effect, they can only endure its dominion.
Meow…
Just then.
Karupin suddenly meowed, then twitched its nose, its round, vertical pupils scanning its surroundings.
"What's wrong?"
Ryu asked, puzzled.
This was the first time he'd seen Karupin like this.
Karupin said, twitching its nose.
"I sensed the aura of colored energy, nearby."
Huh?
"Really, nearby? Which direction exactly?"
Ryu asked excitedly.
Karupin turned its head towards a spot in the stands.
"It's there…"
Ryu followed Karupin's gaze.
"Over there? That's all audience over there. Are you sure it's over there?"
"I'm sure, it's over there, there's no mistake."
Karupin said firmly.
Ryu's gaze swept over that area for a long time, but it couldn't find anything resembling energy.
Karupin also found it a bit strange.
It was confident that it couldn't have sensed anything wrong.
"Let's go look for it!"
Karupin suggested.
Ryu hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
Perhaps that colorful energy ball is under someone's seat, and they just happened to be blocking it.
Thinking this, Ryu picked up Karupin and walked over.
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I want to reach 20 paid subscriptions on Patreon this week to complete this novel, as it has been over a month since the last subscription.
patreon.com/ayan41x