Early morning.
Today was August 2nd, the official opening day of the Inter High National High School Tournament.
In front of the entrance to Chidori-sou Inn.
The Shohoku team stood assembled in neat formation.
Akagi Takenori looked serious and solemn as he raised his voice firmly. "Alright, is everyone here?"
Mitsui Hisashi looked at Akagi's high-spirited demeanor and couldn't help teasing, "Looks like Akagi spent all night meditating and managed to shake off his nerves."
Kogure Kiminobu nodded slightly and added, "Yeah, looks like he's back to normal now."
He glanced around at the others, smiling. "Everyone else seems pretty relaxed too."
Heheheheh…
Coach Anzai Mitsuyoshi looked at the energized players and chuckled softly, his eyes full of satisfaction.
Seeing this, Ayako quickly joined in to boost morale. She raised her voice, "Today's our first match. Let's get fired up and show the whole country what Shohoku is made of!"
"Yeah!" the team responded in unison, voices loud and full of fighting spirit.
Shimizu Kanon followed up. "Our opponent today is Toyotama High School. I already went over their player info yesterday. I'll hand out detailed profiles once we get to the arena."
Coach Anzai nodded approvingly and turned to the team with his usual warm smile. "Heheheh… Alright then, let's go!"
…
Hiroshima Central Gymnasium.
The plaza outside was packed and buzzing, like a pot boiling over.
There were excited spectators and team members from all over, crowding shoulder to shoulder, all here to watch today's games.
There were four basketball courts inside Hiroshima Central Gymnasium.
The 59 teams in this national tournament were evenly divided into four groups, each assigned to a different court where games would be held simultaneously.
So, not everyone had come just to watch the Shohoku vs. Toyotama match.
Still, Shohoku had drawn quite a bit of attention.
To be exact, it was Aoi Kunisaku who was getting all the attention.
That issue of the weekly basketball magazine covering Aoi had stirred a lot of buzz. People were curious about the player who was being hyped up so much. They all wanted to see with their own eyes who this guy really was.
At the Shohoku vs. Toyotama match venue.
The stands were already filled with all kinds of people.
Since it was Shohoku's first game and their name wasn't yet that well known nationwide, the turnout wasn't overwhelming.
One side of the stands was completely taken over by cheerleaders in Toyotama High uniforms.
"Toyotama... Let's go... Toyotama... Let's go... Toyotama... Let's go…"
"Crush Shohoku... Send them home packing…" The Toyotama cheer squad screamed at the top of their lungs.
Their voices echoed around the gym, loud and aggressive.
The entire arena was filled with their nasty shouting.
Elsewhere in the crowd—
Akagi Haruko had arrived early along with her friends Fujii and Matsui, as well as members of Sakuragi's Gang.
Haruko looked around at the lively scene and said with emotion, "So this is what a national tournament feels like… There really are a lot more people than in the prefectural games."
Even though the stands weren't completely full yet, the crowd was already as big as those Kanagawa matches.
It showed just how massive this tournament really was.
Fujii glanced at Toyotama's rowdy cheer squad and nervously said, "Their lineup is kind of scary. It looks like on our side…"
She looked around and added, "It's pretty much just us."
Matsui nodded helplessly and gave a wry smile. "I'm already used to it."
Just then, Takamiya Nozomi pointed excitedly into the distance. "Not necessarily! With them around, I think we're not lacking in spirit at all."
Everyone followed his finger and saw three girls in white mini-skirted cheer uniforms standing right in the middle of Shohoku's section.
Haruko and the others all twitched a little at the sight.
"They really came," Fujii said with an exasperated face.
Matsui rolled her eyes. "Where do they even get all that energy…"
Mito Yohei smirked and looked across the court. "Well, thanks to them, our side's not so quiet anymore."
Haruko's gaze fell on the player tunnel where the Shohoku team would enter. She muttered softly, "It's almost time. Onii-chan and the others should be coming out soon."
…
Toyotama locker room.
Coach Kanehira stood in front of the team and said, "Shohoku is making their first appearance in the national tournament. They've never qualified in previous years, so they're pretty much nobodies. But this year, they beat Kainan and took first in the Kanagawa prelims. Especially their number 9—Aoi Kunisaku. Rumor has it, the reason they beat Kainan was all thanks to him."
Kishimoto Minori scratched his head in confusion. "Aoi Kunisaku? Who's that?"
"Should be this guy," Minami said, glancing down at the info sheet in his hand, which detailed Aoi Kunisaku's profile.
Kishimoto leaned in for a look.
The moment he saw Aoi's photo, his eyes widened, and he shouted, "It's him… That guy from before!"
Itakura Daijiro, with his broad, square jaw, said, "Shohoku was totally unknown before. Their rise is all because of him?"
Iwata Mitsuaki, the skinny one, added, "192 cm. He's really tall."
Tsuchiya Atsushi, sporting a center-parted hairstyle, followed up. "What's his name again? Aoi Kunisaku?"
Minami's gaze deepened. His expression didn't show much emotion, and he said calmly, "Over 80 points scored in a single game. An unstoppable scoring ace…"
As he spoke, his eyes narrowed, a faint and sinister glint flashing in them. The corners of his mouth curled in a sly smile. "Then I'll take him on right from the start."
The rest of the locker room turned to look at him.
"From the start, huh…" Kishimoto repeated in a low voice. Then he grinned, flashing a row of white teeth. "Not bad."
Coach Kanehira spoke up again. "There's also a first-year—Rukawa Kaede. He's the second-best scorer after Aoi Kunisaku. And the center, Akagi… he's also got a bit of a reputation…"
As he kept talking, he realized the players had gone silent. No one responded.
It got awkward fast. He sighed inwardly, helpless.
…
Shohoku locker room.
The mood was lively.
Everyone was gathered around, actively discussing their game plan against Toyotama High.
Akagi Takenori looked serious and focused. "I'll take the tip-off. They don't have the height to beat me. I'll definitely get the ball."
He turned to Aoi Kunisaku. "I'll tap the ball to you or Rukawa. Once you've got it, sprint. Let's score the first one with pure speed."
Sakuragi Hanamichi made a face and jabbed a finger toward Rukawa. "We're counting on this guy? He already screwed up guarding that old guy from Kainan."
Rukawa stared at him with those signature dead-fish eyes and shot back coldly, "Shut it. No one's stopping me."
Tch…
Sakuragi clicked his tongue and scoffed. "Like hell. You've already been wrecked by Wu Shen Gui more times than I can count."
Hmph…
Rukawa snorted and turned away, ignoring him.
Seeing that, Kogure looked at Sakuragi and said encouragingly, "Sakuragi… Didn't you train your shooting with Aoi Kunisaku? Show us what you've got today."
That set Sakuragi off. He burst out laughing, totally full of himself. "Hahahaha! I knew I was the star! I'm a whole new man now! I'm gonna crush that Toyotama garbage!"
Kogure twitched at the corner of his mouth. "I was just trying to cheer him up…"
"Tch. What's there to plan? Just pass me the ball," Aoi Kunisaku said from the bench, sounding disgusted as he looked at everyone.
Akagi's brow twitched hard. He was pissed. He wanted to clap back but had no comeback, so all he could do was stew. "Damn it… I can't think of anything to say to shut him up. So frustrating."
Kogure quickly stepped in to smooth things over. "Come on, Aoi Kunisaku, don't say that. It's the national stage. We should be at least a little prepared."
Hmph…
Aoi Kunisaku snorted and turned his head, face full of disdain. "Do whatever. Just don't get in my way."
"…Uhh…"
Kogure was speechless.
Mitsui: "Damn bastard. Still as unlikable as ever."
Miyagi Ryota: "So full of himself… So full of himself… So full of himself…"
…
Just then, Coach Anzai stood up slowly and looked at everyone with calm eyes. "Time's up. Let's move."
Akagi straightened up and looked around at the team. He shouted, "Alright, Shohoku! Let's go! Beat Toyotama!"
"Yeah!!" The team roared in unison, voices shaking the room.