Chapter Eighty-Three: Qualifying Tournament Brackets
Separating the second stage's movements meant simultaneously alternating hands to toss and catch the tennis ball while performing figure-8 between-the-legs dribbling.
As dribbling difficulty increased, even more precise prediction and faster reactions were required.
When Yagami Sorato began attempting it, his movements became obviously more chaotic. The sound of the tennis ball hitting the ground grew more frequent.
But his eyes stayed focused. Without saying a word, he simply kept picking up the ball and trying again.
The Chinatsu father and daughter watched quietly—one with appreciation in his eyes, the other with...
"Thump... plop!"
Each time the tennis ball bounced off the wall, the sound was like a signal making Yagami Sorato's heartbeat accelerate along with it.
He had to complete one between-the-legs hand-switch dribble in the brief gap between throwing the tennis ball toward the wall and having it return to his body. This constant alternation quickly disrupted his rhythm, throwing everything into complete disarray.
"Master your body's core. Don't let the tennis ball interfere with you. You're the one in control!"
"Excellent! Maintain that focus!" Chinatsu Kazushi only spoke up at key moments for reminders.
What surprised him was that Yagami Sorato's coordination was improving at a visibly rapid pace. At this rate, he might fully master this entire training method before Kazushi had to leave for work.
"Yui-chan, Sorato-kun, don't play too late. Dinner's almost ready." Chinatsu's mother's voice came from inside the house.
"Got it!" Chinatsu Yui shouted toward the house.
After practicing the second stage for about twenty minutes, the back of Yagami Sorato's shirt was already soaked with sweat. However, he could finally barely complete the alternating tennis ball tosses while maintaining his between-the-legs dribbling rhythm.
Though the movements were far from smooth, this adaptation speed already exceeded Chinatsu Kazushi's imagination.
"Rest for now." Chinatsu Kazushi took the ball from Yagami Sorato's hands. "This dribbling training is only suitable for about an hour per day anyway. But like those basic drills, once you've mastered it, you can train this way regularly."
"Understood."
Yagami Sorato nodded. His waist and wrists were already sore to the extreme, yet his spirit was abnormally energized.
At the dinner table, the aroma of food filled the air. Chinatsu Kazushi looked seriously at Yagami Sorato, providing a final summary of the afternoon's training.
"Before I leave for work, you should be able to fully master this training method. However," he shifted his tone, reminding Yagami Sorato, "you should understand that the tennis ball is merely a means to add interest and strengthen practice. The real key lies in how you integrate the abilities gained from training into your actual games."
Yagami Sorato contemplated Chinatsu Kazushi's words seriously.
Indeed, after all, the tennis ball was just an inanimate object. After mastering a certain rhythm, the body would gradually memorize that feeling. But opponents on the court were completely different.
"Although the training requires constantly watching the tennis ball, what you're actually focusing on isn't the 'tennis ball'..."
"Exactly." Chinatsu Kazushi nodded approvingly. "So when you practice, you need to construct scenarios in your mind—imagine yourself controlling the ball on a push, ready at any moment to break through or pass. This behavior of watching the tennis ball throughout trains your ability to constantly observe opponents and teammates."
"The ultimate goal is to let you skillfully execute various dribbling movements even without looking at the ball at all. When you face those extremely oppressive defenders, you must lock onto their movements while protecting the ball behind you. Then use your eyes, shoulders, wrists, footwork, and rhythm to continuously give false information until you find your opponent's momentary weakness."
Under Chinatsu Kazushi's guidance, the subtle confusion in Yagami Sorato's mind gradually dispersed, clearly connecting the training's purpose with actual game content.
"Sorato!" Chinatsu Yui's soft call, carrying barely perceptible shyness, broke the instructional atmosphere at the dinner table.
"Oh my~" Chinatsu's mother covered her mouth with a light laugh beside them.
Only then did Yagami come to his senses. Following Chinatsu Yui's gaze downward, he discovered to his shock that his chopsticks were suspended directly above a piece of fried shrimp tempura in her bowl.
"Ahem, I told you not to wave your bowl around while eating." Yagami Sorato reacted swiftly—no slower than on the court.
Having said this, he naturally picked up the fried shrimp from Chinatsu Yui's bowl and ate it without hesitation.
"Consider this your tuition fee." Yagami Sorato said while chewing, showing no remorse whatsoever.
"You—!" Seeing him turn the tables like this, Chinatsu Yui couldn't help puffing out her cheeks.
"Kid, you've got some nerve." Chinatsu Kazushi drawled, his tone dangerously light. "Looks like you need to pay tuition too. After dinner, how about more practice? I've noticed you have quite a lot to learn about physical contact."
"Thank you for Kazushi-ojisan's kind offer, but that won't be necessary." Yagami Sorato quickly stood. "I'm full. Miyuki-obasan's cooking is delicious as always."
"Damn it, don't think you can escape!" Chinatsu Yui chased after him as he left the table.
"Yui-chan, make sure you finish your meal properly." Chinatsu's mother's eyes overflowed with gentle, smiling warmth. "Ah, youth is wonderful~"
One week passed quickly. During this time, Ryonan held no practice games, instead repeatedly grinding players' fundamentals.
This was quite tedious and demanding training, but with Coach Taoka watching, the players behaved one more obediently than the next.
After each basic practice session ended, Coach Taoka organized half-court offensive and defensive positioning drills and small-scale scrimmages to observe their training progress, followed by review sessions.
On June 15th, the regional qualifying tournament bracket results arrived.
The Kanto region's one metropolis and six prefectures fielded a total of 28 teams. Among them, the champion teams from Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba, and Saitama received first-round byes.
Group A: Ryonan, Masahou vs Kanezaki, Kirisaki Daiichi vs Mikage, Satohama vs Kaisei
Group B: Urayasu, Shohoku vs Meijo, Seirin vs Hakozaki, Yuta vs Kusunoki
Group C: Touou, Kaijo vs Tamatsutsumi, Zainodai vs Izumikan Tsumugu, Shumei vs Akatsuki Shin
Group D: Umezawa, Kainan vs Shutoku, Ikemoto vs Takatsuru, Kasuga...
"The focus of this regional qualifying tournament is undoubtedly the Tokyo division." Coach Taoka held the bracket sheet, writing each team worth noting on the blackboard one by one.
"Touou Academy—the team with 'Generation of Miracles' ace Aomine Daiki. Tokyo's newly risen king."
"Shutoku High School—the team with 'Generation of Miracles' member Midorima Shintaro. They've always been a Tokyo powerhouse. Although they unexpectedly lost to Seirin in the Tokyo preliminaries, their strength cannot be ignored."
"Seirin High School—established only two years ago, yet able to defeat Shutoku. I've watched footage of their Final Four match. Their team's core consists of two first-years: one who can orchestrate the entire team's offense, another with very strong attacking ability at the rim. They're also potential opponents requiring focused attention."
"Although they're not in our group, only two teams from the regional qualifiers can advance."
"Which means—"
"We'll meet them eventually, right!" Ryonan's players brimmed with fighting spirit.