Shohoku High School, after school.
Inside the basketball gym, the crisp sound of basketballs hitting the floor echoed, accompanied by the squeak of sneakers against the ground. The entire training ground was filled with vibrant energy.
With the conclusion of the intra-squad scrimmage, the Shohoku Basketball Team officially entered its regular training phase. Although the game was over, the team's atmosphere was still influenced by that matchup.
The addition of the first-year players, especially the performances of Shin Saionji and Kaede Rukawa, gave the senior players a whole new perspective on them.
Takenori Akagi stood in the center of the court, hands on his hips, his sharp gaze sweeping across all the players. "Starting today, the training intensity doubles! Since you all want to become official players, you need to show the right attitude!"
"Ohhhhh!!"
The veteran players were already accustomed to Akagi's high-pressure training methods and quickly adjusted their mental states to begin.
As for the newcomers, especially Hanamichi Sakuragi, they appeared somewhat impatient.
"Tch, training and stuff—a genius doesn't need it!" Sakuragi crossed his arms with a look of disdain.
Ayako stood beside him and rolled her eyes. "You, how about you learn how to dribble a basketball first before you start talking about being a 'genius'?"
"What did you say?!" Sakuragi instantly bristled. "I am the basketball genius of the future!!"
Ayako smiled sweetly at him. "Fine then. Starting today, your task is basic training."
Sakuragi blinked in surprise. "Basic training?"
"Right, starting with dribbling, passing, and shooting." Ayako picked up a basketball and tossed it straight into his hands. "If you don't even know these most basic things, how are you going to play in a match?"
"Tch, what's so hard about this!" Sakuragi stubbornly caught the ball and began slapping it around haphazardly.
*Thump!* The basketball bounced away, slammed straight into the nearby wall, and rebounded to hit him square in the face!
"Aaaaaahhhhh—!!"
Inside the Shohoku Basketball Gym, a burst of uproarious laughter erupted.
"Hey, hey, can a guy who doesn't even know how to dribble really play basketball?" Yasuharu Yasuda couldn't help laughing.
Kentaro Ishii pushed up his glasses and bantered, "Maybe his next move will be shooting with his face?"
Sakuragi gritted his teeth as he picked up the basketball. "You guys... don't underestimate a genius!!"
However, the subsequent facts proved that he genuinely did not know how to dribble.
"Hey! You can't keep your hands so stiff when you dribble! Relax a little!" Ayako instructed helplessly.
"Don't slap the ball with your entire palm, use your fingertips to control it!" Kiminobu Kogure corrected from the side.
*Thump!*
*Thump-thump!*
*Thump-thump-thump!!*
The basketball flew out of bounds again and again. Sakuragi's face grew darker by the minute, while the people around him laughed louder and happier.
On the other side, Shin Saionji and Kaede Rukawa were engaged in a one-on-one training session.
*Slap!* Shin Saionji held the ball, executing a rapid crossover, but Rukawa matched his footwork instantly. The two remained locked in a brief stalemate for a second before Shin Saionji utilized the Demon King's Eye to precisely spot the gap, breaking through with an extreme change of direction!
Rukawa's gaze cooled slightly, and he immediately pursued him.
"Hmph." Shin Saionji chuckled softly. Seeing that Rukawa was about to block him, he suddenly halted his steps and pulled up for a step-back jumper!
*Swish!*
The basketball hit nothing but net!
Rukawa narrowed his eyes slightly, looked at Shin Saionji, and said coldly, "Next time, I won't let you score."
Shin Saionji smiled faintly. "Then give it a try."
Although nothing was explicitly said between the two, they were quietly competing against each other.
Satoru Kakuta wiped away his sweat nearby and said in a low voice to Tetsushi Shiozaki, "These two... don't look like first-year rookies at all."
Shiozaki nodded. "Yeah, especially Saionji. His playing style is too mature."
On the other side, Takenori Akagi watched all of this and nodded inwardly.
—The Shohoku Basketball Team has finally ushered in a true transformation.
Training continued into the evening. Every player was drenched in sweat, but not a single person complained of fatigue.
This Shohoku Basketball Team was marching step by step toward higher goals!
In the Shohoku Basketball Gym, afternoon training had just ended, and the players were getting ready to pack up and leave.
Takenori Akagi stood in the center of the court and suddenly spoke in a deep voice, "Everyone wait a moment, there is still one important matter."
Hearing the unusual tone in Akagi's voice, everyone paused their movements and cast their gazes unanimously toward the captain.
"This weekend, we will have a training match." Akagi paused, scanned the entire team, and slowly said, "The opponent is Ryonan High School."
The gym fell silent for a single second, the air seemingly freezing momentarily.
Immediately afterward, the players reacted in various ways—
"What?! Ryonan?!" Tetsushi Shiozaki's eyes widened, his face plastered with astonishment.
"That Ryonan? One of the powerhouse teams in Kanagawa Prefecture?" Yasuharu Yasuda pushed up his glasses, his tone somewhat shocked.
"It's actually Ryonan... This is no ordinary opponent." Satoru Kakuta's expression turned grave as he spoke in a low voice.
In contrast, Kaede Rukawa merely raised an eyebrow indifferently, clearly unconcerned by this news, while Shin Saionji stood calmly to the side, deep in thought.
At that moment, the system's prompt tone rang out in his mind—
[Ding! Detected that the host is about to face a formidable opponent. Issuing a challenge quest!]
[Quest Name: Defeat Sendoh]
[Quest Objective: Defeat Akira Sendoh head-on in the training match against Ryonan, and dictate the team's tempo during the game]
[Quest Reward: Skill "Advanced Tempo Control"]
Shin Saionji's gaze narrowed slightly.
—Advanced Tempo Control?
Judging purely by the name, this was clearly a tremendously crucial skill for a point manager. If he could master tempo, his influence on the game would expand further, truly achieving complete control over the offensive rhythm.
Yet the key to completing this quest lay in—defeating Akira Sendoh!
"Interesting." The corners of Shin Saionji's mouth curved upward slightly; his interest in this training match instantly intensified.
"Akagi, is this news confirmed?" Kiminobu Kogure stepped forward and asked.
Akagi nodded, his tone resolute. "Coach just told me, this match has been finalized."
"Coach?" Everyone turned their heads one after another to look at Coach Anzai on the sidelines.
The veteran coach still wore that lazy and gentle smile as he said softly, "Well... Coach Taoka of Ryonan contacted me. He hopes to arrange a training match to check out the situation with the newcomers."
"It seems they also have a lot of confidence in this year's rookies," Kogure said thoughtfully.
Ayako hugged her notebook and added with a serious tone, "Ryonan is one of the strongest teams in Kanagawa Prefecture. Their roster is more complete than ours."
She flipped open her notebook and pointed to the records inside. "Ryonan has two core players: Akira Sendoh and Jun Uozumi."
Hearing the name Akira Sendoh, the Shohoku players instantly wore complicated expressions.
"Sendoh..." Satoru Kakuta swallowed lightly. "That genius who became famous back in junior high?"
"Mhm." Ayako nodded. "Sendoh is Ryonan's ace. He can play multiple positions, possesses a wealth of offensive moves, and is hailed as one of the top players in Kanagawa Prefecture."
"As for Jun Uozumi, he is Ryonan's interior pillar. Standing at 202cm, he is one of the tallest centers in all of Kanagawa, excelling at scoring under the basket and protecting the rim."
Hearing these statistics, the Shohoku players couldn't help drawing in a sharp breath.
"202cm?!" Shiozaki said in shock. "That's quite a bit taller than Akagi!"
Though Akagi's expression remained calm, his gaze had already grown fierce. "Uozumi... I've been meaning to test whether his strength has improved."
By contrast, Kaede Rukawa maintained his indifferent demeanor, asking coldly, "What about Sendoh?"
Ayako took a deep breath, her gaze turning serious as she looked at everyone. "Not only is Sendoh's scoring ability strong, but he is also an all-around player who can orchestrate the offense, drive, defend, and his playing style is extremely flexible."
"Simply put, he is Ryonan's absolute core."
"Is he that strong?" Yasuharu Yasuda frowned and said, "Then our chances of winning..."
"Victory or defeat in this match doesn't matter," Akagi interrupted, speaking in a deep voice. "This is a training match. The focus is on gelling the roster and understanding the opponent's strength."
Shin Saionji stood aside, silently listening to everyone's discussion while reviewing Akira Sendoh's performances from the original story in his mind.
—Sendoh truly is a tremendously gifted player. His innate court sense and flexible playing style leave him with virtually no obvious weaknesses.
—Yet, that doesn't mean he cannot be defeated.
"To me, the significance of this match is greater than you all imagine," Shin Saionji muttered softly, a flash of sharpness cutting through his eyes.
The system quest had already been issued, and his goal was clear—
Defeat Akira Sendoh head-on!
"So what tactical arrangements do we have?" Kogure pushed up his glasses and asked.
Akagi pondered for a moment before stating, "Our focus will be on how to restrict Sendoh's impact while battling Uozumi in the paint."
"Rukawa," Akagi looked at Kaede Rukawa. "You're responsible for primary man-to-man defense on Sendoh. He is their strongest scoring threat."
Rukawa simply nodded faintly, his face devoid of any ripples.
"Saionji." Akagi's gaze landed on Shin Saionji. "You are our point guard. For this match, your task is to control the team's tempo and find opportunities to tear through Ryonan's defense."
Shin Saionji smiled slightly. "No problem."
"As for the paint," Akagi clenched his fists, his gaze resolute, "Uozumi is mine!"
The atmosphere gradually grew tense, everyone's gazes carrying anticipation for this match.
Coach Anzai still wore his faint smile, gently pushing up his glasses. "Oh ho ho, looks like this match... is going to be quite interesting."
—Shohoku was about to welcome the first true challenge of their season!