After eating, they wandered into a central plaza dominated by a colossal, holographic bracket board. Teams and match-ups scrolled in a slow, endless cascade. The names were a dizzying mix: Shohoku, Ryonan, Kaijō, Seirin.
"Whoa," Renz breathed, his head tilting back. "It's... huge."
Drei's eyes scanned the board, his analyst mind kicking in. "The structure is tiered. We're here." He pointed to a tiny, glowing line at the very bottom that read 'FLOWSTATE (PRIME)'. "The Slam Dunk bracket is our next tier. It looks... physical."
As they watched, the names 'Shohoku' and 'FLOWSTATE (PRIME)' slid next to each other, with a court number and a countdown timer appearing: 47 hours.
"So that's our next test," Riki said, cracking his neck. "Shohoku."
Before they could discuss further, a loud voice cut through the hum of the plaza. "HEY! Red team!"
They turned. A tall, red-haired player in a white and red jacket was striding toward them, pointing dramatically. Sakuragi Hanamichi. "You're the ones who just won, right? Don't get cocky! When you face this genius, it'll be a whole different story!"
He was promptly smacked on the head by a taller, calmer teammate with glasses. "Stop causing trouble, Sakuragi."
The taller player, Takenori Akagi, gave Flowstate a curt, respectful nod. "We'll see you on the court." He then dragged the protesting Sakuragi away.
Bornok blinked. "Was that our opponent?"
Riki sighed, a small smile playing on his lips. "Yeah. Yeah, I think it was."
The City was no longer just a place. It was filling with personalities, rivals, and a future full of countless games. The first victory was past. The next challenge had already announced itself.