Murasakibara sat on the bench with a towel over his head, breathing heavily.
Shogo Haizaki lay sprawled out beside him, looking completely drained of life.
Makoto Hanamiya pulled out his specialized weapon and began studying it.
Kentaro Seto remained silent. Even though he had not played, watching Hanamiya and the others get crushed still left a bitter feeling.
Defeat. A crushing defeat. A miserable defeat.
The brutal game and the lopsided score left the entire Kirisaki Daiichi team in silence.
The atmosphere grew heavy.
Of course, Shuzo Nijimura and Dicky Anthony did not see it that way.
Dicky Anthony already knew what the Black Dragon Team was like. He had been crushed by them years ago.
He had already gone through that low point back then. Now, all he felt was excitement.
Just earlier, Miyamoto Tokima had told him that next year, he could join the Black Dragon Team as a substitute.
A substitute, yes, but it was the Black Dragon Team.
Forget exposure. The salary alone would be enough to live comfortably.
So Dicky Anthony felt nothing but excitement.
Disappointment.
Forget that. This was excitement.
Meanwhile, Shuzo Nijimura walked up to Zack and Nick with a look full of resentment.
During the match, the two of them had taken turns targeting him, showing absolutely no mercy.
Old friends meeting again naturally meant a "friendly exchange."
Shuzo Nijimura greeted them with his "friendly" fists and palms, making contact with Zack and Nick's chests and backsides.
Then the three of them started exchanging blows, each hit landing solidly.
In the end, Shuzo Nijimura claimed a complete victory.
It had to be said, when it came to fighting... or rather, "exchanging blows," he was a genius.
In a proper boxing match, he might lose to Jason Silver. But in a no-rules fight, even Jason Silver would struggle against him.
Zack clutched his backside and shouted,
"Nijimura! What the hell are you doing?!"
Shuzo Nijimura cracked his knuckles and smiled.
"It's been a while. I've missed you, Zack."
"My fists have missed you even more."
Zack immediately yelled,
"No, no, no! We just fought earlier!"
"Ah! Take it easy!"
Nick tried to slip away, but in the next second, Nijimura grabbed him back.
Soon, more screams followed.
Watching this, Allen shook his head.
"Team violence. This is team violence."
Of course, it was not serious. Nijimura knew where to draw the line.
Zack and Nick were completely fine.
After the commotion, Nijimura helped them up.
Zack grinned.
"Welcome back."
Nick tapped Zack on the head.
"He's just here for training. He's not officially back yet."
Shuzo Nijimura smiled slightly.
"Yeah. When Miyamoto comes back, I'll probably return for good too."
Nash Gold walked over and lightly punched Nijimura's chest.
"You went out for a while, and your strength didn't improve much."
Nijimura sighed.
"I've hit a bottleneck."
Nash Gold paused, then patted his shoulder.
"That's fine. If you've hit a bottleneck, we'll help you break through."
Allen's eyes lit up immediately.
Jason Silver laughed loudly.
"Yeah! I'll personally train your strength!"
Zack and Nick also looked eager.
Being stared at by all five of them like predators, Nijimura felt a chill run down his spine.
"Um... can I..."
Before he could finish, all five cut him off.
"No!" x5
...
Once everyone had rested enough, Miyamoto Tokima gathered both teams together.
They stood in a large group in front of him.
After confirming everyone was present, Miyamoto Tokima spoke.
"I'm sure this match made you realize your shortcomings."
"And you now understand that there are always stronger players out there."
"You may have won the Summer Cup, but that is not enough."
"What I want from you is the championship at the highest level."
The Kirisaki Daiichi players froze for a moment.
They all knew what he meant.
The NBA.
They exchanged glances, each seeing the same desire and determination in the others' eyes.
Miyamoto Tokima took it all in. Once the atmosphere was right, he continued.
He first introduced the man on his right.
"This is Victor. He'll be your coach for a while. You will follow his training plan strictly."
Victor smiled gently, looking very approachable.
"Hello, everyone. I hope we get along well."
The Kirisaki Daiichi players instinctively felt he seemed kind.
Only the Black Dragon Team knew the truth.
Victor was a monster.
Victor stepped back, and Satsuki Momoi walked forward.
Miyamoto Tokima smiled.
"I don't need to introduce her. From now on, Momoi will handle all your data tracking."
Satsuki Momoi smiled and waved.
Both teams felt a chill run down their spines.
They knew exactly how terrifying she could be.
Especially her personalized training plans.
After that, Miyamoto Tokima briefly introduced the nutritionist and massage therapist, then dismissed everyone to rest.
Training would officially begin tomorrow.
The Black Dragon Team did not care. They were used to training every day.
But Kirisaki Daiichi was different.
Each of them wore expressions of anticipation and determination.
After facing the Black Dragon Team, they had fully realized their weaknesses.
For the first time, they were looking forward to training.
They wanted to get stronger.
Nash Gold looked at Makoto Hanamiya and patted his shoulder.
"I hope that expression of yours lasts three days."
Then he walked away, leaving Hanamiya deep in thought.
Hanamiya froze for a moment, unsure what he meant.
But with his sharp mind, he quickly grasped a terrifying possibility.
Victor.
Was probably going to be brutal.
...
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