Two weeks quickly passed by.
As the national championship approached, Teiko began to ramp up preparations.
Coach Shirogane believed the team's current cohesion was already excellent. Several first-year students had proven their strength, capable of stepping right into the lineup without much adjustment.
Even if they didn't start, they could significantly deepen Teiko's bench. Those rookies paired with experienced upperclassmen could easily form a strong second unit.
However, theory alone wasn't enough. Without real matches, it was impossible to assess the team's true strength.
Thus, after feeling satisfied with their teamwork, Shirogane arranged a practice match to test their readiness.
The match was scheduled for today at Teiko's gymnasium.
A powerhouse like Teiko never lacked practice opponents—teams lined up eager to challenge them.
Shirogane didn't need to actively seek out opponents; he just had to choose from the numerous teams already requesting matches.
Since this was the first outing for their new lineup, Shirogane picked a balanced opponent—not overly strong, yet not weak either.
He selected a team from Kanagawa Prefecture: Kawasaki High School's affiliate, known as Kawasaki High Affiliated.
Last year, this team had come agonizingly close to making the national championship, losing by a single point in the decisive qualifier. They were perfect opponents to test Teiko's current level.
...
At this moment, the basketball gymnasium was packed—well, actually, not quite.
Since the match was set on a Saturday, no audience was present except the basketball team members themselves.
In the locker room, Teiko's players were changing into their uniforms, most looking relaxed.
The upperclassmen were confident, having consistently outperformed Kawasaki Affiliated for the past two years. And the first-years—especially Tendou Kageyoshi and his peers—didn't even know what nervousness meant. All Aomine cared about was how many minutes he'd get on the court today.
After preparing, the team followed Nijimura Shuzo out onto the court.
Their opponents had finished their warm-up already; the match could start at any time.
In Japan, jersey numbers typically followed a fixed standard, with the captain wearing number 4, continuing sequentially up to number 15.
Tendou chose number 14 as his jersey.
No particular reason—14 wasn't even his lucky number. He just felt it looked pleasing.
In his youth, he'd loved watching Slam Dunk, enjoying Sakuragi's humor and passion, while envying Rukawa and Sendo's stylish, dominant plays. He'd wanted to be just like them!
But looking back years later, he realized Mitsui Hisashi was actually his favorite character.
How old was he then?
Tendou had long forgotten; he only remembered cheering when Mitsui got beaten up. But years later, that iconic line—"Coach, I want to play basketball"—had nearly moved him to tears.
That undying fighting spirit was truly inspiring.
Besides, Mitsui's family was also quite wealthy…
While both teams warmed up, reporter Kubo Jun arrived once again, having heard the news about the match.
Coach Shirogane approached Tendou, pointing out a player on Kawasaki's side. "Do you see that number 7? He's Kawasaki's main guard. Last year, in Kanagawa's final qualifiers, he scored over 20 points for three consecutive games."
Tendou nodded, indicating he understood, then looked back at Shirogane curiously.
Without unnecessary words, Shirogane simply stated, "He's your assignment today."
"My assignment?" Tendou paused, surprised. "You mean…I'm starting?"
"Scared?" asked Shirogane.
"A little," Tendou grinned widely, "I'm afraid he alone won't be enough for me!"
This kid…
Shirogane loved confident players—confidence was a critical intangible weapon for athletes.
Seeing Tendou earn a starting spot, Aomine eagerly stepped up, "Coach, what about me? Am I starting today too?"
"You're still young, Aomine. Watch carefully from the bench first," Shirogane calmly replied.
Young? Aren't Tendou and I the same age?
Aomine looked dumbstruck, his face scrunched into confusion. Nearby, Midorima kept silent, though he had the same thoughts as Aomine.
All were geniuses—why should they concede to anyone else?
Akashi, however, had already seen through Shirogane's intentions.
Among the first-years, only Tendou Kageyoshi and Murasakibara Atsushi made the starting lineup. Both had displayed exceptional defensive prowess during tryouts.
Murasakibara could control the paint, while Tendou could neutralize the opponent's key offensive player.
Coach Shirogane's strategy was obvious: build the team around defense, step by step. It fit perfectly with the current basketball philosophy.
"Observe carefully from the bench," Nijimura comforted the slightly disappointed rookies. "You'll all get your chance later."
After encouraging them, Nijimura continued his warm-up routine.
...
"First-years?"
As the game began and both teams took the center court, the Kawasaki players were baffled upon noticing Teiko's lineup featured two freshmen.
"Has Teiko already given up this year?"
After each year's national championship, most teams experienced roster fluctuations. Teams relying heavily on third-year students often suffered massive declines after their seniors graduated. A team might reach the quarterfinals or semifinals one year but become nearly unrecognizable the next.
Seeing two freshmen start for Teiko, Kawasaki players immediately felt optimistic.
Their own core players had all been second-years last season and were now at their peak strength.
This year was supposed to be Kawasaki Affiliated's golden year.
"Given up?"
"That word doesn't exist in Teiko's dictionary."
"Careful—you might regret underestimating those kids. Don't say I didn't warn you."
Those two clowns?
Kawasaki's captain smirked dismissively.
The freshman center, although tall, seemed so slow and clumsy he might forget which basket was his own once the game started.
The other guy was even funnier—wearing sunglasses onto the court like a complete amateur. Clearly just here to fill out the numbers.
Kawasaki's players burst into laughter, reminiscent of Team Evil's arrogant attitude mocking Team Shaolin in "Shaolin Soccer."
"Tendou, you idiot! Didn't we ban sunglasses in the basketball club already!?" Nijimura shouted.
"Huh?" Tendou touched his face, realizing his mistake. "Oh, I forgot. My bad!"
"Hahaha…!"
Team Tofu—no, Kawasaki Affiliated—couldn't hold back their amusement any longer, laughing openly at Tendou's mistake.
『Laugh now, cry later.』
『Doesn't this feel familiar?』
『What do you mean?』
『Team Evil in Shaolin Soccer mocked Stephen Chow's team exactly the same way.』
『LOL! I was already picturing it the moment that idiot opened his mouth.』
『Mocking Tendou? They're doomed.』