Chapter 051: Those Two First-Year Starters Are the Weak Spot

The first day of the Tokyo District preliminaries saw a packed crowd. The arena was nearly full, and at its center, all the participating junior high teams from across Tokyo had already stepped onto the stage.

Naturally, the most eye-catching among them was none other than Teiko Junior High, the perennial powerhouse that dominated the district.

"That team in white, that's Teiko!"

"Their captain, Ōkura Masaaki, is said to be one of the top centers in the entire country!"

"The core players this year are basically the same as last year..."

"Huh?"

"Who are No. 7 and No. 8?"

"I'm really familiar with Teiko's starters, but I've never seen these two before!"

Just then, a crisp, youthful voice rang out from nearby. A pink-haired girl chirped, "Those two are Teiko's first-year starters. No. 7 is Shigure Akihito, and No. 8 is Nijimura Shuzo."

"Starters?"

"You've got to be kidding me!"

Off to the side, a tanned boy with teal hair frowned and turned toward the girl. "Starters? I thought you said they were just, like, part of the first-string squad or something?"

The pink-haired girl casually opened her bag, pulling out her notebook and pen as she replied, "That's right, Daichi. But things changed recently~"

"They've officially been promoted to the starting lineup. Looks like their jersey numbers were updated too — from 12 and 13 to 7 and 8. We should get to see them start in today's match."

"Impressive, right?"

"They're just one grade above us, but they're already stronger than you, Daichi~"

"Those two have gone up against junior high teams and managed to overturn 20-point deficits within a single quarter. No. 7, Shigure Akihito, especially has a pure scoring style."

"In one game, he nearly dropped 30 points."

"In just one quarter~"

The boy called Daichi pouted. "Let me grow a little taller first. By next year, I'll be able to do it too!"

Though he tried to act tough, his eyes sparkled with excitement as he started scanning the sea of white Teiko jerseys, searching for the player wearing No. 7.

The opening ceremony went off smoothly. Teiko's captain, Ōkura Masaaki, stood proudly on stage, representing all athletes in the district as he delivered the official pledge.

Before long, the ceremony ended, and the first matches were set to begin.

As Tokyo's most popular team, Teiko naturally drew the spotlight. Among the simultaneous opening matches, one of them featured Teiko Junior High.

Their first opponent: Dainita Junior High — a mid-tier team in the Tokyo district at best, nowhere near Teiko's level.

Judging from the somber expressions on Dainita's bench, it was clear they knew full well they were likely walking into a slaughter.

Even so

There were still players on the Dainita roster burning with competitive spirit.

Clap! Clap!

Their captain, Minamitani Hiroyuki, clapped his hands forcefully. As his teammates turned to him with apprehension, he took a deep breath and shouted, "Even if we're facing Teiko, it doesn't mean we have no chance!"

He pointed toward the Teiko bench.

Then, with a voice full of conviction, he shared his own observations.

"Everyone knows Teiko's typical starting five. Last year, it was No. 4 Ōkura Masaaki, No. 5 Ebana Masatoshi, No. 6 Utsumi Masahiko, No. 7 Izawa Shō, and No. 8 Nanaki Asahi."

"But this year…"

"It's changed!"

"Both No. 7 and No. 8 — two third-year starters — have been replaced!"

"Those two…"

"Those guys over there barely look 175 cm tall. Think about it. Combine what we're seeing with the rumors floating around Tokyo lately. Doesn't something come to mind?"

Dainita's players froze for a second. Then, their eyes lit up with wild joy.

"What?! Those are the rumored first-year phenoms?!"

"First-years? There's no way first-years would start for Teiko!"

"Wait, could it be that something happened to Izawa and Nanaki, and now Teiko is scraping the barrel for replacements? They've become so weak on the inside that they're forced to use rookies?"

"No way!"

"But it's Teiko! They've got over a hundred members on the team!"

"Then how do you explain this? Maybe Nanaki is fine, but Izawa was their starting power forward, and they're actually fielding a first-year who's only 175 cm tall in his place?"

The coach of Dainita, seeing that his captain had reignited the team's morale, quickly stepped in to reinforce it, not giving them time to overthink.

"Everyone!"

"This is our chance to take down Teiko and advance to the next round!"

"Those two first-year starters — they're our breakthrough!"

"All of you were first-years once, right? You remember what kind of level you were at back then! No matter how powerful Teiko is, they can't break that fundamental rule!"

"Most of you…"

"Have been grinding and training two more years than they have! Hard work, dedication, and time — they all directly translate to strength!"

"Crush those two first-years!"

"Claim the win!"

That flicker of hope, like a sudden ray of light from the heavens, instantly lit up the eyes of every player on the Dainita bench!

Even though Dainita had always been the underdog in Tokyo District prelims, always punching above their weight

Still

Like their coach said, after years of perseverance

Not a single one of them had given up on the dream of making it to Nationals!

Teiko Junior High!

Two first-year starters!

No doubt about it!

This

This was the day!

End of chapter...

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