Squeak.
Zhou Yi plopped onto the bench with a look of utter dejection. His 187cm frame hit the seat without any attempt to cushion the fall, causing it to protest with a sharp sound.
Li Wenyu, holding two water bottles, walked over and patted his shoulder.
"Alright, don't be so down. There's always someone better out there. Just take it in stride!"
Li Wenyu unscrewed his water bottle cap. He wasn't surprised Zhou Yi had gotten dominated by Kota; after all, even he himself had been schooled pretty badly by the kid. Zhou Yi never stood a chance.
"For the second half, let's stick to our original game plan. That Kota's defense is seriously strong. We need to avoid attacking his side on offense."
Li Wenyu clicked his tongue, instructing the teammates around him.
He thought his consolation would help Zhou Yi see reason and follow his advice. He didn't expect Zhou Yi, despite being so thoroughly suppressed, to still refuse to give up.
"It's fine! I can handle it!" Zhou Yi took a fierce gulp of water, an indomitable spirit flashing across his face.
"Why put yourself through this? So you got shut down, big deal..." Li Wenyu tried to continue, but Zhou Yi cut him off with a wave.
"Don't worry about me, Captain! This level of challenge is nowhere near enough to break me!"
"After all, I started training at four years old. I've grinded every single day. An opponent of this caliber could never possibly..."
As Zhou Yi launched into another one of his long-winded, oft-repeated speeches, Li Wenyu covered his ears with his hands, his expression utterly done.
"Seriously... Do I have to spell it out for you? If you keep this up, you're just going to get embarrassed even worse!"
If they continued with the same approach in the second half—stubbornly forcing shots against Kota—their defeat would be practically guaranteed.
This was supposed to be a National Team selection trial. In Li Wenyu's mind, the scenario should have been them comfortably controlling the game, leisurely mentoring the younger players from a position of dominance, showcasing their seniority.
He never imagined that because of the wildcard factor named Kota, combined with Zhou Yi's repeated, bone-headed isolation plays, they'd actually be trailing by one point at halftime!
If word got out, where would that leave the reputation of Li Wenyu, captain of the Men's National Team?
Just as Li Wenyu was about to lay things out plainly for Zhou Yi and reorganize the team's strategy, Coach Sun suddenly approached.
Like Ebi cared for his disciples, Sun also felt a responsibility towards the players in his team.
Watching the team he built potentially lose, and to his own mentor's Youth Team at that? As the head coach of the National Team, Coach Sun couldn't accept it.
"Zhou Yi." Sun stopped in front of the group, his tone level as he called the name.
Zhou Yi stiffened, immediately standing straight. "Here!"
"Sit." Sun raised a hand, signaling Zhou Yi to rest. Despite getting worked over by Kota the entire half, the physical exertion on the court was still significant.
Of course, concern was one thing. Criticism was another.
Coach Sun clasped his hands behind his back, his eyes fixed intently on Zhou Yi.
"Tell me, what were you doing out there in the first half?"
His voice wasn't loud, but it was firm and forceful. Simultaneously, the National Team bench fell completely silent. No one dared make a sound while Sun was speaking.
Even Li Wenyu placed his hands on his knees, staring down at the floor as if he'd found something fascinating there.
Sun swept his gaze calmly over the group before returning it to Zhou Yi. Zhou Yi felt as if a massive boulder was pressing down on him, making it hard to breathe.
"Facing an obvious defensive stopper on the other team, not only did you fail to avoid him, you actively called for the ball to iso against him?"
"What's the matter? Did you think the game was too easy? Or have you forgotten everything I taught you?"
As he spoke, Sun rubbed the player roster in his hand. It contained not only the names of Kota and the others, but all the National Team members as well.
"If you don't want to be on the National Team anymore, there's no need for this clown show. Just tell me directly. I guarantee you, not a single person from the Basketball Association will lift a finger to stop you!"
With that, Sun withdrew his gaze from Zhou Yi, clasped his hands behind his back, and turned to leave.
This was a scrimmage, and Sun's current role wasn't National Team coach, but evaluator for this trial. If he started giving his own players strategic advice just because they were struggling, it would be unfair to the Youth Team players.
Of course, they were still his players, and Coach Sun undoubtedly wanted to see them win. No one likes seeing their own kids come up short.
That was the reason Sun intervened at halftime to reprimand Zhou Yi.
Similarly, Ebi wasn't idly watching either. Leaning on his cane, he made his way to the Youth Team bench.
"You all played well in the first half. Keep it up in the second. Let me give you a little hint... some among you have already passed this trial." Ebi said mysteriously to the Youth Team. His goal was to motivate them to strive for an even better performance in the second half!
In reality... so far, Kota was the only one on Sun's list who had definitively passed...
Just as expected, after Ebi 's words, looks of anticipation and hope appeared on the Youth Team players' faces, and their morale visibly lifted.
"Ahem... Kota, come with me for a moment." Ebi cleared his throat and subtly gestured for Kota to follow him. Seeing this, Kota didn't overthink it and immediately stood up to follow.
Ebi glanced at the other Youth Team members, then placed his right hand on Kota's shoulder, his eyes filled with approval.
"Good job, kid! Hahaha!" This line, he said in Mandarin.
Kota instinctively wanted to respond with something modest, but Ebi gave his shoulder a discreet squeeze.
"Huh?"
Kota looked up at Ebi, puzzled. The old coach spoke again, this time switching to Japanese.
"You've already passed this trial. Take it a bit easier in the second half. Let them save some face." Ebi subtly tilted his head towards the National Team bench. Following the gesture, Kota saw Sun just returning from his talk with the National Team players.
For a moment, Kota was caught between amusement and exasperation. He replied in Japanese, "I understand, Coach Ebi."
"This is that Chinese interpersonal relations I've heard about. It feels strangely familiar." Kota mused inwardly.
But Ebi wasn't finished. He leaned in closer, speaking in Japanese in a very low voice. "Give them a bit of a chance. Your performance was too dazzling. If you keep it up, that kid Sun will probably only have eyes for you and completely miss the others' efforts." As he spoke, Ebi kept rubbing Kota's shoulder.
Without mind-reading abilities, Kota couldn't be sure, but based on his inference, Ebi was probably... asking him a favor?
"I understand, Coach Ebi. I'll focus on sharing the ball more." Kota glanced back at his temporary teammates. Overall, he'd had a very comfortable first half, thanks not only to Zhou Yi's... contributions... but also to the crucial help his teammates provided.
Since his teammates had set him up so well, Kota had no problem feeding them in return. After all, his primary job as a point guard was to facilitate and make his teammates better.
Satisfied with the response, Ebi nodded approvingly. After offering a few more words of encouragement to his other prized students, he turned and headed back to the stands.
At the same time, the referee's whistle sounded, signaling the start of the second half.
...
...
Tokyo, Japan.
The score was frozen at a brutal 142-39. The Jabberwocks had won this exhibition match without any suspense.
In the center of the court, Kasamatsu was leaning on his knees, catching his breath while surveying his teammates around him.
Since the Japanese Basketball Association didn't send professional players, Kasamatsu's team was hastily assembled from recently graduated high school standouts.
Among them were former Too captain, Imayoshi, former Shutoku captain, Ōtsubo, and former Rakuzan sixth man, Mayuzumi.
But now, their eyes held only a sense of powerlessness and a touch of despair.
"Well... It can't be helped. Even we didn't really think we could win this one," Kasamatsu shook his head helplessly, a trace of frustration still visible on his face.
But who was Kasamatsu? There was a saying that fit him perfectly:
If you're wrong, admit it. If you get beaten, take it like a man.
Even after being completely dismantled, finding no chance to fight back, Kasamatsu could still remain calm. Outwardly composed, he stepped forward to congratulate the winners.
"Good game. You're very strong." Walking steadily over to Nash, Kasamatsu forced composure, extending his right hand while offering praise.
This was Kaijo's former captain, Kasamatsu – a man embodying courtesy and responsibility, the most reliable captain in Kaijo's history, bar none!
This time, however, his goodwill was thrown back in his face.
Followed by a "Ptooey!"
A glob of spit landed squarely in Kasamatsu's outstretched palm. He stood there frozen, staring at the white liquid in his hand. It wasn't until mocking laughter reached his ears that he snapped out of it.
"Don't kid yourself, monkey. Wasting our time playing against scrubs like you."
"Seriously, this place is crawling with you people, even the air feels filthy. If your money wasn't so easy, I wouldn't even be here."
Nash brushed off his own shoulder as if flicking away dirt. Then, seeing the anger on Kasamatsu's and the others' faces, his lips curled into a grotesque smirk.
"Just keep watching us, losers. I really enjoy seeing that look on your faces... the one you get after being humiliated, too scared to even squeak!"