Ice baths and on to day 3

[Ryosei POV]

Everyone had happy smiles on their faces, but that all changed when they felt the cold wind come out of the locker room as I opened the door. Immediately my teammates knew something was wrong, and you could tell by the way their expressions changed.

From happiness to fear and wariness. Each of them slowly inched their way into the room in fear of something.

"What's wrong guys? Come on in." I say as I've already made my way into the room. As soon as Teshima, the last one, walked into the room I slammed the door shut and locked it.

"H-hey Captain why'd you lock the door?" I couldn't tell if Ikehara's stutter was from the cold, fear or both.

"Ahh don't worry so much Ikehara, just look around the room and you'll understand." I say nonchalantly.

Ikehara turns around to find Kawahara in a cold sweat even though it's freezing in here. He taps him on the shoulder, but gets no response.

"Kawahara are you okay?" I'm respond he just points forward where now everyone has finally noticed my dad standing there with his arms crossed trying to seem intimidating.

"Alright you good for nothings, strip down and get in the barrels. If I hear any complaints it's double time." He says while looking down his nose at them.

I just casually walk over strip off my clothes even though I didn't really need the ice bath, i always found them refreshing, even in my past life. Everyone's jaw drops as they watch me easily slip down in the barrel up to my neck.

"You guys may want to hurry up, you don't want to know what this guy did to the last person who wouldn't get in his ice baths." They flickered their eyes over to my dad where it seemed as if his eyes were reading their very souls. Which I guess basically in a way, he was. Like my sister he can see everyone's stats, so in a way he knew more about them than they did.

Imagining a glint appearing in my dad's eyes from the stress they all immediately stripped and hopped in the barrels. Lots of squeals sounded out but were immediately silenced when they remembered what I said about people complaining. They could only shiver in both fear and cold as they shifted their eyes between me and my dad.

"C-c-captain h-how ca-n y-ooo-u s-sit i-in th-this so c-casually." Ikehara sounded out.

(Author's Note: I don't really like how this looks, so from now on it will just say they 'stuttered out' at the end unless you all like it.)

"You gotta speak more clearly Ikehara, a normal person could never understand you." All of them immediately thought 'so you're admitting you're not a normal person' as soon as I said that.

"Whoever said I was a normal person?" I grin widely and it only gets wider as I see their shocked expressions from seemingly "reading their minds". Hah their so gullible. Ah my little chicks? Ravenlings? Either way they still need to grow up some it seems.

"As for what you asked Ikehara." I say bringing them back to the question. "I happen to like ice baths, and I'm not as weak willed as you lot. Now toughen up, we only have to be in here 15 minutes. Anyone who complains can stay with me and that guy for 30 minutes." I finish with another wry grin.

They all have depressed faces but quickly swap to determined ones, in hopes that they can last 15 minutes.

After about 14 minutes had passed Kawahara leans closer to me and whispers softly while sneaking glances at my dad who had been adding ice periodically to each bath.

"So what did that guy over there do to the person who didn't get in the ice bath?" He stuttered out.

"Oh, that? He told him to do light exercises until he fully stretched out his body. Can you believe that guy wouldn't get in the ice bath?" I say while shaking my head.

Everyone else absentmindedly nodded their head along with the story until they comprehended what I actually said. When they did all of them with dropped jaws turn to me and in unison stutter out.

"""Then who is this guy?!"""

They yell while pointing at my dad.

"Oh him? That's my dad. Who did you think it was?" I say with a confused expression.

"""Your dad?!""" They once again yell in unison.

"Ya? What about it?"

"I thought he was a Yakuza!" Arata yells out while pointing at him.

I lean over and look at my dad who has a blissful expression on his face while looking at childhood pictures of me and my sister.

"That guy looks like a Yakuza to you guys?" I ask adding a head tilt with my confused expression.

"I can't take it anymore!" Ikehara yells as he jumps out of the ice bath, and with speed I've never seen before puts on his clothes and books it to the hotel.

Shortly after everyone else follows suit and quickly rushes to the hotel, most likely to get in the hot springs there. I chuckle and shake my head while my dad is laughing as well.

"So what did you think of them?" I ask out loud.

"They're behind a lot of the competition in their stats, but what from what I can tell they are in great shape. Especially considering what you told me about how they practiced before you got there. Another couple months and physically they will be equal to the rest of the teams."

I nod along as he speaks, while getting out of the ice bath and redressing.

"Yes they've definitely come a long way. By winter I imagine they could beat everyone but Teiko without me if they played smart and I was calling the plays like usual."

My dad looks over to me, and a brief flash of pity could be seen.

"That doesn't sound very fun for you though." He says almost as more a question than a statement.

"Haaaah. I'm not so sure anymore. Sometimes I have more fun coaching than I do playing, but I love it so much I don't know if I'm ready to stop yet." I say with a slightly defeated expression, looking down at the ground as I hold a basketball in my hands.

"You could always go to America." He suggests

"Hmmm that sounds like just a different kind of lonely. Stay in Japan, I'm lonely at the top of the competition. Go to America, potentially lonely at the top of the competition again, and definitely lonely because you and Riko are not there."

Even if they aren't my first family, I didn't get spend much time with my first one. Technically I've spent more time with this family than the first, and I'm not ready to give that up.

"Maybe I'll pick up some other sports, I'll figuring something out. I'm not leaving Japan, at least not yet. If Teiko fails to impress, I'll think about it more but that's at least 3 weeks from now." I say with confidence that I'm not sure I really feel. I mean do I even want to go to America just to continue to pursue basketball. I came to this world for the challenge, but I may have found a little more than that without realizing it.

"I'll support you whatever you decide." He gives a nod and I give my own. He also though comes forward and hugs and me and I reciprocate it.

[3rd POV]

Unknown to them Riko was standing just outside the door listening on to their conversation. She didn't know how to feel. Happy that her brother didn't want to leave them for basketball, but also annoyed at the sport that her brother loves so much. She's witnessed his intense training sessions for the last 12 years and passion he has for the sport. However the same sport is also causing Ryosei a lot of distress.

She decides that she doesn't like basketball anymore. She just hopes her brother finds something that makes him happy again.

(AN: it's not specifically stated anywhere that I could find why Riko doesn't like basketball besides that fact that Teiko was dominating the middle school scene. So I just changed her reason to despising basketball to this. Hope this scene made sense.)

{The next day}

Day 3 was easy for the Katagiri team, with Ryosei subbing in and out for several players to not let them get too tired. Each game was won by at least 20 points. With these wins the story of the Raven and the Katagiri team continued to rise until it was on par with the Teiko story.

One team with each player being talented, while the other had one monster player backed up by a team of superb team work. Which team would win if they were to clash? Was the question on everybody who followed the middle school Nationals mind. Many posts and threads and articles had been made online of people posting their theories.

Already people we're calling a Teiko vs Katagiri final at Nationals, even though both teams still had to make it to nationals by beating the last team in their corresponding blocks. They can't be blamed though because at least 6 people from those teams were thinking the same.

Kuroko wanted to show Ryosei that Teiko could play as a team and that they weren't weak. Aomine wanted to face off against Ryosei again and make him regret ever looking down on him. Midorima wanted to have a shooting battle against Ryosei, both had a perfect shooting percentage at 3.

Akashi wanted to erase this doubt he has felt ever since he saw Ryosei play. He wanted to show that he couldn't be beaten. Even Momoi wanted the match to prove Ryosei wrong, only because she can't tell that the Teiko team is doomed for what Ryosei is already experiencing.

Lastly Ryosei wants this match because he wants something to spark his love of the game again. The team that he always knew for their dominance, he wanted them to pose a challenge to him now. Not to let him easily crush them.

Final scores of day 3 for Katagiri

Katagiri 95-73 Chise

Katagiri 87-62 Tsukishima prep

The team was ready for the finals against Kamata West and The Genius Twins tomorrow.

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Author's Note

Okay next chapter we will at least start the finals against Kamata West. I'm not sure how long of a "before the match" scene I'm going to write, so it could be almost instantly or we barely get started by the end of the chapter. Just depends how I feel and what pops into my head as I write.

I'm very much a "come up with as I go" sort of writer rather than planned out stuff. I have a sort basic idea and then I just try to write to that idea. If that makes sense. That's also why I'm sure some of the story seems jumbled or out of order. Sorry about that.

Some comedy with the ice baths and some serious discussion between Ryosei and Kagetora. Also you can insert a little training montage for that excerpt where I'm talking about GoM and Ryosei wanting to play each other. I imagined little clips of them practicing for each of their reasons for wanting the match.

Hope you enjoyed.