A FOREIGNER'S PAST PART II; TOSHIGAWA BASKETBALL TEAM'S SEVENTH MEMBER

Nanaho: okay then, let's begin

Everyone: yeah

(Shino dribbles the basketball)

(Takes a deep breath)

(Shino): here goes nothing

(Shino dribbles to the hoop and take two steps)

(Shino shoots a layup)

(Swoosh)

(Shino): yes , I made it, I'll do it again

(Yukio, Takahiro and Hayato doing footwork training)

Yukio: come on Hayato, just ten more to go

(Tetsuo crosses through his legs and the behind his back)

(Tetsuo drives to the rim, and fakes a layup in mid air)

(Tetsuo shoots a reverse layup)

(Swoosh)

(Tetsuo catches the basketball and dribbles back to the start)

(Tetsuo drives to the rim)

(Tetsuo shoots a floater)

(Swoosh)

( Noboru running around the Track)

(Noboru): crap, I can't take this anymore , we have been running for twenty minutes nonstop, I feel like lungs are going to burst, I'm about to pass out.

???: what's wrong Mr. Takemoto, did all that take about enduring longer than us get to your head?

???: he looks like he's about to pass out

???: all bark and no bite, it's hilarious

???: you're about to be beaten by a bunch of girls , how do you feel about that?

Noboru: leave me alone and buzz off!!

???: I'm scared, please don't hurt me

(All of the track girls laugh as they speedup their pace)

(Noboru): damn you Nanaho, trying to humiliate me by making me train with these girls, I will not loose!

(Noboru speeds up his pace)

(Naomi): Noboru looks like he's serious for once

(Nanaho): Noboru's ego provides a great catalyst for his stamina training, I'm sure that he doesn't want to loose to a bunch of girls so he will work hard and improve at a faster rate

(Noboru catches up to the track girls)

Noboru: I'm not going to loose to none of you, eat my dust

???: hey!! He is doing pretty good

???: he sounds like a kid though

???: (chuckles), yeah definitely

(Liam looks over at Noboru)

(Liam): wait, isn't he apart of the basketball team? So why is he over here training?

Liam's coach: Liam focus, I'm trying to record your time here ,get on your marks

Liam: yes coach

(Liam goes in a crouching position)

Liam's coach: set

Liam's coach: go

(Liam takes of and started running)

(Liam finishes the hundred meter dash)

(Liam's coach): 11.4 seconds, that's 0.3 seconds slower , he's not getting better at all

Liam: so what's my time coach?

Liam's coach: 11.4 seconds, you have a slower time

Liam: I see , so my time has decrease huh

Liam's coach: I'm afraid that you would not be placed above last in the hundred meter race, your time is decreasing rapidly. Usually you would get 0.1 second faster by the end of each weeks but now you are getting a slower each time you run. I suggest that you consider doing field events, I don't want your hard work to go waste, some people aren't cut out for sprinting.

(Coach walks off)

(Liam holds his head down)

(Nanaho blows her whistle)

Nanaho: training is over, you guys can rest up now

Yukio: phew, that was quite the workout

Takahiro: yes it was

Hayato: I can barely feel my legs, I'm definitely going to be cramped up later

Takahiro: me too

Yukio: well, you cramping up is understandable Takahiro

Takahiro: what's that supposed to mean?

(Noboru knocked out on the ground)

Hayato: Noboru, are you okay?

Takahiro: he looks like a goner, may you soul rest in peace

Nanaho: he was trying to keep up with the girl's on the track team that he forgot his limits , he ran for two and a half hours straight that's quite impressive

(Yukio): thank you for working so hard Noboru

(Shino breathes heavily)

(Shino): I'm getting comfortable with scoring layups now, however my right handed layups could use some work, as for shooting…

(Flashback)

(Shino shoots a free throw)

(Air ball)

(Shino shoots a midrange)

(Air ball)

(Shino shoots another free throw)

(Air ball)

(Shino shoots a two pointer )

(Air ball)

Nanaho: come on Shino, flick your wrist and use your legs for power, you are barely even jumping

(Shino): I only made a single free throw out of a hundred and a single mid ranged shot out of a hundred and fifty. I must be the worst shooter there is in history.

(Shino looks over at Tetsuo)

(Shino) Look at him, completely unfazed by his training regiment, he's amazing, can I really catch up to him? He always keep to himself and he barely ever share his thoughts , I wonder what he is thinking

(Tetsuo): I wonder how Usagi is doing, what should I make for dinner tonight?

(Liam pulls the door of his house)

Liam: I'm home

Liam's Grandmother : welcome back Liam, come on join us for dinner

Liam: yes grandma

(Liam sits at the table and started eating)

Liam's uncle: so kid, how was training? Are you getting any faster? I can't wait to watch you sprint

Liam: I was wondering uncle

Liam's uncle: what is it?

Liam: do you think that doing track was the right thing for me? My coach said that I'm way too tall and I can't even break the eleven second barrier and recently I have been getting a slower time whenever I run.

Liam's uncle: don't worry about it Liam, every athlete goes through this phase at least once in their life, you can't let this make you question yourself , what you can do is work harder

Liam: it's frustrating to be giving your all and yet still you don't receive any results, plus track is getting real boring and lonely

Liam's uncle: what are you trying to say?

Liam: maybe I'm not cut out for tracks

Liam's uncle: (laughs) that's a good one Liam , you almost had me

Liam: after taking with my friend earlier this morning I have realized that team sports are more my style, he plays basketball and he has a lot of fun doing it and I too have a lot of fun when I'm playing basketball.

Liam's uncle: basketball? As in the sport where you dribble a ball and shoot into a hoop? That's a kids game, who would ever want to play a sport that's so stupid

Liam: that's it

(Liam gets up and slams his hands on the table)

Liam: disrespect me, my coach or any other sports as you please, but never make a mockery of Hayato's passion I will not sit down and listen to you making a mockery of the sport when you know nothing about it and for your information I was considering to join the basketball team

Liam's uncle: I'm surprise that you even considered joining that stupid sport , you get zero opportunities, however you'll have plenty of opportunities in tracks, isn't it your passion?

Liam: how can I get any opportunity at all if I can even run a hundred meters in eleven seconds flat and I didn't join tracks because I wanted to I did it to impress you, I wanted you to be proud of me.

Liam's uncle: what?

Liam: I'm going to my room, goodnight

(Liam goes to his room and shut his door)

Liam's uncle: to think that all this time , Liam was in tracks just to impress me, I thought that it was his passion

Liam's Grandma: that the first time that boy had expressed his feelings and himself to us since he came to Japan, looks like all the stress had finally built up, he always listened to what you say without a second thought but now he has grown. I'll go ahead and talk to him and you my son should have noticed this without him telling you.

(Liam's Grandma knocks on Liam's door)

Grandma: Liam can I come in?

Liam: yes

Liam's Grandma: listen kid and listen well you should do what you love and what you want to do , its your choice and not anyone else's , so don't listen to my idiot of a son, I mean he almost got you and himself killed in the UK, getting mixed up with the British Mafia he's such a dumbass

Liam: you're right grandma, I have decided what I want to do

Liam's Grandma : that's good, be sure to shower before bed because you smell terrible

(Liam): that was harsh

(Liam): it's has been four years now since I came to Japan huh, I was born and raised in England. My father was a business man and he was constantly investing in stock and other innovations but he was borrowing from killers and gangs to invest in his business. His ventures failed and he loss everything . He was in debt to the British Mafia and he didn't have the money to pay them so they killed him. After mourning my father's death I was sent to Mexico to live with my uncle however, the Mafia caught on to my movement and two months after I had settled in , they launched an assault on uncle and I but we somehow managed to escape with our lives. We then moved to Japan to live with my grandma to get as far away from the Mafia's grasp as possible. As you can guess my grandmother is Japanese and my grandfather was British. My uncle had a dream of becoming a track athlete but he never became pro so he forced his dreams on me and I did not refuse. As you could imagine starting school in Japan was hard. I was way bigger than the children my age and I was of a different race which made everyone wary of me . Then there was the difference in our language, I didn't know any Japanese, it was quite lonely . Then I met Hayato. He was the first person who spoke to me and he taught the game of basketball and how fun it was.

(Liam smiles)

Nanaho: alright everyone let's get started

Everyone: yeah

Nanaho: come on Shino you have to get back on defense faster than that

Shino: yes

Nanaho: Hayato you are too relaxed, you know that your defender is not a threat but I want you to treat him as he is

Hayato: okay

(Liam knocks)

(Everyone): huh?

(Yukio): it's that foreign student, Liam Ainsworth

(Hayato): Liam

Nanaho: what brought you here ?

Liam: I came here to join the basketball team

Yukio: no way… Are you serious?

Liam: yeah

Takahiro: so that means, we have seven players now

Hayato: I'm so glad that you decided to join Liam, you will be a big help to us

Liam: I joined the basketball team because it had what tracks doesn't teammates, ones who share the same passion as you and are willing to sacrifice it all so that they can win. I also wanted to repay you for that day in junior high , you helped me and now I'll help you win

Hayato: I see, well let's do our best Liam

Liam: yes

(Nanaho): this is great we have seven players now, I can't wait for the tournament to start, we definitely stand a higher chance of going to the inter high now, Yukio looks so happy, i'm glad