Team's Problem

The night before the game, Takeshi's team members found themselves battling insomnia. The worries about gains and losses, the pressure of facing national-level opponents, and the tension of staying in a hotel away from their hometown for the first time all weighed heavily on their minds.

As the captain, Mitsui believed it was crucial to address his teammates concerns to ensure optimal performance the next day. Drawing from past experiences, he knew the impact of failing to communicate with his teammates and the subsequent subpar performance in the game.

"Everyone, haven't slept yet?" Mitsui inquired. "No, I feel nervous thinking about competing in front of a national audience tomorrow," one teammate responded, capturing the collective sentiment.

In an attempt to shift their focus, Mitsui suggested, "Since we can't sleep, let's discuss tomorrow's opponent and identify Furukawa Middle School's weaknesses." The suggestion surprised everyone, as they had mainly focused on the strengths of their formidable opponents.

"It's beneficial to recognize our shortcomings, but let's not underestimate ourselves. We've won the championship in Kanagawa, and there's no player better than me this year!" Mitsui declared confidently, boosting the team's morale. His assurance had a ripple effect, instilling confidence in the entire team.

However, despite being a strong championship team that had trained rigorously for over a month, the players felt a lingering lack of the mindset of true champions. They attributed this to their past reliance on Mitsui and his dominating presence on the court.

Horita Tokuo observed, "The opponent's center isn't physically strong in confrontation; he's more focused on speed. I don't see him as a formidable opponent." Katsumi Ichiro added, "Tsuchiya seems powerful, but his compatibility with the system is questionable. We can exploit that on defense."

Ikegami, the defensive expert, chimed in, "Kishimoto's shooting isn't as strong as expected, and his physical stamina might be a vulnerability. We're just dealing with junior high school students after all."

It was then Takashima's turn to share insights. However, he hesitated, admitting, "Itakura is accurate in shooting, and he runs fast." As the others looked expectantly at him, he faltered, "I may struggle against him due to the height difference."

Takashima's self-doubt escalated, leading to a surprising admission, "I may not be fit for tomorrow's game. Let's have Kobayashi-san replace me." His revelation stunned the team, exposing the deep-seated insecurities that had been haunting him since being replaced in the starting lineup.

Witnessing Takashima's breakdown, Mitsui felt uneasy, acknowledging that basketball heavily depended on talent. Despite past successes, the growing gap in talent among the team members, especially with Mitsui's reborn skills, created an internal struggle for Takashima.

As the night unfolded, the team faced not only the challenges presented by their opponents but also the internal dynamics that threatened to impact their collective performance in the upcoming game.

Since they can't control the rhythm, they can only attack each other. If they beat each other in points, they were not afraid with Mitsui on the team. They are not afraid, but Takashima is the weakest link in the team. Although he can play fast, he is definitely not as good as the freshman Kobayashi. Furukawa is still their first opponent. Although Mitsui only took them to watch the first opponent's game, he has friends here. He also knows what's going on in other games.

What's more, I just don't know that the point guards of other teams are basically local MVPs, and the MVP, even if it is not as good as Mitsui, will not be much worse, at least it will be better than Minami.

No one expected that their own point guard would be overwhelmed by the pressure after having a good chat about tomorrow's opponent. But listening to Takashima crying, no one could blame him, because they sympathized with him. It cannot replace strength. They really need Kobayashi to start the game tomorrow.

Mitsui wanted to say a few more words to comfort him, but Tokuo stopped him, "It's getting late, let's go to bed. Don't affect tomorrow's game. Just have me here."

"It's okay, Takashima is my younger brother, I should also be responsible for him." Tokuo Horita, a loyal man!

No one knows how Horita Tokuo communicated with Takashima to comfort him, but in short, during the game the next day, despite experiencing the turmoil last night, the faces of Takeshi and everyone were already filled with unprecedented fighting spirit.

"In today's game, we cannot lose anything, for Takashima who unfortunately left us." Tokuo wiped the corners of his eyes, and tears could be faintly seen.

Takashima, who had been comforted for half the night, had a dark look on his face: "Boss, I just quit the starting team and am not dead. Don't be so exaggerated." Takashima's return to normal is also the reason why the atmosphere in the team is not so solemn. Among them Kobayashi took on Takashima's responsibility and planned to work hard to show his style so that he could be worthy of Takashima-senpai's concession.

Tokuo plans to carry forward the dreams of Takashima and Tokuda, and among the trio, he is the only one with good talent who can barely follow in Mitsui's footsteps.

Katsumi didn't care. Katsumi, who believed in the best and the mediocre, just expressed regret for Takashima's choice and went back to preparing for the game.

Ikegami had a sweet smile on his face and was full of confidence Mitsui "Ikegami-san, you are the strongest among us in terms of defensive ability. I will leave it to you to freeze the opponent's ace tomorrow. Even if he cannot be frozen, he will consume a lot of his energy" I automatically ignored the last two sentences, thinking that I was the strongest defensively.

As for Mitsui, the man is always in excellent condition no matter what time he is!