Tryouts For The Basketball Sekiro High Team - Part1

The gym buzzed with energy as Coach Yamamoto began outlining the tests for the tryouts. He explained that the selection process would consist of three main phases: physical tests, basic basketball skills, and finally, a friendly match between the top 10 performers.

"The first test is gonna be... the sprint test!" he announced with the enthusiasm of a television presenter.

Why is he talking like he's on TV? This coach is another kind of weird guy.

When the coach blew the whistle, five people ran the 100 meters simultaneously. In Akira's group, there was a guy with locks of black hair covering his forehead, who was making strange hand gestures.

"What is this guy doing?" Akira mumbled to himself.

"God of speed, lend me your power..." a boy holding a doll whispered.

Crazy.

The coach blew the whistle, and Akira took off, quickly leading the pack. His burst of speed made everyone's eyes widen. A little behind him, the strange boy finished second.

"Oh! The God of Speed ​​likes you more," the boy said, reaching into his backpack and pulling out a yellow wooden doll, which he offered to Akira with both hands.

What is this guy talking about?!

"Thank you... What's your name again?"

"Renji. Speed ​​God likes you more."

Akira frowned, slightly unnerved by the boy's behavior, but took the doll anyway. 

"Uh, thanks?"

The boy nodded seriously.

Next up was the strength test. The coach brought out a machine that wrapped around the athlete's body with an elastic band, requiring them to stretch the band as far as possible. Most of the students performed normally, except for a boy who was clearly the shortest and barely moved the elastic with his fragile body. Then it was Kenta Yamazaki's turn.

Oh, it's the buffalo boy. Let's see if he's that strong.

Kenta started jumping around, slapping his arms to energize himself.

"Uh! That's it! This is where I'm in charge!"

The coach wrapped the elastic band around Kenta.

"1... 2... 3... Now!"

Kenta pulled with all his might, going much further than anyone else.

"Okay, that's good!" said the coach.

"No! I can do so much more!" Kenta's face turned red as he exerted more force. "MAXIMUM POWER!"

With a final yell, Kenta broke the elastic and fell flat on his face. A deafening silence fell over the gym as everyone stared, dumbfounded.

He raised a finger as he slowly got up, his face still red with a small nosebleed. 

"I am fine."

How stupid.

The coach retrieved another elastic band, and the other students finally completed the test. Akira placed second, behind Kenta.

The next physical test was the vertical jump.

"Okay, guys! You have three chances in the jump test. The best result will be taken into consideration."

Akira was standing near Kenta, who punched his own hand. 

"Another test for me to destroy."

Akira took a step back.

This guy is too much.

"The first will be... Akira."

Already? I wanted to see how the others did first.

Akira approached the bar with movable rectangles and prepared to jump. I was always the best in these tests.

Taking a deep breath, he bent his knees, swung his arms back, and with every fiber of his muscles, launched himself upward, brushing the top rectangles with his fingertips. Silence once again filled the gym.

"What?! How did he jump that high?! He literally can dunk!" one student shouted.

The coach's eyes sparkled with excitement as he recorded the result on his clipboard.

"You can raise it higher," Akira said, rolling his shoulders to keep warm.

The coach laughed.

"This is the highest we have at school. You're good to go, Akira."

Looks like my dunk training with Tatum paid off. Even though I still can't effectively dunk

As Akira returned to his spot, Kenta glared at him with furrowed eyebrows, a look of envy in his eyes.

"You!" Kenta pointed at Akira.

Damn, I turned on the crazy guy.

"I will never be defeated!" Kenta declared.

Maybe if I play along, he'll leave me alone. 

"Try to do better then, buffalo boy!" Akira shot back, pointing at him.

Kenta's expression turned neutral, as if he didn't understand Akira's words. But then his eyes filled with tears, and he nearly cried.

"A worthy companion! Willing to compete!" Kenta punched his chest twice and pointed at Akira, now with a serious face. "You are my brother!"

My God, I triggered the crazy person again.

Renji approached, offering another doll, this time light blue.

I made the other one crazy again too!

The last physical test was the endurance run. The kids were to run for 30 minutes without stopping. When the coach's whistle blew, everyone started at the same time. Renji's pace was remarkable; he moved effortlessly, almost as if he was floating. Even after 20 minutes, there wasn't a hint of sweat on his brow, while others, including Akira, were visibly tired. By the time the 30 minutes ended, Renji looked as fresh as when he started.

"Unbelievable stamina," Akira muttered under his breath, wiping the sweat from his face.

Renji holds a white doll looking at Akira suspiciously. As if he was bragging about having the white doll.

When it was all over, the coach gathered everyone together.

"The physical tests are over! Now it's time for the basketball skill tests!" Coach Yamamoto announced, blowing his whistle.

Akira stretches a little, and gives an excited smile.

Now I can finally evaluate my teammates. It 's showtime!