Chapter 23: Green badge, Rookie Ace

In the audience, Midorima Shintaro’s evaluation of Yukimiya Kazuma was naturally something Yukimiya couldn't know.

But if he did know, he would definitely refute it loudly; he was not some "nasty personality" bastard.

This mission given by the system looked simple, but who could have thought that this ace on the other side, who would war cry from time to time, would play so cautiously? Besides letting water go to let the opponent shoot boldly, what else could he do?

On the court.

[In the match against Left Jia Middle School, completed a block on He Xiuyang]

[Drawing badge, current probability 10%...]

[...]

[Draw successful]

[Obtained badge: Rookie Ace’s War Cry (Green)]

Finally here!

Although excited, at the same time, Yukimiya also breathed a sigh of relief.

Because if it didn't come out again, He Xiuyang on the other side would probably not be able to hold on.

At this moment.

He Xiuyang’s stamina clearly had problems.

This was also an inevitable result. Compared to Yukimiya’s low-consumption assists on the offensive end, He Xiuyang’s all-out offense and defense style naturally consumed stamina faster, not to mention the crazy "output" just now.

Clang~

The Bai Shui Hall backup small forward played He Xiuyang after receiving the ball. The latter was panting heavily, desperately trying to block, and touched the fingertips dangerously.

The basketball hit the edge of the rim and bounced high. Although the direction was a bit crooked, it was still under the control of the Bai Shui Hall backup forward.

With his legs pushing hard, the small forward grabbed this rebound over He Xiuyang’s head.

However...

Facing the opponent’s fierce eyes, this backup student hesitated for a moment and was then entangled by the opponent.

"It’s okay..."

When the backup small forward was thinking about what to do with this ball, suddenly, he heard a steady and firm voice coming from behind him.

"Leave it to me."

Even without seeing the person, the backup forward knew who the owner of the voice was. Although this voice didn't speak many times during the game, almost every time it spoke, Bai Shui Hall would execute a smooth offense and score points.

So when this very recognizable voice reached his ears, his body reacted even faster than his brain.

Pushing with both hands.

A pass with quite basic but stable technique was pushed toward Yukimiya.

The next second.

He saw a figure full of speed and power leap high, and then quickly swing his arm to dunk toward the rim.

Boom~!

The explosive dunk sound echoed through the arena.

Subsequently, all the audience near the arena saw a basketball pass through the net along the rim, hit the floor at a very fast speed, and then bounce high.

The scene suddenly became quiet.

Until a few seconds later.

More enthusiastic cheers suddenly erupted outside the court.

"Whoa, so high!"

"Yukimiya Kazuma finally took the initiative to attack again!"

"However, playing continuously until now, he actually still has this kind of stamina?"

"You’re lying, this kind of dunk..."

"So amazing, I wonder how it compares to the Generation of Miracles."

This violent dunk instantly ignited the scene.

After the opening ceremony, there were fewer people coming to watch the game than yesterday, but with this dunk by Yukimiya, the scene suddenly became as lively and noisy as the opening ceremony.

After all, with this level of dunking, plus He Xiuyang’s comparison before, even laymen could feel the violence in it.

And in contrast to the liveliness outside the court, the Left Jia group fell into complete silence. He Xiuyang had just been blocked, and with his stamina bottoming out, his mentality was in a mess. Left Jia Middle School naturally had no chance of winning.

Whoosh~!

Bai Shui Hall Middle School, a mid-range shot by the backup shooting guard.

Left Jia’s shooting guard placed his hands casually on both sides, watching the basketball fly past his eyes without making any moves.

The Left Jia Middle School coach, looking at the gradually numb expressions of the players on the court, finally sighed.

The sports arena is a battle within the rules.

Meet difficulties head-on, never give up.

These words are easy to write, but the will and belief required to truly achieve unity of knowledge and action are far beyond what ordinary people can imagine.

If Left Jia Middle School’s players could possess such a will, they wouldn't be like this now; except for He Xiuyang, everyone else had given up resistance early.

In reality, often the stronger the team, the firmer their beliefs.

On the contrary, the more ordinary, the more they just go with the flow.

Thus.

The strong remain strong, and the weak remain weak.

The point gap had already reached 48 points.

Left Jia Middle School subbed out all their starters from the fourth quarter, announcing their surrender.

Coach Shinmatsu Osamu had also long since "called off the troops," subbing out Yukimiya and letting the bench players continue to play on the court.

Soon.

As the referee’s whistle sounded, the game ended.

"The game is over, Bai Shui Hall Middle School vs. Left Jia Middle School, score 111:55, Bai Shui Hall Middle School wins."

"Thank you for the game xN!"

Both sides quickly came to the center circle to line up, bowing and shaking hands with each other.

When shaking hands.

The Bai Shui Hall Middle School group was naturally excited and happy, but what they didn't expect was that the atmosphere on the Left Jia Middle School side was not as low as they had imagined.

Except for He Xiuyang, whose face was ugly and looked a bit fiercer, there was neither disappointment nor unwillingness on the faces of the others. A few bench players even looked toward Yukimiya’s direction, whispering something.

And after seeing the state of the Left Jia Middle School group, the smiles on the faces of the Bai Shui Hall Middle School players suddenly weakened a bit.

In the locker room.

The expressions of the Bai Shui Hall group were all a bit strange, not as excited as when they won yesterday.

Perhaps it was because they were tired from two consecutive days of games, or perhaps because yesterday was the first time everyone broke through the first round, anyway... it felt strange.

"So strange, we clearly won the game, but we don't have that excited feeling." Teruyama Daisuke said suddenly, leaning back against the locker with his hands behind his head.

"Of course, we already confirmed it yesterday, we are no longer a team that can only 'pass by' the All-Japan tournament."

"Hahaha..."

"Indeed, but why are you speaking so weakly? You wouldn't be exhausted after playing two consecutive games, would you?"

With the dialogue between Haruhi Yu and Teruyama Daisuke, the locker room slowly gained some vitality.

Until the insertion of a low voice, the atmosphere in the entire locker room was suddenly interrupted again.

"In a knockout tournament where losing means the end of the entire summer, they had no will to fight to the end. Defeating such a team naturally isn't as happy as yesterday. After all, yesterday, although we led by just as many points, we played until the end."

The person speaking was Taketō Masaki. As captain, he was also one of the few players on the team who had persisted in training and stayed until the third year without achieving good results, so he had the most say in this.

"Clearly lost the game..."

"But there was no disappointment or unwillingness. Such a team can only be said to have never worked hard at all."

"No hard work..."

"Naturally, no other emotions will arise, and they can calmly accept failure without any waves."

Taketō Masaki’s tone was very steady, and his emotional fluctuations were small when he spoke, as if he was used to this and had long seen through it. Paired with his neatly groomed hairstyle after the game, it was very appropriate for a preaching atmosphere.

After he finished speaking, everyone in the locker room fell silent.

Because everyone finally understood why they didn't feel excited at all after defeating Left Jia Middle School today.

At the same time, many people were recalling whether they had had such shameful moments in the past. If they had, did their opponents feel... slightly strange, just like they did today?

Coach Shinmatsu Osamu listened quietly to everyone’s words, his eyes flickering slightly.

And Yukimiya Kazuma, sitting in the corner, had no reaction to this because he was studying his newly acquired badge.

[Rookie Ace’s War Cry (Green): After completing a successful defense, take the opportunity to let out a roar that boosts morale, which can effectively increase the shooting percentage of teammates on the court by 10% and slightly restore the stamina of teammates on the court. (Limited to once per game, each time lasts 5 possessions)]

Yukimiya: "..."

Tsk!

Spent so much effort, but it’s just a green one.

And it feels a bit like a chicken rib; it can only be used once per game, and it only lasts for five possessions. The so-called slight restoration of the whole team’s stamina is also described somewhat vaguely.

Yukimiya felt speechless.

Didn't expect the "shooting percentage and stamina-related badge" mentioned by the system to be this kind of relation.

Think of him, Yukimiya Kazuma, who traveled here with dignity and had a system by his side. Regardless of whether it’s realistic at the current stage, Yukimiya had silently marked his target on the Generation of Miracles.

However, now that such precious badge missions, where every official game is one less, only gave such a green badge in the end, it makes people feel embarrassed.

What Generation of Miracles, feels like it’s drifting away...

Can’t you give a badge that improves offensive ability? Don't come with some "Rookie Ace’s War Cry." It always feels like the system is secretly mocking him.

Yukimiya calculated silently. As the rounds of the preliminaries rise, if he encounters stronger teams, should he be able to farm badges that improve offensive ability?

Probably.

Seeing today’s badge, he feels like nothing is certain.

If it gives him a whole "Rookie Series," then it would be better not to have it.

Yukimiya: "..."

Tsk!

If you want it, you have to take it, if it’s given, take it!

Yukimiya only played three quarters today, getting a comprehensive stat line of 14 points, 21 assists, 6 rebounds, and 9 blocks.

Now, in the Tokyo district of the All-Japan preliminaries, he is also a small focus. Before Bai Shui Hall Middle School could even leave the locker room, reporters had already come to knock on the door.

Under the deterrent gaze of Coach Shinmatsu Osamu, Yukimiya dealt with the reporters earnestly. Then, when leaving the gymnasium with everyone, several audience members came over to ask Yukimiya for autographs.

Among them, several middle-aged men told Yukimiya earnestly that he would definitely be famous nationwide in the future, and getting an autograph now was worth more than the price.

Yukimiya signed for them very patiently, and then enthusiastically shook hands with several female middle school students.

Due to his delicate appearance, the proportion of Yukimiya’s female fans is quite high, which made Taketō Masaki, who was keeping a straight face, stare at Yukimiya’s face and secretly raise an eyebrow.

Hanain Ryō, who saw this scene on the side, shook his head amusedly.

Finally.

Everyone boarded the school bus.

After returning to school and dismissing everyone, the coach didn't talk to Yukimiya about training carefully again.

Because Bai Shui Hall Middle School’s next game is on the weekend of this week, which means that by the time the third round starts, Yukimiya still has four days for meditation training.

Regarding this.

Yukimiya’s training plan has already been formulated.

The next week.

He is going to train hard.

His multiple attributes are all hovering around 80, not reaching 85. Having had the system for so long, from his experience, 85 will be a barrier where the external performance jumps significantly for player attributes.

If he can complete the breakthrough of several of them in the next period, then his strength on the court will be even more powerful.

Clear attribute values allow Yukimiya to have very clear goals.

Just...

Plans are often just plans, and problems always arise when implementing them.