Chapter 97: So It

The comments surged. Following Tiandao Jingyan's words, a dense, chaotic barrage of messages flooded the screen, making it impossible to see clearly.

Haizaki's entrance allowed the "commentary teachers" to keenly capture the scent of a villain.

Under normal circumstances, the plot should let Haizaki act smug for an episode or two, build up the tension, and then deliver a crushing blow.

If it were Kuroko, the plot would indeed develop that way.

But Tiandao is different; he started off by spitting fire, being more of a "mouth-piece" than any actual mouthpiece—a high-level one at that—immediately satisfying the audience.

Now, there is already a dedicated column for *Kuroko's Basketball* on the Baidu Tieba forums; aside from the protagonist Kuroko, Tiandao is the most discussed character by fans.

The reason is actually simple: Tiandao is the version of themselves they dream of being.

As for Haizaki, upon hearing Tiandao Jingyan's words, his expression visibly darkened.

He is foul-behaved and bullies his classmates daily.

And Tiandao?

He has a foul mouth!

With two guys like this together, it's hard not to spark some friction.

Currently, it seems Tiandao has the upper hand.

The dark-faced Haizaki and Tiandao, wearing a "Dragon Overlord" smile, formed a stark contrast.

"Keep barking while you can; soon I'll tear your mouth and your face to shreds and throw them in the trash," Haizaki said with a sunken face.

He rarely suffers losses, but today he feels he's met his match, and his disgust for Tiandao has grown even stronger.

Like a natural predator in the animal kingdom, Tiandao is, in his eyes, the enemy that must be killed.

"The basketball club is not the place for you to settle grudges. Tiandao, start training immediately."

Seeing the two looking like they were about to fight, Nijimura Shuzo had to walk over to interrupt.

If a violent incident occurred in the basketball club, it would be hard to explain to the school.

"Tch." Haizaki clicked his tongue in annoyance.

For some reason, he was a bit afraid of Nijimura Shuzo, especially his gaze—it was terrifying.

However.

Just as Haizaki Shogo planned to go back and wipe out all the losers in the Third String, leveling up through the ranks until he reached the First String to settle the score with Tiandao.

Shirogane Goro spoke up, "You're Haizaki, right? The First String practice match is short on people; you come along too."

"Coach." Nijimura Shuzo turned around, confused. Shirogane Goro signaled for him to stay calm, "That kid Tiandao doesn't need us to worry about him."

Shirogane Goro isn't afraid of troublemakers; he only worries if a player lacks the matching ability.

Does Haizaki have ability?

Of course he does!

Even the Sixth Man, Yamanaka Yuta, was brought to his knees by him; one can see how outstanding his talent is.

As for why he has a grudge against Tiandao?

Shirogane Goro doesn't care about such things. The basketball court is a place to see whose fist is harder; once you've fought, the grudge is settled.

This is what he meant by "dialogue through basketball"!

What's more, Tiandao is currently the most disobedient guy at Teikou; using him to dampen Haizaki's arrogance is just right.

What if Tiandao loses?

Then it dampens Tiandao's arrogance; either way, Teikou doesn't lose.

Shirogane Goro has high expectations for Tiandao Jingyan.

Just like that, a unique practice match began.

Due to Haizaki's previous attitude, the Teikou players didn't have a good impression of him.

Shirogane Goro could only pair Haizaki with Nijimura Shuzo, who is the most obedient and capable of keeping Haizaki in check.

He didn't want to see teammates intentionally tripping Haizaki up.

As for Tiandao Jingyan's side, his teammates were Aomine, Murasakibara, Midorima, and an original First String starting point guard.

Tiandao Jingyan looked at his teammates and sighed, thinking, "How am I supposed to lose this?"

"No matter what has happened between you, the court is the court. If you are men, solve the problem the basketball way," Shirogane Goro warned them before the match.

"Understood, Coach. I won't lay a hand on him," Tiandao Jingyan stretched.

This infuriated Haizaki.

I haven't even opened my mouth yet, and you want to lay a hand on me?

But what was ghostly was, why did those guys like Shirogane Goro all look so relieved?

"Are these guys looking down on me?" Haizaki became even more annoyed.

He, the King of Fighting, has never lost to anyone!

The commentary teachers, however, knew why Shirogane Goro and the others were relieved.

'Does this unlucky kid really want to fight the B-King?'

'You have already paved your own path to death!'

'Silly kid, don't you dare go; that guy dared to fight a Sword Saint at eleven.'

'Hey, that's hell ahead!'

Tiandao Jingyan glanced at the audience who were saying one thing but wishing for another, hoping he would have a real-life PK with Haizaki, and casually turned off the comments.

At this stage, Haizaki's strength is not inferior to the Generation of Miracles.

The gap between him and the Generation of Miracles truly widened after the second year.

In the world of *Kuroko's Basketball*, if one were to rank them, it could roughly be divided like this.

Nash from the movie is the first tier.

The Generation of Miracles and Kagami Taiga are the second tier.

Haizaki Shogo, Nijimura Shuzo, and Himuro Tatsuya are the third tier.

Next are the Uncrowned Kings, followed by players from major powerhouses like Kasamatsu Yukio at the national level, and then the rest.

The first and second tiers have the closest talent; after all, the reason Nash could crush the Generation of Miracles was also due to his age advantage.

At the same age, even if Akashi couldn't beat him, it wouldn't be by much; their eyes are also on the same level.

And Haizaki Shogo, although he can only be ranked in the third tier, is the one closest to the Generation of Miracles, stronger than both Nijimura Shuzo and Himuro Tatsuya.

He wasted a few years, yet upon returning, he could still force Kise into his strongest state; his strength is evident.

Without further ado, the match officially began.

It was still a 20-minute practice match, playing only half-court.

In the jump ball, Murasakibara won as expected.

Both of the team's commanders had run to the other side, so the teammates in blue training uniforms naturally handed the ball to Tiandao to handle.

Actually, Tiandao Jingyan felt he didn't even need a point guard.

In modern basketball, positions have become completely blurred; the survival soil for traditional point guards whose only function is passing has been compressed to a very small area. ===== CHAPTER 99 =====