Kuroko's Basketball: I'm not the boss?

Chapter 230 Even Akashi gets rejected

"Run! Run!"

"You two over there, go even faster when you're going downhill!"

Haichang High School Gymnasium

Xiangyang dribbled the ball while shouting loudly.

On the court at that moment, apart from him, the other regular players from Kaijo were all panting heavily, and even Yuki felt that she couldn't take it anymore.

In the past half hour, under Xiang Yang's command, they have been doing full-field shuttle run training. But that's not the worst part. In order to simulate the real environment on the field, Xiang Yang would lengthen the time line between the pause and the burst each time he signaled them to run, using interval running to train Haichang's overall explosive ability.

After all, when it comes to a fast break offense, shooting ability and physical attributes are secondary; the most important thing is the ability to launch fast breaks.

Even an inside player like Hiroshi Ohara was dragged by Xiang Yang to train with the outside players.

This was no easy task for Ohara, who weighed nearly 200 pounds. Of course, Ohara would agree to Xiangyang's requests ninety percent of the time, no matter how unreasonable they were.

"Beep beep beep!"

Xiangyang blew his whistle, looked around at the group of people from Haichang, and said, "Let's take a break."

Upon hearing this, the freshmen group from Haichang, who had been standing shakily just moments before, immediately collapsed to the ground.

Tanaka, who had been told by Xiangyang that he would be the starting center on the day the starting lineup was announced, was now lying on the ground without any regard for the situation. Sweat dripped from his head like raindrops, and he looked as if he was about to collapse.

"Damn... this is no life for a human being!"

Tanaka rolled over and lay directly on the floor. He looked at the ceiling above the Kaijo Gymnasium, his expression one of utter despair.

Fukuhara and Moriyama, standing to the side, looked at Tanaka with sympathy. Even they, as outside players, found this kind of training difficult to handle, let alone Tanaka. He was already weak, and as an inside player, he wasn't good at running. During his time as a starter for Kaijo, the question Tanaka pondered most was: Is it really necessary to be a starter?

This scene naturally did not escape Xiang Yang's eyes, but he did not react at all to his junior's negative remarks. Long before the training match, he had already figured out the personality of everyone here.

Although Tanaka constantly says things like "I'm too tired" and "I don't want to train," he is actually a very hardworking person behind the scenes.

On many occasions, after the team disbanded, when Xiangyang returned to the gym, he would see Tanaka practicing alone.

"They say they're going to set up shop, but secretly they're undermining their own interests. Tsk tsk tsk, I really hate people like that."

Xiang Yang shook his head, chuckled, and took out his phone from his pocket to check unread messages.

Generation of Miracles Chat Room

Kise: @All Members

Kise: Bros., I can't stand this training camp anymore! I'm going crazy from boredom every day, and the seniors on the national team not only lack skill, but they also love to act like they're superior!

Kagami: Kise is right. Yesterday I was bullfighting a guy, and I pinned him to the ground and beat him up.

He even acted like a senior and wanted to give me pointers, which really infuriated me!

Kise: Mine is even more exceptional. After defeating everyone on the first day, he never went to training again...

Qingfeng: Opponents of that level really don't interest me. Instead of playing pretend basketball with them, let us come back to participate in the summer tournament. I'm still thinking about winning the championship this year!

Xiangyang: Shocked

Xiangyang: No way, no way, there really is someone who's lost for two years in a row and is still dreaming here? Do you even know who will be the champion this year? If you know, type in 1.

Kise:

Akashi:

Midorima: Gemini's fortune in the first half of the year is excellent. You can defeat many opponents and accomplish very difficult things.

Murasakibara: The team has been doing extra training every day lately, and my coach seems to be on some kind of drug; I've even gotten thinner and weaker…

Everyone: ...

Peach: Oh right! Come to think of it, it seems like it's been a long time since we got together. How about we get together and have some fun before the Summer Split starts?

Heizi: I second that.

Kise: Protest!!!

Kise: We're still stuck here in the national team training camp and can't get away. If we're going to have a get-together, we'll have to wait until we get back!

Vulcan: Agreed! Let's play cards again when we get back. Last time my face was covered in slips of paper, I'm not having it!

Qingfeng: In the end, isn't this training camp just a joke? It's completely unnecessary. Anyway, the three of us are better than them no matter how you look at it. Even if it's three against five in the end, we won't lose. I really don't understand those useless guys in the Basketball Association. It's already obvious, so why do they keep making a fuss and wasting time?

Kise: That's right! Let me tell you...

……

Just as Xiangyang was secretly watching Kise and the other two complaining about the training camp, a private message suddenly appeared on his phone. He opened it and saw that it was from Akashi.

Akashi: When can we arrange a practice match? Rakuzan's roster has changed quite a bit this year, and the newcomers haven't adapted to the rhythm of the game yet. I guess Kaijo is in the same boat, right?

Akashi: How about we play a scrim together while there's still some time left in the summer season?

At the very bottom of both messages, there is also a stick figure holding a cup of tea and gazing at the screen as an emoji.

Xiangyang stroked his chin, about to type a reply, but just as his finger was about to press the send button, he suddenly realized what he had said, quickly cleared the message he had edited, and typed two words again.

Xiangyang: No appointment.

Akashi: ?

Xiangyang stared at the "typing" message constantly displayed on Akashi's chat window. A slight smirk played on his lips, and a gloating expression appeared on his face.

"Akashi, you probably never thought you'd be rejected one day, did you?"

It wasn't that Xiangyang intentionally provoked Akashi, but rather that Kaijo's current situation wasn't suitable for a training match.

While it's important for the team to find its form, the "running and shooting" tactic is a deadly weapon that can't be revealed so easily.

This is the real reason why Hikaru rejected Akashi, though the latter is unaware of it...

Los Angeles Basketball Arena

Akashi stared blankly at the rejection message from Xiangyang, his grip on his phone tightening unconsciously.

Just then, the rookies from Rakuzan, who were playing a practice match on the court, accidentally threw the basketball towards Akashi.

"Captain, watch out!"

A freshman spoke up to remind him, but before he could finish speaking, Akashi suddenly grabbed the basketball with one hand, making a soft "hum" sound.

Just as Hayama was about to go forward to retrieve the basketball, he saw the expression on Akashi's face, and his body instinctively shivered. His voice trembled as he asked, "Aka... Akashi, are you alright?"

"Of course it's okay, keep training."

(This is a transitional chapter, guys. The next chapter will start directly with the Summer Split.)

Chapter 231 A Devastating Struggle: Is the Upper Limit of Haichang Really Second Place? (Combined Chapter)

Festival)

"The game is now in the last six minutes of the final quarter. Haichang has called their second-to-last timeout. Let's see how the coach plans to handle it."

Inside the live stream of Basketball Talk, Popovich was commentating on the game with a surprised expression, while the chat was filled with question marks.

In the third match of the first round of the official competition, Kaijo High School faced Suzume High School. The current score is 86-84, with Kaijo only leading by two points.

Bobo cleared his throat, picked up the data sheet he had collected, and said, "According to the data, during this year's qualifiers, Suzuga High School, as a team from the southern region, achieved an average score of 107 points per game, ranking second in the southern region. They unfortunately lost to Yosen High School in the final of the qualifiers, but still managed to qualify. In terms of strength, they are definitely a team that should not be underestimated! And more importantly, they didn't fall behind in their match against Kaijo, which is truly surprising..."

"Looks like another dark horse is going to emerge this year, hahaha."

……

……

Competition venue

Not only were the viewers in the live broadcast room full of questions, but the fans watching the game live were also baffled.

Last year they were the defending champions who swept all the opposing high schools, so how come this year they are evenly matched with a team with no reputation?

Even though Suzume High School had practically given up on the game before it even started, seeing that Kaijo's performance was nothing special, they were suddenly filled with a strong desire to win. After a relentless attack, they narrowed the gap to two points by the third quarter.

Meanwhile, the coach on the Suzume High School bench gave his players a passionate pep talk! After all, if they could beat Kaijo, Suzume's reputation would definitely soar! And his salary as coach would naturally increase accordingly.

Unlike the loud noise from Reimei High School, which was so loud that Xiangyang could almost hear it, the bench at Kaijo High School was much quieter.

The group of people sitting there could only be heard drinking water, as if they were truly stunned by Suzuya High School's performance, but none of them showed any sign of worry on their faces.

Xiangyang wiped the water droplets from the corner of his mouth and looked at his teammates, saying, "You should all be pretty familiar with the positioning for the artillery bombardment tactic, right?"

"If there's anything you don't understand, practice it more before the game ends. Teams like the other side, which are neither too strong nor too weak, are not easy to come by."

As he spoke, Xiangyang unscrewed the water bottle again and took another sip.

Almost two months have passed since Xiangyang rejected Akashi last time, and the summer tournament has already started.

As expected, Kaijo once again secured first place in the West Division and successfully advanced to the official tournament. Even with Kise absent, Kaijo's status in the West Division remains dominant.

However, this led to a problem: in order to hide the "bombardment tactics", Xiangyang rejected all training match invitations sent by teams before the summer season. Originally, he had the idea of ​​using the qualifiers to train his team. However, his western neighbors, who had been beaten by Haichang for many years, had no intention of competing with Haichang.

In most cases, they have already given up on winning the game before it even starts.

无

Unfortunately, Xiang Yang had no choice but to lead his few rookies, who were stepping onto the high school competition field for the first time, and they made it all the way to the official competition.

Although the "bombardment tactic" had been practiced many times within the team, they still couldn't find a suitable opportunity to practice it.

If I had known it would turn out this way, I shouldn't have rejected Akashi in the first place.

Xiangyang scratched his head, then pouted and asked Yuki, "You should have mastered it by now, right?"

Yuki nodded obediently. With his outstanding natural basketball talent, his ability to learn tactics was comparable to Kise's.

Xiangyang himself knew that Yuki didn't need him to worry too much, so he turned his attention to Ohara.

"Where's Ohara?"

The taciturn Hiroshi Ohara did not speak, but simply nodded in response. From the day Xiangyang gave him the task, he had never slacked off.

Next, Xiangyang asked several substitutes from the third year and Fukuhara and others from the first year. They all said they were already familiar with the "bombardment" tactical running style. Only Tanaka, the current "starting center" of Kaijo, hesitated a few times, as if he didn't have much confidence.

However, in Xiangyang's plan, Tanaka's presence was only to confuse the opponent. But Tanaka's role was to expose the fact that Kaijo did not have a center forward.