"There's no need to get emotional. How long do you want to rely on your emotions so badly?"
"Shut up, Davies! I don't need your help. I just need to prove to them that I'm worthy of being the leader of them all. You just have to watch and wait until that time comes!"
"But you don't have much time, Justin. The national competition starts next month. How long do you want to keep chasing him and focusing on your goal?"
"Didn't you hear what I said?" Justin's gaze was suddenly terrifying to Davies who wasn't in the mood to make a scene.
"Fine, have it your way. But I have something to tell you. You're a consistent starter in this team. Even though your chances are slim, I don't want you to mess up our last national competition. Understood?"
Justin just clucked his tongue angrily and then, left Davies and walked towards the bathroom. His friend just sighed while shaking his head, it was the umpteenth time Justin was frustrated by his own captain.
Meanwhile, the captain who was listening to their conversation from the other side was silent while catching his breath that had been wasted. One by one, his team came up to the captain and praised him for being a reliable captain. He just laughed lightly and the previous problem was quickly dispelled.
Two minutes after the first match was over, Coach Marlon blew the whistle again for those selected to enter the field and put on their vests. Damian and Kein split up and grabbed different vests.
"Take this vest, Kein!" Davies picked up the orange vest that had fallen on the floor and gave it to him.
Kein just smiled and quickly put on his vest. On the other hand, Damian was wearing a green vest and he was just as excited as his room mate. Walking onto the pitch, Kein tested the durability of his shoes and the non-slip floor. He made about four squeaks with his feet.
"Alright, it should be safe." His face seemed satisfied with the current quality of the field.
"Kein, stay focused. You have an important role to play in this match. We're all counting on you." Although not a captain, Davies knew what to do to clear the minds of the other players regardless of whether they were in the same class or the same year.
"Leave it to me, Senior Davies. I'll make sure you always receive my best pass."
Davies raised his hand and gave a thumbs up with a smile.
Before Coach Marlon restarted the match, Kein jumped up and down to make sure he didn't have any cuts or injuries before playing. His jump remained the same and nothing changed, it felt light and he could jump 0.3 seconds faster than all the New Ares players, unbeknownst to him.
"Ready... Tip-Off!"
Coach Marlon threw the ball again, straight up. Both Centers had no intention of giving the opposition a head start. Once the pattern stopped at the highest point, both centers managed to grab the ball simultaneously. That's when the Center relied on their strength to grab the ball.
To the slight advantage of the Damian team's Centers, the ball managed to get into their territory. But there was one player who understood the conditions so he had already anticipated where the ball would land.
"Damn it! Don't let him!" The Center, who had been smiling, panicked as soon as he saw the figure that moved quickly while the ball was still in the air.
"Hahaha, you're too late. I'm first!" Davies with a smile managed to snatch the ball before it fell into the opponent's hands.
Damian's team rushed after him in disarray and left the other enemy players behind. Panic in the first second is a fatal mistake, which can create free points for the enemy. Davies still couldn't believe the three opposing players actually put pressure on him so he couldn't dribble or pass.
But on the other hand, it was an advantage. Where the other two players can rotate without anyone blocking their movement. Being at the very back of the line and being able to take advantage of that moment, Kein immediately shouted while waving his arms.
"Hey!" His face looked excited as he smiled slightly.
Davies didn't see where Kein stood and asked for the ball, but relying on his distant hearing, it took a bit of a breakthrough to get past the three players surrounding him. He was only 50 centimetres away from the three opposing players, so narrow that it was difficult to find space.
Davies even had to protect the ball with both hands and his body.
"You can't escape, Davies." The enemy player seemed content with the favourable position.
He was stuck in that position for almost six seconds and was almost stuck. Not wanting the ball to go into the enemy's hands, Davies was forced to jump as high as he could after making sure the enemy didn't realise he was going to jump and pass the ball to his partner who was running towards the hoop.
"Hey!"
Kein screamed for the second time after seeing Davies jump high and find space to pass. As he ran and asked for the ball, Kein knew he was going to get the pass perfectly and would finish the first 24 seconds with an unguarded lay up, filling the number of lay ups he needed to complete in one day.
The ball was released by Davies. His jump wasn't high but it looked that way thanks to his three opponents who had bent down and tried to grab the ball. His pass to Kein was perfect as there was no one to block the ball.
"Good! Kein grimaced with pleasure, then he jumped up and tried to take the ball and would score the opening point in the second match. But his face suddenly became unhappy when he saw that Damian's team Center had returned and was standing in front of him without his knowledge.
But what they predicted was quite wrong, Damian's team and Kein's team thought the ball was a pass intended for Kein. The ball soared high and spun fast until it finally hit the board and bounced to a place they didn't expect.
SPLASH!!!
Those who thought the ball would go to a player or leave the field, instead produced three points that were so far shot.
"WHOOOO!" They were all excited without approval. It was an overreaction but worth celebrating a three-point shot that had little chance of scoring.