It only took fifteen minutes of walking for both Yuki and Riku to arrive at Tokyo Thunder's ho court, and fortunately, they were not late. When they arrived, only a few players were already there, and so of them hadn't even changed into their training shirts yet. When everyone finally noticed their presence, all of them stood up and greeted the two boys excitedly.
"Welco back, Brat One and Brat Two!" one of them said, dapping them up.
"Hey, don't call a brat!" Riku said, affronted.
"Yeah, and why would I be number two?" Yuki also shared his thoughts.
"Because we see Agostini more often than you, Brat!" the other player answered, playfully ssing with Yuki's hair. "After all, he was still here even when you had to be out for two weeks after that disaster at the pharmacy factory, and this is your first ti back since then, you know?"
Yuki cringed for a mont at the harsh truth spoken by the older boy in front of him. Indeed, it had been about a month since the incident at the Maiko Pharmacy Factory, and he hadn't joined the training with Tokyo Thunder since then. Fortunately, he had communicated with Kawaki-sensei, and the coach understood his situation, so he wouldn't be kicked out of the team due to his absence from practice.
"Anyway, who are we going to play next week?" Yuki asked, trying to change the topic.
Suddenly, the atmosphere turned solemn, and Yuki and Riku stared at each other in confusion. "The team we have to play in the next ga is Tokyo Great Bears U-19, our rival team," one of the players answered.
"Wait, you an to tell that Tokyo has two professional teams?" Riku blurted out a question before he blushed at the 'are you an idiot' stares from the other players. "What?! You know that I grew up in Italy, right?" he defended himself.
All the older players nodded, accepting the explanation. Yuki sighed in relief as he sohow dodged a bullet. Just like Riku, he didn't know about that fact, and if he had been the one to ask the question, he wouldn't have had any valid excuse to defend himself.
"Well, yeah, Tokyo has two representatives in the V. League: us, Tokyo Thunder, and Tokyo Giant Bear," one of them explained. "Unlike us, who are a relatively new team, Giant Bear is one of the oldest teams in Tokyo. While their achievents have dropped in the last few years, their fan base is still one of the craziest in Japan."
"So, they are a strong team?" Yuki inquired.
"Strong? Hell, no! They are rude and annoying, though," so of the older guys snorted. "Just because their team is older than ours, they think we are nothing because we don't have a 'rich history' like them." The boy added air quotes for the 'rich history' part with a sarcastic tone. "Their fans are the sa. They always attack ours because they think that anyone who supports a new team is a fraud and a glory hunter just because our team owner is wealthy. Honestly, the audacity."
Yuki and Riku had sweat drops on their faces at the unexpected rant. "So, to put it simply, they are our annoying neighbors who think they are better just because they are older?" Riku concluded.
"Well, that is basically correct."
They chatted for a while until almost all the players of Tokyo Thunder U-19 had arrived. That was the cue for Yuki and Riku to change into their training shirts. Five minutes later, they ca out of the dressing room to find that most of the players were lined up, with Kawaki in front.
"Sorry, Sensei, are we late?" Riku apologized.
"Don't worry, I know you both have been here for a while. Go back to the line and wait until everyone is here too," Kawaki waved off the apology. Read exclusive adventures at empire
Riku nodded and joined the line, followed by Yuki behind him. They waited for a while as new players continued to co from the dressing room and join the line. When a player Yuki was familiar with, Tondo—who was the one responsible for testing him to join the team—appeared, the coach finally greeted them all, "Good afternoon, boys!"
"Good afternoon, Sensei!" all the players replied in unison.
"Well, first of all, it's good to see so familiar faces back here, especially Agostini-kun and Kobayashi-kun. They are back after a week at Sato-sensei's training camp, so I'm sure they learned a lot during that ti."
Those words were enough to spike the tension among the players as all eyes suddenly turned to the two youngest boys in the room. It seed the training camp they attended last week had a reputation, and everyone—even players who had never shown interest in them—looked at the two boys with competitive eyes.
"Okay, save the hostility for later. Now, we still have training to complete, okay?" Akira clapped his hands, easing the tension. Yuki and Riku released a deep breath they hadn't realized they were holding as the hostile atmosphere dissipated. "Instead of targeting our two youngest boys here, let's direct that competitive spirit toward the team we have to play next weekend, our annoying older sibling, the Giant Bear."
"Older sibling" was an apt description considering they were from the sa prefecture. Still, no one cared about the coach's analogy. Right now, all that occupied their minds was how to beat their rivals in the next ga. Everyone was pumped up and couldn't wait for the weekend to co.
"Unfortunately, due to Satoshi-kun's injury, we will have to face them without our main setter. While this isn't ideal, I need Agostini to step up his ga," Kawaki continued.
"Wait, ?!" Riku exclaid in surprise.
"Yes, Agostini, you," Kawaki nodded in confirmation. Not only was Riku surprised, but everyone else was as well. "I know this is a shocking decision. Ideally, I wouldn't put a rookie in the spotlight directly at his first ga and let him adjust to the new atmosphere slowly. Unfortunately, we don't have that luxury since Satoshi-kun is out, and you know full well that Yamamoto-kun was called up to the senior team two weeks ago, so we are short on setters right now."
Everyone nodded in understanding at the coach's explanation. Riku was the happiest of them all. After all, there was a huge chance he would make his debut next ga. Yuki could only look at his friend in envy, unsure of when his opportunity would arise.
Kawaki's next words effectively answered his silent question. "Depending on how the ga goes and how Riku adapts during the next training session, I will also probably give Kobayashi a chance to play. Before you complain!" He raised his hands imdiately before anyone could say anything. "You all know how dangerous his serving arsenal is and how reliable he is in the back row. Moreover, based on the notes sent by Sato-sensei, he improved a lot during the camp, so it would be silly of not to consider him. Of course, I'll assess whether he is ready or not first, but I'm telling you right now, he will probably have a chance to play in the next ga. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Coach!"
Yuki clenched his fists in excitent as he heard the news. Although he knew that, unlike Riku, he would have to co off the bench, the bespectacled boy was still satisfied with the decision. He didn't want to be left behind by Riku, so he had to work harder in the next training session to show he was ready for the ga.
'Damn, I am on fire right now! Co on!'
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