Inside the gymnasium, everyone's eyes were glued to Kaede Rukawa's flashy dribbling and unorthodox shooting style. For players who only knew traditional basketball, this was their first time seeing the game played like this.
"Damn that show-off fox!"
Hanamichi Sakuragi cursed under his breath before turning to Xiaoqi Su with a pout. "Big Bro, why did you give that damn fox a skill card?"
"Hanamichi," Xiaoqi said, patting his shoulder with a grin, "being invincible isn't always a good thing. Only when you have a worthy rival can you truly grow stronger." He paused, then teased, "You're not scared, are you?"
"Me? Scared of that fox? Never!" Hanamichi shouted, his expression suddenly turning dead serious. "The only one who can defeat me… is myself!"
Xiaoqi: "…???"
Before Xiaoqi could even react to Hanamichi's ridiculous line, something even more shocking happened.
Hanamichi closed his eyes for a brief moment—then, when he reopened them, crimson electricity crackled around them.
"Big Bro, I'll prove it to you right now. I'm the real deal."
"Holy crap," Xiaoqi muttered under his breath. "He just activated the Zone?! And how many of these cheesy lines did he steal from Kuroko's Basketball?!"
Hanamichi didn't use any fancy basketball skills, but in terms of raw power, jumping ability, speed, vision, and reflexes—he completely overwhelmed Rukawa, who had just mastered Aomine Daiki's skill card.
"What a terrifying monster," Xiaoqi whispered, watching Hanamichi proudly plant his hands on his hips.
At that moment, Ryota Miyagi quietly sidled up to Xiaoqi with a sheepish grin. "Hey, Big Bro… you got any more of those cards? Mind tossing one my way?"
"Miyagi, have some dignity," Hisashi Mitsui scoffed—before immediately grabbing Xiaoqi's hand with an eager grin. "Big Bro, I love basketball too! Even though I wasted two years, I'm committed to it now. So, uh… got any cards left? Preferably one for long-range shooting?"
Miyagi grabbed Xiaoqi's other hand in a panic. "Yeah, me too!"
THWACK! THWACK!
Takenori Akagi's fists came down on both their heads, his face dark with fury. "You idiots! Stop embarrassing yourselves!"
He then bowed slightly to Xiaoqi. "Sorry about these clowns."
Xiaoqi chuckled. "It's fine. They're pretty entertaining."
Akagi sighed, glancing at the group of problem children. "My old dream was to conquer the nation. But after seeing what this idiot Hanamichi can do, my goal's changed. Now, I want to conquer the world—with these morons."
He paused, then suddenly transformed into his "Gorilla" mode, grabbing Xiaoqi's hands. "So, Big Bro… got a skill card for me? I can't let these guys outshine me. It's bad for my pride."
Miyagi and Mitsui immediately jumped up, pointing at Akagi in outrage.
"You hypocrite! You're just as bad as us!"
"Yeah! I can't believe you! You're the sneakiest one here!"
Akagi roared back, "How am I sneaky?! I'm Hanamichi's future brother-in-law! If anyone gets priority, it's me!"
"Brother…" Haruko Akagi covered her face in embarrassment. "Why are you like this? This is so shameful…"
Xiaoqi laughed as the three of them started wrestling. "Yep. None of the Shohoku 'Five' are normal."
"Idiots," Rukawa muttered under his breath before turning to Xiaoqi. "What was that skill Hanamichi just used? Can I learn it?"
Xiaoqi nodded. "Your talent and passion for basketball already meet the requirements. Once you master that skill card, you'll naturally unlock the Zone. But don't force it—it'll come when the time's right. Oh, and work on your stamina first."
Rukawa bowed slightly. "Thanks."
Xiaoqi then turned to the still-wrestling trio. "Akagi, Mitsui, Miyagi—same goes for you. Hone your skills first. When I get more cards, I'll give them to you." He grinned. "I want the five of you to become this world's 'Generation of Miracles.'"
Hanamichi burst out laughing. "I'll be the captain—Sakuragi Seijuro! HAHAHA!"
Xiaoqi shook his head in amusement. "Hey, Hanamichi, where's Coach Anzai and Ayako?"
"Oh, I told the old man to rest at home. He can just drop by for our games sometimes. As for Ayako, she's probably busy with class stuff," Hanamichi said, then lowered his voice. "…Big Bro, you're not into Ayako, are you?"
"What? No!" Xiaoqi bonked him on the head. "I just wanted to see the whole Shohoku team. But you've really matured. I'm proud of you."
Just then, a female voice rang out across the gym.
"Well, well. The basketball team's lively today."
"Ayako!" Miyagi immediately rushed over, introducing Xiaoqi to her.
Ayako walked up with a smile. "So you're Hanamichi's 'Big Bro.' Nice to meet you. And wow—you're pretty handsome."
Xiaoqi grinned. "Hey, this might sound sudden, but… can you hit someone with your fan? For old times' sake?"
Ayako blinked—then burst out laughing. She pulled out her fan and smacked Hanamichi on the head. "Like this?"
"YES! That's the stuff!" Xiaoqi cheered.
Hanamichi crouched down, rubbing his head. "Ugh… why me? Out of everyone?!"
Ayako clapped her hands. "Alright, everyone, gather up! I've got two announcements!"
As Xiaoqi hesitated about where to stand, Ayako pulled him beside her. "You're special. Stand here."
She addressed the team. "Before the announcements, I have a proposal—from today onward, let's make Hanamichi's Big Bro, Xiaoqi Su, Shohoku's temporary coach. What do you think?"
"Huh?!" Xiaoqi was stunned. "I can fight, but I don't know the first thing about coaching!"
Hanamichi immediately raised his hand. "I approve! Big Bro as coach? Hell yeah!"
Xiaoqi protested, "Hanamichi, stop messing around! I'm worse at basketball than all of you!"
Ayako smirked. "I'm not asking you to teach them basketball. I'm asking you to keep them in line."
"Ever since Coach Anzai semi-retired, these problem children have been driving me crazy. So whenever they act up, you just punch them. Easy, right?"
Xiaoqi's eyes lit up. "Oh. In that case, I'm in."
Ayako turned to the others. "Any objections?"
"None!"
Hanamichi, as Xiaoqi's self-proclaimed #1 disciple, was the first to agree. Rukawa, Miyagi, Mitsui, and Akagi followed—none of them dared to defy him anyway.
Ayako nodded in satisfaction. "Good. Now, for the announcements."
"First—starting today, we have a new team manager. You all know her." She turned to Haruko. "Come say hello."
Haruko stepped forward shyly. "Hi everyone. I'm Haruko Akagi. Please take care of me."
"WOO-HOO!" Hanamichi sprinted over, ecstatic. "Haruko! Why didn't you tell me?!"
Haruko blushed. "I wanted to surprise you."
Hanamichi grabbed her hands, tearing up. "Haruko, you're the best! I'll treat you even better from now on!"
"Ahem." Xiaoqi cleared his throat. "Hanamichi, team meeting first. Save the romance for later. Get back in line—or I'll punch you."
Hanamichi whined, "Big Bro! I was the first one to support you as coach! How could you do this to your favorite little bro?!"
The whole team burst out laughing. It was about time someone put Hanamichi in his place.
Ayako continued, "Second—thanks to our performance in the practice matches, the school's taking the Inter-High preliminaries seriously. So today, the newspaper club's Mari Kawai is here to interview us. This is your chance to get famous, so behave!"
"OHHHH—!"
The team erupted in excitement, immediately fixing their hair and clothes.
Xiaoqi chuckled at their antics before turning to Ayako. "How much did they beat Ryonan by in the practice match? Hanamichi wouldn't tell me."
Ayako grinned. "By 50 points. Other teams lost by 100+. And that was after we went easy on them. Oh, and guess who stole the show every time?"
"This guy…" Xiaoqi sighed, watching Hanamichi flirt with Haruko again.
Just then, a new voice spoke up behind him.
"Hi. I'm Mari Kawai from the newspaper club. Before I interview the team, can I ask you—the temporary coach—a few questions?"
Xiaoqi turned. He vaguely remembered her from Slam Dunk, but not well.
"Sure, if it's just a few."
Mari leaned in. "Where are you from? How old are you? And… are you single?"
Xiaoqi: "…???"
Ayako: "…???"
After a stunned silence, Ayako pulled Mari aside. "Mari! What kind of questions are those?!"
Mari blushed. "Come on, Ayako. You know about him, right? Tell me everything! He's totally my type. And that tail? So cool."
Ayako facepalmed. "Give up. He's way out of your league."
Before she could say more, gasps filled the gym—Xiaoqi had vanished.
Haruko whispered, "Hanamichi… where did Big Bro go?"
Hanamichi's playful expression was gone. His face was deadly serious as he muttered:
"Haruko… something's happened to his wives."