The building was even more impressive on the inside: a super-gymnasium with multiple full basketball courts, slik flooring, lighting that could accommodate broadcast television, and seating for what had to be over a thousand spectators.
So this was the basketball wing.... Where the main team trains. It looked more like a....felt more like an arena than even a super gymnasium.
Thousands of people here to watch two hundred teenagers compete for thirty spots. It was an event. Entertainment....Spectacle. AriTorus gaze tracked across the crowd and he spotted them unintentionally, something Yoshimura High was known for.
Beautiful girls. There were so many. One here, two there, an absolutely gorgeous loner there, twins!....god this is heaven.
[FOCUS]
[YOU'RE NOT GETTING ANY WINKS OR BLOWN KISSES IF YOU DON'T DELIVER]
[ACTUALLY, YOU'RE PROBABLY NOT GETTING THOSE REGARDLESS]
[BUT DEFINITELY NOT IF YOU FAIL HERE]
[BASKETBALL NOW, FOOLISH DELUSIONS LATER]
"Right," Ari shook his head as if shedding away all distractions , "focus."
It's not like that's why he was playing basketball. If he just wanted to be popular he could just use academics. The real reason was more powerful.
[LOOK UP]
A blue glowing arrow appeared in Ari's vision. It was pointing toward a specific section of the stands. He followed it and saw the Yoshimura Basketball team.
The current Yoshimura's starting lineup, sitting together in a reserved section like generals observing troops. These were among, if not the highest status of Yoshimura high.
Norikai Yori who Ari had met....or encountered was there. 6'10" of pure presence. He was wearing a black hoodie jacket. It was zipped open with the white blazer underneath.
Ari really needed to get one of those.
It was cotton thick with the inside of the head/hood being gray. The blazer was silver and he said no tie. Meanwhile his pants weren't pants but styled black baggy shorts that revealed massive purely sculpted legs. Calves that looked like cartoons. Then purple basketball shoes that went with short white socks. HE LOOKED SO COOL.
Next to him was a guy who wasn't short per say. He just looked small by comparison,
Akihiko Heishi.
The pretty boy rockstar. The poster child. Yoshimura's point guard and resident heartthrob. He was sitting in his chair like he was lounging in his own living room rather than observing the tryouts.
6 feet 2 inches tall. He had a killer hair cout. Dyed blonde. Mullet hair and multiple ring piercings on the lobe of his right ear. Akihikos features were soft and feminine. Sea blue eyes. Looking down in a mild seductive interest.
He wore the Yoshimura dark blue jacket unbuttoned over a designer green T-shirt. It read *CALIFORNIA.*
He was standing. Of course he was standing, he looked like the type who couldn't sit still Deevay Murray. American transfer student, maybe a little shorter than Ari but .... extremely jacked. Not athletic-lean like Yori, but genuinely muscular, swol gym rat jacked. His arms could curl a basketball till it burst. He was THICK.
He had a short afro with mid level faded sides, the top portion was curly with hints of orange or light brown dyed in. His skin was a warm .... reddish brown. He had "hyper competitive senpai" practically stamped in on his forehead.
The Captain of Yoshimura High Basketball team
He was leaning against Yori, his eyes were half-closed, on the verge of sleep.
Suzuha Goro.
Ari had barely found any information about him online. There was no Instagram presence, no social media, just occasional mentions in game reports. But everyone who followed Yoshimura basketball knew about his ability: "I See."
Whatever that means. It sounded like a superpower from an anime. Some kind of enhanced perception or prediction ability? Court vision taken to an extreme?
From this distance, Ari couldn't make out too many details, but Goro seemed about his height..maybe 6'6". But with more bulk. Though not excessive muscle. Light skin, medium length black hair clipped on one side and meant to fall across the other. His face was calm and gentle, but unsettlingly so. Like he was watching something interesting but not particularly concerned about its outcome.
Like Ari when he would pick up one of those terrible novels or books at his mother's library. Interesting but not investing.
The manager ... Runa Mizuhara was writing on a spider man notebook.
She looked even more beautiful than yesterday.
How Ari could tell from that far, only he knows.
Though now she wore a serious expression..more ready.
Her purple hair was pulled back in a high ponytail, and she wore what looked like a white team manager wool polo with khaki pants around her figure 8 shape.
Runa's eyes were locked on something below, and Ari followed her gaze downward
She was watching Isami Nagi...
...*Isami Nagi.*
[SHE IS WATCHING THE PRINCE COBRA]
[NOT TORU ARI]
[YOU ARE COMPLETELY FORGETTABLE MY BOY]
[BACKGROUND CHARACTER ENERGY]
The observation went straight into Ari's subconscious like a hot knife thrusted into butter. He felt his confidence take a big gut punch. He was a *nobody* here. Unknown. Unproven. About to be exposed as the mediocre player he actually was.
[BUT]
[THAT IS ALSO YOUR ADVANTAGE]
[NO HIGH EXPECTATIONS MEANS NO PRESSURE TO MAINTAIN AN IMAGE]
[NO REPUTATION MEANS NOTHING TO LOSE]
[YOU CAN FAIL AND NOBODY WILL BE SURPRISED]
[OR YOU CAN SUCCEED AND EVERYONE WILL BE SHOCKED]
[LOW EXPECTATIONS ARE A GIFT]
[USE THEM]
Sure.....being overlooked was better than being overhyped. He just needed to survive, to prove he belonged, to—
Hey where's that... AriToru looked around for Elaine, wanting to see if she was watching. To see her expression when he proved her wrong.
But he couldn't find her in the crowd. Maybe she wasn't here. Or maybe he just couldn't find her in the large number of people. Maybe the Yoshimura student assistant had better things to do than watch first years compete.
Or maybe she just didn't care enough to show up.
[WE HAVE MANY MORE PEOPLE TO PROVE WRONG]
[THE BLONDE HUMAN WOMAN WILL SEE HER ERRORS EVENTUALLY]
"See her errors?"...."you sound like an evil master mind." Ari said to himself. He could talk now there wasn't anyone standing near by.
[I AM NOT GOOD NOR EVIL. ONLY WHAT THE GEAR DEMANDS OF ME]
A voice cut through the chaos. It was amplified by the Pavilion's sound system:
"Alright, alright, Hey...", No one paid attention. The voice was too tired and weak. At least till_ "SETTLE DOWN!!"
Every head turned toward the speaker a man standing on a platform in an unoccupied court with a microphone, looking... not at all like what Ari had expected a legendary coach to look like.
Sojima Hosei was short for basketball standards—maybe 5'10", possibly 5'9". He was chubby, with a prominent belly that strained slightly against his Yoshimura polo.... The same kind Runa was wearing. His hair was silver despite Google saying he was only in his forties. There was still some dark hair to work with though.
But it was mixed with silver to create an overall gray effect. Red cheeks. A thick beard and mustache, both predominantly silver.
And he was sipping Pepsi. Like he was at a barbecue.
"Is the AC not working?" Hosei complained into the mic while he wiped his forehead with a handkerchief. "It's hot in here. Someone check the ACs."
The temperature in the Pavilion was freezing. Everyone was comfortable, maybe even cold.
AriToru was stunned. *Is this really the coach?!*
[SOJIMA HOSEI]
[IS AN NBA CHAMPION]
[MIAMI HEAT, 2002-2003 SEASON]
[BACKUP POINT GUARD]
[HE WAS NOT A STARTER BUT WAS INDEED AN IMPORTANT ROTATION PLAYER]
AriToru knew this though.
He had researched extensively after getting accepted to Yoshimura. But finding actual footage of Coach Hosei's playing days had been nearly impossible. A few clips here and there, mostly him on the bench or coming in for garbage time minutes. But he had a very accurate mid range shot.
*And now look at him:* overweight, casually dressed, drinking soda during tryouts.
"He really let himself go." Ari said dryly.
[NOT EXACTLY]
[HE IS ENJOYING HIS WEALTH AND HIS JOB]
[BY FILLING HIS BELLY]
[SEMI-RETIRED NBA PLAYER LIVING HIS BEST LIFE]
[COACHING HIGH SCHOOL BECAUSE HE WANTS TO]
[NOT BECAUSE HE NEEDS TO]
[HE KNOWS HIS PRIORITIES]
Ari couldn't help but laugh. A short snort that immediately made different nearby students look at him like he was insane.
Laughing at nothing. Looking like a weirdo.
Then Coach Hosei coughed, handing his empty Pepsi to a student who'd appeared with a fresh one...complete with a straw in fact. He took a long sip, then seemed to remember he was supposed to be talking.
"Where was I?" he said into the mic. "Oh. Right. Yes."
Then he went straight into business.
"You will divide yourselves," He paused to burp quietly, "into groups."
That's when Ari noticed other students scattered throughout the Pavilion, wearing different colored vests marked "COORDINATOR." Some of these "coordinators" were holding notebooks. They began moving through the crowd.
Twenty groups. Ten students each.
The basketball wing... Gymnasium. Super gymnasium or whatever you wanted to call it.. it was HUGE.....not one basketball court but six distinct courts arranged throughout the space. Not to mention he saw some other first years being led out through the back into another building. Because of course the six basketball courts in the main gymnasium weren't enough.
[YOU ARE ABOUT TO SUFFER]
[ALL 200 OF YOU]
Ari gulped in anticipation... A hint of fearrr.
Those coordinators began calling and sorting students into their groups. They were trying their best to organise.
Ari found himself directed to "Group J" along with nine other first years. It was a mix of heights and builds. They all looked nervous and determined in equal measure.
"Suicides!" one of the coordinators announced. It sounded like sadistic jubilation. "Full court, 15 times, go!"
And they were off.
Running. Back and forth. Baseline to free throw line and back. Baseline to half court and back. Baseline to opposite free throw line and back. Baseline to opposite baseline and back. That was one suicide. 15 times.
They don't call it Suicides for nothing.
Ari ran and ran and ran.
It didn't take time before his lungs started feeling hollow and his legs to reach that stage where he had to conciously worked hard not to fall.
Seven guys in his group moved like freakin gazelles. Fast and fluid...barely breaking a fucking sweat. Two others were struggling.
One blonde boy looked like he might collapse, his face was bright red. And his breath was coming in desperate gasps. Another was just barely ahead of Ari. Wanting to leave the bums and join the gazelle squad. But he was juuust falling short.
And Ari himself was... surviving.
[DO NOT RUN TOP SPEED]
[CONSERVE STAMINA]
A display appeared in Ari's vision:
[CURRENT PACE: 78% MAX SPEED]
[HEART RATE: 152 BPM]
[STAMINA: 61% REMAINING]
[MAINTAIN THIS PACE]
[SHOW THAT THIS DOES NOT TIRE YOU]
Then thirty minutes of running. Suicides AGAIN!!!! full-court sprints, defensive slides. No water breaks. No rest except what your body forced you to take when you physically could not continue.
Some boys were already done. Just done.
Collapsed on the sidelines, heads between their knees, gasping. Ari could see coordinators making notes, checking names off lists. This was ELIMINATION.
And he himself was gassed. His legs were lead. His lungs....AH, he could taste his lungs. Dry throat.
Transparent tasteless liquid was suddenly all he could think about. Rain.. rivers. Sweet sweet crystal nectre.
But he kept moving. He kept his posture straight. He didn't allow himself to bend over or show weakness.
[STAMINA: 23% REMAINING]
[WE EMBODY PERSEVERANCE]
Mercifully, Coach Hoseis voice crackled over the speaker: "Alright, that's enough...", people fell where they stood.
The crowd was filming the people. Not many humans ever come across another who was truly truly exhausted. To see another person truly burned out to the point of being incapable of basic motor functions.... The things you always do.
Breathing, talking, standing, even keeping your eyes open... So much fatigue to the limit of PAIN.
This was a sight for Yoshimura students.
And they relished it.
Cheers went around. Cheers for pain. More pain. More suffering. The crowd was fucking hungry...
And Coach Hosei was laughing. Giggling at the reaction of the Thousands of students watching. If he spoke you couldn't even hear him.
That's how hard the fans were jeering and cheering and everything in-between.
When it finally got low he took his time, lips to the microphone. ..."Water Break."
I mean you could hear the joy in his voice. In seeing the students faces realising they were just getting started. "Fiveee minutes," He sang.
While lots of the first years were collapsing and hugging down water bottles in a disgusting mix of saliva and sweat...
*Yuuk*
Ari made it to a bench. He sat down with as much control as he could manage, and focused on trying to breath slowly, regularly. Not gasping. Not showing how close he was to puking.
"System," he whispered. "Show me my stats."
[CURRENT STATS - TORU ARI]
[PHYSICAL:]
[POWER: 25/100]
[STAMINA: 40/100]
[VERTICAL: 21/100]
[SPEED: 38/100]
[BASKETBALL:]
[SHOOTING: 23/100]
[DEFENSE: 18/100]
[ATHLETICISM: 28/100]
[IQ: 72/100]
[PASSING: 31/100]
[SKILL: 18/100]
[SUCIDE RUNS COMPLETED: BASKETBALL SLIDES COMPLETED]
[TRY OUT PERFORMANCE: MEDIOCRE]
[SKILL POINTS AWARDED = +5]
[SKILL POINTS AVAILABLE: 5.5]
*Ahh...that wasn't even worth improving a stat by 2.*
BUZZ
BUZZING
Everyone was BUZZING with anticipation. It was like being in a coliseum where the spectators wanted you to stop resting and be thrown back into the bloody carnage. Or into the hellish tryouts.
"F...five points seems a bit." He paused to catch his breath. "Isn't that too little?"
[YOU GET MORE POINTS BASED ON YOUR PERFORMANCE IN IMPORTANT EVENTS. TRY OUTS AND REAL BASKETBALL GAMES]
[BY THE WAY DO NOT FORGET YOUR QUESTS FOR TODAY]
[YOU HAVE FOUR DAILY QUESTS]
Ari cursed under his breath. He might not even be able to walk after day one was over...Much less perform one of those sadistic daily quests. But he knew how many points he could get from completing them
Anyways .. he'd focus on the tryouts for now.
Ari noticed there was an extra coordinator in each group. One was the actual "coordinator" and the other was more the analysis guy. Judging and evaluating. The latter were the ones with the notebooks.
Then Coach Hosei was back.
"Listen up!"
He was still at the centre of the court. The silver haired coach smiled.
"Next drill: CSRP."
The gymnasium went quiet. The first years looked at each other in confusion. Others openly cursed out the loud. But the crowd.. those who knew grinned in some sort of unanimous joy.
AriToru felt an unbearable disconcertment. He had never heard of CSRP. He was a basketball geek who knew lots and lots of basketball, LOTS... of basketball. He'd amassed knowledge especially, when he stopped playing the sport.
And yet in all his nerdiness. He didn't know about ...eh... CSRP. He'd never encountered that acronym.
"System."
[HMM?]
He smiled because he took especial offense on the fact that there was an acronym he didn't know or understand. "Whats CSRP?"
[....]
[....SO YOU SUCK AT BEING A NERD TOO?]
"I don't suck at anything... Ho_
[CATCH, SHOOT, REBOUND, PASS ]