Meanwhile.
At the Miyamoto Family Gymnasium in the United States.
Jason Silver grabbed the basketball and slammed it hard into the hoop, then grinned.
"Allen, you're no good!"
Allen collapsed onto the floor in pain, his expression utterly helpless.
"Jason, do you really have to use your body against me?"
Jason Silver grinned.
"I'm training your ability to take a hit!"
Allen waved him off in exasperation.
"Just spare me already!"
On the other side, Zack was playing one-on-one with Nick.
Just then, Nash Gold slowly walked in and looked at everyone.
"Everyone, our next destination has been confirmed."
Hearing that, they all stopped playing and turned to look at Nash Gold.
Jason Silver bounced the basketball and asked casually.
"Which country is it this time?"
Nash Gold smiled.
"Japan."
When Jason Silver heard it was Japan, he squeezed the basketball and asked, a little uncertainly.
"Japan? If I'm remembering right, that kid Nijimura is Japanese, isn't he?"
Nash Gold nodded.
"Yes. Even the people Tokima-san brought last time were from Japan."
"If I'm not mistaken, Tokima-san should be living in Japan right now."
Allen immediately laughed, his voice full of excitement.
"So does that mean we'll get to see Tokima-san when we go to Japan this time?"
Nash Gold nodded with a smile.
"Yes. The people playing the exhibition game against us might even be the same group Tokima-san brought last time. Nijimura may be there too."
Zack excitedly slammed the basketball hard against the floor and burst out laughing.
"That's perfect! I've been wanting another one-on-one with Nijimura for ages!"
Nick rubbed his forehead helplessly and called him out.
"Zack, you're just mad because Nijimura beat you last time, so now you want to crush him with basketball, right?"
Zack's expression instantly turned awkward, and he snapped in frustration.
"Nick, you really don't understand humor!"
Everyone burst into laughter. Clearly, they were all looking forward to this match in Japan.
...
Meanwhile, in China.
Miyamoto Tokima had brought everyone from Kirisaki Daiichi, the Generation of Miracles, and most of Seirin High's basketball team to China.
In truth, Miyamoto Tokima had originally only planned to bring his own teammates along for a trip.
But who would have thought Daiki Aomine would hear about it and spread the news?
As a result, [The Generation of Miracles] and Seirin's Taiga Kagami all came along.
And Taiga Kagami coming along would have been one thing, but he even called over the rest of Seirin too!
Great. The group was suddenly packed.
But it did not really matter. A few extra people made no difference to Miyamoto Tokima.
This was a good chance to let them try the local food.
Their first stop was Rongcheng, a city well known for its food.
As soon as they arrived in Rongcheng, Miyamoto Tokima took everyone to try some local dishes.
Before they ate, everything was fine. Once they started, no one wanted to leave.
The food was seriously good.
Atsushi Murasakibara, especially, ate nearly five people's worth of food all by himself.
Taiga Kagami was no exception, keeping pace with Atsushi Murasakibara bite for bite!
Since everyone liked the food so much, Miyamoto Tokima ended up taking them out for six meals in just one day!
Atsushi Murasakibara was even more ridiculous. His mouth basically never stopped moving the entire day!
He even had to be eating while going to the restroom. It was honestly absurd!
Miyamoto Tokima was starting to wonder what Atsushi Murasakibara's stomach was even made of, to be able to fit that much food inside.
Of course, Miyamoto Tokima's group drew plenty of attention when they walked down the street.
They were simply too eye-catching.
Every single one of them was a handsome guy around 1.8 meters, 1.9 meters, or even 2 meters tall. How could they not stand out?
Especially Ryota Kise. Since he was already a model, both his looks and presence were top-tier.
You would never guess at a glance that he played basketball.
In just that one day, more than a dozen young women came over to ask Miyamoto Tokima and the others for their chat IDs.
But Satsuki Momoi chased them all away. Later on, she simply linked her arm through Miyamoto Tokima's and staked her claim outright.
That made the young women give up on Miyamoto Tokima and shift their attention to the others instead.
Because of that, Ryota Kise kept asking Miyamoto Tokima what a "chat ID" was.
While Miyamoto Tokima and the others were sightseeing around China, someone in Japan was getting a headache.
...
Kagetora Aida, Riko Aida's father, was also the person fully in charge of Japan's side for this friendly match against the Black Dragon Team.
At that moment, Kagetora Aida looked utterly helpless as he stared at the list in his hand and fell silent.
Riko Aida walked in carrying a glass of water.
"Dad, why do you look like that?"
Kagetora Aida scratched his head helplessly and explained his problem.
"Ugh, it's because of this friendly match with the Black Dragon Team. They actually put me in charge this time."
"I originally wanted to ask Miyamoto Tokima and the guys from [The Generation of Miracles]. After all, only players at their level can deal with the Black Dragon Team, who've been sweeping streetball teams across different countries."
"But... who would have thought they'd all run off to China for a trip at a time like this?"
"Now I have to choose a whole new lineup to face the Black Dragon Team!"
After hearing that, Riko Aida said.
"Dad, isn't the match against the Black Dragon Team still a week away? Can't Kagami and the others make it back?"
Kagetora Aida sighed in frustration.
"It wouldn't help even if they came back. The higher-ups want me to submit the roster immediately. Special training starts tomorrow."
Riko Aida said.
"Then can't you just submit their names first?"
Kagetora Aida smiled bitterly.
"I'd like to, but special training starts first thing tomorrow morning, and they need to confirm everyone's identities for it. Unless they fly back tonight, it won't work."
"Besides, it wouldn't be right to suddenly call people back while they're traveling."
"It's only a friendly match. I'll just have to find someone else to fill in."
Hearing that, Riko Aida had nothing more to say. She could only leave Kagetora Aida to struggle with the problem on his own.
After Riko Aida left, Kagetora Aida began choosing the candidates by himself.
In the end, he confirmed the lineup and submitted it.
Time passed in the blink of an eye, and before anyone knew it, a week had gone by.
During that week, aside from Miyamoto Tokima and the members of Kirisaki Daiichi, everyone from [The Generation of Miracles] and Seirin High School had returned to Japan.
They also learned that the Black Dragon Team was coming to play a friendly match.
On the day of the match...
...
...
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