Miyamoto Tokima paused, then shook his head.
"Atsushi, you know the Black Dragon Team is my team, right? I'm not going to help Akashi and the others."
"But judging by what you're saying, you want to..."
Atsushi Murasakibara nodded.
"I want to play against Jason."
Miyamoto Tokima smiled and patted him on the shoulder.
"Then go ahead."
Atsushi Murasakibara nodded.
"Okay!"
His eyes burned with fighting spirit.
...
The next day, in a gymnasium in Japan.
Ryota Kise rocked on his toes and smiled.
"I didn't expect us to play together again so soon."
Daiki Aomine stretched lazily.
"Yeah. After what happened, we can't just ignore it."
Shintaro Midorima adjusted his glasses, holding a dog-shaped toy in his left hand.
"What they did was disgraceful."
Seijuro Akashi smiled.
"That's why everyone has been gathered here. We're preparing for a rematch."
Kazunari Takao looked around at the group and swallowed.
'Even though I knew it would be them, actually seeing them all gathered together is still incredible.'
'And Miyamoto and the others might join them later. Just thinking about that lineup is terrifying.'
Daiki Aomine glanced around.
"Aren't we missing a few people? Where are Kagami and the others? And is Miyamoto coming?"
Seijuro Akashi bounced the basketball and smiled.
"Kagami and the others are on their way. Their abilities shouldn't be underestimated. As for Miyamoto, I'm not certain yet."
"But Murasakibara has confirmed that he's coming, so Miyamoto will probably come as well."
Ryota Kise immediately relaxed and laughed.
"If Miyamoto comes, then we have nothing to worry about! Having him around is incredibly reassuring!"
Shintaro Midorima did not disagree.
"Indeed. Even now, none of us knows Miyamoto's true level. With him on the team, we should have no trouble winning."
Footsteps suddenly echoed through the gym.
Two figures ran inside, followed by a breathless voice.
"Sorry, everyone. I'm late."
Taiga Kagami spoke while trying to catch his breath.
Seijuro Akashi smiled.
"You're not late, Kagami."
Tetsuya Kuroko appeared beside him and greeted everyone.
They all returned his greeting.
Kagetora Aida stepped forward. Seeing Seijuro Akashi and the others gathered there gave him some reassurance.
He cleared his throat twice, composed himself, and raised his voice.
"All right, everyone, quiet down! You should already know why you've been called here!"
"I only ask one thing of you. Prepare yourselves properly for this match!"
Kagetora Aida had no intention of giving a lengthy speech to this group of geniuses.
Everyone nodded.
He then arranged for them to begin training.
Thanks to Seijuro Akashi, they understood nearly every tactic the moment Kagetora Aida explained it.
That caught Kagetora Aida completely by surprise.
He knew Seijuro Akashi was a tactical genius, but he had not expected him to be this brilliant.
Time passed, and Atsushi Murasakibara eventually returned as well.
When he arrived, he brought the group some troubling news.
Miyamoto Tokima had decided not to join them.
Daiki Aomine immediately spoke up.
"No way! Why wouldn't Miyamoto join us? Doesn't he want to play on our team?"
Seijuro Akashi and the others were equally confused. None of them understood why Miyamoto Tokima would make that decision.
But no one was more stunned than Kagetora Aida.
He had already placed all his hopes on their strongest player, only to learn that their trump card was gone.
Atsushi Murasakibara watched their reactions, then calmly delivered an even greater shock.
"Because Tokima founded the Black Dragon Team."
"What?!"
If anything could have been more shocking than Miyamoto Tokima refusing to play, it was that revelation.
Those few words hit everyone hard.
Kagetora Aida was the most shaken of all.
Their trump card had not merely disappeared. He might have joined the opposing side.
If Miyamoto Tokima had founded the Black Dragon Team and refused to join them, then there was a very real possibility that he would side with the Black Dragon Team instead.
That was not something any of them could easily accept.
Still shaken, Ryota Kise placed a hand against his chest.
"Atsushi, did Miyamoto really found the Black Dragon Team?"
Atsushi Murasakibara nodded.
"Yeah. I think Tokima created it when he first went abroad during middle school."
"They're also the team we trained with during our last training camp."
Kagetora Aida immediately realized something.
If Atsushi Murasakibara had trained with them before, then he must know their abilities well.
"Murasakibara, can you tell us more about the Black Dragon Team?"
Atsushi Murasakibara nodded.
"Sure."
Everyone immediately focused their full attention on him.
Then his very first sentence left them speechless.
"The Black Dragon Team are actually pretty nice guys."
Everyone stared at him in disbelief.
Taiga Kagami spoke without hesitation.
"What are you talking about, Murasakibara?! They insulted everyone like that on television, and you still think they're nice?"
Atsushi Murasakibara thought about it.
They brought him snacks every day, so they certainly seemed like good people to him.
He nodded.
"Yeah, they're good people. When Aka-chin called me during the last match, I was confused. From what I know, Jason and the others wouldn't normally act like that."
"They might taunt people on the court, but they don't behave like that off the court."
Seijuro Akashi fell into thought.
Something about the situation felt wrong, but he could not identify exactly what it was.
Daiki Aomine did not want to dwell on the issue any longer. He waved his hand impatiently.
"Enough. If Miyamoto isn't coming, then so be it. As for the Black Dragon Team, I'd rather believe Miyamoto doesn't know what they did."
"It's been a long time since he returned to Japan. Who knows what the Black Dragon Team has become since then?"
"We'll just beat them until they acknowledge us in the next match."
Ryota Kise suddenly asked.
"But what if Miyamoto joins them?"
...
...
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