Today (August 28) is the birthday of Rio Kanzaki of LizNoir from IDOLY PRIDE. Rio is the leader of LizNoir, but also the oldest character of IDOLY PRIDE despite she’s still a high school student from the Tsukizuki Private High School. Rio is the former rival of Mana Nagase (CV: Sayaka Kanda) as the former often competed against the latter, but it was cut shot due to the untimely death of the latter in a road accident on her way to the Venus Grand Prix finals. She is very greedy for victory and used her aggressive style as she represented LizNoir in idol competitions. Of course, she is more determined than anyone else and that’s why she aimed to be the pinnacle of the idol industry. Rio is voiced by Haruka Tomatsu, who is also a member of Sphere. Coincidentally, all members of LizNoir are voiced by the members of Sphere with Rio voiced by Haruka Tomatsu, Aoi Igawa being voiced by Ayahi Takagaki, Ai Komiyama being voiced by Minako Kotobuki and Kokoro Akazaki being voiced by Aki Toyosaki. Likewise, Sphere had been very successful in both voice acting and music careers and they have been recognized by their fans all over Japan to make sure that they’re fascinated with unparalleled performance. Happy birthday, Rio!:) And before you’ll read this update, this one will be dedicated to Sora Amamiya, Chado Horii and Takahiro Yoshino. Sora is currently celebrating her birthday today (August 28), which has the same birthday as Rio, while Chado and Takahiro will celebrate their birthdays tomorrow (August 29). Born in Tokyo, Sora is a well-known voice actress and singer for 10 years and had been the leading voice actress for The Seven Deadly Sins (voicing Elizabeth Kiones and Liz), Konosuba (voicing Aqua) and Rent-a-Girlfriend (voicing Chizuru Mizuhara). Of course, Rent-a-Girlfriend is currently ongoing for its second season, which Sora returned to reprise her role as Chizuru Miyahara. She is also the voice actress of Shiho Kitazawa (THE IDOLM@STER Million Live!), Honoka Mitsui (The Irregular at Magic High School), Moeka (High School Fleet), Kanade Hisaishi (Sound! Euphonium), Melty Pristis (Re:Zero – Starting Life in Another World), Uzuki Hirokawa (Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai), Akemi Sōryūin (How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift?), Illustrious (Azur Lane), Ayame Himuro (Science Fell in Love, So I Tried to Prove It), Nessa (Pokémon: Twilight Wings), Aliceliese Lou Nebulis IX (Our Last Crusade or the Rise of a New World), Rui Tendō (IDOLY PRIDE, representing TRINITYAiLE), Miko Yotsuya (Mieruko-chan), Yarandrala (Banished from the Hero’s Party), Erika Kizaki (Akebi’s Sailor Uniform) and Nazuna Nanakusa (Call of the Night). Sora had a successful music career as she sang numerous anime songs including ‘Love Evidence’, the ending theme song of Science Fell in Love, So I Tried to Prove It Heart. Sora, alongside fellow voice actress-singers Momo Asakura and Shiina Natsukawa, have worked together as a trio, thus forming TrySail. Coming out from Shizuoka, Chado is the voice actor of Kakeru Tobe (My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU) and Ryuhei Nabeshima (Ahiru no Sora, representing Kuzuryū High School). Chado is also a singer as well since he worked hard for 15 years. And last but not the least, hailing from Osaka, Takahiro is the voice actor of Takeshi Sasano from Rent-A-Girlfriend. Hopefully, those three will continue making progress of their voice acting careers, especially to Sora, who was very recognized by her fans as she had done a lot of contributions and accomplishments through her confidence and determination and hopefully, she will keep it up for sure!;) Happy birthday, Sora, Chado and Takahiro!:) Now, it’s time to witness another mainstream group of the Bravehearts of Ota to return for a long time as here comes today’s update featuring Team Aida-Tsukada Orange without Miyu Aida!:)
Most of the mainstream groups of the Bravehearts of Ōta have made their returns to Rooks, Knights and Bravehearts for the Red Section Series and of course, there are some groups that they didn’t make it yet for a long time, which I decided to put all those groups back together in their respective updates that are posted earlier this year or in the future, so that they’ll be able to keep their pride and compassion to bloom, prosper and shine their community in the ward of Ōta for sure!;) And that’s why today’s update will witness another group to make their return to Rooks, Knights and Bravehearts for two years as this time, it will be focused on Team Aida-Tsukada Orange, a mainstream group that is composed of the schoolmates of Miyu Aida, a member of the Bravehearts of Ōta. In today’s update, they’re going to have some fun hanging out with each other during the final day of the Fuchsia and Celadon Week where they’ll be meeting some new faces that are believed to be associated with Miyu Aida including her cousins Hatsumi and Yuto Homura. This is the part where Kumi Tsukada and Ran Yahagi are showing their skills to both Hatsumi and Yuto before they’re going to take on Saki Tsukino, one of the rivals of the former from the Higashi Chōfu Middle School. You will be ready to see the strength and hustle of both Kumi and Ran as they’re about to prepare themselves for the upcoming Ikegami Invitationals, which will happen in Volume 9, and so, get ready to witness their skills that they have put up a good show to impress Hatsumi, Yuto and their friends, making sure that it’s their time to rise through their auras. Now, if you’re all set to bring the pride and compassion with Kumi and Ran, then, you’re in luck because here comes the 170th side chapter of the Red Section Series with the title, “All for Orange with Motivation, Pride and Integrity!”! Enjoy reading the 170th side chapter of the Red Section Series!:)
SIDE STORY: “RED SECTION STORIES”
CHAPTER 170: “ALL FOR ORANGE WITH MOTIVATION, PRIDE AND INTERGRITY!”
Date: May 8, 2010 (Saturday)
This side chapter is focused on Team Aida-Tsukada Orange as they’re showing their fun day with their friends during the morning of the final day of the Fuchsia and Celadon Week.
The members of Team Aida-Tsukada Orange are staying at the Outdoor Basketball #5 at the Misawa Resort Hotel where they’re playing pick-up basketball together. This is the part where Kumi and Ran doing their moves to shine themselves while Miyu was in the bench. When they have run the court, they made the assist play where Ran doing her playmaking moves before passing the ball to Kumi to score for either a layup or contact dunk.
After 30 minutes of action, they decided to take a short break to make sure that they’re ready to have another round of practice.
Team Aida-Tsukada Orange: Kumi Tsukada, Misuzu Kōmoto, Ran Yahagi, Momoe Tachibana, Nobue Okuda, Yume Nakano, Wakana Kitano, Setsuna Akiyama, Kiyoko Sasabe, Maika Hashimura, Tomori Kurokawa, Ichika Yasumi, Toshimi Koyasu, Chiaki Mayuzumi, Akiko Miyahara, Yuki Minamoto and Sakae Matsunaga
“I can’t believe that Miyu had taught you about that play! I never imagine that you’re going to have that to happen!” said Misuzu Kōmoto, a member of Team Aida-Tsukada Orange.
“Yep! I wanted to be more like a playmaker because it’s the type of a player that I had dreamt with ever since I was a little kid. I wanted to pass the ball all the time to make sure that I’ll be able to get the job done so easily. It feels great that I have been doing this because I want to move my position to shooting guard, so that I can have the abilities of being a crafty playmaker like passing the ball to everyone and shoot three-point shots to score. I’ll always be confident to take care of the game as soon as I’ll be ready to show to everyone that I’m shining in my way, proving that I’m a consistent shooter to make” said Ran Yahagi, a member of the Team Tsukada-Orange.
“That’s very nice! I’m so anticipated that you’re going to make good plays to make crafty plays for us, which I’ll be happy to see you shining like the way you have used to!” said Misuzu.
“It’s going to be nice that you’ll have your chance to groove as a playmaker when you’re going to step up with us because you’re the only person who has the abilities to play smart like the way Miyu did!” said Momoe Tachibana, a member of the Team Tsukada-Orange.
“I have to say that transitioning you to be a shooting guard would be very nice that you’re going to dazzle out with your moves that you have” said Nobue Okuda, a member of the Team Tsukada-Orange.
“You and Miyu will be a deadly duo of running the backcourt, which will be very nice to make it happen!” said Yume Nakano, a member of the Team Tsukada-Orange.
“That way, you’re going to let it out to get on fire for sure!” said Wakana Kitano, a member of the Team Tsukada-Orange.
“Yeah, I will, girls!” said Ran.
“Ran and I have been training well to make plays where she goes for the assist to pass the ball to me and I could go for the finish either a layup or dunk. It made us feel good that we have groomed well to make sure that we’ll be using those in the upcoming games to come” said Kumi Tsukada, a member of the Team Tsukada-Orange.
“Yeah, you’re right about that, Kumi-san!” said Ran.
“And of course, we have one week away from competing at the Ikegami Invitationals, which means that we better star training hard if we want to make the moves to groove, so that we’ll dominate the court like the way we used to” said Kumi.
“Yeah!” said the members of Team Aida-Tsukada Orange.
“Speaking of which, when Miyu said earlier that she’s not going to be with us for a while because she is with the Bravehearts of Ōta alongside Aya and Rena, we need someone who can step up while taking the place of Miyu” said Misuzu.
“And that would be the two of you, Kumi and Ran!” said Momoe.
“You two have been stupendous in taking care of the court and you have a good relationship with Miyu” said Nobue.
“Thus, you can step up and shine while representing for us” said Yume.
“It will be awesome that the two of you should be ready to shine in your way to make sure that you’re going to do it for Miyu and we should be more positive to make our blessings coming out through our auras” said Wakana.
“Yes, we are!” said Kumi and Ran.
“We’re a good duo that we run with when Miyu wasn’t there and if we can team up with her, we’re more determined to run the place the way we should be” said Kumi.
“We’ll be more confident to show our pride and determination to you and of course, we can do whatever we want as soon as you’re going to count on us” said Ran.
“Yeah!” said the members of Team Aida-Tsukada Orange.
“And since I’m very close to Miyu for a long time, I’ll be more thrilled that we’re going to have some fun to train with!” said Kumi.
“Same goes to me because I knew that you want to show some pride and determination to get with and of course, you’ll be more excited to run with us” said Ran.
“So, let’s make Miyu proud by showing our pride and determination to dazzle and shine!” said Kumi.
“Yeah!” said the members of Team Aida-Tsukada Orange as they continue the training where things have looked better to make sure that they’re ready to shine together when they’re in the real game.
A few minutes later, a group of students would arrive at the Outdoor Basketball Court #5 as they’re composed of Hatsumi and Yuto Homura, the cousin of Miyu Aida, and their friends as they’re looking at the members of Team Aida-Tsukada Orange showing their skills as they have played relentless like the way they have used to in the Suzuridani Girls’ Academy Elementary School basketball team with Miyu. Unlike Miyu, their image color is indigo, the same color that Aya used as her image color. The friends of Hatsumi and Yuto Homura are composed of Rui Natsuyoshi, Mariko Nomura, Keigo Suzumoto, Shigehiro Wakai, Yui Sekiguchi, Rei Akimoto, Masanobu Hirai and Yuta Motoyama.
“Wow! I can’t believe that Miyu’s teammates are still good as they are!” said Hatsumi Homura, a second year middle school student from the Tsukuba Gakuen Middle School and the cousin of Miyu Aida.
“They must be more like the counterparts from the high school basketball team!” said Rui Natsuyoshi, a second year middle school student from the Tsukuba Gakuen Middle School.
“They have been very consistent to run the court when they were with Miyu!” said Mariko Nomura, a second year middle school student from the Tsukuba Gakuen Middle School.
“And they’re showing their own charm to make themselves prepared to step up and shine together” said Keigo Suzumoto, a second year middle school student from the Tsukuba Gakuen Middle School.
“It’s going to be bigger than this when they’ll be in the court at the same time, but they’ll have to work hard if they want to make the moves to impress their head coach” said Shigehiro Wakai, a second year middle school student from the Tsukuba Gakuen Middle School.
“That’s right, guys! They have recently joined the Suzuridani Girls’ Academy Middle School basketball team alongside Miyu and they have their own requirements in joining the main roster by entering the second string” said Yuto Homura, a fifth grade elementary school student from the Tsukuba Gakuen Elementary School and the cousin of Miyu Aida. He’s also the younger brother of Hatsumi Homura.
“The second string is composed of reserve players that haven’t make it to the main roster” said Yui Sekiguchi, a fifth grade elementary school student from the Tsukuba Gakuen Elementary School.
“Especially that they have produced better role players to step up and shine to impress everyone” said Rei Akimoto, a fifth grade elementary school student from the Tsukuba Gakuen Elementary School.
“However, if I remember correctly, they’re all in the main roster based on their expectations being paid off from last year, they don’t need to play at the second string unless their head coach would assign some of them for special training” said Masanobu Hirai, a fifth grade elementary school student from the Tsukuba Gakuen Elementary School.
“Hopefully, they’ll be able to groove themselves when they’re on the court because they’ll be ready to do whatever it takes to make themselves formidable and strong to wreak havoc with for sure!” said Yuta Motoyama, a fifth grade elementary school student from the Tsukuba Gakuen Elementary School.
“I agree, guys! They’ll be ready to show their moves to let them shine because it’s their ability to prove themselves that they’re going to change the game like the way they used to be” said Hatsumi.
“It’s going to be stupendous that they’re going to groove themselves in making their moves to shine because they have their own ability to deliver good plays to get it done” said Rui.
“And of course, they need to stay in sync if they want to win because it’s important for them to win games and they need to contribute, so that they’ll be able to get it done in dazzling themselves all the way” said Mariko.
“Yeah!” said Yuto, Yui, Rei, Masanobu and Yuta.
“Can we meet them, Hatsumi-san?” asked Keigo.
“I’m so excited about this!” said Shigehiro.
“Well, I could count on that because we’re all associated with Miyu and we’ll cherish them no matter what!” said Hatsumi.
“Yeah!” said Yuto, Rui, Mariko, Keigo, Shigehiro, Yui, Rei, Masanobu and Yuta.
Hatsumi and Yuto would wave their hands to say ‘hi’ to Kumi and Ran.
“Oh! It looks like one of Miyu’s cousins are here!” said Kumi.
“Yeah! I think that we should go with them because they wanted to see us shining with our moves” said Ran.
“I guess so” said Kumi.
“Go ahead, girls! I’ll go whatever you are!” said Misuzu.
“Okay!” said Kumi and Ran as they leave the court to meet with Hatsumi, Yuto and their friends.
“Hi, Kumi-san! Hi, Ran-san!” said Hatsumi, Yuto and their friends.
“Hi, guys!” said Kumi and Ran.
“So, how’s the training?” asked Hatsumi.
“It looked good to go, Hatsumi-san! Our girls have been doing great to improve our skills while preparing for the upcoming Ikegami Invitationals” said Kumi.
“We’re very determined to participate there because we want to have a good campaign like the way we did last year and hopefully, we could finally get a chance to win that tournament this year” said Ran.
“That’s good! I like it!” said Hatsumi.
“I’m sure that you two will be ready to step up and shine with your girls out there to make sure that you’re going to make a rally to dominate” said Yuto.
“It will be very nice that you’re going to have a good campaign to run with because there will be a lot of tough teams going to compete in the Ikegami Invitationals” said Rui.
“That way, you’re going to rally your way to make it to the finals as soon as you’ll be grooving your way to make it count!” said Yui.
“Yeah!” said Kumi and Ran.
“Anyway, why are you here?” asked Kumi.
“Well, we want to see you shining in the court because you got the stupendous moves to show up!” said Hatsumi.
“Just like how you did from earlier!” said Yuto.
“Okay, if you say so, but we have to ask the rest to pause the training before you’ll see us shine” said Kumi.
“That way, you’ll be able to impress us for sure!” said Ran.
“Okay!” said Hatsumi, Yuto and their friends.
Kumi and Ran would call out their fellow groupmates to pause the training, so that they’ll make way for Hatsumi, Yuto and their friends to watch them shine.
“What are you going to do with that ball, Kumi-san?” asked Misuzu.
“I’m going to demonstrate our own play with Ran, so that these guests will be more confident to impress us” said Kumi.
“They wanted to see us doing our own moves while Miyu was not here” said Ran.
“Okay, girls. Go for it!” said Misuzu.
“You got it!” said Kumi and Ran.
Kumi passes the ball to Ran with a normal pass before Ran circles her way to the perimeter to do her double move. Then, Ran would pass the ball to Kumi with the Flaming Sword Pass to allow Kumi to perform the Glowing Supernova Layup.
Hatsumi, Yuto and their friends would be surprised to see Kumi doing her special move what it comes to the paint, which makes themselves amazed on her.
“Wow!” shouted Hatsumi, Yuto and their friends.
“That was stupendous!” said Hatsumi.
“That move was so beautiful!” said Yuto.
“I can’t believe that they’re working on this!” said Rui.
“I’m surprised that they did that combo play!” said Mariko.
“This is definitely looked amazing to see that!” said Yui.
“No one have seen that move yet, but that one counts it!” said Rei.
Later, Ran does the crossover over without her opponent as she imagines herself being defended by her opponent before doing the no-look pass to Kumi, who did the Luminous Star Dunk.
“Now that’s a monster dunk that she had!” said Keigo.
“Even she’s very young to make that move already!” said Shigehiro.
“She’s looking tougher than the last time because she’s getting consistent with her moves shining her way!” said Masanobu.
“I’m surprised that she had worked on that move and it had been paid off!” said Yuta.
After that, Ran would perform the three-point shot without doing a fake, which it counted to score, while Kumi takes the hook shot with her right hand to drive the ball to the basket. Then, Ran performs the drive while holding the ball before passing the ball to Kumi with the no-look pass once again before Kumi performs the Luminous Star Dunk with a clean finish.
“What did I tell you, guys?! They’re working together like the way they used to!” said Misuzu.
“Yeah!” said Hatsumi, Yuto and their friends.
“I’m so surprised that they have been putting up a great show to us!” said Hatsumi.
“They’re looked great when it comes to their teamwork and they have been able to shine themselves without a doubt!” said Yuto.
“It doesn’t get bigger than this when those two are in the court to show their moves through their auras!” said Rui.
“They’ll be more serious to get it done and score those to make sure that they’re going to shine it out like they’re on fire!” said Yui.
“Yeah!” said the members of Team Aida-Tsukada Orange.
“It feels great that the two of us have worked together when we’re running in the court, even Miyu had been involved to form our very own trio” said Kumi.
“That way, we’ll be more confident to make us on fire and do whatever it takes to take over the court like the way you have seen us many times” said Ran.
“Yeah, we agree!” said Hatsumi, Yuto and their friends.
“So, Kumi-san and Ran-san, how did you start improving your teamwork after last school year?” asked Hatsumi.
“Well, we decided to go on a short course where we took some practice on pass-and-shoot technique with the help of my older sister Yurika” said Ran.
“We have to be more serious in trying to make the moves to shine because we have been grooming to make sure that we’re good to go ever since we did it in the district tournament last year” said Kumi.
“However, we still have a lot of things to learn something new like the combo moves that we made earlier” said Ran.
“If we want to be more determined to rally ourselves to victory, then, we have to do it as soon as we’re here to run the place for ourselves” said Kumi.
“That sounds good! I’m expecting to see a lot of progress out there, so that you’ll be able to get it done to shine all the way” said Hatsumi.
“I have to say that you two have been worked hard to bring some new moves to work it out because players have used to change their own moves to make it groover than just simple plays to get it easily” said Yuto.
“Most of the players have been able to master some moves easily as soon as they need to build their momentum to make sure that they’ll be able to perform very well and not to commit turnovers” said Rui.
“However, if they want to make it dazzle a lot, then, they need to train hard, so that they’ll be able to show their moves perfectly without hesitation” said Mariko.
“It’s going to be great that you two will be ready to take over the court to make sure that you’ll be shining your way to score!” said Keigo.
“We have seen you alongside Miyu stepping up and shine to make sure that you’re all here to take everyone on notice” said Shigehiro.
“Which means that you have a lot of synchronization to groove as you have been a terrific job in making your plays looked good to go!” said Yui.
“I have to say that you two will be looking forward to make more moves to shine, so that you’ll be able to prove better with the finesse that you have through your hustle and heart” said Rei.
“I know that you two have been more determined to take care of business against your opponents, but I have to say that it will be stupendous to have your skills being improved like the way Miyu had” said Masanobu.
“Hopefully, you’re going to make some noise to us if you want to groove your way to victory as you’ll always going to count on it!” said Yuta.
“Yeah, we will, guys!” said Kumi and Ran.
“Say, I also want to tell you that you two should be more prepared about the Ikegami Invitationals because I had invited five girls that will be facing you in a streetball match. Do you think that you can accept this challenge from a cousin of Miyu?” said Hatsumi.
“Well, I like challenges, Hatsumi-san, especially that I want to be tougher as it gets!” said Kumi.
“Me too! I haven’t done this before, but I’m more interested into this because Miyu had used to win all challenges without losing her strength and hustle, but we’ll see who will be challenging us” said Ran.
“Okay, then, get ready to have this challenge for the two of you!” said Hatsumi.
“I’ll call them out!” said Yuto as he leaves the court to call the guests that will be appearing in a few seconds.
The members of Team Aida-Tsukada Orange are wondering who will be coming to face Kumi and Ran.
“I wonder who will be coming to the court to face Kumi and Ran” said Momoe.
“I’m not sure about this, but this one could be interesting to see this” said Misuzu.
“Hey, look! There they come!” shouted Nobue as the scene changes to the entrance of the Outdoor Basketball Court #5 as it would be composed of Saki Tsukino, Arisu Yoshizawa, Noriko Asayama, Kozue Amano and Tae Ishigaki. They’re all coming from the Higashi Chōfu Middle School, but they have studied in different levels with Saki, Arisu and Noriko being first year middle school students and Kozue and Tae being second year middle school students.
“It’s Saki Tsukino!” said Setsuna Akiyama, a member of Team Aida-Tsukada Orange.
“One of Kumi’s rivals from last year’s district tournament!” said Kiyoko Sasabe, a member of Team Aida-Tsukada Orange.
“They have squared off against each other in the round of 32 after Suzuridani had eliminated Keishin Academy in the first round!” said Maika Hashimura, a member of Team Aida-Tsukada Orange.
“This is going to be very interesting because Kumi and Saki have been considered rivals ever since they were little, but they have been the same level as they are” said Yume.
“They have been in the training camp back in summer three years ago when they have taken their talents to basketball for the first time” said Wakana.
“Yep! It’s been a while that Kumi had been encountered by her rivals just like Miyu, but this one is very different because that Saki is used to be friends with Akiho Mikazuki, who had been coming from Eri Mizutani’s connection circle, and she had a very determined personality to show compassion to everyone on her side. I believe that this one may gonna be tough to expect” said Misuzu.
“I believe so, Misuzu-san. Saki is very serious to show her finesse against her opponents to make sure that she’s going to take her down with her moves that she can burn her stamina very quickly” said Momoe.
“Exactly, your point, Momoe-san!” said Misuzu.
“I believe that this is going to be good for Kumi to have a good clash with Saki because they have been doing their best to improve their skills to make sure that they’re going to battle it out to see who proves between them” said Tomori Kurokawa, a member of Team Aida-Tsukada Orange.
“Kumi had been a relentless dunker while Saki had focused on being a tenacious defender. I can’t wait to see how they’re going to play out again ever since their last encounter!” said Ichika Yasumi, a member of Team Aida-Tsukada Orange.
“It’s going to be better than this because they’ll be ready to show their enegy to clash against each other, so that they’ll be able to show their smiles to shine” said Chiaki Mayuzumi, a member of Team Aida-Tsukada Orange and a relative of Fuyuko Mayuzumi of Straylight from
THE IDOLM@STER Shiny Colors.
“Yeah!” said Misuzu while the members of Team Aida-Tsukada Orange nod their heads to agree with Tomori, Ichika and Chiaki.
Kumi and Ran are very surprised that Saki and her friends have appeared in the court, which Saki would speak to Kumi in an expressive way. “I knew that you came here for the Ikegami Invitationals next week, Kumi-san!”
“Yeah! I’m very hyped for that tournament because I wanted to show to everyone that I’m here to wreak havoc and I would be more determined to show that I’m better in making my own shots to groove!” said Kumi.
“I see! I also got surprised that you had a new combo play with your teammate! I’m so excited about this because I hadn’t seen you doing some moves that will be used for the Ikegami Invitationals and It’s going to be bigger than this when I’m going to battle you in a streetball match as I’m more prepared to show your potential that you have!” said Saki.
“Well, then, let’s settle this because I’m bravely enough to prove like how I did the last time!” said Kumi.
“You got it!” said Saki while giving Kumi a wink on her left eye.
“Hold on a second, Kumi-san! Do you think we can assemble our own starting five for a bit?” interrupted Ran.
“Okay, Ran-san, I think that we should do that first before we’ll face those girls that are tough and formidable” said Kumi.
“Exactly!” said Ran.
“That’s fine with me, Kumi-san, but I hope that I won’t get easy on you because you’re about to lose your groove!” said Saki.
“Oh no, you don’t! I’ll make sure that you’re going to fall to me again like the last time!” said Kumi.
“We’ll see, Kumi-san, we’ll see” said Saki without getting aggressive because she’s more defiant and serious while seeing her rival’s retaliation.
Kumi and Ran would talk to their fellow groupmates about assembling their own roster for the clash against Saki and her friends.
“Now, what are you going to do, girls?” asked Misuzu.
“I need to come up with a starting five against Saki’s team because they’re more focused on defense, especially that Saki is my rival coming from the Higashi Chōfu Middle School” said Kumi.
“Which means that we need to step up someone who can make defensive stops against Saki’s team” said Ran.
“And we need some solid shooters to run it back for us” said Kumi.
“Well, I’m counting on this, Kumi-san, because I’m a point guard and I can take care of their backcourt with Ran” said Misuzu.
“Good! You’re in, Misuzu-san!” said Ran.
“Thanks!” said Misuzu.
“Now, if Ran and Misuzu will be running at the backcourt, then, we need someone who’s good on defense” said Momoe.
“Well, that could be you, Momoe-san” said Nobue.
“Hey, no way! I’m not good on defense! All I did was to get some rebounds and focused on making interior shots!” said Momoe.
“I know, but we need two girls to run with Kumi because if Kumi was doubled team, then, the two will have to find some answers to stop our opponents like the way we did!” said Nobue.
“That would be more challenging to me, but honestly, I believe that not only Momoe will be good enough to enter to the court…” said Yume.
“…but I think Setsuna Akiyama would be fit to play at the wing because she can play both small forward and power forward” said Wakana.
“Ah, that’s a good idea! I mean, if Ran will play at the two focus on just shooting and playmaking, then, Setsuna would be fit to clamp down her opponents no matter what!” said Kumi.
“That’s fine with your suggestion, but I’ll see who’s worth to face me with!” said Setsuna.
“There you go! She’s counting on you, Kumi-san!” said Kiyoko.
“I can’t wait to see what Setsuna would be facing with because this is her first that she will play basketball without any experience” said Maika.
“Of course, this would be prepared for the upcoming Ikegami Invitationals” said Tomori.
“You got that right, girls!” said Kumi while giving Kiyoko, Maika and Tomori a smile before finalizing the lineup. “So, the lineup will be composed of Misuzu at the 1, Ran at the 2, Setsuna at the 3, Momoe at the 4 and I’m at the 5. We should focus on ‘attacking the offense’ before going all out to score points and we have to be careful on Saki because she and her teammates are not just good defenders, but they got their own moves that make things tricky.”
“I believe so, Kumi-san. We should start attacking them on the paint, so that we will prevent them from making fastbreaks and quick finishes to make sure that we’ll lock the down at all!” said Misuzu.
“Hopefully, we have to beat them to make sure that we’re still unstoppable like the way that we used to!” said Momoe.
“Yeah!” said Kumi and Ran.
“Now, let’s get into this match!” said Kumi.
“We should do this to make sure that we’re here to run the place with our own domination that we have!” said Ran.
“Yeah!” said the members of Team Aida-Tsukada Orange.
Kumi, Misuzu, Ran, Momoe and Setsuna would head into the court to confront with Saki and her friends. Their match-up would be evenly matched because both teams have relied on both defense and rebounding.
Team Aida-Tsukada Orange: Misuzu Kōmoto (PG), Ran Yahagi (SG), Setsuna Akiyama (SF), Momoe Tachibana (PF), Kumi Tsukada (C)
Team Tsukino: Kozue Amano (PG), Noriko Asayama (SG), Arisu Yoshizawa (SF), Tae Ishigaki (PF), Saki Tsukino (C)
“My team is ready, Saki-san! I’m ready to battle you!” said Kumi.
“Good. I’m liking your preferred line-up, Kumi-san, but let’s see if you can stop us because we’re all in!” said Saki.
“You bet!” said Kumi.
“It doesn’t get bigger than this, Kumi-san! We better show how it’s done!” said Ran.
“Yes, we should, Ran-san! I’m very anticipating to have a match-up like this, but let’s enjoy this match!” said Kumi.
“Of course!” said Ran while Misuzu, Setsuna and Momoe nod their heads in agreement and say “Yeah!” only.
“I’ll be officiating this match while my brother will be the scorekeeper to make it fair for us to officiate! Anyway, this is a streetball game with the first team to score 21 points wins!” said Hatsumi.
“So, good luck to both of you and may the best team wins!” said Yuto.
“Okay!” said the members of Team Aida-Tsukada Orange and Team Tsukino as their match would about to begin.
Kumi and Saki would face each other before Hatsumi holding the ball to prepare for the jump ball. When Hatsumi releases the ball, Kumi and Saki jump from the ground to reach the ball before tipping it together as the ball would land onto the hands of Arisu Yoshizawa to start the game.
“Here we go!” said Nobue.
“It’s happening!” said Yume.
“Let’s go, Kumi-san!” said Wakana.
“Just make sure that you’ll work together to make it count!” said Kiyoko.
“Okay!” said Kumi, Misuzu, Ran, Momoe and Setsuna.
Arisu would perform the crossover move on Setsuna before going for the fake to move her out and passes the ball to Saki. As Saki holds the ball, Kumi is guarding her.
“I’m surprised that you came here to guard me!” said Saki.
“Yep! I’m going to make sure that you won’t get away with this!” said Kumi.
“Oh, really? Let’s what you got!” said Saki as she dribbles the ball while posting up against Kumi. Then, Kumi would tighten her defense to make sure that she’ll lay a trap on Saki. After that, Saki tries to score a basket ball with the layup in the paint, Kumi would contest it with her hand, allowing the ball to bounce off from the rim before Momoe takes the ball for the rebound.
“Alright! Kumi had contested that shot!” said Nobue.
“She’s very tough to not let that happen!” said Yume.
“She had to take the advantage in order to stop Saki because she knows the moves that she had!” said Wakana.
“Hopefully, she’s going to deliver her own plays to outmatch Saki” said Kiyoko.
“I hope so, but we’ll see about that” said Nobue.
“Yeah!” said Yume, Wakana and Nobue.
Momoe would run through the other side of the court before passing it to Ran. Ran would perform the crossover move against Noriko before calling Kumi to go for the screen. Ran would drive past Noriko, so that she would go to the paint and about to score the layup.
“Oh no, you don’t!” said Saki as she’s about to block Ran’s shot before Ran steps back before passing the ball to Kumi to go for the hook shot, which is counted for two points. [Team Aida-Tsukada Orange 2, Team Tsukino 0]
“Nice pass, Ran-san!” said Kumi.
“Thanks, Kumi-san!” said Ran while giving Kumi a high five.
“Oh, wow! Kumi had surprised Saki with the hook shot out of nowhere!” said Nobue.
“She is very relentless on this!” said Yume.
“Ran can make surprising moves like how Miyu did!” said Wakana.
“That move is good to score the first two points in the game!” said Kiyoko.
“Yes, it is!” said Nobue.
“I can’t believe that you had surprised me, Kumi-san! You came out of nowhere to make that shot!” said Saki.
“Yep! Just you’re about to block Ran’s shot, I came out from your teammates to make sure that Ran will pass the ball to me and it had been paid off! You all know that Ran had been the master of surprise passes to make sure that she can do the trick at any time that she wants!” said Kumi.
“That’s right, Kumi-san! I’m about to get blocked, but thankfully that you came here to avert the situation. That Saki must be tougher than I thought!” said Ran.
“I guess so, Ran-san, but I gotta have to focus on her while you should always focus on your playmaking skills. I should handle this the easy way to make it count!” said Kumi.
“Okay, then! I’ll keep an eye on Saki!” said Ran.
“Sure!” said Kumi.
“You’re tough that you can make that shot, but this is only just the beginning!” said Saki.
“Yep! I’ll make sure that you’re not gonna make it!” said Kumi.
“Well, then, I’m not holding back, Kumi-san!” said Saki.
“You said it!” said Kumi.
Noriko would pass the ball to Saki before Saki being defended by Kumi. Saki would clash against Saki through their stamina to see who proves better. Saki would go for the pump dribbling move to make sure she can box out Kumi.
“I know that you’re good in trying to stop me, but I can do that of my own!” said Saki.
“Well, if that’s what you want, then, I’m about to get you!” said Kumi as she tries to keep Saki at bay to make sure that she won’t get an open shot to go. A few seconds later, Saki escapes from Kumi as she’s about to make the fadeaway shot, which Kumi contests it. The ball bounces off from the rim, thus, it was a missed shot, but Saki grabs the ball first quickly and goes for the putback to tie the game. [Team Aida-Tsukada Orange 2, Team Tsukino 2]
“Oh, my goodness! It’s all tied up!” said Rui.
“That Saki had been very quick to make putback shots!” said Mariko.
“Just like Kumi, Saki is very agile in making putback shots to make it count through her speed” said Yui.
“The only difference is that Saki is better than Kumi when it comes to making putback shots to gain second chance points” said Rei.
“Exactly! I say that Saki is relentless to make second chance efforts to score as she wanted to get it back what she wants. I’m not surprised about that when Saki showed her finesse to Kumi because she had proved it!” said Keigo.
“Of course, Keigo-san! That’s why some big girls have the abilities to make second chance efforts because they have the easiest plays to finish it all the way” said Shigehiro.
“They can easily put it done to make sure that they don’t want to miss it, even they can draw fouls too!” said Masanobu.
“Maybe, we can witness only two big girls in the court to make it more interesting rather than just guards only because it’s all about Kumi right now” said Yuta.
“Yeah!” said the friends of Hatsumi and Yuto.
“You must be very quick on this, Saki-san! You’re not bad at all!” said Kumi.
“Yes, I am! I’m always making easy shots in the paint just like you, but I’m even better right now!” said Saki.
“Well, I’m not gonna lie, Saki-san. You may have the best shots that you got, but I’m not ready to elevate yet unless you want to get serious to score!” said Kumi.
“Oh, really? I’m anticipating about you, Kumi-san, but I’m more different to prove how I have done better than this!” said Saki.
“Okay, then, we’ll see if you got something in store for you, but I’m counting on it!” said Kumi.
“Oooh!” surprisingly reacted the members of Team Aida-Tsukada Orange.
“I’m surprised that this is getting intense right here!” said Kiyoko.
“Kumi is always picking up a match that she liked!” said Maika.
“And it’s going to be a clash that will never forget!” said Tomori.
“Exactly, girls! Kumi had been very determined just like how Miyu did when it comes to heated battles and she can do whatever she wants as long as she wanted to take the victory for herself” said Nobue.
“It’s going to be anticipating to see a match that is more contested, but I can’t wait to see how things go for both sides because Kumi is about to do something big to surprise Saki” said Yume.
“You all know that she had the guts to show up and she’s more determined to have mind games that she had!” said Wakana.
“Yeah, she was!” said Kiyoko, Maiko and Tomori.
“Let’s see if things are about to get serious on this because it’s going to be a good one to watch!” said Wakana.
“Yeah!” said Yume, Wakana, Kiyoko, Maiko and Tomori.
Back at the court, Kumi and Saki are battling against each other where they have been pushing their bodies without holding the ball yet. Just then, Kumi would grab the ball from Ran before battling against Saki.
“I’m not gonna lie, Kumi-san. I know that you’re very determined to have the ball when we faced each other the first time, but I’m pretty determined you’re getting improved since you have been worked out to get stronger after the tournament” said Saki.
“Yep! I had been able to work out after the quarterfinals exit in the district torunament last winter and it had been paid off to improve my strength and stamina to make sure that my skills will be better than the last year” said Kumi.
“Ah, I see! I’m sure that you’re going to make it count to ensure that you’re going to put all the stops to get it done!” said Saki.
“Yeah!” said Kumi.
“As for me, I’m not always the girl who can make stops, but I also have my moves to shine because I could get it what I want!” said Saki as she tries to steal the ball from Kumi before Kumi fakes it easily. “Whoa! You got to be kidding me!”
“Not on my watch, Saki-san!” said Kumi as she scores the layup to add two more points for her team. [Team Aida-Tsukada Orange 4, Team Tsukino 2]
“I see you what you’re doing, Kumi-san! You must be quick in doing that shot!” said Saki.
“Yep! I can do that to make sure that you won’t get it because I earn it!” said Kumi.
“Well, then, I’ll knock it back with another bucket of my own! Just watch!” said Saki.
The players would go to the other side of the court while Kozue dribbles the ball against Misuzu. Kozue would go for the double move before driving pass Misuzu, so that she will pass the ball to Saki. As Saki grabs the ball, Kumi would guard her to make sure that she’ll not get the shot done.
“Unlike you, I had been very quick to make shots that I had to make sure that I’ll surprise them and I used to take them on notice. So, you think that you’re gonna stop this?” said Saki.
“Well, I’ll do!” said Kumi as she tries to tighten her defense against Saki, but Saki goes for the fake just like how Kumi did earlier and then, shoots the ball with the jump shot to score another two points to tie the game once again. [Team Aida-Tsukada Orange 4, Team Tsukino 4]
“Oh, my goodness!” said Kiyoko.
“Kumi got faked out by Saki!” said Maiko.
“She can’t able to handle that out because Saki’s too easy for her shot to get it done!” said Tomori.
“Yeah, of course! That Saki must be smart to make her own moves to surprise everyone, even she’s very tough to beat” said Nobue.
“She can make her own shots no matter what as soon as she’s ready to take them on notice!” said Yume.
“She’s very dangerous to make shots like that because she’s so fast to score! I hope that Kumi will answer it back to score of her own” said Wakana.
“Yeah, I believe so” said Kiyoko, Maiko and Tomori.
“Both girls have been running very well and they have shined against each other ever since they have been on the same level last year” said Nobue.
“It’s going to be more amazing to make their rivalry even heater because not only that Kumi had improved since our exit last winter, but Saki had been doing the same thing to catch up with her” said Yume.
“I’m sure that they have their own differences to show after their first moves being paid off, but one of them will about to walk away with the victory” said Wakana.
“Yeah, for sure!” said Kiyoko, Maiko and Tomori.
The montage would show the performance of the two girls in the court where they have bigger plays to make their match more intense than expected. When Kumi and Saki have faced against each other without holding the ball, they have to use their strength to see who proves better to take it out. Of course, it would be Kumi who had the strength to catch the ball easily before hoping to let Saki box out.
“I won’t box out!” said Saki.
“Oh, yeah, even it’s the easy way, then, I won’t get it away from you!” said Kumi as she performs the fake through the right before shooting the ball to score for another two points.
“Nice shot, Kumi-san!” said Ran while giving Kumi a high give. Kumi would give Ran a high five in return.
The next play would see Saki battling against Kumi while holding the ball as she’s trying to make a move that she had. This is the part where Saki performs the crossover move on Kumi before going for the layup and it drives the ball to the basket.
“Atta girl, Saki-san!” said Kozue.
“That layup was so beautiful!” said Arisu.
“Yes, it was!” said Saki while being flanked with high fives from Kozue and Arisa.
Then, Kumi and Saki are diving against each other after Setsuna missed the jumper, which Saki grabs the ball first. After that, Saki would go for the jump shot in the corner, but Kumi contests it, thus, the ball bounces off from the rim.
“Oh no, you don’t!” said Kumi.
The ball would be caught by Momoe before passing the ball to Ran.
Ran would perform the crossover move against Noriko before seeing an open space for Kumi, thus, she would shout at Kumi. “Here you go!”
Kumi manages to get the ball with her left hand. “I got it!” Kumi would be guarded by Saki once again as Saki is trying to make Kumi commit a turnover. Kumi would turn left to get away from Saki before she’s about to go with the contact dunk, but Saki would block the shot in a few seconds.
“You can’t have one!” said Saki while Kumi gasps after her shot got blocked. The ball would be landed on Kozue’s hand before Kozue goes to the other side of the court as she runs through against Misuzu.
Then, Kozue would go with the quick pass to Saki before Saki was about to shoot the ball with the layup before Kumi comes out to block Saki’s shot.
“I’m going to take it back!” said Kumi while Saki’s shot.
“Oh, my goodness! She had blocked Saki’s layup!” said Nobue.
“Oho! This is going to be a true battle between these two girls!” said Yume.
“Now that’s what I like to see for Kumi because she’s getting relentless right now!” said Wakana.
Later, Ran would go with the crossover move against Noriko before passing the ball to Kumi with the quick pass as Kumi is focusing towards Saki, who had been very resilient ever since she had the hustle to show up with.
“You think that you’re going to get past me?” asked Saki.
“Of course, I would! I’m not backing down yet!” said Kumi.
“Well, then, I’ll not gonna let you score because I’m about to take that ball out of your hands!” said Saki while she’s about to steal the ball, but Kumi dodges it by doing a fake on her before shooting the ball with the layup.
“You see, Saki-san, I ain’t done yet because I’m back at it!” said Kumi.
“Nice finish, Kumi-san!” said Ran while giving Kumi a high five. The scene changes to the scoreboard as it is now Team Aida-Tsukada Orange leading by 1 point with the score of 12-11.
Later, Saki would answer it back with the fake on Kumi before managing to score a contested layup, despite Kumi tried to fight it back. It is now 13-12 with Team Tsukino regaining the lead.
When Setsuna performs the crossover move on Arisu, Kumi would go to put a screen against Arisu, so that Setsuna would go to the open space where she’s about to score with a jump shot, but Saki relentlessly block that shot.
“Not today, girl!” said Saki while blockig Setsuna’s shot before the ball would about to go out of bonds.
“Grab the ball!” shouted Ran as she commands Misuzu, Momoe and Kumi in trying to get the ball. Misuzu tips the ball with her hand to prevent the ball from going out of bounds before Momoe picks it up.
“Nice hustle out there, Misuzu-san!” said Kumi.
“Thanks!” said Misuzu while trying to get up on her feet.
Momoe would perform the double move before driving past Tae, so that she can make the layup, but misses it as she shot too late while being contested by Saki.
“I’ll take that!” said Saki before being joined by Kumi.
“You’re not gonna get this!” said Kumi as she manages to grab the ball quickly to recover the possession.
“Look at Kumi now!” said Yume.
“She’s going relentless!” said Wakana.
“She won’t give up now!” said Nobue.
“Yeah!” said the members of Team Aida-Tsukada Orange.
Kumi would still dribble the ball while being guarded by Saki.
“You’re not giving up, aren’t you?” asked Saki.
“Yes, I am! There’s no way that my team will never let down already!” said Kumi.
“I see. You have survived, but you still have me right now. I can still take you out whatever you want, but can you stop me?” replied Saki.
“You know, I can do that, but this is on a different level now” said Kumi.
“What do you mean ‘different level’?” queried Saki.
“You’ll see!” said Kumi.
That’s the part where a shout from the corner being heard. “Kumi-san! I’m open!”
“What was that?!” confusedly replied Saki. And before she knew it, she sees Ran holding the ball without hesitation. “No way! I’m gonna block this shot now!”
“Now, go!” said Kumi while asking Ran to make a easy three-point shot in the corner, which she manages to release the ball quickly before Saki was about to contest or block that shot. It was too late for Saki as the ball would drive into the basket, giving Team Aida-Tsukada Orange 3 more points. [Team Aida-Tsukada Orange 15, Team Tsukino 13]
“Bullseye!” said Ran.
“Alright! Kumi with the no-look pass while playing as a big girl!” said Yume.
“Now thats’ what I’m talking about! Turning up the heat to switch from shooting to playmaking!” said Wakana.
“Yep! That is her first assist that I have ever seen!” said Nobue.
“WHAT?!” shouted the members of Team Aida-Tsukada Orange
“How did you know about that?!” reacted Kiyoko.
“You see, Kumi was not just a interior shooter, but she has the abilities to make assists or steals as she tries to be more consistent in being a defensive-minded player with less playmaking skills. That’s what she defines a gamechanger for our team” said Nobue.
“Ah, yeah. I finally understand that” said Kiyoko.
“Me either” said Maiko and Tomori while the other members of Team Aida-Tsukada Orange nod their heads in agreement to agree with Nobue.
“I say that she can do any ability to make assists aside from scoring and rebounding to make herself more consistent like the way she used to!” said Kiyoko.
“I’m surprised that she had finally found her way to make an assist after getting points and rebounds from last year!” said Maiko.
“It’s going to be bigger than this because Kumi had been transitioned of becoming a interior shooter to a versatile center with abilities to make dimes, rebounds and shots count!” said Tomori.
“Yeah!” said Nobue, Yume and Wakana.
“So, you can make dimes too?!” surprisingly asked Saki.
“Yep! I learned it from Ran because she’s a good playmaker and she can do that whatever she wants and of course, I want to do the same thing because I can earn more to make more assists in the game” said Kumi.
“Okay, I see what you’re doing, Kumi-san, but this is not over yet! We’ll see who gets better between the two of us! We’ll do it until the end!” said Saki.
“You got it!” said Kumi.
The game continues with Kumi guarding Saki before going for the box out to allow Saki to shoot the ball with the layup, but Saki’s shot misses in the last second before Kumi grabs the ball for the rebound. Then, Kumi would be guarded by Saki before she can tussle her way to score with the layup.
“Nice one, Kumi-san! You did it again!” said Ran as she gives Kumi a high five.
A few seconds later, Saki would perform the crossover move against Kumi before faking it out to go with the layup to score it back for two points. After that, Kumi would response it back with a combo move by doing the fake on Saki before finishing it off with the jump shot in the key to score two more points. The score is now 19-15 in favor of Team Aida-Tsukada, who were 2 points away from getting the victory.
Then, Saki would post up against Kumi before trying to shoot the ball with the layup, but misses it due to the contest from Kumi. However, she saves the ball before shooting the putback dunk to score 2 more points for Team Tsukino. The score is still in favor of Team Aida-Tsukada Orange with their lead cut down to 2.
“Both teams are battling neck-and-neck with their shots going in, but it almost looked like Team Aida-Tsukada Orange will about to win this game!” said Yuto.
“Yeah, I believe so, but Team Tsukino had to make a defensive stop if they want to either tie it up or regain the lead, which will be very crucial for them because they need to score more to take the lead” said Hatsumi.
“Absolutely. We’ll see if things are getting better in the next set of events because here they come!” said Yuto.
Ran would perform the crossover move on Noriko before passing the ball to Setsuna, who misses the jumpshot that would have sealed the game. Kumi would grab the ball for the rebound as she tries to close it out, but misses the layup due to that shot being contested by Saki.
“Come on, girls! Finish that game up!” said Nobue.
“You can’t miss those shots like that!” said Yume.
“You better stop them!” said Wakana.
“Okay!” said Kumi, Misuzu, Ran, Momoe and Setsuna as they’re going full defense mode against Team Tsukino.
As Kumi and Saki have crossed paths again, this is the part where they’re getting heated against each other in trying to prove worthy to be consistent.
“You’re not done yet, aren’t you?” asked Saki.
“Yeah! I ain’t done yet, Saki-san! You let me miss my shot and you’re still waiting for your teammates to give the ball to you!” said Kumi.
“Yeah, I know! I’m trying to send a message to you that you can’t stop me from making shots that I counted it!” said Saki.
“Okay, then, I’ll see what you’re going to do, but one way or another, you’ll never get it done!” said Kumi.
Saki manages to capture the ball before dribbling it against Kumi. “Let’s see what you got!”
“Okay!” said Kumi as she tights her defense against Saki, which makes the latter more difficult to stop her.
Saki thinks her thoughts on her mind while being guarded by Kumi. “That girl seemed to be serious in trying to stop me! If she can make a stop on me, then, I’m going to fire it back with my own! I’ll have to do it!” A few seconds later, Saki would turn around to go for the jumpshot, but Kumi contests it, thus Saki’s game-tying shot misses.
However, Saki grabs the ball in the nick of time as she’s about to go for the putback layup, but Kumi isn’t done yet as she goes with the block by squatting the ball out fo Saki’s hands.
“This is my house, Saki-san! I won’t be done with you until it’s all over!” said Kumi while Saki gasps in horror when Kumi shouted at her when she blocked Saki’s shot.
“Nice block, Kumi-san!” said Nobue.
“You’re getting better at it!” said Yume.
“Woohoo! Atta girl, Kumi-san!” said Wakana.
The ball would be landed on the hands of Ran before Ran calling out her teammates to go for the fastbreak. “Run, girls, run!”
“Okay!” said Kumi, Misuzu, Momoe and Setsuna as they would follow Ran to the other side of the court before being joined by Saki and her friends, who were trying to catch up on them.
Ran would be stopped by Noriko, who is trying to stop her from reaching to the paint, but Ran manages to pass the ball to Momoe. “Now, Momoe-san!”
“I got it!” said Momoe before doing crossover move on Tae with her quick step, but she can’t shoot the ball because Saki was guarding the paint. “Oh, shoot! Now, it’s your turn, Misuzu-san!” Momoe would pass the ball to Misuzu with the over the head pass.
Misuzu calls Setsuna to go for the screen on Kozue while managing to get out of Kozue’s way before passing the ball to Ran again. “Now, Ran-san!”
“Okay! I’m going to finish this off!” said Ran.
“Oh no, you don’t!” said Noriko as she tries to steal the ball from Ran, but Ran quickly goes away from her through faking her out.
“Shoot it!” said Kumi, which Ran nods her head before trying to go with the jumpshot, but Ran misses the opportunity to close it out as it bounces off from the backboard.
“Ah, no! It didn’t make it!” said Ran.
“Don’t worry, Ran-san! I got this!” said Kumi, who manages to get the ball before being guarded by Saki once again.
“Nice rebound, Kumi-san!” said Nobue.
“Now, close it out!” said Yume.
“You can do it!” said Wakana.
“You got it!” said Kumi as she’s about to go for the fake, but Saki dodges it, keeping her guard off. “Darn it! She’s too fast!”
“I told you that you can’t reach me, Kumi-san!” said Saki.
“Oh, I’m going to have another plan to turn things around!” said Kumi.
“Yes, you should!” said Ran before running through the corner once again before Kumi is about to do something different to make her strategy being paid off.
“I’ll take that ball right now!” said Saki as she tries to get ball from Kumi, but Kumi steps back and passes the ball to Ran. “WHAT?!”
“Checkmate!” replied Kumi before Ran clashes with Noriko before Tae joins Noriko to for a double team on Ran.
“Oh no! She got trapped!” said Misuzu.
“This is not looking good!” said Momoe.
“Fight it back!” said Setsuna.
“Okay!” said Ran as she dazzles through her combo move to step away from both Noriko and Tae.
“Nice one, Ran-san!” said Nobue.
“You’re looked dazzling right now!” said Yume.
“That will get away from them!” said Wakana.
“Thanks, girls!” said Ran while giving Nobue, Yume and Wakana a smile before powering up to perform the combo move just like she and Kumi did earlier.
“What was that?!” shouted Noriko Asayama.
“Are you serious about this?!” added Tae Ishigaki.
“No, I’m not, but I got a surprise for you!” said Ran.
“She’s going with the drive!” said Kozue Amano.
“Stop them!” said Arisu Yoshizawa as she commands Noriko and Tae to stop Ran from doing her special move, but Ran fakes it by doing the Flaming Sword Pass as she releases the ball to head into the left before it landed on Kumi’s hand.
“Whoa! Are you crazy?!” shouted Saki.
“No, I’m not! But this is the end of the line for you!” said Kumi as she delivers the last play by doing the crossover move on Saki to get away from her before she’s going to perform the Glowing Supernova Layup, which is successful and this seals the game with the final score of 21-17.
Yuto blows the whistle to finish the game before announcing the final results of the match. “Game over! Team Aida-Tsukada wins!”
“We did it, Ran-san!” said Kumi.
“Yeah! It really worked out!” said Ran.
Ran and Kumi would jump together while getting high five before being flanked by her fellow groupmates.
“What an amazing way to end the match with that combo play!” said Nobue.
“I’m surprised that you have done that completely!” said Yume.
“It feels great that your teamwork had been paid off!” said Wakana.
“Yes, we are!” said Kumi and Ran.
“I’m glad that you have done it, girls! We were surprised that you have glowed auras on your bodies when you’re about to make that move!” said Misuzu.
“That was stupendous that you have done that!” said Momoe.
“We’re very thrilled that you two have been able to finish the job by faking them out to make sure that they won’t stop you!” said Setsuna.
“Yep! It was a great play that we have managed to pull it off to make sure that we’re getting the victory. Right, Kumi-san?” said Ran.
“Yeah, I agree! I was surprised that we’re the only ones that we have auras coming out due to our teamwork being paid off earlier!” said Kumi.
“Exactly!” said Ran.
Saki would appear to meet with Kumi and Ran as she was surprised about their teamwork. “I was shocked that you two have your own auras to come out and make better plays! That sounds like you two have been stronger than I thought!” Joining with Saki are Arisu, Noriko, Kozue and Tae.
“Oh, Saki-san! You had impressed me, aren’t you?!” surprisingly replied Kumi.
“Yeah! I didn’t know that you and Ran have been working hard to deliver big plays just like Miyu had used to! That was more astounding for me to witness it!” said Saki.
“Yeah!” said Kumi and Ran.
“It was a great teamwork that we have, so that we have been able to get it done by showing our moves that will surprise everyone!” said Kumi.
“It’s going to be bigger than this because we’re now part of the Bravehearts of Ōta through Team Aida-Tsukada Orange and we can do whatever it takes to believe and shine through our hearts!” said Ran.
“Yeah!” said the members of Team Aida-Tsukada Orange.
“Well, I’m grateful that we have played together like I was expected!” said Saki.
“Really, is that true?!” replied Kumi.
“Yeah! We have been thrilled that you girls have been able to dazzle your way to shine with your moves!” said Arisu.
“We have been delighted to see you doing your moves to surprise us!” said Noriko.
“Which means that we have finally recognized you that you have proved to us!” said Kozue.
“This makes us feel excited about a potential rivalry in the books when we’ll cross paths with each other again in the middle school prefectural tournament, but we’ll see if your team and our team will be lucky to make it in a certain round” said Tae.
“Yeah, we will!” said the members of Team Aida-Tsukada Orange.
“It’s so nice that we have battled against each other to make sure that we have been able to improve our skills to let it shine in a real game, but hopefully, I’ll be surprised that you’re going to come out stronger just like I used to and then, we’ll have a real battle in our hands!” said Saki.
“Exactly, you’re right, Saki-san! We have been improving our skills every year, so that we’ll be able to show to everyone that we’re here to shine and even we’re rivals, we have created our own friendship outside of basketball, so that we have been able to get closer with each other. It’s going to be fantastic that we could work together to find a better friendship not only as rivals, but as friends to make it shine for sure!” said Kumi.
“Of course, we would! I say that we should start working together in making our potential getting higher, so that we’ll become closer with each other as soon as we develop our friendship. It would be stupendous that we can share our blessings with each other because we have been in the same page since day one” said Saki.
“Yeah, I agree, Saki-san! One day, we will help our community to shine to make sure that we’re going to bless our community like the way we should!” said Kumi.
“Yeah!” said Saki while giving Kumi a smile.
Hatsumi and Yuto would appear alongside their friends to meet with the members of Team Aida-Tsukada Orange and Team Tsukino.
“I’m glad that you girls have been known with each other and it feels great that you have finally found a new friendship that you have!” said Hatsumi.
“I say that you all of you are going to start developing your friendship to become closer as soon as possible, so that you’ll be able to work together in making everyone shining with your blessings” said Yuto.
“Yeah!” said the members of Team Aida-Tsukada Orange and Team Tsukino.
“Kumi and I have known with each other for a long time since we attended the same camp when we were little and now, we have been able to get closer with each other like the way we should be. We have been very confident that despite that we’re been rivals, we have been determined to create our future” said Saki.
“It’s going to be bigger than this when we’ll be running together to make our community being shined and prospered, so that we’re ready to let them know our names” said Kumi.
“Ah, that’s good! I like it! I’m sure that you’ll be ready to show some pride and willpower to work on creating your future, so that you’ll be able to have one to chase with” said Yuto.
“Hopefully, your friendship will be looked developed to shine because that’s what the friends do to share their blessings, especially that they want to stay compassionated and thrilled through their hearts” said Hatsumi.
“We agree, guys!” said Kumi and Saki.
“Now that we finished this match, let’s have a break before we’ll part ways later!” said Ran.
“We should be very prepared to make our blessings being prospered, so that we’ll groom ourselves to believe and shine” said Saki.
“Exactly, Saki-san! Hopefully, it’s going to be fantastic to cap off the Fuchsia and Celadon Week with new friends on our side and so, let’s count on it!” said Kumi.
“Yeah!” said Hatsumi, Yuto, their friends and the members of Team Aida-Tsukada Orange and Team Tsukino as they’re leaving the Outdoor Basketball Court #5, so that they’ll be taking their short break after their match had been over. Kumi and Ran have put up a good show as they have been impressed by both Hatsumi and Yuto Homura, the cousins of Miyu, during a pick-up basketball game with Saki Tsukino, the rival of Kumi. It’s so nice that they have showed their dazzling skills to make themselves shine through their auras, thus, they’re very confident that their team is all set for the Ikegami Invitationals, which will be held by next week. Hopefully, it will be sparkling to see the members of Team Aida-Tsukada returning to the court for the first time since they have competed in the Ōta League Cup earlier this year, so that they’re going to spark and shine to rally for the victory and win the Ikegami Invitationals for sure.
UP NEXT: Profiles of
Hatsumi and Yuto Homura and Friends and
Team Tsukino and the Updated Profile of
Team Aida-Tsukada Orange
