20 Newfound Fame

By the way, I want people to vote or give ideas for which high school Jun should go to later down the line. (Please comment with the school names.)

https://discord.gg/Xjcf2RadqA

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The celebrations resumed, and Kibito Junior School players were ecstatic about the moment, it was a milestone for them, they doubted they would go far, a single victory was all they wished yet they had managed to win the regional tournament against the national champions of 2 years ago to top it all off. 

No one believed they would win this match yet they did. So their gleeful mood was already something else.

These moods were outside of Jun's comfort zone, and while he did entertain people who came to him, he was having a hard time because of fatigue. 

But in the midst of all this, Jun couldn't wait to see what Eiji had, his mental fortitude was exceptionally high but losing a game always hits you in the core. Players who devoted themselves wholeheartedly to the game always felt melancholic after a loss. How they bounce back and move forward from the defeats is what makes them evolve as players. 

Although not satisfied with the way the game went Jun didn't want to linger on it before arriving home. 

[Name: Sawakita Eiji 

Age: 14

Height:

Team: Higashigahara Municipal Middle School

Position: 

Skills: Lightning Speed (A+)

 Endurance (B+)

 Reliable Finisher (A)

 Lockdown Defender (B)

 Resilience (B) ]

Staring at the screen before him, Jun tuned out of everything around him in the locker room. 

The sheer number of skills was mindblowing, and how high-ranked they were was baffling. He had never seen something like this. Eiji was indeed an outstanding player. 

[ Lightning Speed (A+): Exceptional speed on the court, granting a significant advantage in maneuverability and quickness.]

[ Reliable Finisher (A): Consistency in scoring, displaying proficiency and reliability in converting scoring opportunities. From Mid-range.]

[ Lockdown Defender (B): Exhibits proficiency in defensive plays, and can guard opponents effectively in a 1-1 scenario. ]

[ Resilience (B ): Mental toughness and ability to bounce back, show good potential for handling pressure situations. ]

Of the 5 skills, every single one was tempting, Jun spent quite a while pondering on what he wanted, truthfully speaking Jun realized he had various shortcomings when it came to actual skill compared to such monsters.

In the end, he was defending someone and that same person hit more than 50 points while he was marking him. That in itself is something he never thought would ever happen, especially against a 14-year-old. 

With his experience, he managed to maximize the team play, and that allowed him to give his teammates situations where they could deliver and score points. The mistakes were there but for Higashigahara for a team that had been championed the players were subpar, although 2 of their players did have skills namely the center and the Point guard they indeed were good players, but they were suppressed by Yukio and Yoshi one just had physical superiority while the other was improving noticeably through each week. 

As for the skill to pick Jun took out every B skill. One reason is that perhaps he would find someone with B skills through the way, Uncrowned Kings for sure, and other high-rated players. 

The answer was obvious, it had to be Lightning Speed because the extra speed and overall reactive response would complement and enhance Animal instinct. It would allow him to touch a realm of his own. 

It was frustrating because he could only choose 1 skill but better than none. 

[ Acquiring Lightning Speed (A): 10:00 ] 

The rest of the day went uneventfully for Jun who just lazed and did some recovery stretching to make sure he wouldn't be feeling it as much the following day. 

But as the following day arrived, he had surprisingly woken up later than normal. His whole body was tingling much more than he was used to. 

He made changes to his usual routine workout so it wasn't as heavy on his body, resting was essential, especially after very important matches. 

Understanding where you did well and where you did wrong. Unfortunately, he didn't have a recording of the match to completely review it from start to end. 

He recognized that if Eiji had better teammates he would lose, that was a fact, and he was frustrated because the victory although hard-earned was much on the stroke of luck. Eiji if not for the injury would have made wonders, especially with a Reliable shooter, some players work better under pressure, and Eiji although tired was doing better and better as the game went on. 

If he wanted to win nationals later this year, he would need to get more involved in team play, especially so he could cover his weaknesses this way or maximize his own strengths. 

Jun went over everything he had in mind, reprimending himself for his mistakes and questioning the whys in each decision he made, to make sure he understood the whole scenario and to see if there was a better more optimal decision. 

Since he had time he too picked up his phone and instead of playing the mobile game he opened [Socials] the equivalent of all social media platforms in his original world. It was handy actually because outside streaming and long videos it was versatile simple and engaging especially because you weren't flooded with both big advertisements and questionable links and unpleasant views. 

Obviously, it was very dramatic but all in all, it was people's fault Jun wasn't even that apt to use it. He had an account by the simple @TheJunAozaki It was something the previous Jun had used and since it was simple he kept it. Although he stopped following most of the pages, those things didn't matter at the moment. He followed 5 People or pages, Tooru, his mother, and 3 basketball news for the school tournaments and such. 

Quickly he chose Monthly Basketball, and they dwelled mostly on the School basketball scene, bringing various news from player rankings to new prospects to surprising news. 

And to speak of a public surprising news. The post which had garnered the most attention both yesterday and today was what he was looking for. A picture of him dribbling the ball past Eiji could be seen. He had to admit that it looked quite nice. 

[ The new Junior Underdogs ] 

[ The Regional Tournament reached its climax in a showdown that sent shockwaves through the basketball scene. Kibito Junior High faced off against the powerhouse Higashigahara Municipal Middle School, a team steeped in glory with a record that spoke of invincibility.

What unfolded was a gripping match that defied expectations. Higashigahara, former national champions, boasted Sawakita Eiji, whose prowess once clinched the national trophy. Their near-impeccable record bore witness to a solitary loss against the dominant force of Teiko Junior High the year prior.

Yet, against all odds, Kibito Junior High emerged victorious. The underdogs prevailed, despite the stark contrast in their historical achievements. The numbers on paper failed to predict what transpired on the court that day.

It was a thrilling battle, a battle between seasoned champions and rising stars. Sawakita Eiji hailed as the pinnacle of small forwards in the junior scene, unleashed a staggering 56 points, a testament to his skill and dominance. But standing tall against this force was a new addition to Kibito's roster - Aozaki Jun.

In his first year of play while being a second-year student, Aozaki Jun showcased an unprecedented display of talent. His 39 points, 11 rebounds, 13 assists, and 8 steals were nothing short of extraordinary. A collision of prodigies unfolded before our eyes, as Aozaki Jun and Sawakita Eiji engaged in a captivating duel.]

Jun read through the thread and was a little shy. But as he moved toward the comments, he wished he had a hold he could just jump to. Superficial comments were a trend, with people voicing how cute, and handsome he was. Comments like. 

[ OMG, Aozaki Jun is so good-looking, his serious face while playing makes it look better. When did such a good-looking player arrive on the scene without me noticing @MysticAmy? ]

[Does Anyone know his @? I want to follow him.]

Jun saw the plain absurdity of social media. He had never really been much into these platforms outside of memes, but reading things about him just made him cringe in a whole new way. Weirdly enough it made him smile, he was being complimented for his looks something which had rarely happened in his previous life, matter of fact it could be counted with both his hands, even though he wasn't that bad looking. Men don't receive compliments so easily, or perhaps he didn't hear it. 

He read comments and some people even were comparing him to the Prodigies of Teiko. Although very scarce these comments did surface. 

[ I think, I can add yet another amazing player to the list of this blooming generation. We are witnessing a Generation of basketball Geniuses. Just look at the Junior scene list I have made. Teiko 2nd Year prodigies, Eiji,Sendoh, Makoto, Teppei, Reo, Kotaro, Eikichi, Rukawa. The list goes on. All of them excel in different things yet they are brightening the Junior High stage this year. This Generation is oversaturated with miraculous talents, and now I have to add Aozaki Jun. This year Nationals will be a banger I can't wait.]

Jun resumed his comment reading and got sucked in by the dark hold which is social media scrolling, thankfully the sound of the door being knocked came to his aid.

Slowly as the door opened a little silver-haired girl came inside staring with big eyes at Jun. ''Brother you didn't forget right?''

''About?'' Jun answered while lifting his right eyebrow, Hina's cheeks puffed as she frowned. 

''Bad brother, you promised you would take Hina to ride the horse, and and the big wheel.'' Hina opened her arms making sure she transmitted the image to her brother.

''Yes yes, brother didn't forget but isn't it too early? It is still 11 we decided we would go at 2.'' Jun chuckled as he saw how excited his sister was. 

''But brother you once said... 'Hina being early for an hour is way better than being late for even a second'. '' She tried to imitate his speech while she had her arms folded. 

''Pff... Ok ok, I see that you want to go now, well why not?'' Jun relented to her request and picked himself up from his chair. 

He had already prepared everything which they would need, drinks food, and certain precautions just in case. 

Little Hina had her light purple backpack behind her once they stepped foot outside the house she pointed forward. ''Let's go!'' And moved forward with conviction. 

''Hina you are going in the opposite direction...'' 

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Sorry for the wait, a couple of things came up. It's the holiday season and somehow it managed to become a bad period for me. Anyway, hope everyone had a great New Year. 

I'll try to be more consistent even though I've yet to solve the problems that appeared through this period, but I'll do my best to write more.