AN: Here is chapter 4 and part three of the Origin Story. Here is he introduction of Barry that some people have been waiting for and I hope it answers so questions you're been having. I hope you enjoy it. Remember I do NOT own KnB or Flash, I only own my character and the plot.

Chapter 4

Origin Story Part 3

It was an early morning in September and the sun was beginning to rise. Ryuto tried to block out the sun, but the more he tried to more he would wake up. He then let out a sigh and stood up form his bed. He let out a loud yawn and stretched his arms. As he smacked his lips, he could feel how dry they were as well as his throat. As he went to open his door, his mother called out to him.

"Ryuto! You better wake up or you'll be late for your first day!"

"Coming!" Ryuto responded.

As Ryuto remember that he was starting seventh grade, in his mind everything leading up to that moment came to him suddenly.

After finishing the basketball season, everything went back to normal; or as normal it could get. Soon after the end of the season, Jay seemed gloomier than usual. Whenever Ryuto or his friends would ask him, he would murmur something while a tear would come to his eye. It soon became news around the school that Jay's aunt had died, more specifically she was murdered; Jay would never go into the details. From that time on, Jay would sit with his cousin a boy with brown hair and green-brown eyes. Ryuto asked his friends who he was, but no one knew; he was only known as Jay's cousin. Jay kept his distance for the rest of the school year and would rarely talk, but in the summer he began to open up again and he seemed like his usual self; while still spending time with his cousin.

Following that came the beginning of summer vacation. None of his friends were leaving Central City, except for Kagami who would go to Los Angeles almost every summer, so they would spend time together playing basketball, watching movies, or staying up late playing video games. Their friendship grew stronger with each passing day.

Along with the happy days, there sad ones as well. The team got together to say farewell to their two eight graders: Clark and Rip. Clark was returning to Smallville to go to high school there and help out on his family's farm. It turned out Clark was staying with relatives in Central City, not his actual parents. Meanwhile, Rip was returning to England and it was likely he would not return to Central City despite all he said otherwise.

Ryuto had remembered everything just as he was about to eat breakfast.

"Thank you for the food." he said quietly before eating.

As soon as he finished breakfast, he exited his house and walked to the bus stop. Despite the school being walking distance away from his house, Ryuto enjoyed taking the bus since most of his friends were on it. When he entered the bus, he saw Kagami and Cisco talking to one another. Cisco looked up and saw Ryuto,he gestured for him to come sit next to him. Ryuto smiled a bit and sat down next to his friend.

"So, you ready for seventh grade?" Cisco asked. "Sure, I guess." Ryuto said with a shrug. "What do you mean 'I guess'? It's a simple yes or no question." Cisco asked crossing his arms. "Maybe he's just not ready to be captain this year. That's probably why he's so nervous." Kagami teased. "Shut up, Taiga." Ryuto said swatting his friend on the shoulder.

"But are you nervous about that?" Cisco asked with a concerned tone. "Of course I am, but I'll worry about that when November rolls around." Ryuto said.

Cisco gave a quick nod and he changed the subject of the conversation. When they were dropped off at school, Ronnie was entering the school as well. Ryuto called out to his friend and he joined the group.

"Now all we're missing is Jay and Caitlin." Kagami said. "Yeah. Where are they, though?" Cisco asked. "I just got here so I don't know." Ronnie said with a shrug. "We'll probably see them inside." Ryuto said.

The four friends then entered the school and walked to the seventh grade locker area. After putting their books away, each of them went to their respective homerooms. This year, none of those with Ryuto were in the same homeroom as him. He placed his bag in his homeroom and walked towards the bathroom. When he exited the bell rang for the start of homeroom. He sat down at a desk and waited for the day to start.

"Hey." a voice said.

Ryuto looked up to see Caitlin sitting next to him. Ryuto could feel his face turing red again. He quickly shook his head and turned to address her.

"Hey. It surprises me you're late." Ryuto said. "There was traffic and a lot of it." Caitlin said siting down. "Why are you sitting in the back? You alway like to sit in the front of the class." Ryuto asked. "It is just homeroom." Caitlin said with a shrug. "I guess that's true." Ryuto replied.

Ryuto turned his head to the front when his name was called and raised his hand. He then turned to face Caitlin again, he and her only saw each other a few times during the summer. She was always doing something with her mother or father, and whenever she explained it to him he could not understand. As he continued to to think about her his face went red again. She then looked up from her notebook to him.

"Is there something wrong?" she asked with a tilt of her head.

Ryuto quickly realized he had been staring and quickly turned away from let out a nervous laugh before answering.

"No, nothing. Just trying to read the clock." Ryuto said quickly. "But the clock is in front of the class." Caitlin said. "Is that so." Ryuto said as his face became redder.

Saving him from further embarrassment, the bell rang and it was the start of classes. Ryuto picked up his bag and bolted out of the classroom.

"See you later, Caitlin." he called out as he ran.

Caitlin gave a dumbfounded look before it morphed into a smile, she then gave a small laugh before walking to her class. The school day went as it alway did, Ryuto sat through a class until the bell rang and he would move to the other. In the classes preceding lunch he did not have a class with his friends, which disappointed him. At the lunch everyone met up at their usual table, but they quickly noticed Jay was not with them.

"Has anyone seen Jay around today?" Cisco asked. "I haven't." Kagami answered taking a bite out of his sandwich. "Maybe he's with his cousin." Ronnie said. "Man, I forgot what his cousin looked like. There's nothing that stands out with him." Cisco said. "I just hope he's alright. He seemed to be close with his aunt." Ryuto said.

Everyone gave a silent nod and continued to eat their lunch. A late arrival to the table was Caitlin, who let out a sigh as she sat down.

"Wow, almost late for homeroom and late to lunch. Is everything okay?" Ryuto asked. "Yeah, I guess today's not my day." Caitlin said trying to force a smile.

"Well, well if it isn't the scrub table." a cocky voice said.

Everyone at the table let out a sigh as they knew exactly who said it. They all turned back to see Oliver standing at their table. Oliver gave a quick glance to everyone at the table, until his eye fell onto Caitlin.

"What's a pretty girl like you doing with scrubs like this? I'm sure you can do much better than them." Oliver flirted.

He then reach to grab her hand, but Ryuto stood up and grabbed his wrist stopping him.

"Back off. She doesn't like guys like you." Ryuto threatened. "Looks like someone's defensive," Oliver said shaking off Ryuto's grip, "I'll keep that in mind."

"Come on Dig, I can feel the scrubbiness rubbing off on me. Can't have that affecting my game." Oliver said with a laugh.

Ryuto sat down and his angry expression softened. He looked to Caitlin who gave him a worried look. It then changed to her more neutral expression.

"Thank you, Ryuto, but I can handle my self." Caitlin said. "Well, I just thought that maybe-" he stopped when she placed her hand on his. "Still, thanks." she said with a smile.

Once again red flashed onto his face, and everyone at the table noticed. The boys gave dumb smiles, while Caitlin tilted her head again. Ryuto quickly turned away from everyone and stood up. He grabbed his bag and quickly exited the cafeteria. As he exited, he walked past Jay who began to scratch his head in confusion. He walked over to the table and point in Ryuto's direction.

"What's up with him?"

"Oh, man this is too good." Cisco said rubbing his hands together. "To you answer your question, we have an idea." Kagami said with a sly smile.

The final bell rang and the first day of school came to an end. Ryuto opened his locker and placed some his book inside it. He then closed it and turned to walk home, but as he did so Kagami and Cisco were standing in front of him, both a strange smiles on their faces. Ryuto gave them a quick look before swinging his backpack onto his shoulders and began to walk. As he did so, Kagami and Cisco followed.

"What do you guys want?" Ryuto asked as he walked. "Well, we just wanted to tell you that someone's crushing on Caitlin." Cisco said with a snicker.

Ryuto stopped walking, his eyes widened and his face went red quickly. He adjusted the straps of his backpack nervously before answering.

"What are you guys talking about?" he asked not facing them. "You heard." Kagami said snickering. "And who might that be?" Ryuto asked. "You, dummy. You made it super obvious too." Cisco said with a laugh. "Yeah, it was real obvious." Kagami echoed.

Ryuto remained quiet for a moment. He took a deep breath and released it before turing to them.

"Me? You can't be serious." Ryuto said a calmly as he could. "Denying it is the first step to admitting it." Kagami replied. "I always thought having a crush on someone was high school thing, but I guess that's only in movies." Cisco said with a shrug. "Guys, I'm not 'crushing' on Caitlin," Ryuto said putting quotes around the word, "she's just a friend."

"Or is she?" Cisco asked with a sly smile.

The two boys began to inch closer to him with each step and with each step they took Ryuto moved back.

"Look, guys, I don't know what you saw, but Caitlin is just a friend." Ryuto said.

He then spun on his heel and hastily walked away from them. He made sure to hide the fact that his face had gone red again and he was sweating nervously.

"Whatever you say!" Cisco called out. "Oh, man this is too good."

"He's not going to hear the end of this, is he?" Kagami asked as he placed a hand on his hip. "You have no idea." Cisco said.

As the school year continued, Cisco and Kagami would continue to tease Ryuto. They would do it so much that when his parents found out, his mother would talk to him about girls. When that happened, they kept their teasing to a minimum. Finally, November came and with that the start of the basketball season. Ryuto had met with Coach Wells and Coach Stein to talk about what would happen during the season. He was told to pick a vice-captain, so he chose Cisco while also apologizing to Kagami since he was frustrated that he was not picked. Then came those who were sure to return to the team. Ryuto and Cisco were chosen quickly as they were going to be leading the team. In the end they went with Oliver and Kagami since they were the strongest candidates. After that, Ryuto with the help of his friends helped put up flyers for the upcoming tryouts. The day before the tryouts, the four who were chosen for the team were notified. Kagami was happy that he was chose, while Oliver seemed like it was only the logical option.

"Oliver you better keep you mouth shut about this." Ryuto had said. "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone." Oliver said waving him away. "Not even Diggle." Cisco added. "Whatever." Oliver said as he had exited the office.

Then came the first day of tryouts. Ryuto watched from the corner of the court all the new players and returning players. Of the returning players there was Jay, Hartley, Ronnie, Diggle, Snart, and Mick. Ryuto took a deep breath and turn to Cisco, who was equally as nervous.

"Ready?" Ryuto asked. "As ready as I'll be." Cisco said.

Ryuto nodded and called for everyone's attention. Everyone was quick to quiet down as well as turn their attention forwards.

"Glad to see so many of you could make it. Welcome to the Central City Middle School Basketball Team tryouts. I'm going to be your captain this year. You can call me: Ryuto. Here is my vice-captain. I want you to show the same respect you show me."

"Hi everyone, my name is Cisco." Cisco said waving to everyone.

"Now we'll introduce you to the coaches. Meet Head Coach Harrison Wells and Assistant Coach Martin Stein." Ryuto said gesturing to the two men walking towards the group.

"Thank you Mr. Rishihara, Mr. Ramon." Stein said.

The two boys nodded and stepped away from the coaches. Coach Wells then had the full attention of everyone.

"It's nice to see so many new and old faces. As he said you'll be trying out for this years basketball team. Some things to get out of the way, four spots on the team have been decided. Two of those spots have taken by your captain and vice-captain, the other two have been notified but were asked to be present for the try out. So, I expect everyone to be try their hardest for the remaining eight spots."

Everyone gave a nod of acknowledgement, before Coach Wells continued to speak. As he did, Hartley tapped Jay on the shoulder.

"Were you called to part of that group of four?" he whispered. "No, were you?" Jay replied in a hushed tone. "No, I wasn't. I'm pretty sure it was two former sixth graders." Hartley said adjusting his glasses. "Perhaps you're right." Jay said.

"…does everyone understand how today's tryout is going to go?" Wells concluded.

"Yes!" everyone said in unison. "Good now get to your station." Wells said blowing his whistle.

All the players went to the stations they were assigned to and it was the same as when Ryuto had tried out. He and Cisco were in charge of the dribbling station just as Clark and Rip before them. As the try out continued, Ryuto saw out of the corner of his eye that a boy was watching from the entrance. Ryuto blinked and the boy was gone. Ryuto scratched his head in confusion before turing back to those trying out. The try out had ended the same way it was last year, and everyone was dismissed. In the office with Coach Wells, Coach Stein, Ryuto, and Felicity they discussed how everyone did. They agreed that those who were returning from previous years had the best chance to make the team. Coach Stein tried to avoid talking about Ronnie, but Coach Wells brought him up.

"It seems Mr. Raymond only does well after you talk to him." Wells said clicking his pen. "Well, he just needs the encouragement in order to preform well." Stein said adjusting his glasses. "He hasn't shown any improvements since last season. He's at a plateau that doesn't seem to change." Felicity said looking at her notes. "When we played during the summer, he seemed to have gotten better." Ryuto said with a shrug. "I know he's your friend, but as captain you have to be less subjective and more objective." Wells said. "I know that, I'll try." Ryuto said.

"I believe that's all for tonight. We'll go over things after tomorrows tryout." Wells said standing from his chair.

Everyone nodded and stood up from their chairs. Ryuto grabbed his bag and began to walk home. When he entered, his mother was there to greet him.

"How was the try out, captain?" his mother said in a playful tone. "Fine, a lot of people tried out." Ryuto said setting his bag down. "You must be hungry, your dad made sukiyaki tonight." his mother said with a smile. "No way! Awesome! Thanks, Dad!" Ryuto called out.

The next day, Jay was sitting at a lunch table with his cousin. His cousin was eating quietly, he would barely say anything. Jay let out a sigh, as he tried to get him to talk.

"Barry, basketball tryouts today. Are you going to come?" Jay asked.

The boy, now named Barry, simply sighed quietly. Jay ran a hand through his hair, Barry would barely speak since the murder.

"Barry, I know you miss her, I do too, but you have to keep looking ahead. That's what she would say." Jay said placing his hand on Barry's shoulders. "I'll try to make it." Barry said quietly. "I know you'll be happy with the team. Everyone is nice, well mostly everyone." Jay said.

"Yo, Jay! You got a second?" Cisco asked. "Coming." Jay said turing back to Barry. "Please come."

Barry watched as Jay sat down with his friends from the basketball team. Barry tried to listen to what they were talking about, but the cafeteria was filled with voices and they were drowned out. Soon after, the bell rang and it was on to the next class. Barry had P.E. but he did not really like the class, he was not that athletic. His class gathered in the gym, each wearing gym clothes, with the teacher waiting for them.

"Okay, so today basically you're free to do whatever you want as long as it's some type of physical activity." the teacher said as he blew his whistle.

Barry watched as everyone dispersed. Each person went to do something different, but many tried their best to do stay out of doing anything physical. Barry looked over to the lone basketball hoop and saw a ball laying on the floor. He sighed and walked over to it. He picked up the ball and started to dribble it. He dribbled the ball to the free throw line and squared up to shoot. He then released. The ball sailed in the air and bounced off the backboard and into the hoop. Barry grabbed the ball and continued to shoot.

Kagami watched as Ryuto tossed up a volleyball and smacked it across the court, landing in the lines. Ryuto grabbed another and repeated the motion. Kagami continued to watch as he did the same thing over and over, but he kept and eye on Barry. He watched as the boy only missed one free throw. As Ryuto served again, Kagami stopped him.

"What's up?" Ryuto asked. "That kid. He's only missed one free throw." Kagami said pointing.

Ryuto looked to the direction he was pointing and saw a boy shooting free throws.

"Wow, good form." Ryuto commented. "Who's that?"

"I think that's Jay's cousin." Kagami answered.

Ryuto nodded and set down the volleyball. He began to walk towards the boy, and Kagami followed.

"Hey, kid." Ryuto called out.

The boy jumped in surprise and let out a small cry. The boy turned sheepishly to the two Japanese boys. His eyes then widened in surprise at two people that stood before him.

"Wait you're Ryuto. Captain of the basketball team." the boy said amazed. "I'm surprised you've hear of me. I try to keep to myself." Ryuto said placing a hand behind his head. "You play basketball?" Kagami asked. "Well, I dabble." The boy said with a shrug. "I saw you shoot, your form is excellent." Ryuto said. "Wow, a compliment from you that's awesome!" Barry said star eyed. "Why haven't you tried out for the team? I'm sure you'd do great." Ryuto asked. "It's just, compared to everyone on the team I'm probably just average." Barry said his voice getting lower as he did. "How about this, we play a one-on-one in the time we have let. Show me what you got." Ryuto said.

"Wait, what?" Barry said surprised "A one-on-one against you?"

Ryuto simply nodded his answer.

"I don't know. You're the captain and I'm just some guy you just me who isn't that good." Barry said. "Let your skills decide that for you." Ryuto said with a smile.

Barry let out a sigh and gave the basketball to Ryuto.

"Let's do this." Barry said halfheartedly. "With an attitude like that, you'll never beat me." Ryuto said as he started to dribble the ball.

Barry got into the best defensive stance he could, mimicking all the NBA matches he had seen on tv. Ryuto watched as Barry set his feet, he noticed quickly Barry had very little experience defending. Ryuto faked going to the right, Barry fell for it, and cut to the left. Barry tried to recover, but Ryuto was already at the basket. Ryuto grabbed the ball and passed it to Barry.

"Spread out your legs more. With the stance you had, you would have had no chance of catching up to me. Gotta stay on your toes." Ryuto said getting into position.

Barry got into an offensive stance, ready to make a move. Ryuto was quick to notice that Barry was probably a lot better at offense than defense. Barry let out a breath, and crossed over to left. Using that momentum, he dribbled past Ryuto is a quick motion. Ryuto turned to catch up, but Barry cut back and crossed over to his right. He jumped to the basket and scored a lay up. Ryuto was left in a state of astonishment, he not expected such quick movements form a novice. He looked towards Kagami who also had a surprised look. Ryuto then let out a laugh, which caught Barry's attention.

"Did I do something wrong?" Barry asked. "Quite the opposite. From someone says they don't play a lot of basketball, you sure know some advanced techniques." Ryuto said "Let's continue, my ball."

Barry passed the ball to Ryuto and got into a defensive stance. Looks like he took my advice, his stance is better now. It's still very exploitable Ryuto thought. Ryuto quickened his dribbling and in one motion broke past Barry. Ryuto moved closer to the basket, but Barry had cut him off. Ryuto forced himself to stop moving and jumped back for a fadeaway. As he released, he noticed that he was going to miss. What the hell was that speed? I've never seen anyone go that fast Ryuto thought. The ball bounced off the backboard and Barry was the there to catch it. Barry set up at the three point line. Ryuto moved to defend him and quickly assessed that Barry was getting better the more he played. Barry began to quicken the pace of his dribbling, but as he began to drive forwards, he could not control the ball. Ryuto took the opportunity to swipe the ball away and quickly scored a basket while Barry was off balance. What's with the guy? So much raw talent and he's never played before Ryuto thought. They continued to play until the teacher called for everyone to stop and put away the gear since the class was about to end. Ryuto picked up the ball and tossed it to Barry.

"One last play." Ryuto said. "But-" Barry began to say. "One last play. Give it all you've got." Ryuto said getting into a stance.

Barry nodded and began to dribble the ball. He drove towards the basket at a fast pace, Ryuto tried to keep up, but his movements were too quick. Barry then broke away from Ryuto and jumped to score a lay up, but Ryuto was quick to react and blocked the shot. The two boys landed and began to pant. Ryuto wiped the sweat from his forehead and kept his eyes on Barry. For being a beginner, he almost made me go all out Ryuto thought. The three boys could hear the teacher blow his whistle and called for the three boys to get changed. They apologized and went into the locker room. The three boys got changed in relative silence and only talked again when Ryuto and Kagami were about to leave.

"What's your name?" Ryuto asked. "Barry. Barry Allen." Barry said. "Well then Barry, I expect to see you today for the try out." Ryuto said. "You're good, man." Kagami said.

The two Japanese boys left the locker room, only Barry and his thoughts remained.

"That kid was something else." Kagami said. "Yeah, he seemed to get better as the game continued." Ryuto added. "Wait, got better?" Kagami asked raising an eyebrow. "You saw his first drive to the basket, you have to have a really high skill level to do those maneuvers." Ryuto answered. "I was talking about his speed, but you're right there." Kagami said. "That's true, he's faster than me and I'm the fasted guy on the team." Ryuto said. "That's debatable. Jay's pretty fast." Kagami countered. "We had a race once, I won. Remember?" Ryuto said. "You guys had a tie." Kagami said throwing his arms into the air.

"Whatever, man." Ryuto said. "Barry Allen? Where have I heard that name before?"

Later in the day, Ryuto prepared for day two of the tryouts. As he walked onto the court, he gave a look to everyone there. He let out a disappointed sigh when he could not see Barry. He gave another look around, but still could not see him.

"Dang it." Ryuto whispered to himself.

"Why are you so disappointed?" a voice asked behind him

Ryuto turned back to see Jay standing. He had his arms were folded across his chest and seemed to have a pensive look on his face.

"Nothing, just hoping someone I met would come to the try out today." Ryuto answered. "That sucks." Jay said. "He didn't really seem like the athletic type, but he was good a basketball." Ryuto commented. "Who are we talking about?" Jay asked. "Oh right, his name was Barry Allen. His name sounds familiar, I just can't place it." Ryuto said putting his finger to his forehead in a pensive state. "You met my cousin?" Jay asked surprise. "He's your cousin?" Ryuto also asked in surprise. "Well yeah. My last name is from his moms side." Jay answered. "Wait so that means…" Ryuto said trailing off.

Jay simply nodded in response. Ryuto pushed his hair back with two hands as his eyes widened.

"Holy crap." Ryuto said. "Jay, why didn't you tell me your cousin was so good at basketball?"

"We've only played a couple of times and he's got the basics down." Jay said raising his hands defensively. "Well from where I was standing, he pulled off some high level techniques." Ryuto replied. "How do you know that?" Jay asked. "I had a one-on-one with him." Ryuto answered. "Well, you must've beaten him." Jay said. "We didn't keep score, but I scored the most baskets, his defense if lacking by the way. He almost made me go all out." Ryuto said.

This time Jay's eyes widened in surprise.

"You had to go all out?" Jay asked. "Almost. He's good, I was hoping he'd show up today." Ryuto said.

Barry walked towards the entrance of the school, ready to leave. He turned back to give the gym a look. He saw people entering it, no doubt for the tryouts. He gave a sigh, Ryuto's words still rung in his head. He had told him to try out, but Barry knew he was not good enough to join the team. He imagined he was holding a basketball and began to dribble it, the sensation of it was infections. He shook his head and pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind. I'm not meant to play basketball Barry thought. As he walked, he heard footsteps coming up behind him. Barry was prepared to run, he was always an easy target for bullies. He gave a quick glance back and gave a sigh of relief when it was someone he knew.

"Hey, Iris." Barry waved. "What's up? Why are you heading home? Aren't you going to the basketball tryouts?" Iris asked. "No, I'm not cut out to play basketball." Barry answered. "But, I heard that that captain asked you personally." Iris said with a tilt of her head. "Wait, how did you hear about that?" Barry asked surprised. "Everyone form our grade was talking about it. You had a one-on-one against him, everyone in your P.E. class saw it and it's all people are talking about." Iris explained. "You're serious?" Barry asked.

"Mhm." Iris said with a nod. "I also heard people saying that he was really impressed with your skills."

He was actually impressed with me? Barry thought.

The next day, Barry walked into school and could feel some eyes looking towards him. He made his way through the crowds until he saw very recognizable grey hair closing a locker. Barry smiled and picked up his pace to catch up to him. As he reached the locker, he saw now sign of grey hair. He did a slow 360 turn on his heel to try to find him.

"Where were you yesterday?" a voice asked.

Barry blinked and in front of him stood Ryuto. Barry jumped back in surprise at Ryuto's sudden appearance.

"Sorry about that. I just didn't feel like I was good enough. Even after our one-on-one, I felt like I wasn't good enough." Barry explained.

"Look Barry, I realize you've gone through some tough times and, to me, it seems like it holds you back. You're too caught up with what happened and you can't look forwards. I'm not saying that what happened to you should just sweep under the rug and forget about it," Ryuto said placing a hand on Barry's shoulder, "you need to keep moving forwards. I'm sure that's what your mother would say."

Barry stayed silent. He was being told what he needed to hear, but he could never bring himself to accept it. Barry hung his head, his eye were covered by his hair. Ryuto could see the tears falling from his eyes. Ryuto gave a soft smile and patted Barry on the shoulder.

"Barry, what happened to you was awful, but you got to keep going. Life isn't going to pause and wait for you to get over it. You can pause it for yourself, but everything is going to keep moving. I hope you can understand that." Ryuto said taking his hand away. "If I made you feel bad in any way, I'm sorry, that wasn't my intention."

"No, it's fine. People have been telling me that for a while, I just-" Barry cut himself off.

He then wiped the tears with his sleeve and looked up to Ryuto. His were still watery, but with a new brightness that he never had before.

"I'll see you today after school, at the try out." Barry said. "I hope so. Today's the last day, you've already made an impression on Taiga and me but now you gotta impress everyone else." Ryuto said.

Barry nodded with determination. Ryuto gave him light punch on the shoulder and smiled.

"Good luck." Ryuto said turing on his heel.

To Barry, the day went agonizingly slow everything moved in slow motion. When the final bell rang, everything sped up. He darted out of the classroom and to his locker. He grabbed his exercise clothes and dart to the gym. He quickly changed and walked into the gym. He quickly realized that he was the first one there. He let out a laugh and smiled.

"Looks like I was a bit too excited." Barry said aloud.

"Who are you, scrub?" a voice asked.

Barry looked towards where the voice came and saw a dirty blonde haired boy with blue eyes. He wore a simple green t-shirt and black pants, his shoes were the same black and green color as his shirt and pants. Barry looked down at his own shoes, he realized he was going to need basketball shoes, the ones he had were more for running.

"I asked you a question?" the boy said getting closer. "My name is Barry Allen. I'm here to tryout." Barry said nervously. "Reall? You?" the boy said with a laugh. "I don't see what's so funny." Barry replied. "Oh, you've got a bark," the boy said, "let's see if you got bite."

The boy walked past Barry and grabbed a lone basketball. He lazily passed it to Barry. Barry stared at the ball as it landed in his hands, even if just yesterday he held a ball this one felt cold. He looked back towards the boy, he now seemed twice his previous height. He towered over him like some sort of monster. He seemed to radiate a cold, unforgiving aura. Barry gulped loudly as the boy walked past him, not even giving him a glance. The boy then did a quick turn to face Barry.

"You don't belong here." the boy said. "If the captain thinks I does, then I think I have the right to." Barry said. "That foreigner can kiss my ass. He's not my captain and as far as I'm concerned he's got no right leading me." the boy said.

"Is that so?" a voice called out.

The boy's eyes widened at the voice, he seemed to quickly gather who he was. The boy looked back to see Ryuto standing at the door of the gym.

"Say that again, Oliver." Ryuto said walking towards Oliver. "Hey come on, I'm only saying things. You and I both know this kid doesn't belong." Oliver said pointing to Barry. "I personally told him to come and as far as I'm concerned he's more than capable. Now get your ass away from him." Ryuto said sternly.

Oliver did as he was told and walked away, grumbling as he did so. Ryuto then let out a sigh and turned to Barry.

"Sorry about Oliver, he's just an ass." Ryuto said with a smile. "He seemed strong." Barry said. "Yeah he is." Ryuto said. "Is everyone as strong as him?" Barry asked. "As far as I'm concerned you could beat him when you learn some defense." Ryuto said with a smile.

Ryuto walked away from Barry, but made to sure to keep an eye on him as people began to enter. When Jay arrived, he was quick to be at Barry's side. Ryuto smiled at the sight, he was glad those two were related. When everyone arrived, Ryuto called for everyone's attention.

"For this last day of tryouts, we'll be playing a tournament. Everyone here is to make a team with five players you can choose whoever you want, but choose wisely. The coaches will be over seeing the games as referees. Each game will be five minutes long and only one quarter. If everyone is clear about the rules, choose your teammates."

Barry looked around as everyone was making a team. He got more distressed as more people were forming groups.

"Hey, Barry come over here." Jay called out.

Barry looked towards Jay and saw three more people standing with him. Barry jogged over to them and was introduced through Jay.

"Everyone meet my cousin, Barry. Barry this is Hartley, Ronnie, and Taiga." Jay said.

"Nice to meet you." Ronnie said.

"Let's see how me play together." Kagami said.

"Pleasure, just don't hold us back." Hartley said adjusting his glasses.

Jay let out a small laugh and the team was given the number of 4.

"Okay now that everyone is paired up, the first match will be team 4 against team 1. Please step up to the court." Wells announced.

"Who's team one?" Barry asked. "I don't know, but I hop-" Jay started to say. "Aww, crap." "Wow, that team is just stacked." Kagami said.

Barry looked over to where everyone was looking and saw a team a five players. He only recognized on person, Oliver who seemed to be in charge of the team. However, the other four he did not recognize.

"Who are they?" Barry asked.

Hartley let out a cough to get Barry's attention and began to explain.

"The big guy to the right, is John Diggle. He is an excellent center and really strong. If he's boxing you out, you have no chance in beating him to the rebound. The guy that looks like an big idiot is Mick Rory. He has a strange ability to make and foul he gives be to the other person. The guy next to him is Lenard Snart. He has the mind of a point guard, but doesn't play the position. Be careful with his Freeze Dribble as it can stop you in place and he can use it consecutively. Finally the blonde haired boy is Oliver. He never misses a jump shot from anywhere. His limit is about two to three feet away from in front of the three point line. He's as arrogant as they come, but on the court he's more collected and analytical. That last kid, I'm not too sure who he is"

"Those guys must be tough." Barry said. "That's stating the obvious." Ronnie said.

The five boys then got into a circular huddle and began to discuss a game play.

"For defense, I'll take John. Hartley, you're on Oliver. Taiga, you'll guard Mick, Ronnie-" Jay began to say.

"That won't work, Jay. They clearly out match us, so rather than man-to-man let's play zone defense." Barry said. "Look, Barry you're new here we played with those guys and we know how they work, so let us decide on who guards who." Hartley said. "Now hold on a second Hartley, let's hear him out." Jay said.

"Basically we run a 2-1-2 defense. Have me and Hartley stand at the top guarding for three's. While Jay stand in the middle with Taiga and Ronnie playing behind defending if they decide to attack from the corners." Barry explained.

"I could work with that." Kagami said. "Same goes for me." Ronnie said. "Let's try it then." Jay said. "Good work, Barry."

Barry smiled at his cousin and walked towards the center of the court where they prepared for the jump ball. In the center of the circle stood Jay and Diggle ready to jump, while everyone stood around them. Barry stood next to the boy no knew and he was shaking with nervousness.

"You okay?" Barry asked. "Those guys are really scary. They needed a point guard and they just chose me." the boy said. "Sorry about that." Barry said. "Why would you be sorry?" the boy asked. "I don't know. It seemed like the right thing to say." Barry said with a shrug.

Soon after whistle blew and the ball was thrown into the air. Both boys jumped for it, but Diggle managed to swat it towards Snart. Snart dribbled the ball down the court and stopped when he saw a zone defense. He raised an eyebrow wondering why they would set themselves up like that. Snart then passed the ball to Oliver and Hartley moved to defend him. Oliver gave a quick look towards the basket squared up to the basket. He set for a shot and Hartley jumped to block, but it was a fake and Oliver dribbled past him and went to set up again, but Jay moved up to defend. Oliver tsked and sent a bounce pass to Mick. He caught the ball and jumped scoring a lay up. Barry silently cursed and jogged to offense.

"Hey, Barry." Jay called out. "For the most part, your plan worked. We'll continue using zone until we can't keep it up."

Barry nodded and watched as Jay passed him and se tup for offense. Barry gave a quick smile and returned his focus on the game. Hartley decided to be point guard and he caught the inbound. He dribbled to the three point line, where the nervous boy defended him. Hartley gave a scowl and passed the ball to Barry. When Barry caught the ball, he was defended by Oliver. Oliver had a smile on his face, like he was happy he was guarding Barry.

"Well, well looks like I'm guarding you Scrub." Oliver taunted. "We will win." Barry said determined. "Tell me that if you can get past me." Oliver said.

Barry took the challenge and began to dribble at a quicker speed. Oliver kept a close watch as Barry's dribbled quickened, then in an instant Barry drove towards the basket. Oliver turned to defend him, but Diggle was already there defending with his arms high. Barry simply spun around him and scored a lay up. Diggle turned back with his eyes wide in surprise.

"That speed. He's faster than both Ryuto and Jay." Diggle said.

Oliver tightened the grip to his fist. He then called out to the boy for him to pass him the ball. The boy did just that and passed to Oliver. Oliver caught the ball and squared up to the basket, this time in front of Barry. Barry watched as Oliver brought the ball into a shooting formation and prepared to jump. However, what surprised him was that he jumped backwards doing a fadeaway. Barry watched as the ball sailed over his hand in a straight line, it bounced off the back board and into the basket. Barry looked towards Oliver, once again he felt the same aura as he did when he first met him. Barry reeled back a bit, not expecting Oliver to just radiate strength.

"That shot just now was called Heaven. It's one of the three shooting forms, plus a fourth that I invented." Oliver said with a scoff.

Oliver then turned and jogged to defense. Barry let out heavy breaths as he felt himself being released from Oliver's aura. He then felt a hand placed on his shoulder, he looked back to see Jay looking at him with a concerned expression.

"Are you alright, Barry?" Jay asked. "Yeah," Barry said clearing his throat, "I'm fine."

"Hey if you feel bad or anything just tell me and we'll stop the game." Jay said. "Thanks, Jay. But we don't need to stop the game for me." Barry said.

Jay nodded and jogged to offense. Barry let out a steady breath and jogged to defense as well.

As the game continued, Barry began to realize why the other believed that their opponent were "stacked." He had been on the receiving end of multiple of Oliver's three, which seemed to have the same intention; crush Barry's spirit. Next was Snart's Freeze Dribble. Barry moved to defend him after he had "frozen" Hartley in place, but was frozen himself and Snart scored a lay up. He saw just how strong Diggle was and how ferocious Mick was. When the game ended he was not surprised that they had lost, but Barry felt happy. He enjoyed playing despite loosing and wanted to continue. They played with another loosing team and were able to win that game, but they lost against the second opponent and were eliminated from the tournament. Those that were eliminated stayed to watch the rest of the games and to no one's surprise, Oliver's team had won. As Oliver walked off the court, he glared at Barry and then shifted his gaze to Ryuto, who was standing close to him. After a water break, the team got together in the center of the court forming a circle around the coaches.

"Nice work today everyone. You've given us a lot to think about." Wells said. "We wish you all the best of luck when the final roster is decided." Stein said. "You are all dismissed." Wells said.

Everyone huddled closer together, gave a small cheer and dispersed. Barry walked over to his bag and picked it up. He swung a strap over his shoulder and began to walk.

"Wait a second, Barry." Ryuto's voice called out.

Barry turned back to see Ryuto walking towards him.

"You did really well today. You definitely left and impression." Ryuto said with a smile. "Thanks, I just hope it was enough." Barry said with a shrug. "If making the final decision was up to me, I'd chose you in heartbeat. You managed to piss Oliver off really quickly and still managed to keep playing despite everything." Ryuto said with a laugh at the end. "Thanks, Ryuto." Barry said. "I hope you make the team." Ryuto said walking away.

Barry gave a smile and began to walk to the schools entrance where Jay was waiting for him. The two began to walk, talking about basketball. Meanwhile, back in the gym, Ryuto walked into Coach Well's office and sat down at a round table where Coach Wells and Coach Stein were at, as well as Felicity. They were each handed a folder with data sheets on them by Felicity going over each person who tired out.

"I think it's fait to assume that those sixth graders that moved up will be joining again." Stein said. "Your assumption is correct Martin, even your gamble is returning he shows considerable improvement." Wells said. "Yeah, he even caught me off guard I had to change everything on his data sheet." Felicity said. "Are we in agreement then?" Wells asked.

Coach Stein and Ryuto nodded and Wells wrote down the names onto a piece of paper.

"Who else are we taking?" Wells asked lifting his head. "I think we should take Jay back." Ryuto said. "He has been a reliable player, but we should try to find some new people." Stein said. "Then how about Barry Allen, you guys saw how he played." Ryuto said. "He did show considerable promise." Stein said looking towards Wells. "From what I saw today, he'll keep getting stronger the more he practices." Felicity said looking through a paper.

Wells placed his hand on his chin and began to think. He then grabbed a pen a clicked it and began to write a name.

"We'll take Mr. Allen, because he shows the most promise. He has excellent court sense, even though his fundamentals could use some work." Wells said.

"Moving on then." Stein said.

The next day, Ryuto walked into the school nervous about the final roster. Even if he was there to figure it out he was nervous about everyone's reactions to seeing mostly everyone from the previous year making the team. When lunch rolled around, he sat at the usual table with all his friends and with Barry as a new addition to the table. He listened as Barry talked to everyone like if he had known them forever; especially with Cisco, those two boys hit it off quickly. Ryuto smiled the timid Barry Allen that had just met was smiling and laughing like nothing was wrong. Ryuto turned to Jay, who seemed to be hiding being overly happy. He reached over and flicked his bicep. Jay turned to Ryuto with scowl.

"Just trying to get your attention." Ryuto said. "What's up?" Jay asked as his expression softened. "You seem happy." Ryuto answered. "Thanks for helping Barry, I appreciate it." Jay said. "He just needed a push." Ryuto replied.

When lunch ended, everyone went to their next class. As Ryuto began to walk, he saw that Caitlin was walking next to him.

"Hey, Caitlin. What's up?" he asked as calmly as he could. "You've been avoiding me lately." Caitlin said. "What makes you say that?" Ryuto asked nervously. "Whenever we're in school you try to avoid making eye contact with me and much less talk." Caitlin explained. "I don't mean to upset you or anything, it's just I've been a bit predisposed as of late." Ryuto said. "Is something wrong?" Caitlin asked, her eyes seemed to change with the question. "Everything is fine. Just give me some time and I'll explain." Ryuto answered. "Okay. I miss our conversations." Caitlin said in a low voice, turing away.

Ryuto groaned and faceplamed. Why are girls so complicated? Ryuto asked himself. The rest day seemed to move slowly for Ryuto, he watched the seconds tick by at the slowest pace. When the final bell rung Ryuto let out a sigh of relief. He knew that the roster was going to be posted after school, so walked towards the office and watched as the people arrived to see the list. He saw a lot of disappointed faces. Seeing them only brought his mood down as he did not want anyone to feel sad. He already knew that most of the players from the previous year were returning, he just wanted to see Barry's look when he saw his name, and he was quick to find out. Barry arrived and walked up timidly to the roster sheet. He then collected himself and let out a breath. His expression changed to ecstatic happiness when he saw his name, letting out a loud "yahoo!" Ryuto smiled at the sight, happy that he was happy. The mood quickly changed when Oliver walked up to the roster sheet. He quickly saw Barry's named and turned to him in anger. Ryuto quickly moved and got in between the two, separating them.

"Why did he make the team?" Oliver asked furiously, pointing at Barry. "Last time I checked he made the team because of his skills." Ryuto said calmly. "Bullcrap. He had maybe one good moment." Oliver said. "In that moment, he blew past you. Similarly how I did to you, if you remember." Ryuto said.

"I don't know why you even bother with this. We all know I can score 100 points on my own." Oliver boasted changing the subject. "That may be true, but this is a team sport and teamwork is key." Ryuto said. "Teamwork? Who gives a damn about that? Individually we could take down the strongest teams easily. You know that better than anyone." Oliver replied. "If that were the case then this would not be a team anymore just a group of individuals." Ryuto said. "What's wrong with that?" Oliver asked.

"You're actually asking that?" Ryuto replied pinching the bridge of his nose. "Let me remind you that in order for you to shoot you need to catch a pass. And what if you get closed out from a shot, what then?"

"I know how to dribble away, or, better yet, just take the shot." Oliver answered. "That's the problem. You're too focused on yourself and your skills to put any value in teamwork. Snart and Mick only trust themselves, but in the end they accept teamwork when it's needed." Ryuto said. "We won undefeated last year. What more proof do you need of how strong we are?" Oliver asked throwing his arms in the air. "I will grant you that, but if you only see basketball as an individual game you have no right to play." Ryuto said crossing his arms. "You can't kick me out." Oliver threatened. "That's true. I don't want to hear this again. We play as a team and everyone is an asset to it." Ryuto said.

Ryuto turned away from Oliver and began to walk away, Barry followed close behind. Barry looked back to Oliver, he seemed angrier than before. Barry looked back to Ryuto who seemed calm, calmer than usual.

"Uh, Ryuto?" Barry asked timidly. "Don't worry, he'll get over it. Oliver is very prideful. Though, I could've held back a bit." Ryuto answered finishing with a shrug. "That's not what I mean. I'm meant was how he said focusing on individual skill made you all better." Barry said.

Ryuto stopped walked and looked to the floor. Barry noticed and turned back to him. Ryuto's hands hung on his side, and fists were forming.

"I didn't mean to get you angry." Barry said holing up his hands.

Ryuto let out a breath and looked up to face Barry.

"There's something I need to explain to you." Ryuto said.

Barry gave a nod and began to listen. Ryuto explained how each of the players on the current roster had some type of ability in basketball. Each of them excelled at one specific position and skill. Cisco was good at ball handling and his passing sense was excellent. Oliver would not miss a jump shot and Diggle was the best at rebound. Snart had his dribble and Mick had his ferocity. Kagami had his jumping skill and Jay's best asset was his speed. While Ryuto was good at almost everything. Barry listened in awe at just how strong the team was, he never knew each person had such strong abilities.

"With those abilites comes a price. We tend to focus more on our own strength rather than team play. That's the argument I had with Oliver." Ryuto explained. "So, I don't want you to think of yourself on the court. Think of the team and how you can assist it."

Barry gave a nod as a reply. Ryuto gave a soft smile and began to walk. The two boys said their goodbyes and separated to go home. That same night, Oliver was at a street court venting out his anger towards his captain.

"Damn him. Thinking he can give me order when I'm so much stronger than him." Oliver muttered releasing a shot.

He picked up the basketball and look down the court to the other basket. He looked back to where he was standing, on the opposite side of the court. Oliver then let out a breath, which was visible in the cold, and squared up to the basket. He jumped and released his shot, putting much more energy into it. The ball sailed, but never made it to the basket; it landed on the free throw line. Oliver growled at the sight, but anger disappeared as soon as it came. He stood at the half court line and looked to the basket. He then grabbed the ball and squared up at the half court line. He jumped and released. The ball bounced off the back board and into the basket, just like all his other shots. He gave a small smile and set up for another shot, he released and got the same outcome as the last one.

"Wait until you see this, no one will dispute that I'm better." Oliver muttered.

"Yo, Oliver!" Diggle's voice called out.

Oliver turned his head to see Diggle jogging towards the court.

"I've been looking for you everywhere. You're mother is worried sick." Diggle said panting. "I guess I didn't tell anyone where I was going, my bad." Oliver replied. "We should get going, it's getting late." Diggle said. "But tomorrow's Saturday." Oliver said. "Either way your mother wants you back home." Diggle said sternly. "Alright, alright let's get moving." Oliver said as he stared walked. "What were you doing out here anyways?" Diggle asked. "Practicing." Oliver said quickly.

After several practices, came the teams first game. Everyone was putting on their uniforms on in the locker room. Ryuto noticed that now he was number 4, the captains number. He traced the number with his finger, remembering that just last year Clark was wearing the same number. He let out a sigh and let his arms hang on his sides. He felt as if he was not worthy to wear the number. He took out his shoes from the locker and sat down to put them on. As he did so, Cisco sat down next to him. He nervously tapped his foot at a quick pace.

"Nervous?" Ryuto asked. "A bit. First game being second in command, I feel the pressure. But you have to be feeling a lot more than me." Cisco answered. "I am nervous, but I feel like I don't deserve to wear the number." Ryuto said. "I'm pretty sure everyone here agreed to Clark's decision to put you in charge. Well, maybe not everyone." Cisco said glancing at Oliver.

With that glance, he saw something was different about Oliver. He was calm and was showed no signs of being nervous. It was an odd sight as Oliver usually boasted before a game.

"Oliver seems calmer than usual." Cisco said. "I hope that's a good thing." Ryuto added.

Cisco nodded in response. Ryuto then stood up with a look of determination on his face.

"Alright everyone, let's get ready. Our first game of the season as well as our first home game." Ryuto announced.

The team gathered by the door of the locker room that lead into the gym. They all took a deep breath as Ryuto opened the door. When the door opened, they all walked out together with a confident air around them. They gathered on the bench and prepared for their warm ups. The team formed two lines, one with balls, the other without and began to do lay ups. Ryuto watched each player do their lay ups, each had their own confidence in them. Ryuto smiled at the sight, even Barry seemed confident in himself . Ryuto was given a ball and he drove to the basket scoring a lay up. After a few minute of warm up, the referee blew his whistle and both teams returned to their benches. Waiting at their bench was Coach Wells and Coach Stein. The team stood in front of them and Coach Wells picked out five players. Those five sat down on the bench. The five players were Ryuto, Cisco, Oliver, Diggle, and Snart.

"Game time boys. Let's start with something simple. On offense move the ball around and if you have an opening attack. As for defense, start with man-to-man we'll adapt where necessary." Wells said.

"Right!" the team said in unison. "Go get 'em!" Wells exclaimed.

The five players stood up and walked onto the court. As they did so they were met with applause from the stands. Ryuto did a quick scan of the stands and saw his family watching as well as Caitlin. Seeing her he quickly turned away before she could wave to him. He let out a breath and turned back to the court. The teams met at the center as they set up for the jump ball. Diggle was jumping for the home team, while the center was doing it for the opponent. Ryuto stood next to the opponents small forward. The two boys were about the same height, but the opponent seemed fixated on Ryuto's grey hair. Ryuto rolled his eyes and turned back to the center. The referee then blew his whistle and tossed the ball into the air. Much to everyone's surprise, Diggle was not the first one to the ball, the opponent was. He slapped the ball towards the point guard. The point guard rushed down the court, with everyone close behind. Cisco managed to catch up with him and stopped his advance giving everyone enough time to set up for defense. The point guard did a quick scan of the court and then sent a pass to the small forward. Ryuto watched his opponent closely. His right leg twitched, but Ryuto remained put waiting for a movement. The boy then did a crossover and back, but it was not enough to break away from Ryuto. The small forward then passed to the center and John moved closer to defend. The center began to drive forwards, slightly pushing back John. The center then jumped, and his form was that of a hook shot. Diggle jumped to try to block it, but a hook shot if practically unblockable. The ball bounced off the back board and into the basket. Diggle let out a curse and jogged to defense. As they did so, Ryuto noticed Oliver stayed put at the half court line.

"Oliver, defense let's go." Ryuto called out.

Oliver simply smiled and called out for a pass. Cisco raised an eyebrow, but passed it to him since he was unguarded. Oliver caught the ball and squared up to the basket, setting up for a shot.

"Is this guy for real?" the small forward asked.

Ryuto could not answer him, not even he knew what Oliver was doing.

Oliver then jumped and released the ball. Everyone watched as the blew sailed through the air, in awe at how close it was reaching the basket. The ball then bounced off the back board and into the hoop. Everyone's eyes widened, Central City Middle School's in surprise while the opponent's in horror. The crowd burst into cheers at the sight. Ryuto turned to Oliver, he had a smile on his face.

"Didn't I tell you? I never miss, the distance doesn't matter" Oliver boasted as he pointed to himself with his thumb.

Ryuto continued to stare at Oliver, he never expect Oliver's range to extend all the way to the half court line. Using the shot to start the game threw everyone off. It took some time for everyone to register what Oliver had done. As the game continued, Oliver continued to shoot three's from the half court line. However, by the third quarter he was tired out and could barely jump. Coach Wells called for a substitution, but Oliver tried to fight it saying that he was fine. Coach Wells was in no mood to argue and forced Oliver off the court. In his place, Barry was put in. Barry walked onto the court timidly, but jogged when Ryuto called him over.

"Hey, don't feel nervous. Oliver gave us quite the lead. I don't plan on shortening it any time soon. When you get the ball, find an opening and attack the basket." Ryuto instructed.

Barry nodded in response. Before the game resumed, Coach Wells made another substitution. Snart was taken out and Kagami took his place. He walked up to Ryuto and Barry and punch his palm in determination.

"Let's do this." Kagami said enthusiastically.

Barry and Ryuto nodded and prepared to keep playing. The game resumed and everyone got into their positions. On offense, Cisco passed the ball to Barry. Barry caught the ball and squared up to the basket. His defender got into a defensive stance that was ready for a shot or a drive. Barry then began to dribble the ball and took step forwards causing the defender to stiffen. In that moment Barry burst past him and drove towards the basket. The center moved away from his mark to stop Barry, but Barry advanced the ball by passing to Diggle. Diggle caught the ball and scored an easy lay up. As the two boys jogged to defense, Diggle and Barry fist bumped. As the game continued, Central City Middle School continued to dominate on the court and the game ended in their victory. The team quickly celebrated on their bench before going over to salute the other team. In the locker room they celebrated louder giving each other high fives and the occasional hug. Ryuto noticed the Oliver was not taking part in the victory celebration. He was sitting in front of his locker apart from everyone. Ryuto let out a sigh and walked towards the blonde.

"That was impressive what you did out there today." Ryuto said.

Oliver looked up to see Ryuto standing next to him.

"Well, it was an attention grabber." Oliver said with a shrug. "When did you realize you could shoot from that distance?" Ryuto asked. "A few week ago." Oliver answered. "Not bad. You have to have quite the stamina to shoot from that range so many times." Ryuto said. "I've been practicing on my own time." Oliver replied turing away from Ryuto. "Wow, that surprises me." Ryuto said. "I started to shoot from there to prove I'm better than you, nothing more." Oliver said, abruptly standing.

Ryuto simply nodded and Oliver closed his locker before walking away.

"What's his deal?" a voice behind Ryuto asked.

Ryuto turned to see Cisco leaning against a locker with arms crossed across his chest.

"Nothing. We were talking about his half court short." Ryuto said turning to him. "I'll admit, that was pretty cool." Cisco said with a slight laugh. "Yeah, it was." Ryuto said.

Oliver sat out the next game as his legs were still recovering from shooting so many half court threes. In his place this time was Ronnie. Ronnie showed off his new skills after having personal training with Coach Stein. As the game went on, Ryuto saw just how much everyone's skills had improved. Cisco seemed to be able to predict what someone was going to do just by seeing a single footstep, Diggle would only become a bigger threat in the paint, Snart seemed unstoppable with his dribbling, and even Ronnie seemed practically unbeatable when he had the ball. Ryuto stared at his hand, he knew he had also gotten stronger since sixth grade but seeing everyone else he could not bring himself to believe that. He slowly jogged towards defense, as he did so he felt someone pat his back. He looked to his side to see Ronnie jogging past him with a smile. He then felt three others pat him on the back. Ryuto looked forwards to see his teammates and friends all with smiles on their faces, even Snart had one. Cisco then turned towards him followed by the others.

"We can't have our captain sulking, now can we?" Cisco asked placing his hands on his hips. "If you're down, that'll affect all of us." Ronnie said.

Diggle and Snart simply nodded towards him. Ryuto then gave a smile of his one.

"Thanks guys." Ryuto said.

With that Ryuto gained confidence again and prepared to keep playing. The game ended with another victory, which was celebrated by everyone. On their way home, Cisco walked with Ryuto and the two began to talk.

"Why were so out of it at the beginning of the game today?" Cisco asked. "It's nothing." Ryuto answered. "Dude, I know when something's bothering you." Cisco said raising an eyebrow. "I don't know, watching you guys today and seeing just how strong each of you have gotten made me feel like I haven't gotten any better." Ryuto explained. "You did not just say that. You? You not having gotten stronger is a load of bull crap. You're the strongest guy on the team. Why do you think Oliver said that he decided to shoot from half court?" Cisco asked. "To be better than me." Ryuto said. "Exactly. I don't know why you have that kind of mentality, but it's dumb. You're the strongest guy on our team and captain if anyone can handle that it's you." Cisco said using his finger to slightly push Ryuto back.

Ryuto gave a smile and a small laugh before answering.

"Thanks, Cisco." Ryuto said. "Now come on you promised me authentic Japanese food at your place tonight." Cisco said as he started to walk. "You really only think about food." Ryuto said rolling his eyes. "Ryuto, buddy, you got to realize that I'm a human trash can when it comes to food." Cisco said. "Well at least you're not eating candy." Ryuto said with a shrug. "Who says I'm not." Cisco said eating a pack of sour gummies. "Where do you hide those things?" Ryuto asked letting out a sigh.

As the season continued, everyone continued to get stronger. Barry, in particular, had greatly improved his defensive skills, due to one-on-one training with Coach Wells as well as playing one-on-one's with Ryuto. During each practice, Ryuto and Barry would have a race to see who was faster and Barry was always the winner.

"I'll beat you some day." Ryuto said panting. "I doubt that." Barry said smugly.

Due to his speed, Barry was getting the reputation of being the 'fastest man alive.' Barry took pride in the nick name and liked that he was known despite being new to the sport. Barry was not the only one with a reputation, the team itself was beginning to be known around the city for their overwhelming strength. Many team would give up playing during the first quarter knowing that winning was impossible. It seemed they were going to go on an undefeated streak again, and that is what happened. Central City Middle School had won the championship undefeated yet again after a victory against Tatsuya's team. During that game, Ryuto could see that Kagami and Tatsuya seemed to be distant to each other. He tried to ask them what was wrong, but neither of them have him an answer.

The season came to an end by late February, early March and the weather was getting warmer with each passing day. With that came the end of the school year. On the last day, everyone poured out of the school wanting to start summer vacation. Ryuto walked out of the school with Barry and Cisco talking about summer plans. Barry and Cisco said that they did not have any plans for leaving Central City, so they decided to hang out for most of the summer. As the neared the main gate, Ryuto looked to his side and saw Caitlin sitting under a tree looking at everyone walk by.

"Hey, guys, I'll catch you guys later." Ryuto said separating from them.

Barry and Cisco simply nodded and continued walking. Ryuto and Caitlin had barely talked since the year started, mostly from Ryuto's part. He felt weird whenever he was with her. They still sat at the same table for lunch, but besides that they never interacted. Ryuto built up his nerve and walked to her.

"Hey, Caitlin." Ryuto said.

Caitlin's head looked up and their eyes met. Ryuto tried his hardest to not break away from her gaze as his face turned red.

"Hey." she said.

Ryuto let out a breath and sat next to her down next to her. When he did so, she moved slightly away from him.

"I'm sorry." Ryuto said looking down.

Caitlin turned to him her blue eyes studied him.

"I know we barely talked and that's my fault. It's just that.." Ryuto said before trailing off. "Just, what?" Caitlin asked. "Since this year started I feel awkward whenever we're together. We've been friends since last year, so I'm sorry for just ignoring you for most of the year." Ryuto said.

He then abruptly stood up and bowed at practically a ninety degree angle.

"Will you forgive me? Can we still be friends?" Ryuto asked.

Caitlin then let out a small giggle, which turned into a laugh. Ryuto stood up straight, perplexed at what was happening.

"It's funny when your culture spontaneously appears, like when you bow." Caitlin said. "I don't know of that's a good thing or a bad thing." Ryuto said scratching his head. "Defiantly a good thing," Caitlin said collecting herself, "of course we're still friends. I'm just happy you explained to me what's going on, took awhile, but happy nonetheless."

"Thank, God." Ryuto said letting out a sigh. "So, what are you plans for the summer?" Caitlin asked standing up. "Practicing basketball and probably just goof off." Ryuto said with a shrug.

He saw as Caitlin began to walk towards the gate. She turned to him and gave him a smile.

"You coming?" she asked. "Where?" Ryuto asked. "I was going to head to mall. Meeting up with someone there. You can come if you'd like." Caitlin explained. "Uh, sure. Is the friend Cade? She's the only other girl I see you talk to besides us." Ryuto asked.

Caitlin simply nodded and motioned for him to follow.

"I'll call my mom as we walk." Ryuto said taking out his phone. "What about you, what are you summer plans?"

"I don't really know yet. These things are usually spur of the moment with my family, even though my dad keeps getting sicker." Caitlin said in a low voice. "Sorry to hear that. If there's anything I can do, just call me." Ryuto said.

"Thanks, Ryuto." Caitlin said with a smile. "So, back-to-back champions. How does that feel?"

Ryuto let out a laugh and began to explain to her everything that had happened during the season and what they had accomplished. The two friends continued to talk as they walked. Talking like if nothing had happened between them.

AN: And chapter 4 comes to a close. I liked writing this one, especially whenever Barry was on the court. Once again I apologize of things seemed rushed in this chapter, I'm trying to end this entire arc as soon as I can. Good news though, last chapter should be the final one of the arc. I hope you enjoyed Barry's introduction as much I enjoyed writing it. I know it seems that I'm doing and OCxCaitlin, but that is only going to happen for this arc; since in present time Ryuto has a girlfriend. With that stuff out of the way, if there's anything else you need answering write it in the reviews or PM me. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and stay tuned for the next. Remember to follow, favorite, and/or review if you haven't already.

PS: I've been thinking about making a anime OP and possible an ED for this story. Since I can't animate/draw don't expect something like that. It'll probably be written what would go onscreen along with the song. If you guys want that feel free to tell me. I have some song ideas in my head, but if you have any suggestions feel free to tell me.