Author's Note:

I'm not a journalist, sorry. :(

Basketball Monthly:

August Issue

"Team Jabberwock & Team Vorpal Swords: The Most Spectacular Basketball Match in Years!"

On August 21, under the hot summer sun in Tokyo, there was a super exhibition match between two street basketball teams. The arena was full of the fans' passion and fervor for the greatly anticipated match of Strky and Jabberwock, the latter being arguably the world's most popular street basketball team from America.

The team members from abroad, including their leader, are only 18 years old, but their exceptional performance keeps captivating fans. They are a team whose skill level matches that of NBA players.

At the start of the match, the Japanese college street basketball team, Team Strky seemed to be faring well against the visiting team from America. They broke through defenses with their drives and scored shots easily.

However, Team Jabberwock quickly turned the tables with their expert street basketball moves from the west. They performed amazing stunts on the court, like magic tricks with the basketball. And the pressure was on, as the Jabberwock team cornered Team Strky into checkmate.

The final score was 86-6, with the American team's victory.

However, in a question asked after the striking match, the captain of Jabberwock, Nash Gold Jr., spoke words that insulted and disparaged all basketball players of Japan. His mockery left the audience with open mouths of shock.

Galvanized to reclaim their and all Japanese basketball players' pride after the devastating loss, there was a suggestion for a revenge match. Aida Kagetora, the tour guide for the visiting team, challenged them to a rematch with a team he had yet to announce.

A week passed since Japan's defeat at the hands of Jabberwock. And, born was a dream team of high school students.

Named after the sword used to defeat the Jabberwock monster in "Alice Through the Looking Glass", they were Vorpal Swords; a special team assembled to slay the Jabberwock team.

As promised, the rematch took place a week later. Team Jabberwock convened at an indoor basketball court to face their second match. Their opponent this time, Team Vorpal Swords, included five players dubbed the Generation of Miracles since their middle school days.

The match was extraordinarily thrilling, shocking, and suspenseful. Hearts were palpitating, and the large crowd in the audience cheered with support. Vorpal Swords intelligently navigated each seemingly hopeless situation, changing players throughout the match and when two of them became unable to play. The enthralling game kept spectators captivated until the last second of the final quarter. This amazing spectacle of a match was definitely worth the watch.

With the final score of 92-91, Team Vorpal Swords proved victorious and defeated the Jabberwock team. The crowd erupted into joyous screams and tears.

Under the confetti raining onto the court, the fuchsia team celebrated with a particular section of the audience while the team in black stood in defeat. And there was proof that we were all playing the honorable basketball.

.

As the players basked in jubilation, we conducted a live television interview with the captain of Team Vorpal Swords, Akashi Seijuro, after their victory:

—Congratulations on your win. How do you all feel?

"Although I cannot speak for everyone, I believe we're all happy to have accomplished this victory together."

—From the captain's perspective, what do you think helped your team secure this victory?

"This victory goes to our ability to coordinate our plays. We've all learned how vital teamwork and cooperation are in basketball, and it was one of the things that differentiated us from Jabberwock."

—You only had one week to practice with this team, correct? How did you coordinate with each other in such a short time frame?

"During this week, we played many practice games under Coach Aida Kagetora's instruction. Kuroko and Kagami had excellent coordination before we began, and some of us were also on the same team before. We knew each other's strengths and playing styles, so it was a matter of how to use our skills together for the team's victory, and not necessarily for individual wins."

—How did you choose this team?

"Coach Aida and Kuroko gathered us all. I'm very glad to have been able to play this match with these team members. They're remarkable teammates and players in their own way. Although we have rivalries between high schools now, most of us had been teammates at one point or another. We are each other's allies."

—You're all rivals in high school who just happened to come together for this match?

"Yes. Most of us are based in Tokyo, but some of us go to school in different prefectures. One of our phenomenal managers, for example, moved to Miyagi for high school. She's joined us a bit for this special match, but she's usually a manager for volleyball now. We're very lucky she was able to visit.

"Our other schools are in Akita and Kanagawa, and myself in Kyoto. We just finished playing each other's schools at the Interhigh Nationals, and we'll be facing each other again at this year's Winter Cup."

—You all showed us incredible plays. Some people call you the Generation of Miracles. Is that right?

"It's an epithet from when the eight of us went to Teikō Junior High School."

—The eight of you? Pardon me for asking, but who would that be?

"Midorima Shintarō, Aomine Daiki, Kise Ryōta, Murasakibara Atsushi, Kuroko Tetsuya, Momoi Satsuki, Akatsuki Ai, and myself."

—I was under the impression that there were only five of you in the Generation.

"It's a very common misunderstanding, unfortunately. They don't count the Phantom Sixth Man or the managers.

"Kagami is additionally a formidable player. I and the rest of us believe he is as skilled as our Generation. He may have been a part of us if we had played together in middle school."

—Will Team Vorpal Swords be playing again in the future?

"This was a one-time team. Therefore, we don't have any other matches planned. However, I'm sure there will be opportunities to play more together if all of us continue basketball."

—Any last comments on this game?

"It was an incredible match and meaningful to all. It's been a pleasure to work with Coach Aida Kagetora and the assistant coach Aida Riko for this team. The managers Akatsuki Ai and Momoi Satsuki have my appreciation as well. They're both remarkable managers who have cared for this team with their entire being. It feels as though this week as Team Vorpal Swords went by in the blink of an eye, but through it, the two of them have helped me keep the team in line and made sure we could play in our best condition. I'm sure every player on our team can agree that we wouldn't have gotten here without the two managers. We may not have this victory if not for their compassionate hard work. The team and I are thankful for their support and audience's."

—Thank you for this interview, captain. Congratulations on your team's victory again.

Akashi glanced at a female in the Vorpal Swords team sweatshirt, who had been watching the captain's interview and waiting patiently, and he smiled. "If you'll excuse me, my girlfriend's waiting for me to take her out to the celebratory afterparty."

He nodded to the interviewer and walked away toward the raven-haired girl. He placed a hand on her back and led her to the doors.

———

As the couple turned away from the camera crews, Ai leaned close so she could talk to him in hushed voices. "Seijuro, you didn't have to say it like that."

He just chuckled and smiled. "Sorry. I'll be careful next time."

She almost smiled back. But, to be honest, Akashi implying to others that she was his girlfriend was the least of her worries.

Although she didn't often do this, Ai brought his hand from the small of her back to hold it.

Akashi squeezed her hand with his bigger one and entwined their fingers. It reaffirmed his presence next to her.

She felt so happy to be holding hands and walking next to him that she could cry. The match had made her overly emotional.

"Did you get to meet Himuro-san with Murasakibara?"

"I did. And, I saw Reo-san and Hayama-san and Nebuya-san, too."

"Ah. The two of them must've been happy to meet you," he said, keeping the gentle smile on his face.

"I'm happy I could meet them, too. And, I can't wait to see you in the next issue of Basketball Monthly." She had only seen the last bit of his interview, so she was looking forward to finding a video clip of it online.

"I'm excited for it, too. You'll be in it." He glanced down at her.

"Seijuro," Ai laughed dryly to hide her embarrassment.

Akashi checked their surroundings, making sure that no one was looking, and kissed her temple. "Let's go. The car's waiting to take us all back to the Aida Gym."

Total Word Count: 1563