CHAPTER 44: MOUNTAIN TRIAL : FACING THE NEW CHALLENGER

Just like the day before, at exactly 7:30 AM, the teams gathered in front of the lodge. Groggy eyes, sore muscles, and light yawns filled chilly, pine-scented morning air. Some players still had messy, sleep-tangled bed hair. Others were in the middle of tying their laces.

But today, something was different.

The tension wasn’t just between Horizon and Toyonaka anymore.

Because today... there were new challengers, not just saying they’re challengers, but declaring: ’We are the challengers. And we’ll prove it—today.’

Standing beside Coach Tsugawa were five men—older, broader, confident. These weren’t high schoolers. These were college athletes. Former players who had trained under Coach Tsugawa, now back to repay their suffering... by dishing it out.

Shingo "Buzz" Kawada—the buzzcut lightning-haired star who already had a JBL contract in his pocket—stood at the front of them, spinning a ball on his finger with a smirk.

"Since we’ve got some new guests here," Coach Tsugawa began, clutching his clipboard, "we’ll keep it simple. Same routine as yesterday. Morning jog to the mountain court."

Groans rumbled through the crowd.

"First to arrive gets the exemption ticket for today’s meal," Coach added. "And you all know how important that is."

Dirga’s jaw clenched. No way. No freaking way he was eating that tasteless nutrient block again. Not after seeing Kaito—their reliable, ever-composed captain—go pale mid-bite like he’d been poisoned.

That grey paste haunted him.

Never again.

"Let’s go!" Coach’s whistle pierced the air.

Immediately, Buzz launched forward like a cannonball, feet pounding through the forest path with shocking speed. His buzzcut shimmered, the lightning mural on the side catching the light like a blade.

"That guy’s a monster!" Aizawa shouted, already breaking into a sprint.

"CHASE HIM!" Taiga bellowed, adrenaline firing up his legs.

Masaki King, Toyonaka’s powerhouse, stormed after them. "No way I’m letting that guy win!"

Dirga fell in behind, pacing himself carefully. He could feel the tension in his ankle—a dull reminder of what could happen if he pushed too hard. But the thought of that bland, flavorless dinner pushed his body harder than any coach’s order.

He paced behind the front pack, letting them expend their energy early.

As the mountain trail grew steeper, and the air grew thinner, he made his decision.

[Echo, use a stamina booster.]

[Confirmed. One stamina booster consumed. Effect duration: 90 minutes.]

A pulse of focused warmth shot through Dirga’s limbs, like his blood had turned into jet fuel. His heartbeat steadied. His lungs opened like wings.

One by one, he began overtaking the pack—Rikuya, Taiga, Yuto, even Masaki.

Now, only Buzz was ahead.

And then, the court came into view.

Dirga gritted his teeth, arms pumping, legs burning. He surged forward.

Buzz turned, saw the blur of motion behind him—and laughed.

"YOU’RE BUZZING, KID!" he shouted, but Dirga didn’t stop.

He sprinted past him and crossed the invisible finish line—crashing into the dusty court with a loud thud, gasping for air.

"I—hah—did it..."

Buzz jogged in behind him and slapped his back with a grin. "No way! I thought I was the fastest guy here!"

Dirga wheezed. "You probably are... but I really, really hate grey food."

Buzz burst out laughing. "Now that’s motivation."

Masaki arrived next, panting, sweat pouring from his head. "You’re fast. Didn’t expect that from a guy who needed crutches a few weeks ago."

Dirga smiled through the pain. "Motivation, okay. That food never again"

One by one, the others stumbled in—some collapsed, others keeled over.

Coach Tsugawa nodded, stopwatch in hand. "Winner: Dirgantara Renji."

Horizon erupted into cheers.

Even Buzz gave a two-finger salute. "Respect."

"Three-minute rest. Then physical drills," Coach added casually, earning a wave of groans from both Horizon and Toyonaka.

Except Kurama Team.

Buzz and his crew casually stretched, rolling their shoulders and necks.

"It’s been a while since we trained under him," Yu Tamura said.

"Think it’ll still feel like hell?" Masaru Hibiki, the giant among them, asked.

"Absolutely," Sota Enami replied, adjusting his sport glasses. "But let’s see how much we’ve grown."

Dirga tilted his head. Wait. So they all used to train under Coach Tsugawa too? Were they... teammates once?

Coach blew the whistle again.

"Warm-up. Now."

And so began another round of pain.

...

Thanks to the stamina booster, Dirga didn’t crash this time. He kept pace with the rest of his team—sweating buckets, yes, but standing tall. Every ladder sprint, every suicide drill, every jump squat—it all burned, but his body held firm.

Buzz and his team took the training like seasoned warriors. Their bodies moved with discipline, not force. Precision. Strength. Unity.

Even Toyonaka kicked it up a notch. No one wanted to be outdone.

After two hours of non-stop physical training, Coach finally gave the signal to stop. Players dropped to the floor, faces red, shirts soaked.

"Now," Coach said, stepping forward, "we begin the Three-Way Trial."

He held up a coin.

"The first match will be... Toyonaka vs Kurama Team."

Kurama Team grinned.

Buzz clapped his hands. "Let’s gooo! Time to cook, boys."

Sota adjusted his glasses again, sharp and calm. Masaru simply stood with arms crossed. Renjiro, their headphone-wearing shooting guard, didn’t say a word.

[System Quest Alert]

Quest: Kurama Challenge

With the addition of the Kurama Team, a special challenge has been unlocked.

Objectives:

Win 3 games → Basic skill fusion: High Motor + Body Control and 1 item

Win 4 games → 3 item reward

Win 6 games → Skill

Rewards scale based on performance.

[Accept Quest?]

[Yes/No]

Dirga grinned.

He clenched his fist. [Yes.]

He turned to his teammates. "We need to watch this game carefully."

Kaito nodded. "They’ve got limits. Coach said so."

"Maybe Buzz has a scoring limit," Rikuya added. "He is a scoring machine, after all."

"They’re strong," Masaki muttered, watching Kurama’s team huddle, "but I doubt Coach would let them go full power. Not against us."

Dirga’s eyes sharpened.

Focus. Observe. Understand. Exploit.

Buzz turned to the court, spinning the ball on his finger. "Let’s see what the young blood’s got."