Chapter 134: The Visit

Before the Poke-Basketball arena, the young woman who stopped Am and Renji had distinct, well-defined lips, and beneath her baseball cap, one could discern what appeared to be a head of curly hair.

"We are from the Sakuragi Institute. Is this the Poke-Basketball club?" Renji asked directly upon seeing her.

"Sakuragi Institute... Um... I am Ayako, the manager of the Poke-Basketball club. May I ask... has someone caused trouble again?" Ayako’s first instinct was that they were here to lodge a complaint, and her expression immediately turned anxious.

However, she was quickly struck by a moment of doubt—if someone had caused trouble at the institute, they would surely have notified the school administration directly.

"Ah! No, no, no. We are here at your esteemed school to see if there is any potential talent that the institute might need in the future!" Renji, hearing that she was indeed from the club, displayed his ID card from his Pokédex to avoid any suspicion regarding their identities.

"Talent?" Ayako looked at Renji, even more puzzled.

You come to the Poke-Basketball club looking for talent the institute needs? Are you trying to study just how many levels of Pokémon a human body can withstand? And besides... wouldn't that make us research materials, not research talent?

Seeing her look as if she were dying to voice these sarcastic thoughts, Am interrupted, "Actually, we have some special projects, and we were looking to see if there are any suitable partners... Rest assured, we won't disrupt your training. May we take a look?"

Renji had previously instructed Am that until they gained the club’s trust, he did not want to specifically mention Hanamichi or reveal his connection to Dr. Sakuragi in front of outsiders, lest that "kid" get angry.

"I see... Well, since you are from the Sakuragi Institute, of course, that's fine." Hearing Am put it this way, Ayako felt more at ease.

Guided by Ayako, Am and Renji entered the arena and saw the Kube Poke-Basketball club in the middle of a training session. On the court, a group of young men were scrambling for an ordinary ball, and on the sidelines stood a portly elderly man. The only Pokémon present was a Rotom, possessing an object that looked like a flying wreath, zipping all over the court—evidently, it was the target ball.

However, Am was disappointed... Why were there only "people"? It seemed they were merely simulating an inner-court session.

The interaction between the inner and outer courts is the very essence of Poke-Basketball! But if they were only simulating the inner court, using a "normal ball" wasn't actually out of place. In Poke-Basketball, those specially crafted balls act just like "ordinary balls" while in the inner court, but once they move to the outer court, they hover autonomously and absorb various types of energy.

"Hmm? Do you not usually practice the outer court?" Am looked around the facility, which didn't seem to have an "outer court" at all.

Ayako’s expression faltered at the question. "Of course not. The entire Kube school only has one standard Poke-Basketball court. It consumes a lot of energy to activate, so we can only use it a fixed number of times each week."

Am understood. A true Poke-Basketball court is not only expensive to build—otherwise, it couldn't withstand the power unleashed by Pokémon—but when it's activated, it requires specialized Pokémon to maintain the barrier between the inner and outer courts. It isn't as simple as just laying out a floor like a regular soccer or basketball court.

Kube wasn't a particularly prestigious school; one could tell by the fact that it wasn't a specialized Pokémon school, but rather a second-tier one. In the world of Poke-Basketball, Kube didn't stand out. Although their goal was the "Quartz League High School Championship," they had never even qualified from Saffron City.

As for high school Poke-Basketball, Am actually knew a much more impressive "player"—Shinichi! Before he became Conan, he was a rising star at Teitan High, the defending champion of the Quartz League High School Championship... It was a pity that before he could play a single match, he began to "vanish without a trace."

As for Kube High, the fact that they could open the court for the basketball club a few times a week was already the result of Coach Anzai’s hard work. In daily training, they practiced separately—the members would simulate inner-court play in the arena, then head to the Pokémon battle field for targeted training with their Pokémon. Occasionally, they would have specialized drills simulating inner-outer court passing, but actual full-match practice was rare.

"By the way, you also want to see how they coordinate with their Pokémon, right?" Ayako asked, assuming the reason for their visit.

Before Renji could react, Am said, "That’s right. If possible, we would like to see that."

In a match, each of the ten Pokémon must be fielded by at least one of the players. It could be five players each fielding their own partner Pokémon and five "outside reinforcements," or one player fielding six Pokémon while the others each field one. However, in the "High School League," there were restrictions on outside reinforcements; they had to be trainers who had debuted within the last three years, and the Pokémon fielded had to be their "original" partners, not obtained from other trainers. If it were the "Junior High League," no outside reinforcements were allowed at all.

Otherwise, finding five Elite Four members would be far too great an advantage in the High School League!

"I'll go ask the coach." Ayako then ran over to Coach Anzai, who was standing to the side, to explain the situation regarding the Sakuragi Institute. Seeing the portly Coach Anzai glance over, Renji and Am quickly offered their greetings.

Am had already spotted "Hanamichi"—not just because of Renji’s gaze, but because... he was the only one in the entire gym with red hair! He wasn't training on the court, but rather doing basic drills on the sidelines.

Renji expressed his surprise: "I really didn't know Hanamichi liked Poke-Basketball. I never heard of him playing in middle school."

"Young people are like that; they suddenly become interested in something," Am said with a mature air.

"True. And the middle school league has been hellish these past two years. The level of Teiko’s 'Generation of Miracles' doesn't seem like middle schoolers at all... Ah! Actually, I quite like Poke-Basketball myself, hahaha..." Renji realized halfway through that he had gotten a bit carried away; very few average people pay attention to the middle school league.

Am did indeed have a strange expression, though not because he couldn't chime in, but because... he wanted to ask a certain conceited detective if he had ever beaten Teiko during his second or third year of middle school.

After Ayako finished speaking with Coach Anzai, the coach gestured, and the Rotom ball drifted over—it was evidently Coach Anzai’s Pokémon. The team members on the court looked over, confused, as it wasn't their scheduled time for inner-court simulation.

Hanamichi also noticed Renji at this moment and immediately put on a sour face.

"Everyone, take a five-minute break. Takenori, organize the team for inner-outer court passing drills in a moment." Coach Anzai didn't mention the Sakuragi Institute, as it had nothing to do with him; he was just offering a bit of cooperation.

Takenori...

Am looked at the burly, dark-skinned captain with a strange expression. He was really named Takenori. He wondered if Hanamichi had "taken" any "liberties" with him yet.