Madoka just has the worst luck...
...coming down with a cold right before our family trip.
M-my fever finally broke.
But it's too late now...
I really wanted to go to Fiji.
Please hold down the fort while we're away for Golden Week. - The Family
And now I'm stuck here for a whole week.
I don't know if I can survive all alone...
That futon has legs!
Rikukaikuu doko ni ikou Where to go? The land, sea or sky?
Ahiru no Sora
Kimi o sasoitai na I wanna invite you to come along
Monogatari wa hajima tterunda The pages of our story have started to turn
Okubyou kaze mo recycle If you lose your nerve then recycle it
Mayotteru senaka oshite And let it push you past hesitation
Give and go! Isogou Give and go! With the flow
Mogutteita honou ga kaodashite Instincts that are buried deep will always rear their head again
Kakusenai no sa yume ni mita yume People can't just hide the dreams they once dreamed of
Tobenai tsubasa demo Even if these wings can't fly
Bokura wa habataite sora o kanjitai We want to spread them wide and embrace the sky
Naritai jibun ni naritai Becoming the people who we want to be
Ima dekinai koto mo ashita wa wakannai ze You never know, the impossible could be possible tomorrow
Waru agaki shiyou So let's keep up the struggle
Happy go ducky!
It's... too heavy!
Hey! You're late, Kurumatani.
Differing Enthusiasm
Dude, you lugged that thing all the way here?
Nanao Sports
Good morning!
Whoa, that's a lot of luggage!
Allow me to assist you.
Oh... thank you!
Hey, Nao, these are from my dad.
Wow! So many veggies!
They're fresh from our store.
I didn't realize that your family ran a grocery store, Yashuara.
Yeah, and Nabe's old man runs a farm down in Ibaraki.
Here's 20 kilos of rice.
Whoa, incredible!
Okay, then, I know this isn't much of a thank you, but please...
...take these.
F-for us?
They were our display pieces, so they're not the cleanest.
Sweet! A perfect fit!
Since basketball puts a lot of strain on the legs,
I thought you guys should have proper shoes.
I think I want get married to Nao...!
Where are we gonna be sleeping?
And also eat our meals.
You'll all be sleeping in the gym, obviously.
We have permission to use the Home Ec classroom for cooking and eating.
So then, where will you sleep, Nao?
Mr. Satsuki unlocked the break room for me, but to be honest...
...I'm scared of sleeping by myself, so I'll stay with all of you.
WITH ALL OF US?!
This is the best training camp ever!
Okay everybody, get changed and then meet in the gym!
ROGER!
Yoko: Did you get over your cold?
Yoko: I hear the boys' team is doing a training camp right now.
A training camp?
Yoko: I hear the boys' team is doing a training camp right now.
That sounds like a lot of fun!
I thought that we'd end up doing intense training all day, but...
This might actually be fun, like one of those seaside schools!
I brought a console for us to play with.
The Legend of Rails
Nice, Yasu!
I guess we're having a game tourney tonight!
Chiaki's Notes
From what I've uncovered, Nao's grades in Home Ec are at the top of her class.
Awesome!
I'm looking forward to see what she cooks us for dinner!
I thought they might get bummed out at the idea of a training camp,
Yeah, I'm curious to see what it'll be!
but it looks like everyone will be in good spirits for practice.
Is there anybody who wouldn't be excited for an event like this?
There's something even more amazing waiting for us after dinner.
Oh?!
And what makes you say that?
Because I've already worked my magic on the baths.
You really do have all of your bases covered, man!
Training camps for the win!
Oh, they're really going at it.
Hey, guys!
I came to hang out!
They're all totally wiped out...
...and there isn't even a ball on the court. Have they just been running?!
What's going on Nao?
Oh, hello, Madoka.
I heard you guys were doing a training camp, but...
Yep. We just got started today.
You just started and they're already this tired?
Yes.
The emphasis of this training is on footwork, so it's extra difficult for the three newbies.
But for our experienced members, I'm making them do double what those three are.
The most important thing for them right now is to build stamina and toughen up.
Running Time based (20 mins) or Laps outside (30 times) Stretches Full court dash Backwards run Dash and Stop Hands up Jump Leg Bounce Shuttle Run Ladder (20 times x 10 sets)
Y-you're making them do all this in one day?
Skipping Thigh Lifts Side Kicks Leg Bounces Two Leg Jumps Slide Steps Mirror Dribble (zig-zag) No Ball Side Step Cross Step Side Step
Dribble Practice Front back dribble Left right dribble High low dribble 2 players (50 times) 3 players (50 times) Half 1-on-1 (20 times) Match Practice Shooting Practice
We had no morning practice today, so this was on the easy end.
Sleep
In addition to that, I've set aside individual practice time for everyone
Sleep | Running/Stretches
Sleep | Running/Stretches | Breakfast
Sleep | Running/Stretches | Breakfast | Morning Practice
Lunch
Sleep | Running/Stretches | Breakfast | Morning Practice Lunch | Afternoon Practice
to work on refining their skills in the evenings.
Sleep | Running/Stretches | Breakfast | Morning Practice Lunch | Afternoon Practice | Dinner
Sleep | Running/Stretches | Breakfast | Morning Practice Lunch | Afternoon Practice | Dinner | Individual Practice
Right now, this is nothing but a gathering of talented players.
They're still completely undeveloped as a team.
The entire point of this training camp...
...is to create the real Kuzu High basketball team.
A team that will survive the intense competition
of the Kanagawa block and go to the inter-high tournament.
I believe with all of my heart, that these guys are capable of that.
I can tell, she's serious about this...
When you've finished with that, please go and walk it off!
Get your breathing under control and then start pushing your pace up!
They're like zombies.
But it's hard to believe that until recently, all these guys did was get into fights.
Hey, Nao?
Is there are anything that I can help out with?
Huh?
My house is totally empty now, so I wouldn't mind staying overnight.
Really? That would be a big help!
Um, in that case, I do have one favor to ask of you.
Sure. Anything you want!
Home Ec. Room
That's a hard pass, even from me.
For real, my stomach isn't accepting any donations right now.
Those jerks! After all that effort I put in...
Though I will admit I screwed up just a little.
Seconds, please. I'm still hungry.
You don't have to force yourself to eat it on my account.
The hell are you going on about?
It's a little saltier than ordinary, but it tastes just fine.
Thanks...
And so, the first one bites the dust...
Survival of the fittest.
RIP in peace, Momoharu.
What now? Should we play games or something?
My muscles are so cramped that I can't move an inch.
Let's just sleep.
Hold your horses, gentlemen.
There's still one thing left...
...the main event of this evening.
Ah, this feels great!
Are you really sure this is okay?
Huh?
Spending your holiday with us at the training camp.
I have nothing better to do.
This is one good way to pass the time.
Plus, just think, it would be dangerous for you to be here alone.
Those guys are wild animals.
To be honest, I did have my own worries about that...
But there's something else.
One more thing I'm really concerned about.
I've amassed a lot of basketball knowledge,
but that's not enough to make me a proper coach.
I've been putting up a facade of confidence in front of everyone until now.
But I'm not really sure if what we're doing will actually work in the end.
Alternatively, I know that if I seem hesitant at all,
then it will just cause everyone to have doubts.
I've already prepared myself for the worst if they end up hating me for it, but...
You're doing just fine. No problem.
I think everyone is already aware of what they need to do to better themselves.
Plus, I get the feeling that brave face you put on is getting through to them.
Shhh!
Listen up, I jammed a small rock into the bottom of this window earlier.
Now it won't fully close and gets stuck open just a tiny bit.
Your foresight is most admirable, commander!
Great. Then I shall take the first peek!
Whew, I'm feeling refreshed!
Fuji Bathhouse Sauna Electric Bath Whirlpool Jet Bath
It's really nice to have a bathhouse so close to where the school is.
Wh-what's wrong, Chiaki?!
Ugh, they got me.
What do you mean? Who got you?!
I dunno! Some sort of mysterious creature that I've never seen before!
Come on! Hurry up, Sora!
Here!
M-Madoka...
Wait up, Madoka...!
You're walking too fast...!
First, a 7.5-kilometer run.
I sure had a nice dream.
Afterwards, an hour of stretches and loosening up.
Following breakfast, we get into morning practice.
For the first half of the day, our practice focuses entirely on footwork.
Greased Lightning
I'm starting to think he might not even be human...
Shit! What the hell do we gotta do to move like he does?
All we've been doing is tripping up over and over again.
It's because your knees and toes aren't properly pointed in the same direction.
You can't exert all the power that your legs are capable of if you're off-balance.
It prevents you from running faster and stopping more precisely.
If you overpronate or get your knees pointed the wrong way,
then you have to correct it right away.
When you turn, you should carry your weight on the ball of your foot.
I think their teamwork will develop nicely if things keep progressing like this.
Aight, time for another set.
Hold up a sec! Let me rest for a bit!
Cut the crap, you can't be that worn out.
My feet hurt too much to run, dude.
I understand.
Then the two of you can leave the court and rest for a while.
We can't have anybody pushing so hard that they break a bone or pass out.
Yeah!
All right!
However!
You will both be required to hold a ball the entire time you're resting.
I want the three of you, including Yasuhara,
to do that at any time when you're not actively practicing on the court. Okay?
Whew, I'm super glad that Nanao was the one who made dinner tonight.
Ow! It's only the second day of our camp, but my legs are already killing me.
I don't think I'll last for 1,000 shots of practice today.
Kite...
What's up? You here for solo practice, too?
Oh, yeah!
Um, do you want me to throw you some passes?
No need.
You have your own skills that you need to stay focused on.
Don't spend your time fussing over others.
Work on improving your shot accuracy instead.
I shouldn't fuss over others, huh?
But Kite is the one who spends the most time fussing over the others during practice.
Dammit! I won't let him outdo me!
I guess it's pretty silly of me to tell HIM of all people to work on accuracy.
Nope, I'm done! After just 200 shots I can't even move anymore...
Hey, tell me something. What do you think about this team?
What do you mean?
Well, the high school that I was supposed to go to
always recruited top players from around the country.
"Supposed to go to"?
And the coach there was highly regarded, too.
But despite all of that they've never become the national champs. Not even once.
When I consider that, I can't help but wonder why I'm sticking with this team.
The inter-high... is so far from our grasp.
Kite...
Oh, there he is.
Yo Kite! Teach me some more about how to dribble!
Hey, Yasuhara!
I see you're holding on to the ball just like Nanao told you to.
Yep.
But I don't get it, is there a point to all this?
It's so that you develop a better feel for the ball.
"Better feel"?
Though, I know it can be boring just fiddling around with it all day like that.
I'll teach you something fun you can do.
Trace the edge of the ball with your hand, like this.
Then stop it on the back of your hand.
Repeat that in a loop with both of your hands.
Whoa! Dude, that's awesome!
It's called a "flip."
Whoops!
I can do it, too!
So, hey. I think that you're right.
The inter-high seems like it's way out of our league right now.
But all we can really do is keep moving forward, right?
That's a good point.
I guess... everybody starts somewhere.
Man, I wasn't be able to do the flip at all today.
It takes time, it's not meant to be easy.
What's most important is that you spend a lot of time handling the ball.
BOYS' BASKETBALL TEAM
And Chiaki goes down again!
Nooooo!
That sucks for you, dude!
Let's reset it.
No way! That's a cheap move, cheater!
Okay, fine then. Let's pick this up with a clean sla-
You were too tired to run, but it looks like you've got plenty of energy for games.
Huh?
Didn't our manager give you an order to hold on
to a ball whenever you're not out on the court?
You got something to say, punk?
It's called "free" time because we can spend it doing whatever we want!
That ain't right.
You guys need to double down and learn all the basics,
so that you can practice with the rest of us.
I can't tell what you guys are thinking,
but I'm dead set on getting our team to the inter-high.
So please just keep your shit together and don't hold the rest of us back.
I'm not gonna lie, that kind of pissed me off just now.
Whoa, whoa, whoa! Let's not fight guys!
I think you overstepped the line with that comment, Kite.
It's important to take a breather sometimes, right?
Come on, just apologize to them.
Why should I?
Everything I said was true and you know it.
Kite!
What do you think?
About what?
Nanao specifically gave those three something to do.
But only one of them is taking it seriously.
The other two are off playing a game.
Not only that, but they slacked off during afternoon practice.
But that's...
"Slacked off"?!
Our feet hurt like hell, so we stopped to get some rest!
Your feet may hurt, but you could still use your hands.
Why do you think Nanao told you to keep holding on to the ball?
We have no fucking idea what the purpose of all this is!
Hey! Please, let's stop this!
Wh-what's going on in here?
BOYS' BASKETBALL TEAM
You need to quit thinking that everyone here is on the same page about the inter-high.
Those guys have barely started, they're only
at the point where basketball seems pretty fun.
I know full well what it's like to fail and be discouraged.
And these are exactly the sort of differences that drive a wedge into the team.
Not everybody plays the game just to support somebody else.
I don't want to hear anymore bullshit about us "holding you back."
Oh, good morning.
You're up early today.
I couldn't really sleep that well.
Because of yesterday?
Yeah.
I don't think anything that Chiaki said was wrong...
...but even so, I feel the same way that Kite does.
When it comes to sports, having a desire to improve becomes
really important the further you go.
I'm sorry.
I should have taken more care and considered how those two must feel...
Oh, no! It's nothing that you need to apologize about!
Hey, Tinytown!
It's way too early in the morning to be going around flirting, dude.
N-nobody around here has been doing any flirting!
Whatever, have you seen Nabe or Chucky around?
Huh?
I can't find them anywhere.
All of their luggage is packed up and gone.
They made a break for it.
Hell yeah!
Awesome!
Kick ass!
I'm on fire!
You haven't won yet!
What a haul! That was genius! Pure genius!
Now THIS is what a vacation should be like!
Screw training camp. Those guys who want to practice can go right ahead!
That's not fair!
We were the ones who got here first!
What's this? A fight?
That's right! That's right!
You twerps suck, so go find somewhere else to play.
That's unfair! Cut it out!
Which means I'm willing to spend some time weeding out the world's bullies.
But mostly because those jerks remind me of Kite and it's pissing me off.
Hey there, you little punks!
You're too old to be bullying elementary schoolers.
There's no bullying going on here.
They're the ones who lost the wager game, fair and square.
"Wager game"?
The basketball hoop in this park is the only one in the neighborhood.
Whenever there's a debate about who gets to use it,
both sides settle it with a wager game of basketball.
And let me guess, you guys were the winners?
Yep. If they want to play, then they should practice and get good enough to win.
That doesn't seem entirely fair.
I definitely don't agree with the idea that
the better players are the more important ones.
Hey, listen up, kiddos.
If middle schoolers can take on elementary kids,
then you have no problem with high schoolers. Right?
That's fine, but can you old farts actually play?
Prepare to have your socks knocked off.
And roll out the red carpet!
We're members of the Kuzu High basketball team!
Let's go out and look for them.
No way. Too much effort, man.
It's better to leave them be.
They're only going to get in our way if we let them loaf around here.
But that's not...
What did you think?
Huh?
What did you think after you saw them act like that yesterday?
Well, I...
...but even so, I feel the same way that Kite does.
Shinshiro Middle 8 points Kuzu High
Anybody who lacks true passion for the game won't
get better no matter how much they practice.
You should know that better than anyone else.
Passion...
Are you guys seriously on a basketball team?
You can hardly even dribble the ball properly!
What the hell? How are you guys this damn good?
What do you mean?
We've been playing basketball since first grade.
First grade?
Does that mean these kids have been playing basketball for more than six years?!
We want to get even better.
We can't afford to spend time playing with a bunch of little twerps.
So please just keep your shit together and don't hold the rest of us back.
Basketball is a tough sport, don't sell it short.
Even if you found those two, what are you planning to say to them?
"It doesn't matter if you're not motivated,
let's try our best to get to the inter-high together"?
Or maybe, "who cares about the inter-high,
let's just have fun with it and play games along the way"?
Well?
No way...
You know I could never say any of that to them.
I mean, you explained it perfectly earlier.
Those two only think of basketball as being pretty fun, right?
But that means, it's possible they'll come to enjoy it even more in the future. Isn't that true?
That's why, they can't just quit playing because of a minor setback like this.
I've decided. I'm going out to look for them right now!
Doredake sora o miagetatte It didn't matter how long you stared up at the sky
Boku wa tobenai to kimi wa itta You always said that you would never be able to fly
Ato nankai te o nobaseba One night I cried wondering how long it would take
Todoku no darou to naita yoru Until I could finally reach you with my hands
Nigedasu koto ni nareteitte Eventually I got used to just running away
Sore ga yowasa dato shitta ano hi Until the day I realized that was a weakness
Hajimeyou mata, kyou kara So let's start it all over, right now
Taisetsu na mono wa itsudemo soba ni atta The things precious to us were always close at hand
Bokura wa itsumo hitori janai donna toki mo We are never completely alone at any time in our lives
Toberu sa doko made mo kimi wa The truth is that you can fly, wherever you want
Dare yori tataku tataku habataite Spreading your wings to go far higher than anyone else
Nagashita namida no kazu dake The more tears that you shed
Tsuyoku narunda Then the stronger you become
Tsubasa hiroge sekai o megutte Let's use those wings to travel the world over
Dare mo shiranai mirai o sagasou And find a path to a future that no one knows about
Zutto, zutto, zutto Always, always, always
Aruite yukou saa, issho ni Walking onwards, all of us together
Ahiru no Sora Next Time: Towards Victory
Next time: "Towards Victory."