What they should be thinking about now wasn't how impressive Yuuto was, but how to win this game.
Kuroko suddenly raised his hand and said, "I have a move that might bring some help to the team."
"What move?"
"The Vanishing Drive. But I can't do it alone; I need Kagami-kun's cooperation."
"Eh? Vanishing Drive?"
Kagami still thought Kuroko was useless except for passing; he didn't expect him to have the ability to drive as well.
"What do I need to do?"
"Wait for the right moment when I dribble..."
Kuroko briefly explained the principle of the Vanishing Drive to Kagami.
Coordinating this drive wasn't particularly difficult; the important thing was grasping the timing.
The game continued.
Coming back.
Both sides strengthened their defense against each other's Aces.
Kagami and Kise were constantly guarded closely by two people.
Under such circumstances, Kuroko stepping up allowed Seirin to seize the initiative.
They took the opportunity to chase points and achieved an overtake.
If nothing unexpected happened, Kaijo was going to lose this game.
Before Kise evolved and developed Perfect Copy, his level was actually not much different from Haizaki.
What's more, the current Kuroko had his driving and shooting abilities developed in advance by Yuuto.
The game ended.
Seirin defeated Kaijo with an alley-oop buzzer-beater, winning the practice match.
"I'm heading back first, Satsuki."
"Oh, okay. What about Midorin?"
"You guys go ahead."
He planned to meet his old teammate.
Since graduating middle school, the Generation of Miracles hadn't met each other.
Taking this opportunity, he'd go say a few words to Kise.
Outside the arena.
Yuuto turned and asked, "Since you came all this way, not going to talk to Kise?"
"Wait for next time. Little Kise probably doesn't want to see us right now."
Boys, after all.
All carry a bit of machismo; they don't want to be seen in a sorry state by girls, especially girls they are close to.
Hearing this, Yuuto said no more. Just as he was about to continue walking forward, a basketball suddenly flew toward him.
Smack!
He reached out to catch it. Turning to look, it was someone from Seirin. Taiga Kagami maintained his throwing posture.
"Rare opportunity. Let's have a match, Lion King Yuuto!"
Although he had just finished a game, Taiga Kagami still wanted to play against Yuuto.
He wanted to see exactly how strong the person Kuroko claimed he absolutely couldn't beat was.
Yuuto spun the ball on his fingertip with the momentum.
"Next time. In the Tokyo area, we have plenty of chances to play against each other."
"Are you trying to run away?"
"Kuroko, and Riko, nice game."
Yuuto ignored Kagami, turning to greet the two acquaintances.
"Let's save our match for the Inter-High Preliminaries."
He threw the ball back to Kagami.
If he remembered correctly, in the District Preliminaries, Seiho would encounter Seirin very soon.
"Coach, do you know Yuuto?"
Only after the person left did Junpei Hyuga ask the question in his heart.
Facing them, who had just defeated a Generation of Miracle, Yuuto's attitude was excessively composed, making people involuntarily feel scared.
"Yeah. For the past two years, Yuuto came to my dad's gym every year for professional training."
"Eh? Already so impressive, yet still training so hard?" Even Hyuga couldn't help but sigh.
"So we can't be complacent because of one victory. Greater challenges are waiting for us." Riko Aida told the team members not to be careless. "However, we are also very strong!"
Yes!
They were very strong!
Defeating Kaijo and a Generation of Miracle was the best proof.
Seirin was no longer that scrub team from a year ago.
She was full of confidence for this year's National Tournament.
...
The next day.
Yuuto came to the basketball club after school.
"How was the result of yesterday's game?"
Tsutomu Iwamura knew Yuuto went to Kanagawa yesterday to watch a Kaijo game.
"Seirin won."
"Is that so? As expected... Wait, how could a team like Seirin possibly win... Eh?"
"Seirin won."
Yuuto repeated once, ensuring everyone heard clearly.
"For real? Seirin beat Kaijo?"
The Seiho players were shocked.
What kind of team was Seirin?
A scrub team massacred by them with a huge score last year could actually beat Kaijo?
"If I recall correctly, Kaijo got Ryota Kise from the Generation of Miracles this year, right?"
"Correct. But they still lost to Seirin. Seirin got two very formidable newcomers this year."
Yuuto recalled Seiho's first encounter with Seirin; they also suffered from underestimating the enemy.
Treating Seirin as the scrub team from a year ago.
Ultimately losing the game 71:73.
"I advise you all to put away unnecessary arrogance."
"Don't space out. Training starts."
Yuuto tied his shoelaces and led all Seiho members in warm-ups.
Looking at his posture, those who didn't know would think he was Seiho's captain.
However.
Tsutomu Iwamura was indeed considering handing over the captain position to Yuuto.
Getting along for so many days, he found Yuuto was a very charismatic player.
Not just strength; as a teammate, he could always make those around him trust him unconditionally.
"Find a chance to talk to the coach and Yuuto."
...
After the practice match between Seirin and Kaijo.
Seiho scheduled another practice match, which they won easily.
The High School Inter-High Preliminaries opened in mid-May, still a month away.
Through these practice matches, Shio Yamashita continuously perfected his new formation, checking for gaps and filling omissions.
It had to be said, this old-school coach was indeed good at defense, but the help he could provide the team on offense was relatively little.
Most of the time, it was simply and crudely "Give the damn ball to Yuuto!"
No wonder this guy promised Yuuto unlimited firing rights when seeking him out.
Shio Yamashita really didn't have much substance on the offensive end; his offensive tactic was giving the ball to "Jordan."
Including player development, it was mostly defense-oriented, with limited development of players' offensive abilities.
Yuuto's [Data Eye] played a key role at this time.
He successfully helped teammates maximize strengths and avoid weaknesses, developing offensive capabilities, making Seiho's offensive history turn a new page.
This was also why Tsutomu Iwamura wanted to abdicate in favor of the worthy.
Yuuto currently in the basketball club wasn't just a player; he counted as half a coach.
Shio Yamashita was responsible for defense, Yuuto for offense.
He was already the absolute number two figure in the team, second only to Coach Shio Yamashita.
...
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