[Midorima Shintaro placed immense importance on this match. He yearned to be the first player to defeat you.]
[Failing to achieve the three-peat at the Nationals last year was a regret for him.]
[Although he always complained that old teammates like Aomine didn't understand what it meant to "do everything humanly possible," he truly wanted to achieve greatness with the Generation of Miracles.]
[In the end, they lost... and they lost to you.]
[The best way to make up for that regret was to lead his own team and defeat you head-on!]
[You successfully stole the ball from him. Your ability to dominate in 1-on-1 defense is unparalleled.]
[You sparked a counterattack, assisting Ryuhei Kasuga for a score under the basket. Seiho took the lead.]
[You didn't run back on defense; instead, you stuck close to Midorima Shintaro.]
[Against the strongest shooter of the Generation of Miracles, whose range is terrifyingly the entire court, you couldn't afford to give him space.]
[Masaaki Nakatani had anticipated this. He had long realized that Seiho's defensive core was you, not Tomoki Tsugawa or Tsutomu Iwamura.]
[Therefore, to defeat Seiho, tearing you away from Seiho's defensive line was a crucial task they had to accomplish.]
[Kazunari Takao brought the ball across half-court. The game effectively became a 4-on-4 battle between the other eight players.]
[Under the basket, Taisuke Otsubo received the ball and forced his way against Iwamura. The captains of the two King teams engaged in fierce hand-to-hand combat in the paint.]
[Both were among the best centers in the Tokyo district, and their strength was evenly matched.]
"An expected choice."
Yuuto had anticipated Shutoku's strategy.
Among all the Generation of Miracles, Midorima's abilities had the worst compatibility with Yuuto.
As long as Midorima spaced the floor, Seiho couldn't deploy their most proficient formation.
Because, aside from Yuuto, Kagami, and a few members of the Generation of Miracles, there was no other player in the country capable of guarding Midorima one-on-one.
[For a full quarter, you and Midorima were like spectators with VIP tickets, watching your teammates play on the court.]
[Neither of you participated in the offense. The game turned into a grind.]
[The score was close. Thanks to your eyes stimulating the team's abilities, Seiho led temporarily by 3 points, 26:23.]
[Many spectators wondered: Are they going to play like this until the game ends?]
[The answer was no.]
[Over the course of a quarter, using the observation from the Eye of the Sky, you had already completed multiple corrections.]
[By now, you could say you had mastered the "Pseudo-Emperor Eye," capable of predicting the future actions of your opponents, including Takao.]
[The second quarter began, and you started to take action.]
[Under the observation of the Eye of the Sky, the movements of all nine other players were within your gaze. By analyzing the real-time changes in their body data, you analyzed their next moves.]
[You delivered a pass that made the entire arena erupt in applause.]
[Your pass arrived at the spot even before Ryuhei Kasuga got there.]
[The pass was so precise it was brilliant. The moment Kasuga caught it, he could attack the basket immediately. Kiyoshi Miyaji only reacted after Kasuga had already completed the layup.]
["It wasn't a flash in the pan, was it?" Masaaki Nakatani's expression remained unchanged.]
[He knew no less about you than Yamashita Shio did. He had known since last year that you were someone who liked to hide your true skills, possessing a maturity that didn't match your age.]
[He had remained vigilant about the passing ability you displayed in the fourth round.]
[You began to pass and assist your teammates for consecutive points.]
[With guidance passes second only to Akashi's, every ball landed exactly in your teammates' preferred spots. When they caught your passes, they felt incredibly comfortable.]
[Momoi was also at the scene today to gather intel. Seeing your passes, she rubbed her eyes in disbelief.]
[If this continued, your passing would sooner or later reach Akashi's level, because you were constantly making corrections.]
[Four minutes into the second quarter, Shutoku finally couldn't hold on.]
[Although removing you from Seiho's defensive formation allowed Shutoku to score, the difference in scoring efficiency was too great.]
"Is it coming? Let's see what these coaches have arranged for me."
[Midorima Shintaro began to move. He finally joined the team's offense.]
[Running off the ball, he circled from the paint back out to the three-point line.]
[You followed closely, but were blocked by Shinsuke Kimura along the way. Kazunari Takao, seeing everything, immediately delivered the ball to Midorima.]
[Swish! The basketball fell from the sky like a meteorite. Midorima hit his second three-pointer of the match.]
...
"A pick-and-roll. Nothing new."
Such tactics were basic; they weren't enough to defeat him or Seiho.
Yuuto continued reading the simulation.
[Your expression went blank for a moment, your eyes glazing over for a split second.]
[Your Weakness Revision talent activated.]
[Midorima noticed your anomaly and understood that the same trick wouldn't work a second time.]
[On the offensive end, you continued to survey the court with the Eye of the Sky. This time you didn't pass, but slashed into the paint for an easy layup.]
[Shutoku, wary of your passing, couldn't react in time and gave up 2 points. They really didn't have a good solution for you.]
...
[It was Shutoku's turn. Midorima was still running off the ball, attempting to shake you off, but that was wishful thinking. The "Death Coil" granted you extremely strong man-to-man defensive capabilities.]
[Midorima Shintaro ran toward the three-point line. You encountered a screen from Kiyoshi Miyaji. You spun early to shake him off, but ended up crashing into Shinsuke Kimura.]
[He stumbled from your impact—the "Brute Force" talent gave you strength surpassing even Iwamura, so Kimura was no match for you physically—but...]
[Swish! Midorima Shintaro sank another three.]
[It's raining threes!]
[So far in this match, Midorima Shintaro has only taken 3 shots, all three-pointers, and made all of them.]
[3 shots in exchange for 9 points. Such scoring efficiency is simply jaw-dropping.]
"Double screens? If it goes on like this, it might even turn into a triple screen."
Double screens.
This was also within Yuuto's considerations.
Possessing a super-turret like Midorima, it would be a crime not to utilize his ability and create offensive space for him.
But looking at Shutoku's posture, it was possible they would develop into using a three-man screen.
Leaving only Kazunari Takao responsible for feeding ammunition to Midorima.
[You considered that if this continued, Shutoku might use a triple screen just to give Midorima space to shoot.]
["If we can just cut the connection between those two, everything will be fine." Yamashita Shio stopped his meditation and squatted by the sideline, pondering a strategy to break the enemy.]
...
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