"Shut it. Besides those cheap tricks, what else do you even have?"
The gym went silent. Number 1's smirk froze. He hadn't expected Kota to clap back.
Before he could even get riled up enough to retaliate, Kota had already walked away and sat down with Kise on the bench.
Number 1 was about to blow up—until he noticed the entire Kaijo squad glaring at him. He quickly reconsidered. Picking a fight now would be asking for trouble. Still, in his heart, he swore: he'd make Kota pay.
"Tch. What the hell was coach thinking…"
Kise grumbled as he plopped down. He'd only driven inside a few times, and both of his arms were already red and marked up—somebody clearly didn't trim their nails.
Kota gave his leg a light pat and stayed quiet.Instead, he squinted toward Number 1 across the court.
His danger radar was tingling. That guy? He definitely had it out for him now. Not much, but enough to make Kota wary.
"These guys… where did they even come from? I mean, dirty plays aside—they're good."
Kise was still muttering. This was the first time he'd faced opponents who were both strong and played dirty. Usually, it was one or the other.
"Genius, we've got seven minutes left in the third."
Kota pointed at the scoreboard and asked seriously:
"Can you close the gap?"
Score: 67–58. Youth Team in the lead.
"Huh?"
Kise hesitated, scratching his head.
"Well… I could, sure. But their offense is solid. Even if I catch up, they'll probably just pull away again. I mean, our defense can't really hold up…"
As he trailed off, his eyes drifted toward their other teammates.
Seeing Kasamatsu's face tighten, he quickly waved his hands.
"I-I didn't mean you guys are the problem! I mean—they're just really strong…"
"Enough, Kise."
Kasamatsu gripped his water bottle, his voice low.
"Much as I hate to say it… we're the ones dragging the team down."
This training match had shattered their post-championship confidence.They were far from the top.
Other than Kota, the rest of the team was floundering under the sheer physicality of the Youth Team. Especially Kobori — normally a beast in the paint, now he was being manhandled like a rookie.
Kota watched silently, then clapped his hands to break the gloom.
"C'mon, don't look like you just lost your scholarships. You can tell just by looking—these guys aren't high schoolers."
He glanced toward Takeuchi by the scorer's table and added:
"I'm guessing coach set this up because we were getting too full of ourselves after winning Interhigh. Probably brought in a club team to knock us down a peg. We're not supposed to beat them—hell, they're probably in their twenties."
Male athletes usually peak physically around 20, after all.
Of course, Kota didn't say the full truth. Takeuchi's secrecy made it clear: keep it quiet. But technically, he wasn't wrong.
The others looked over at the Youth Team. Sure enough, a bunch of them had facial hair. Hard to mistake that for high school stubble.
Except Yuki, of course. He still looked like he needed a hall pass.
Kogure suddenly slammed a fist into his open palm.
"No wonder they're built like tanks! They've been eating grown-man meals for years!"
…Yeah, no. That's not the main reason. Kota internally rolled his eyes.
It was mostly talent. If someone like Murasakibara, still underage, showed up—they'd be sweating just the same.
"Anyway, get your heads back in the game."
Kota tried to lift the mood, then turned to Kise and said seriously:
"Bring us back, genius. I know it'll wear you out—but at least keep it close until the fourth."
Kise stretched his neck—crack, crack—and let out a quiet laugh.
"Well, I was gonna ask what I'm supposed to do in the fourth if I burn out now…"
"…But never mind. I'll do what you say, Kota. That's how we've always won."
Kota didn't say anything — just smiled.It felt damn good to be trusted by your ace. And let's be honest… aces are more useful when they listen.
He held out a fist. Kise blinked, then chuckled and bumped it.
Takeuchi's whistle blew. Timeout over.
"Geez, some ace I am. More like your personal sword — just point and slash."
Kise muttered sarcastically as he jogged back onto the court, eyes glowing gold.
Number 1 still hadn't realized how deep the trouble ran. He strutted over to Kota, smirking.
"Hey shorty. Hope you enjoy this half, 'cause you're about to disappear."
Kota gave him a blank look and shook his head.
You should be grateful I'm not Akashi. Or you'd be down one ear by now.
"Keep those old eyes wide open, grandpa," Kota muttered under his breath."What happens next might blow your little basketball worldview wide open."
He glanced at the formation, passed the ball to Kise, and said:
"Let the show begin."
Number 1 rolled his eyes. He figured Kota was just trying to provoke him.
Then came the gasps.
He turned — and his jaw hit the floor.
Kise had caught the inbound pass and didn't dribble. He just rose up and launched a shot from inside Kaijo's own three-point line.
"The hell's he doing? Trying to show off?"
Someone on the Youth Team scoffed.Looked like a circus stunt.
Even the Youth Team captain shook his head—what a joke.
Still, his eyes never left the ball. He was already preparing to go for the rebound.
The shot soared in a high arc, sailing across the court.
With the extra airtime, all ten players had a brief moment to breathe.
Number 1 crossed his arms, watching it rise.
"This what you wanted to show me?" he mocked Kota.
"Coming outta timeout just to hand us the ball? Wow. Riveting stuff."
"…Well, when you put it that way…" Kota shrugged. Technically, yeah—if the shot missed, it would be a turnover.
"Oh, by the way—you still standing here? Might wanna jog back to your side. They'll need a point guard to inbound the ball."
Number 1 laughed.
"Don't tell me you actually think that's going in. That's not even—"
BEEP!
Kaijo three-pointer confirmed.
"…Huh?"
Number 1 froze. He whipped around.
Surely that whistle was for something else? Maybe out of bounds?
Everyone on the Youth Team had the same "no way" look—except their captain.
He just stood there. Mouth wide open. Eyes filled with disbelief.
That really happened?
"I told you" Kota said calmly."Open your eyes. You're about to witness basketball redefined."
"Oh—and keep standing here. You're about to give up a five-second violation."