"The Haizaki you mentioned, is that Haizaki Shogo?"
"Yes."
"Where did he go?"
Hozumi Academy's championship win last year had truly made history.
It was the first time a team from the countryside successfully upset the odds, defeating major districts to reach the national summit.
The core figure, Yuuto, naturally needed no introduction.
According to what Riko Aida knew, after his match against Teiko ended, high school coaches couldn't wait to issue invitations to him.
This was incredible.
Usually, even when high school coaches invited players, they would graciously wait until the Nationals ended.
But Yuuto broke this tradition with his astonishing talent.
In the end.
They saw the result: Yuuto descended upon Tokyo's Seiho High School.
Another key figure, Kuroko Tetsuya, unexpectedly came to their Seirin.
Only Haizaki Shogo remained a mystery.
This biggest helper of Yuuto in junior high had no news whatsoever.
"He left. He abandoned basketball."
"Oh, so it was... Eh?"
Junpei Hyuga and the others were stunned. How could such a formidable figure suddenly give up basketball?
Kuroko could only tell them a bit about Haizaki's past.
Including how he was expelled from Teiko, how he was taken to Okushirazome by Yuuto to turn over a new leaf, and finally how he completed his revenge against Teiko.
He didn't hide anything about the process, narrating it like a story.
"In other words, Yuuto took you and Haizaki, two players discarded by the Generation of Miracles, and defeated them?"
Kagami's words were a bit piercing; Kuroko expressed that he felt somewhat hurt.
However.
Yes, Yuuto had succeeded with him and Haizaki, two players Teiko didn't need.
The way the Seirin members looked at Yuuto changed at this moment.
Perhaps until now, they hadn't fully understood this Lion King of Okushirazome.
On the court.
The point difference had widened to 6. Yuuto had scored 9 points alone, with an astonishing 100% shooting accuracy.
Masaaki Nakatani felt they couldn't sit and wait for death. Their morale was being suppressed by Seiho; they had to do something.
He called the first timeout of the game.
His first sentence wasn't to change the game plan, but to ask Taisuke Otsubo, "Can you do it?"
It sounded like a nonsensical question, but the Shutoku captain understood the coach's meaning.
He was asking if they could defeat the rest of Seiho?
If not, Midorima would step in immediately to relieve their embarrassment.
This was a provocation, but it made sense.
Taisuke Otsubo and the others nodded vigorously, "We can!"
His answer was concise and powerful.
Nakatani was satisfied.
He wouldn't easily change the game plan; he had strict requirements for his players and for himself.
First possession after the timeout.
Kazunari Takao lobbed the ball to Otsubo again. The latter caught it and slammed his back hard against the defender.
Bang~
Muscles collided with a tooth-aching sound, like two tanks crashing into each other.
Iwamura gritted his teeth, refusing to retreat half a step.
But he saw the Shutoku captain force his way up, forcefully squeezing into the paint.
"Don't think it ends like this, Iwamura. This match has just begun!" The Shutoku captain roared.
This powerful response greatly boosted their team's morale.
Iwamura's expression remained unchanged, truly like a rock, but his clenched fist proved his mood wasn't simple.
"Impressive." Yuuto's gaze swept over Nakatani sitting on the bench.
The tactics hadn't changed, the game plan remained, but the players seemed revitalized.
This was leadership.
"However, our side isn't bad either." Yamashita Shio stared at every player on the court, his gaze as resolute as ever.
The other meaning of giving the ball to Yuuto was to let everyone else focus on defense.
This wasn't glamorous work, but Seiho's players were willing to give their all for these dirty and troublesome tasks.
Yuuto caught the ball on the left side of the three-point line. Midorima was the primary defender, with Takao assisting from the side.
The double-team Nakatani prepared for him wasn't an all-out team swarm.
Their trap was layered.
With Midorima as the main body, Takao assisting on the perimeter, and Otsubo assisting in the paint.
Because aside from Midorima, Shutoku didn't have a second person who could match Yuuto's athletic ability and body frame in all aspects.
But.
Bang~
Using the full power of the Five-Finger Lightning Dribble, lightning seemed to travel across Yuuto's golden body.
It didn't just look extraordinary; his speed was as swift as a thunderbolt.
Midorima stood ready, adapting and attempting to keep up with Yuuto's movements.
Amidst the brilliant golden light, a green light suddenly lit up, attempting to rival it.
...
But while Midorima was adapting, Yuuto's Eye of the Sky was also transmitting the collected data changes to his brain, performing deeper analysis to help him complete a precise defensive reading.
After that.
He would correct his weaknesses, making himself stronger, forcing Midorima to improve further, until Midorima could advance no more, and finally, utterly crushing his opponent.
Smack~
Unparalleled ball sense allowed Yuuto to shake off Midorima with a behind-the-back crossover during their third entanglement.
"Don't think you can get past!" Takao shouted, charging out from the side.
But.
Too naive.
Yuuto's five fingers flicked simultaneously. The basketball hit the ground and bounced fiercely toward Takao's face, making his heart skip a beat like heavy metal rock music.
...
Takao was stunned by the sudden ball flying at him. His brain issued a command to dodge, but his body didn't move.
But Yuuto didn't need him to move.
Seizing the moment of the opponent's distraction, Yuuto raised his hand to scoop the ball back, turning into a golden beam and killing his way into the Shutoku paint.
"Pervert!" People exclaimed.
This play wasn't like Yuuto at all; it was excessively flashy, making people involuntarily intoxicated by it.
With one acceleration, he killed his way into the paint, gathered the ball, and jumped.
"Yuuto!"
Midorima shouted and jumped. He thought he had seized the opportunity, jumping almost simultaneously with Captain Otsubo.
One in front, one behind, they tightly sandwiched Yuuto like the filling of a sandwich, leaving no space whatsoever.
"Got him!" Nakatani secretly clenched his fist.
He always believed.
Even if Midorima's individual combat capability wasn't as good as Yuuto or Aomine, he wouldn't be too far behind those guys.
Because Midorima himself was a monster. He only needed some help to stop Yuuto.
And this was the power of the team, the truth of basketball!
However.
Just when they thought they had finally successfully stopped Yuuto once...
In mid-air, Yuuto's body tilted at an incredible angle.
He dodged the blockade of the two overhead laterally. With his right hand gripping the basketball, he flicked it gently. The ball passed under Otsubo's armpit and drilled into the basket.
At this moment.
Masaaki Nakatani froze in place, his eyes wide.
"Aomine Daiki's... Formless Shot!?"