Smack!
Izuki Shun passed the ball very straightforwardly to Yuuto's hands.
No politeness.
The reason Yuuto didn't seek out Midorima for a one-on-one directly was largely because he believed Midorima's value was reflected in strategy.
Masaaki Nakatani used Midorima this way too.
Using tactics to give him enough support, creating shooting opportunities for Midorima.
"But giving me the ball right at the start is quite unceremonious." Yuuto swept a glance at Riko Aida.
This woman's thoughts were self-evident; she attempted to make him Kagami's "teacher."
He didn't refuse; they were taking what they needed from each other.
The Left Eye of God observed the entire court.
Taiga Kagami's gaze was still focused on Yuuto.
He didn't know what the coach was planning, but instinct drove him to crave learning more from Yuuto.
Wanting to become stronger!
Not wanting to see those painful expressions on his teammates' faces again.
Bang~
Nani?!
Suddenly, the sound of a basketball hitting the floor came to his ears. When he came back to his senses, he found the basketball had appeared right before his eyes.
"When did he pass the ball?"
Kagami was shocked. This was even more unexpected than Kuroko's passes.
Kuroko fed the rice to his mouth; Yuuto guided his body to move.
Following his body's instinct, he reached out to grab the ball. Shutoku's teammates were also attracted by this sudden change, shifting their defensive attention.
However.
"That's not a ball for you."
Yuuto charged up, starting at high speed to cut into Shutoku's paint from Midorima's side.
Almost simultaneously.
Kuroko seemed to walk out of the shadows, suddenly appearing from behind Kagami.
Then.
The moment Kagami received the ball, he slapped it hard, changing the flight trajectory of the basketball.
Bang!
The basketball flew straight into Shutoku's paint at a 90-degree angle.
At that position, Yuuto's figure appeared in time, catching the ball and jumping with the momentum, putting the ball into the basket with a "Burning the Heavens" posture.
"Kuroko..." Kagami was stunned again, staring at Kuroko in astonishment.
The latter didn't speak. He had a temper too; he wouldn't compromise.
"Actively coordinate with Kuroko, instead of waiting for Kuroko to feed the ball to your mouth." Junpei Hyuga saw clearly from the sideline and sighed silently.
In just the first possession, he saw the gap between them and Yuuto.
They were always waiting, thinking that running hard to get open completed their job because Kuroko would appear in the right spot and send the ball to their hands.
But Yuuto's demonstration wasn't over.
Next possession.
He received Kuroko's weird pass again and broke into Shutoku's hinterland.
With the first time as a lesson, Shutoku's people were guarded against him.
Yuuto didn't force it. Instead, he leaped and passed behind the back to Kuroko.
Swish!
Kuroko caught the ball and hit a mid-range shot.
Too easy.
"Creating opportunities for each other while attracting defense for each other..." Riko Aida's expression was wonderful.
She guessed that the combination of Yuuto and Kuroko might be strong, but she didn't expect scoring to be so simple against King Shutoku.
Was this really her Seirin?
"Your light is too dim."
On the court, Yuuto's words echoed in Kagami's mind again.
"Is this 'the stronger the light, the stronger the shadow'?"
A sense of defeat rose in his heart. Others in Seirin relied on Kuroko; wasn't he the same?
It was precisely realizing this that he wanted to win games through his own ability.
As a result, in this match, Yuuto let him see another side.
The so-called deciding the match by individual ability was never fighting alone.
"This is the power of the third generation Light and Shadow combination." Riko Aida sighed with emotion.
Such a combination, such attack power...
No wonder they could fight the super Teiko to that extent back then and finally reach the top of the nation.
They had never unleashed Kuroko's full energy.
"Second generation Light and Shadow combination?" Momoi picked up a pen to record. Hearing Riko Aida's words, she shook her head and said, "No. Yu didn't rely on Tetsu-kun's power in junior high."
"Eh?"
"Strictly speaking, the second generation Light and Shadow combination refers to Tetsu-kun and Haizaki-kun."
"Then now he..."
"Is simply utilizing all available resources, Glasses-kun-who-seems-to-have-special-feelings-for-his-coach."
"You, you, what are you talking about!"
Junpei Hyuga's face stiffened. How did this ghost know such things? He obviously hid it so well.
What special feelings?
Riko Aida was confused.
Momoi found it interesting watching them, but didn't continue teasing. She continued, "Just like his playing style, Yu's purpose in playing basketball is always only one thing: Victory!"
"He will think and utilize every player around him who can help him win. Whether it's Tetsu-kun or others, there's actually no difference. But Tetsu-kun allows him to see more possibilities."
Simply put, it means being able to make teammates better, right?
While speaking.
Yuuto coordinated with Kuroko again, cutting down to Shutoku's hinterland.
This time.
Kazunari Takao personally marked Seirin's Kuroko; his Hawk Eye was Kuroko's nemesis.
But Yuuto.
Smack~
The ball appeared in front of Kagami again without any warning.
"This..."
Kagami unknowingly soared into the air, his body uncontrollable. Before he knew it clearly, he had already dunked over the Shutoku captain.
"Did they react? Still not enough." Yuuto just used the Pass Without Warning.
But it failed.
Taisuke Otsubo reacted; that was the proof.
The complete Pass Without Warning—in the movie, only Akashi could see through it alone.
Still need to practice.
"Nice play, Kagami."
Yuuto jogged back on defense, praising Kagami.
"I just don't want to be praised by you."
Kagami didn't wish to be praised by Yuuto; this was the opponent he wanted to defeat the most.
But now, in a match, he shouldn't have such awkward thoughts.
"Aren't you going to show a few moves yet?"
"What are you planning?"
Midorima stared at Yuuto. He didn't believe Yuuto came all the way just to play a game.
If he really wanted to play, he could have scheduled a practice match with Shutoku instead of running over to team up with Seirin.
Yuuto just smiled.
Opportunities to complete corrections on Shutoku and Seirin simultaneously were rare.
Seeing he wouldn't say, Midorima didn't ask further.
Just as he said at the beginning, even in a practice match, he would do everything humanly possible.
Soon.
Shutoku began to turn like a precision machine.
Kagami was assigned to mark Midorima; this was requested by Riko Aida.
Both they and Shutoku were eliminated in the group stage, having no chance to enter the final round-robin directly.
To break into the main tournament (Winter Cup), they would meet sooner or later in the Winter Cup regional qualifiers.
To put it bluntly, she treated this match as a preview for the Winter Cup.
Soon.
Kagami got lost in Shutoku's screen clusters.
His speed wasn't slow, and his reaction was fast; he could keep up with Midorima's off-ball movement.
But when Kiyoshi Miyaji and others got involved, he became like an outsider lost in a forest, bewildered and directionless.
Midorima easily got open, caught the ball, shot, and hit steadily.
"Damn it!"
Kagami clenched his fist.
Shutoku's tactical execution was strong; he knew this when watching their games.
But sitting in the audience and playing on the court were different experiences.
Back when Seiho played Shutoku, he marveled at Shutoku's tactical preparation, Midorima's off-ball movement, and Yuuto's pursuit.
Thinking he could keep up even if he were on the court, he didn't expect his performance to be so unbearable when actually playing.
Just one screen and he lost his man, but Shutoku's screens came one after another in layers.
"Is the gap between him and me this big?" Kagami couldn't help but look at Yuuto again.
The eyes of the Seiho King glazed over for a moment, then quickly recovered.
Clearly, he had completed another self-evolution.
...
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