"No, I suddenly don't want to play anymore." Yo Aoki suddenly said with a smile, "I plan to help ' Fire Phoenix ' win the game under another identity."
"What's your identity?"
"Coach!"
"You want to be the coach of ' Fire Phoenix '?" Shirota asked in surprise. "Would my sister agree to that?"
"I'm not sure either, so you'll have to keep this a secret for me."
"Alright, but I have to say, you've got a lot of clever ideas."
Yo Aoki laughed, "That's tactical, don't you understand?"
Shirota pursed his lips, clearly disagreeing.
Yo Aoki glanced at the time and said to Shirota, "It's about time, let's head out."
"Okay, I've got most of the information. I'll go tell Ryo and then I'll leave."
At that moment, Matsumoto Ryo craned his neck, staring intently at the court, cheering incessantly.
Shirota squeezed next to Matsumoto Ryo, patted him on the shoulder, and shouted, " Ryo, we're leaving now!"
Matsumoto Ryo, engrossed in watching, ignored him and simply waved his hand impatiently, indicating that he understood.
When he returned, Shirota said angrily, "Damn it, how did my sister get to know someone like that?"
Yo Aoki chuckled, "Maybe he's just tired from working overtime. Let's not worry about him, let's go."
After leaving the stadium, the two rushed back to Kanagawa Prefecture overnight.
Nothing else happened on the way, and the two arrived at their destination without incident. They agreed to meet at the stadium the next night to discuss how to deal with the " Emperor " team, and then went home separately.
It was already past midnight when Yo Aoki got home.
After washing up and lying in bed, he tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.
In the Winter Selection Tournament, Takezato Team's main rivals are still the strong teams like Kainan, Shohoku, Ryonan, and Shoyo. However, with Takezato Team's current roster, they could falter at any time. After all, the departure of players like Mizuki has significantly impacted the team's strength. The likely replacements are Koji Takeuchi and Kiyoshiro Kawai, but neither of them are particularly strong. If Takezato Team wants to achieve good results in the winter selection, this roster is clearly insufficient, especially considering that Kainan and Shoyo have all retained their third-year players.
Yo Aoki thought to himself that he needed to find an opportunity to talk to Coach Akai. As the team captain, he had to shoulder more responsibility right now.
The following evening, Yo Aoki accompanied Shirota to the basketball court. Yamada immediately and warmly shook Yo Aoki's hand, saying, "Brother Aoki, thank you so much for coming to lend a hand."
Yo Aoki waved his hand with a smile and said, "You're welcome."
After exchanging a few polite words, Yo Aoki spoke up, " Shirota and I have observed them, and the Emperor Team truly lives up to its reputation; they are quite strong."
Shirota Mika suddenly interjected, "How do their strength compare to ours?"
Yo Aoki paused for a moment, then said after thinking for a while, "I haven't played with you guys in a long time, so I'm not very clear about your skills and can't make an objective comparison."
Even if you're weaker than them, does that mean you're bound to lose? Who cares about strength? Just fight them and you'll know!
Yamada nodded. "Right! We'll only know after we compare!"
Then Yo Aoki suddenly laughed and said, "But that friend of Mika's, Ryo, doesn't seem to take us seriously at all. He's acting all arrogant, right, Shirota?"
Shirota immediately exploded. "Yeah! I get angry just thinking about it!"
Yamada asked angrily, " Mika, what kind of friend is she to you?"
Shirota Mika also snapped, "So what if he's my friend? He's his person, but that doesn't represent me!"
"Hmph!" The two of them turned their faces at the same time, staring at each other.
Seeing the two glaring at each other, Yo Aoki chuckled inwardly. Did Shirota Mika not know who was stronger? If Fire Phoenix was truly powerful enough, why would she have sought him out?
Not wanting things to get too tense, Yo Aoki coughed and changed the subject. " Shirota, could you tell us more about the Emperor Team?"
Shirota smiled and said, "The top players on the Emperor Team are Hiraide Shuichi and Yamakawa Mitsuhiro. One excels at inside scoring, and the other excels at outside penetration."
However, there's another guy named Terashima Ya who's also amazing. He's incredibly tough on defense; he's the one in the blue tracksuit.
Shirota flipped through his notebook. "The others aren't anything special."
Yamada breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to himself, "With myself, Xiao Wu, and Yo Aoki, this lineup should be able to hold its own against them, right?"
Yo Aoki then spoke up, " The Emperor Team's players are indeed quite strong individually, but apart from Terashima, the others are basically one-on-one specialists. In other words, they all love to play one-on-one, so we can use double-team defense to deal with them."
"Double-team defense?"
"Yes, as long as we use this tactic, we can win even if I don't play."
Shirota Mika immediately asked, " Aoki, are you serious?"
"Of course, as long as you listen to me and carry out my arrangements diligently," Yo Aoki said with a smile.
"Great, it's settled then!" Shirota Mika announced happily.
"Don't get too excited yet. Can you guarantee that everyone will listen to me?" Yo Aoki said seriously.
" Aoki, don't worry! We'll definitely listen to you!" Shirota Mika said loudly.
"Yes! We'll listen to you!" the others shouted in agreement.
"Okay, let's practice double-team defense!"
Then Yo Aoki practiced with Yamada and the others on how to double-team in different positions such as the corner, outside, and inside.
Finally, Yo Aoki spoke up, "The biggest problem with streetball is the lack of focus on defense and the high number of fouls. So as long as you keep double-teaming them and forcing them to make mistakes, they will definitely make mistakes!"
"Okay, I'll need your help again on-site on Sunday night," Yamada said gratefully.
Yo Aoki didn't stand on ceremony and nodded in agreement.
Sunday evening arrived in the blink of an eye, Yo Aoki and his group arrived at the stadium early to prepare for the match.
Before long, the stadium was packed with fans who had heard the news and came over to see the Emperor Team in action.
At 7 p. m., the fans suddenly cheered as a campervan slowly drove into the park's basketball court— the Emperor Team had arrived!
"This lineup is pretty good!" Yo Aoki exclaimed.
Yo Aoki clapped his hands. "Everyone, gather together!"
After the team members assembled, Yo Aoki looked at the Fire Phoenix players and suddenly paused, noticing that they were all pale-faced and serious-looking.
Yo Aoki said with a smile, "Everyone, don't be nervous, don't let external factors affect you."
Yamada forced a smile, "I really didn't expect so many people to come today!"
"Relax, it's just a game," said Yo Aoki.
At this moment, a player from the Emperor Team walked over. He was about 170 centimeters tall, had long hair, small eyes, and was wearing the same Emperor Team basketball uniform and protective gear.
"This guy's equipment is really complete," Yo Aoki thought to himself.
He stepped closer and asked in a slightly arrogant tone, "Which of you is the captain of the Fire Phoenix?"
Yamada immediately shouted, "That's me!"
"My name is Iwai. Today's game will be played like a regular basketball game, with two 20-minute halves and a 10-minute break in between. Is that alright?"
Yamada readily agreed, "Sure!"
Iwai chuckled. "Let's use your own people as referees, so we won't be accused of bullying us." Before Yamada could reply...
He turned and left.
Yamada gritted his teeth so hard they were almost falling apart, and roared, "Damn it! I'll make them pay!"
Taiyo nearby, slammed his fist on the table and said, "If you're so capable, let your performance on the field speak for itself! Let's settle this on the court!"
The starting players for both teams quickly assembled.
Before going on the court, Yo Aoki patted the Fire Phoenix Team on the shoulder and instructed them, "In the first half, play as we usually practice. In the second half, suddenly switch to a double-team and catch them off guard."
The team members responded in unison, "Okay!"
The match began, Yamada of the Fire Phoenix was in charge of the jump ball.
However, he was at a complete disadvantage against Hiraide Shuichi, who was nearly 1.9 meters tall.
With a snap, the ball was Hiraide and stolen.
Hiraide the ball back to Terashima.
The Emperor Team launched the first attack.
Terashima dribbled the ball to the frontcourt and first glanced at the situation on the court.
He knew perfectly well: Captain Hiraide's background and height were the key to their success.
Terashima suddenly dribbled laterally, feigning a breakthrough to draw the defender's attention, then with a flick of his wrists, delivered a precise straight Hiraide to the inside.
"Well done!" Yo Aoki couldn't help but praise.
After Hiraide the ball, he used his height advantage to lean against Yamada and suddenly jumped up to score.
The scoreboard showed 0-2, with the Emperor Team taking the lead.
"This Emperor Team is really fierce; he doesn't take our defense seriously at all," one of the players muttered.
Shirota couldn't stand it anymore. He tugged at Yo Aoki's sleeve and said, "These guys probably haven't seen a proper basketball game before?"
Yo Aoki waved his hand. "Stop yelling and just watch the game."
When it was Fire Phoenix's turn to attack, Xiao Wu, who was quite skilled, was in control of the ball.
As soon as Xiao Wu dribbled past half-court, Terashima came up to defend him.
"Stretching out man-to-man marking in the second half?" Yo Aoki nodded. "That defensive move is pretty standard; you must have practiced a lot."
Xiao Wu suddenly accelerated and broke through to the right, but lost the ball on his first dribble.
After intercepting the ball, Terashima didn't rush into a fast break, but slowly advanced the ball into the attacking third.
After his teammates were in position, Terashima glanced around and passed the ball to Yamakawa at the edge of the penalty area.
Yamakawa held the ball and made several feints on the spot, eliciting gasps from the audience.
He took advantage of the defender's momentary lapse in concentration and suddenly jumped to shoot.
With a "thud," the basketball bounced off the backboard and went into the basket.
The score became 0-4.
After making the shot, Yamakawa still held his shooting hand up, nodding as he backed away with an arrogant expression.
This display drew cheers from the Emperor Team fans in the stands.
Yo Aoki couldn't help but chuckle, "That's quite the act."
Shirota Mika immediately shouted angrily, "You all better be alert!"
But her shouts had no effect whatsoever, Fire Phoenix's ball was quickly intercepted by Terashima again.
Terashima, seeing Yamakawa desperately wanting the ball, had no choice but to pass it to him.
Yamakawa immediately signaled his teammates to spread out, intending to engage in a one-on-one fight.
But after a series of fancy dribbling moves, he somehow managed to dribble the ball out of bounds.
"Hahaha!" Yo Aoki finally couldn't hold back and Shirota.
Neither team called a timeout in the first half; the game was fast-paced and back-and-forth.
At halftime, the score was 9-19.
Yo Aoki sighed and exclaimed, "That's not a shot, it's a complete miss!"
He looked at his five players, who were panting heavily, and said, "Use double teams as soon as the second half begins."