" Miyagi has made considerable progress, but compared to the experienced Fujima, he still lacks the necessary skill."
" Sakuragi, Fujima is a third-year student, but he'll also be playing in the Winter Selection Tournament. You guys need to be prepared."
"Got it, and with Sendoh and those old guys from Kainan, we're sure to win!" Sakuragi waved his hand.
Akagi remained silent, his eyes glancing to the other side.
After a long pause, he said in a deep voice.
" Sakuragi, Maki and the others are strong, but there's one more person you need to be extra careful with."
"Who is it?" Sakuragi asked, leaning closer.
"That's him!" Akagi pointed.
Sakuragi looked up and was immediately stunned.
" Aoki?"
"Yes, I know you're friends with him, and he's taught you a lot, but he'll be Shohoku's biggest rival in the future."
Meanwhile, in the administration building across the street from the basketball court, the principal's office on the top floor was still lit.
Inside the room, Coach Takato was chatting with three key leaders from Kainan.
Principal Arimori spoke first. He wore glasses, was as thin as a stick, and had a shrewd look on his face.
" Takato, how's our team doing?"
Takato quickly chimed in.
"The team is gelling well, and these kids are all very strong. I'm confident about the National Sports Festival!"
Arimori nodded.
" Takato, I called you here not just to ask about this, there's something else important."
Takato's heart skipped a beat; he had a bad feeling.
"If Maki graduates, with the current lineup, can they achieve good results in next year's national tournament?" Arimori continued.
Takato two deep breaths.
"I'll fight with all my might to protect Kainan's honor!"
Arimori smiled, but there was no warmth in his voice.
"I appreciate your attitude, but it's not reassuring enough."
Yuki, rested his chin on his hand and said in a deep voice.
"Basketball is Kainan's trump card for attracting students. If it gets ruined, the school will be in trouble." He is one of the school's investors.
"I believe that kids like Jin and Kiyota won't let us down," Takato, about to defend himself, when Kurosawa spoke up.
Kurosawa rolled his triangular eyes, his face reeking of money.
"They've already disappointed us this year, haven't they?" The man was in his thirties, wearing a designer suit, and was the heir to a large corporation in Kanagawa.
Kurosawa sneered.
"The school's sixteen-year undefeated streak has been shattered; this has a huge impact on its reputation."
Takato was trembling with rage, the veins in his neck bulging, but he was barely suppressing his anger.
"If we hadn't performed well in the national competition later, we wouldn't have been able to explain ourselves to the other investors," Kurosawa added.
"After Maki graduates, Kainan's main rivals will be Ryonan, Shohoku, and Takezato. Who can deal with Sendoh, Kaede Rukawa, and Aoki?" Yuki in.
" Kiyota and Jin are no match for him."
Takato was about to lose his temper and said coldly.
"The school should just say what it wants to say!"
Principal Arimori laughed, completely unconcerned about Takato's attitude.
"We've decided to focus all our efforts on recruiting Aoki and Kaede Rukawa. You need to win them over during the training camp and pave the way in advance."
Takato retorted loudly.
"If we poach those two, what will Jin and Kiyota think? The team will definitely be in trouble!"
Arimori's tone was indifferent.
"That's what your coach is supposed to do, Takato. Don't forget, you're a coach now, you also have to take care of your family."
Yuki a cigarette. "We're just businessmen; we want a good reputation."
Inside the basketball court, Yo Aoki and Shinichi Maki stood still.
Shinichi Maki tossed the ball to Aoki, signaling him to attack first.
"I'm curious, what tricks are you planning to use against me?"
Yo Aoki shook his head, not really having any tactics. This was a one-on-one match, not a five-player team game, so he didn't need to worry about his teammates.
Shinichi Maki's lips curled into a smile. "Oh?"
So you think you can take me down just by your own abilities?
That kid's pretty arrogant.
But Yo Aoki kept his center of gravity extremely low, glanced at Shinichi Maki's defensive position, and then said, "Alright, here I come." After saying that, he moved close to him.
But the game finally started, and Kiyota kept his eyes glued to Aoki's every move.
Although Kiyota was prepared, Aoki's next move almost made his jaw drop. What kind of move was this?
With each step Aoki took, he shifted his stance, each step revealing a prelude to a charge.
Such a series of crossovers made it impossible for Shinichi Maki to tell which one was a real breakthrough. He dared not get too close and lose his position, nor dared to pull too far away and give him space, putting Shinichi Maki under a lot of pressure.
This guy has way too many attack methods!
However, Sendoh and Kaede Rukawa were also drawn over by the commotion and stopped their fight.
Both players were taken aback by Aoki's playing style.
Shinichi Maki's attention was completely focused on Aoki. He knew that if he was distracted, it would be Aoki's chance to launch an attack.
Standing on the sidelines, Takasago's face suddenly darkened. He remembered that Maki had only shown this kind of cautious demeanor last year when they fought against Sannoh.
This kid can put so much pressure on Maki? Takasago couldn't even believe it himself.
How could a first-grader be driven to this state? That's outrageous.
But Aoki suddenly lowered his center of gravity even further, his dribbling rhythm quickened abruptly, and he swayed his body to the right.
Shinichi Maki thought Aoki was going to break through from the right, so he took a half-foot step to the left, but it was just a feint by Aoki.
This half-foot movement was enough for Aoki.
He took a big step to the left, moving so far that he was right next to Shinichi Maki. He even used his shoulder to block Shinichi Maki's movement, and then pushed off with his right foot to charge forward.
This move could get past 99% of defenders, but Shinichi Maki is one of those 1%.
Shinichi Maki's reaction speed was ridiculously fast, and his explosive power was also impressive. He pushed off the ground and twisted his waist, instantly closing in on Aoki and using his hands to disrupt Aoki's offensive rhythm.
But Aoki suddenly stopped abruptly, leaned back, and threw the ball.
Taking advantage of his height and leaning back with such a large angle, Shinichi Maki couldn't reach him at all and swooped through the net with a whoosh.
Akagi, Kiyota, and the others nearly popped their eyes out. They all knew Aoki's strength, but they were still stunned.
If he hadn't been playing for Takezato, but for a strong team like Ryonan or Shoyo, what would have been the outcome of the previous summer qualifiers?
Aoki bent down to pick up the ball, casually tossed it to Shinichi Maki, and smiled, "Captain Maki, it's your turn to attack."
When Shinichi Maki received the ball, the corner of his mouth curled up.
The two stood outside the three-point line. Shinichi Maki said to Aoki, "Watch out, I'm coming."
After saying that, he suddenly raised his hand as if to shoot a basket. Aoki didn't react at all and reached out to block him, shifting his weight upwards.
But at that moment, Shinichi Maki suddenly broke through, leaving Aoki far behind.
This breakthrough is too unreasonable! Aoki was stunned for a moment, and without time to think about anything else, he pushed off the ground with his right foot, turned his body to the right, and chased after him with a cross step.
He positioned himself in front of Shinichi Maki, sliding sideways to completely block his attack route.
This move was extremely risky; if the lateral movement had been even a fraction of a second slower, it would have been a blocking foul. Fortunately, it went in.
Seeing that he had no chance, Shinichi Maki decisively switched to a back-to-back one-on-one attack, and the two began to clash in strength.
Aoki used his body to block Shinichi Maki, Shinichi Maki used his back to block Aoki, constantly exerting force to push him away.
"That's a foul by hitting someone!" Sakuragi exclaimed.
He's very familiar with committing collision fouls; he does it once or twice every game.
"You don't know anything! This doesn't count at all!" Kiyota stared intently. "They didn't engage in direct confrontation, nor did they lower their shoulders or raise their elbows; this was pure, clean physical combat!"
Shinichi Maki stepped his left foot to Aoki's left and squeezed hard.
Aoki steadied himself, using his core strength to withstand Shinichi Maki's attack.
At that moment, Shinichi Maki accurately judged Aoki's center of gravity from the feedback on his back.
He pivoted on his left foot, turned counter-clockwise, and instantly got behind Aoki, then jumped and made a layup under the basket.
Aoki had anticipated his sudden turn, so he didn't panic and quickly turned around as well, jumping at the same time as Shinichi Maki, raising his hand to block the shot.
Before the previous offensive and defensive play had even landed, Shinichi Maki had Yo Aoki stuck to him tightly, twisted his waist, jumped and stayed in mid-air, pulled off Aoki's aerial interception with a layup, and flicked the ball with his wrist, sending it grazed the backboard and into the basket.
A crisp crack rang out, Kiyota immediately yelled at the top of his lungs, " Maki, that was amazing!"
Unlike Kiyota, Takasago didn't boast. Staring at the field, he said, "This Takasago is evenly matched. Aoki has the advantage of his height, making it easier for him to score. If this drags on, I'm afraid..."
His heart skipped a beat, and a terrible thought popped into his head: Will Maki lose?
Just then, a voice drifted from outside. "You guys really have a lot of energy!"
Everyone turned their heads and saw Coach Takato push open the stadium door and come in, finally emerging from that stuffy office.
He walked to the sidelines, chatted with Maki for a bit, then turned to the others and said, "It's good that you're all motivated, but training isn't about a burst of enthusiasm. If you don't rest now, you'll definitely miss tomorrow's practice, and that would be a huge loss."
"So that's enough practice for today, everyone go back and rest!"
With no other option, they could only listen to their Takato and prepare to pack their things and leave.
Shinichi Maki walked up to Aoki: " Aoki, we haven't decided who's the winner yet."
Aoki laughed, "Of course, it's only just begun."
The two grinned, Akagi rushed to Mitsui's side and lifted him up.
Mitsui chuckled foolishly, "We drew today, there's no winner yet."
Kiyota glared at Jin and asked, " Jin, you actually failed to win him over?"
Soichiro Jin smirked, "I was careless. I don't know if he was faking it or not."
Aoki heard what Jin said, he had the same feeling when he read the manga before. Maybe Mitsui was just pretending to be tired to deceive his opponent, haha.
As everyone slowly walked out, Aoki packed his backpack and prepared to leave Coach Takato called him back.
"Hmm?" Aoki turned to look at Takato. "You were looking for me?"
Takato was about to speak when he suddenly stopped, quickly changing the subject. "N-nothing, you guys get some rest, don't stay up late!"
"Okay, Mr. Takato." Aoki thought to himself, this coach definitely wants to talk to him about something.
Actually, Takato didn't want to use the method of poaching talent, but the pressure from the school was almost overwhelming him, so he had no choice but to give in.
But if it really came down to poaching talent, Takato wanted Aoki more. He didn't like Rukawa's lone-wolf attitude, but admired Aoki's team spirit, just like Maki.
"Sigh," Takato couldn't help but sigh, "How did our King of Kainan end up like this?"
That night, Aoki, Sakuragi, Kiyota, and Rukawa shared a room. They had always been in the same class, but now the team had put them in the same dorm room again, which made Sakuragi and Kiyota very angry.
Sakuragi lived with Rukawa, and Kiyota lived with both Sakuragi and Rukawa.
Kiyota pinched his nose and yelled, " Red-haired Monkey, can't you go wash your feet?!"
Sakuragi jumped up and retorted, "It's not my feet that smell, it's Rukawa's feet that smell!"
Rukawa completely ignored them, fell asleep immediately, and was snoring within two seconds.
Seeing that Rukawa was ignoring him, Sakuragi instantly exploded and roared, "Damn Kaede Rukawa, get up!"
Kiyota scoffed, "Your Shohoku are full of weirdos!"