With that consensus in place, all three teams were busy the following week. In addition to their regular training sessions, they engaged in practice games several times.
During these games, Kuroko seemed to be experimenting with something new. He was seen dribbling the ball more frequently. Tsuna observed this with a shake of his head, choosing not to comment.
Midorima, who had known Kuroko longer than Tsuna, couldn't help but be skeptical about the change. However, he also realized that if Kuroko managed to incorporate this into his game, it could become a formidable weapon.
The practice games between Shutoku and Seirin throughout the week concluded as anticipated, with Shutoku emerging victoriously in all of them.
Seirin began packing their equipment and preparing to depart as it was time for them to return to Tokyo.
"I believe they were just lucky when they beat us last time."
Takao expressed his opinion. This comment earned him a light reprimand from Miyaji, who smacked the back of his head.
Otsubo shook his head and offered a correction, saying, "You're mistaken. They're undeniably improving. You must have noticed it when you faced them directly..."
While Seirin hadn't secured a victory against Shutoku in their recent games, the point difference on the scoreboard was not as overwhelming as Fukuda Sogo's lead against Seirin.
Furthermore, they had abstained from using Kagami, who was engaged in his own specialized training.
Otsubo observed Kiyoshi, who was bidding them farewell with a wave. He added, "And with Kiyoshi back, they've finally regained their full strength..."
Takao, a bit perplexed, scratched his head in response.
Takao noticed that Midorima was missing and inquired, "Has anyone seen Shin?"
"He probably went ahead to watch the game by himself..." Miyaji shook his head, contemplating a scolding for Midorima's lack of communication.
Takao sighed and suggested, "Well, we're all heading to the game anyway. Let's meet up with Shin in the stadium..."
Seirin's team made their way to a bus station after their practice games.
Koganei sighed as they walked, saying, "Man, I'm beaten..."
"I felt like I was gonna collapse," someone added.
"Agreed. I can't get a good night's sleep without my own pillow..."
"I'm the same. Can't sleep in someone else's bed. I miss my own."
The first-year players shared these sentiments with Koganei.
"...Stop complaining, you dimwits!"
Hyuga, their captain, had enough of the complaints, and an awkward silence settled over the group.
Hyuga sighed at this. The grueling training had taken its toll, and he felt the same exhaustion as his teammates.
Kiyoshi, on the other hand, chuckled. "Hey, guys, chin up! Look at how Fukuda Sogo trains. And that's just their regular routine to stay in perfect shape before their tournament!."
Hearing this, the Seirin players began to visualize themselves enduring Fukuda Sogo's daily training regimen.
The first-year players shuddered as they exchanged nervous glances.
"I'd be a goner for sure..."
"Totally..."
"I think I'd prefer dying, honestly..."
Aida, who had seen her fair share of athletes during her travels with her father, was equally awed by the remarkable physical condition of Fukuda Sogo's players. She had heard they were once delinquents, but their condition was truly impressive!
Aida's gaze was unique, allowing her to see numerical representations of each player's physical abilities.
Every number she saw was truly remarkable. Ogiwara, Haizaki, and Nijimura, in particular, stood out. She couldn't begin to imagine the immense effort they'd invested to achieve these numbers.
But then, a shiver ran down Aida's spine as she remembered her futile attempt to discern Tsuna's physical level.
As Aida concentrated on Tsuna, he appeared to possess a sort of sixth sense, detecting her scrutiny. Their eyes met, and the chill that ran down her spine from the coldness in his gaze discouraged her from ever trying to gauge Tsuna's physical level again.
Nevertheless, she couldn't help but assume that Tsuna's physical level definitely surpassed Ogiwara, Haizaki, and Nijimura, a truly intimidating thought.
Kagami, who was most eager to learn about Tsuna, couldn't resist asking, "Hey, what about that Kazama guy? I really wanted to face off against him, but..."
Kagami looked towards Aida, displaying a hint of disappointment.
Without hesitation, Hyuga promptly smacked Kagami on the head.
Startled, Kagami inquired, "Why'd you do that?"
Hyuga adjusted his glasses and explained, "Don't be ungrateful. You've improved significantly with her training regimen, haven't you?"
Kagami sighed in response. He recognized the value of Aida's training but couldn't help feeling frustrated about missing an opportunity to compete against someone he'd known since his time in the United States.
Kagami brimmed with confidence, believing that his addition to the team would prevent complete losses against both Fukuda Sogo and Shutoku. He thought they could at least secure one or two wins with him on the court.
Kiyoshi offered a reassuring pat on Kagami's back and chuckled, "Haha, that guy is quite the monster. Don't let it bother you."
Kagami rolled his eyes at Kiyoshi's comment.
"If anything, it just makes me want to play against him even more," he grumbled.
Kagami, with a sudden realization, turned to Kuroko, his curiosity piqued. "Hold on, Kuroko. You and Midorima knew this guy? How did you guys meet him?"
To Kagami's knowledge, Tsuna was just like him – a Japanese native who had grown up in the United States.
Kuroko contemplated momentarily before saying, "He was also a student at Teiko."
This revelation left everyone baffled. The story seemed a little more complicated than they initially thought, and Izuki said, "I thought he was from the US, like Kagami. Something doesn't add up."
Kuroko continued, "He had to return to the US due to a certain incident."
Koganei, his curiosity piqued, tilted his head and asked, "What kind of incident was it?"
But Hyuga intervened, smacking Koganei on the head and declaring, "That's not the key point here!"
"How skilled was he compared to the Generation of Miracles?"
Kiyoshi finally asked the question that had been on everyone's mind.
Kuroko came to a stop upon hearing Kiyoshi's question. He details how Teiko's basketball club worked, mentioning how they held tryouts to decide on placements during their first year.
"...And five players were selected for the first-string team. Four of them became known as The Generation of Miracles. What wasn't widely known is that Kazama was initially one of these five players."
Aida digested this revelation before pondering, "...So, the rumors about him being on par with the Generation of Miracles are true?"
Kuroko shook his head and explained, "The outcome of our recent practice game should provide all the answers you need."
"..."
The Seirin team fell into contemplative silence after Kuroko's statement.
"That's right..." Izuki nodded.
He touched his chin and pondered aloud, "Still, it's really surprising that Shutoku couldn't even beat Fukuda Sogo..."
Seirin's players remained quiet, reflecting on this. Fukuda Sogo had consistently defeated Seirin in their practice matches and proved themselves superior to Shutoku in every game.
"Even Midorima couldn't pull off a win?" Kagami's surprise was evident in his voice.
Aida sighed as she broke it down, "They've figured out how to shut down Midorima's shots. While it's a relatively new strategy and not entirely flawless, it was still effective in preventing Midorima from scoring. This gave Fukuda Sogo a substantial lead..."
Hearing this explanation, Kuroko fell silent. Aida referred to a combination of Ogiwara and Fukuda Sogo's shooting guard, Mochizuki.
Since their last encounter, Kuroko had noticed that Ogiwara had made significant improvements and clenched his fist in response.
He remembered his promise to Ogiwara during their time at the resort, swearing to perfect his new technique before the Winter Cup so he could proudly face his childhood friend as a worthy opponent.
"Ugh! I want to face them so bad!"
Kagami exclaimed in frustration as he held his head, absorbing all this information.
As Seirin kept talking about the training and even mentioning their upcoming ones, Aida suddenly walked in the opposite direction as she spoke, "Where are you guys going?"
"To the station, of course," Hyuga tilted his head in confusion.
Aida sighed as she mentioned, "Why do you think we held our summer camp here? This year's tournament is held here!"
"Oh, that's right!" Izuki said as he opened up his phone. Everyone also turned to Izuki as he slowly spoke, "Today's matches are between Too Academy vs. Kaijo High..."
"...and Fukuda Sogo Academy vs. Onita High!"
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