Seirin quickly demonstrated how much they'd improved.
Facing Tōō Academy, a team renowned for individual strength, Seirin wasn't falling short at any position. In fact, with the return of Teppei Kiyoshi, Seirin even had the advantage inside.
But the biggest surprise was Kuroko.
He had developed his new move—Vanishing Drive.
"What kind of dribble is that?"
"Why isn't anyone from Tōō reacting?"
Players from Kirisaki Daiichi were shocked.
They had just finished a scrimmage against Tōō Academy, so they knew exactly how strong their opponents were. How was it possible that Tōō showed no reaction at all against Kuroko's breakthrough?
"The secret is Kagami," Tendou explained calmly. "Every time Kuroko initiates his dribble, Kagami forcibly bursts into the defender's field of vision, causing them to momentarily shift their gaze."
"And Kuroko uses that exact moment to break through."
The theory made sense, but was Kuroko's dribbling and explosive power really enough to surpass that split-second of distraction?
Tendou wasn't interested in debating these things anymore.
Kuroko came out swinging from the very beginning, constantly breaking down Tōō's defenses.
But soon, Aomine taught him a harsh lesson.
Facing Kuroko's Vanishing Drive, Aomine, to the astonishment of everyone present, closed his eyes entirely.
Just as Kuroko passed by him, Aomine swiftly stepped backward, slicing his hand down precisely to steal the ball from Kuroko.
His sense of basketball, including his five senses, was so extraordinary that he could still detect Kuroko's movements even with his eyes closed.
After that, Seirin's momentum slowed slightly, and Tōō began seizing the initiative.
However, this second battle between Seirin and Tōō was destined to be far from simple.
When Kuroko's Vanishing Drive was neutralized by Aomine, Kagami Taiga stepped up to carry the torch.
Unexpectedly, Kagami revealed a fierce wildness he had long suppressed.
His sudden outburst caught Tōō completely off guard.
Yet Aomine quickly adjusted and raised his game to match Kagami's challenge.
Worse still, Momoi had thoroughly analyzed Seirin's strategy, including Kuroko's misdirection.
After a summer of research, she found the crucial weakness in Kuroko's misdirection.
"In other words, we should just closely mark Seirin's number 11?"
In a flashback to Tōō's pre-game preparation, Momoi explained clearly how to defend Kuroko.
"If something like that were possible, we'd already be doing it."
"No matter how closely we mark him, he always somehow slips away in the end."
Tōō's players looked helpless, but Momoi continued calmly, "Exactly. His strength lies precisely in how easily he slips out of sight the moment you stop paying attention."
"But in a real match, he doesn't truly disappear. Normally, he just relies on his incredibly low presence. The more deliberately you stare at him, the easier it becomes for your vision to be misdirected. The harder you try to follow him, the quicker you lose sight."
"So how do we guard him?"
The Tōō players were still confused, except for Imayoshi Shoichi, who understood immediately.
"You mean we shouldn't stare directly at him?"
"Huh? If we don't watch him, how are we supposed to guard?"
The players grew even more confused. What kind of defense ignores the player being guarded?
But Imayoshi already understood clearly. He tapped his eyes and said, "Pay attention to their eye contact!"
"In the end, only Tendou and Akashi can actually predict future movements. Seirin relies on visual signals—Kuroko Tetsuya always exchanges eye contact with his teammates during plays."
"In other words, Izuki Shun is his mirror. As long as we closely watch Izuki, we'll always know exactly where Kuroko is."
Back to the present game.
At the exact moment Kuroko started his movement, Imayoshi moved as well, decisively blocking Kuroko's path.
Seirin, deprived of Kuroko's passes, once again stalled.
"Did you see that, Hanamiya?"
"Yeah, I noticed. That guy is watching Izuki Shun closely."
"Think you could manage the same?"
"Hmph, child's play."
Hanamiya Makoto and Imayoshi Shoichi—these two cunning, shady players found no difficulty in pulling off something .
Hanamiya was highly intelligent, while Imayoshi was deeply calculating; Momoi's analysis fit them perfectly.
"But is there really a need to treat Seirin so seriously? They look like they're about to lose anyway."
The first half was nearly over. Once the second half started, the effect of misdirection would fade, and Kagami alone couldn't match Aomine.
Seirin was out of chances.
Tendou didn't explain further, only calmly stating, "You'll see soon enough."
His words proved prophetic as another turning point quickly arrived.
Yamazaki Hiroshi and others stared wide-eyed, as did Tōō's players.
It was that same incredibly eerie Vanishing Drive, but now Izuki Shun was using it.
And then Hyuuga Junpei, Kiyoshi Teppei—soon, every member of Seirin started breaking through as if they could all vanish.
"What the hell? Everyone can use Vanishing Drive now?"
Haizaki couldn't grasp what he was seeing, but he knew Tendou must understand the trick clearly.
After all, Tendou had those miraculous eyes.
"What's the secret behind the Vanishing Drive?"
"I've just explained. They use Kagami to draw defenders' attention at the precise moment their teammate moves."
Tendou's earlier explanation was still fresh in their minds.
"Exactly. In Kuroko's Vanishing Drive, Kagami is the decoy. But what happens if Kuroko himself becomes the decoy?"
Haizaki understood. Kuroko was willingly becoming the decoy himself.
Playing against Seirin often gave the illusion of a 5-on-4 match. But when the court suddenly switched from nine noticeable players to ten, that newly noticed tenth player became incredibly conspicuous.
"That guy purposely made himself the center of everyone's attention!" Hanamiya growled, eyebrows knitted.
He never imagined Seirin had another move hidden.
"If Kuroko chooses this strategy, he essentially sacrifices any future chance of defeating Tōō again. After this, Tōō will fully adapt to his presence. His misdirection will lose all effectiveness against them."
Yet that's preferable to losing here and now.
That was Kuroko's own reasoning.
He stood confidently before Aomine.
Inspired by his determination, Seirin's morale surged. They started closing the gap swiftly, narrowing the score by halftime.
Then came the second half.
Kuroko still wasn't stopping—he intended to completely exhaust the potential of his misdirection. Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs novel※fire.net
Tōō Academy had no answer. Facing a Seirin squad where everyone could disappear, they could only watch helplessly.
Seirin had retaken the lead!