Fundamentals

Youta was back to square one when it came to this girl. Her basketball skills were atrocious. So much so that he wondered if she was better off just giving up. However doing so would reflect poorly on his job as sports manager and still wouldn't address the other issue she brought up.

His lack of knowledge in the sport of basketball also proved to be a hindrance. Just because he knew of the concepts didn't mean he understood what it took to coach and teach others to perform at a high level. Or in this case, at a level that didn't involve creating a hazard with the ball.

So the boy had nothing better to do during the down time between classes, but to crack open a book to read about the fundamentals of basketball. Surely this wouldn't make him a world class athlete or good coach. But perhaps he could give her an idea of what to do to make herself a better player.

Surprisingly to him, the game was much more complex than he gave it credit for. Most of these sports presented themselves as relying heavily on raw athletic talent. And while that may be required if one wished to go pro, even someone like him could perform after figuring some things out.

One important aspect he noted was the different positions they played. He noticed this back when he watched that game the other day, but couldn't tell what it was that made each them different. Now reading on the roles of players such as the point guard or center, he couldn't help but wonder what exactly Takame's role was within her own team.

He already had an idea based on her size and stature, but what was the official position? Hopefully nothing stupid like expecting her to be one of the guards. Her ball handling skills and ability to shoot might as well have been deadly for all the wrong reasons.

Fortunately he'd be able to lend some help for her to get into the right direction. This book gave him the clarity he needed, but there was one of other thing Youta needed to be assured he'd be able to succeed at his job.

"Fuwaka, can I ask you to skip your practice just this once?" This would be enlisting the aid of the only person he knew who would understand his need. "I know swimming's real important for you, but I don't think I can do this on my own."

"Whoever you're helping isn't troubling you, are they?" She asked while stretching out her body as if preparing to fight. "Because sadly I'm not much for confrontation, so I can't help you there." It turned out her actions were only for show as Fuwaka would be useless were he to need a buddy to fight.

"First off, I don't need a girl to stand up for me." He responded, looking downward to avoid having to look at her and think of being someone who needed rescuing. "And secondly, she's not mean or anything. I just think that it's a lot harder to teach someone a sport when I'm by myself. And I'd ask one of her teammates, but they all give me strange looks now and I'm a bit worried to approach them." For whatever reason, he noted that after yesterday, the girl's basketball team began to have a slightly negative perception of him.

"It sounds like you are getting bullied then." She couldn't imagine why anyone would want to pick on or avoid him. Youta was a wonderful person in her eyes and someone she was more than thankful to have met. "I can help though since swim practice isn't a big deal right now. The first meets don't start until June, so we've just been mostly warming up from the long winter. We haven't been required to make practice yet."

"Thank you." He bowed his head down. "I promise I won't make you skip out often. This is just a one time deal."

"No problem." She smiled, laying back in her seat. "If it's you, I'm ready to help with almost anything." Whether that help would be useful, she didn't even know yet. However Fuwaka would come to know what it was he needed when they arrived at the gym.

"I'm here Mr. Morikawa!" When they arrived, Takame quickly made her appearance known to them to avoid a repeat of him singling her out again. She stood up straight and put her arms down to her side as if under his boot camp still. "Um, and who are you?" She noticed Fuwaka standing besides him as the boy could only shake his head over her over the top introduction.

"Whoa…" Fuwaka didn't respond to her question as her eyes widened in seeing this substantially taller girl standing before her.

"Do you have to… Stare at me?" She couldn't help but get the feeling of self-consciousness again. "Did I do something weird again?"

"Oh nothing like that." She finally regained her composure. "Anyway, my name's Fuwaka Tomika. I'm a good friend of Youta here and he asked for my help."

"She's also an athlete who's been kind enough to take time away from practice to help you. So I'd hope you're able to respect that." Said Youta.

"I'll do my best!" She replied with enthusiasm, but also got impacted by the welling anxiety that now someone else was having their precious time used for someone like her. So her words came out much louder than intended.

"Okay, so I wanted to ask first. What position do you play?" Saying it now, Youta realized he should've already learned this part of her when first training as her initial request was about improving her skills.

"Coach says there's not enough players on the team for us to have defined roles. So it's kind of flexible. But all my teammates keep saying I should stick to center."

"I agree with them."

"Just wondering." Fuwaka cut in on the conversation. "You said teammates, but are any of them your friends?"

"I can't say I'm that close to anyone on the team." She admitted. "Why?"

"Just wondering." She turned her head slightly in his direction. Noting how she was not an edge case for requiring any so-called help. Though it wasn't like it ended up poorly in the end for her.

"Anyway." He could tell immediately what she implied and quickly changed the subject. "I figure that what we tried to worry about yesterday wouldn't be of useful for someone like you. Instead you need to try out your post game instead."

"My post game?" She responded, confused on the word choice. "Why do we need to worry about what I do after the game?"

"That's not what I mean by post." He handed the ball off to Fuwaka and walked over near what they called, the paint, in basketball. Which was a portion that was closest to the hoop compared to other standard spots. "Stand in front of me, facing towards her." Youta command, which she did exactly as asked. "Ok, now Fuwaka pass the ball to her."

"I hope you didn't call in a favor just so I can pass her a ball."

"There's a reason for this." He beckoned her not to talk back and to do as asked. She did, but as Takame had her hands up ready to catch the ball. He quickly moved past her and deflected it away.

"Huh? What was that for?" Takame asked, not understanding the logic behind his actions.

"In a real game, people actually play defense. You have to be proactive in blocking me out or else I'll just steal the ball myself." The only reason he didn't steal it away then, was because Youta still was awful at the sport. However if someone as bad as him could knock it away, then she played too passively. "Again."

He commanded the pair once more, and again Fuwaka threw the ball to her target. This time Takame used one of her arms to bar him away from her as she managed to catch the ball.

"I did it!" She said in shock at her success. "Now what?"

"This is why you play this position. Use your superior height and size to push me back and throw the ball up for a layup." While it pained him to admit it, she did indeed tower over him. However this fact was useful in knowing she'd have the same, if not better advantage when playing against girls.

"Like this?" She clumsily bounced the ball to intimate dribbling. While it was still awkward, at least she wasn't kicking it away anymore. Then Takame took steps backwards into him, which he battled back to not budge like a real game. "This is kind of weird…" However the girl felt doing this to be wrong. Mostly because she was forcing her butt into the body of a boy. Even Fuwaka was not a fan of being forced to see this.

"This is just how it is when you're playing properly." He replied, feeling all of her from the force of being hit. "Just pretend I'm a girl if that makes you feel better." Youta continued to guide her along in explaining the concept. Then, when he believed them in the correct position said, "Okay, now take a shot."

"Um, okay." She took his advice from the other day and tossed the ball up with better form. At this close distance, there was less of a need to aim, especially because her height allowed her real close distance. Thanks to all these factors, Takame finally got the ball through the net. "I-I did it." She couldn't believe it when it happened.

"Nice job." Fuwaka clapped for her in celebration. "Now you're on the right track."

"Yeah, you really are." He said, collecting the ball after it had rested on the ground. "But it's not over yet."