Talk In The Park

In the early evening, Shun walked home from school. Today was an off-day from the gym, so Shun was returning home after club practice, which earlier than his usual timing.

Things have gone ordinarily for the past few weeks. The only exciting thing to happen was Narumiya and Sora's shooting accuracy increasing a bit. Both of the first-year members didn't like to close in on the basket and liked to work from away.

Shun, as the captain, kept an eye on the whole team, so he was pleased that the team was making progress.

Shun was about to enter the residential area when he turned a corner and saw Satsuki entering the residential area. Shun grinned mischievously and decided to prank Satsuki.

He sneakily walked behind Satsuki and tapped her on the right shoulder, and moved to the left side, so she couldn't see him.

Satsuki turned back to see who tapped her on the shoulder, but there was no one behind. She heard someone move in front of her, so she turned to her front to came face to face with a sudden sound.

Shun: "Boo!"

Satsuki was startled by the sudden scare and screamed in surprise. She closed her eyes for a second, before opening them to see a laughing Shun.

She calmed down from the scare, but anger replaced the surprise, and she hit Shun on his shoulder.

Satsuki: "Shun-kun! That wasn't nice!"

Shun rubbed his shoulder and looked at Satsuki with a beaming smile.

Shun: "Sorry, sorry. I won't do it again.., probably."

Satsuki sighed in the face of Shun's antics started to make small talk with her neighbor as they walked home together.

Satsuki: "You are early today."

Shun reset the placement of his backpack on his shoulders before replying.

Shun: "Yeah, it is a rest day."

He peered at his companion and chatted.

Shun: "So, how is school? How is it being a third-year, anything different?"

Satsuki thought about her experience being a third-year and tilted her while shaking it.

Satsuki: "Not really. It is the same. Well, the teachers do always go on about the way a third-year should act."

Shun chuckled in reply.

Shun: "Ha! Teachers say that every year. Now that you are in, insert school year, you need to act accordingly, and whatnot."

Satsuki and Shun continued to walk and chat about random things before Satsuki asked about the basketball club.

Satsuki: "So, captain of Tokiwadai Basketball Club, how is that going?"

Shun crossed his arms and thought about the things that came with being the captain. He hummed in thought and answered.

Shun: "It is fine. I need to keep an eye out on the other members. Before, when the captain would scold the slacking members, I would laugh at the from the side, but now I can't do that, and that kinda sucks.

The first-string don't have first-year students, but I have to go the second-string to scout members, and let me tell you those first-years are really short."

Shun beamed widely and added.

Shun: "Being a third-year is cool in its own way. I can strut down the first-year corridor, and all of them would respectively greet me.

Ah~, the feeling of being addressed as senpai."

Shun finished with a smile on his face, and Satsuki giggled at Shun's words. Shun put his hands behind his head and asked.

Shun: "So, how are the miracle boys doing?"

Satsuki had to stop herself from laugh at Shun for calling the Generation Of Miracles, miracle boys. But, when she thought about the team and the club, her mood plummeted.

She looked at Shun, who was mumbling something about miracle boys. She decided to talk to him about what was going at the club.

Satsuki looked towards the park, they were passing by and pulled on Shun's shirt to stop him.

Shun stopped and looked at Satsuki.

Shun: "Huh?"

Shun saw the somber look on Satsuki's face and got worried.

Shun: 'Huh? What the hell. Did I do something? I didn't say anything to make her sad, did I?'

He turned to Satsuki and asked, the worry was clear in his voice.

Shun: "What happened?"

Satsuki looked up at Shun and softly spoke.

Satsuki: "Can we talk in the park? I want to talk to you about something."

Shun glanced at the park, turned back to Satsuki, and agreed.

Shun: "Of course."

Satsuki nodded and thanked Shun.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Shun looked at the blue sky, thinking about what Satsuki had just shared with him.

She had told him about the current atmosphere of the Teiko Basketball Club. How the Miracles had changed. She talked about the new directives from the school administration and the freedom that they provided.

Shun already knew that the time after the second-year Nationals till the end of middle school was the dark period for Teiko and the five miracles, but listening about it directly from an insider was a different experience.

He was also a little surprised when Satsuki told him about the game between Akashi and Aomine. Even though he knew that his presence would cause some changes, it still came as a slight surprise to him that Aomine and Akashi played against each other.

He knew changes would happen, but he didn't know what the changes would be.

Shun: 'Aomine would definitely be stronger than the canon.'

He glanced at Satsuki, who was fiddling with the key strap on her bag. Shun sighed before starting, which caused Satsuki to look at him.

Shun: "Those five shouldn't be on the same team."

Satsuki: "Eh?"

Shun leaned into the back of the park bench and continued.

Shun: "Believe it or not, there is something as too much talent on one team."

Satsuki was confused with that statement and asked.

Satsuki: "What do you mean by that?"

Shun continued with his explanation.

Shun: "There is scientific research that backs the idea that when it comes to sports, there is something known as too much talent on the team.

There is a limit to how much talent you can have on a single team before it starts to have a negative effect.

No doubt, having top talent on your team will help the team succeed. Take Teiko as an example, do you remember the last time they won anywhere less than sixty points, except for the game against my team, exclude that game."

Satsuki shook her head and replied.

Satsuki: "I can't remember it."

Shun nodded and continued.

Shun: "Teiko is strong, no doubt about it. But that strength is also a curse.

None of them get regular challenges.

As we talked after the shrine visit, Teiko isn't getting practice games. Even I haven't played seriously for a while."

Satsuki furrowed her brows and put up a question.

Satsuki: "But, that isn't that much of a negative impact on the team."

Shun chuckled and gave the answer to Satsuki's question.

Shun: "It is because they are strong that they are losing out on things.

Tell me, how many times does Kise or Midorima or even Aomine jump for a rebound."

Satsuki dived into her memories and thought about the games or practice games. Her eyes widened when she found that she couldn't think of many times when the three jumped for rebounds. Shun saw the expression on Satsuki's face and continued.

Shun: "See? It is because Murasakibara is out there for rebounds, the rest of them don't even get into position for rebounds. After all, they know that he will get the rebound, so they don't go into Murasakibara's territory.

Aomine is a power forward, he should be there for rebounds, but from the game videos I saw, he just stands around and let Murasakibara do the work.

Midorima has his height, he should be there for rebounds, but he just stays outside for threes.

And, if I am right, none of them practice rebounding because they don't need to, am I?"

Satsuki nodded, and Shun continued.

Shun: "Screen is the move that is used by all teams the most in every single game without fail, but if you go through games, you would see that none of the miracles set up screens for each other.

They don't need it, so they don't set up screens or practice setting up screens."

Shun took a pause before continuing.

Shun: "The miracles don't try to invade in each others' territory as they know that their teammate has it covered, which translates into not practicing that part of the game.

But, because they are talented, they still are good at the parts they don't practice.

If I wasn't in the equation. I am pretty sure that some of the five would've quit coming to practice.

And, even those who did practice wouldn't give it their best, not because they didn't want to, but because they didn't need to."

Shun looked at Satsuki and concluded.

Shun: "If those guys were on different teams, they would've been forced to learn different things. Explore different ways to improve their game.

Competition is the key to improvement. You can't improve without challenges.

With me in the equation, they will improve, they will work hard, but they will improve within certain parts of the game, they still won't go into the others' territory."

Shun nudged Satsuki, who had her eyes on the ground and tried to comfort.

Shun: "I know they are your friends. I know that you care for those guys.

As long as they are on that team, they will continue to be as they are right now. Your coach has his hands tied by the school administration, which also negative for them.

But I will say this."

Satsuki stared at Shun as he spoke his next words.

Shun: "I can say this confidence. When those guys separate, things will start to improve.

When they separate, they would've plenty of competition. Currently, those guys only have me as a challenge, and that too they have to share.

But, when they go to different teams, they would have the others as competition.

All of them would improve faster than they do know. Those who have fallen out of love for basketball will start to enjoy it to the full capacity.

Time will heal the wounds.

So, don't give up hope. I am pretty sure that someday, you would be able to see all six of your friends return to the time before all the negativity.

The reason why I am so sure? It is because they will be going against me, and the only reason for them to be down in the dumps will be because they will be losing to me every single time."

Shun ended with a long spree of laughter. Listening to Shun's words and his laughter, Satsuki felt her mood lighten up.

She smiled and thought.

Satsuki: 'Yeah, he is right.

Who said things would always remain the same.'

She lightly slapped her cheeks with her hands and stood up.

Satsuki: "You are right, I shouldn't lose hope."

She twirled to face Shun, and with a pretty smile on her face, she said.

Satsuki: "Shun-kun, thanks for listening to me."

Shun blinked twice, thrice before the words came out of his mouth.

Shun: "O-Oh, no problem. Happy to help."

Satsuki stared at Shun for a while, before turning away with a different kind of smile on her face.