The air inside the gym pulsed with energy sharp, hot, alive. Every squeak of sneakers and slap of the ball echoed like thunder against the high walls. Sweat dripped from every forehead, jerseys clung to backs, and the smell of effort filled the space.

Arisa stood in the center, whistle spinning lazily between her fingers, eyes locked on the fifteen players moving around her. She wasn't the type to raise her voice much her tone carried a confident bite that made people listen.

"Come on, Marcus! Don't baby the pass fire it!" she shouted.

Marcus gritted his teeth and zipped the ball harder to Yuuto. The sound cracked through the air. Yuuto caught it cleanly, pivoted, then drove left Arisa's eyes followed every motion.

"Too slow on the gather!" she called.

Yuuto's foot slipped, barely keeping his balance. "You're seriously everywhere, huh?" he muttered.

Arisa smirked, stepping closer. "You'd be surprised what you can see when you're not wasting movement."

From the sidelines, Rei let out a breathless laugh. "Man, she's scarier than Coach already."

Daichi, drenched in sweat, nodded. "And faster than half of us."

"She's not even playing full speed," Sora added between gasps.

The drills had been running nonstop since morning. Coach Hikari hadn't interfered much she simply watched from the far end of the court, arms crossed, expression unreadable, letting her daughter run the show.

"Switch groups!" Arisa called, clapping once. "Shunjin, Toma, Riku on defense. Yuuto, Marcus, Rei attack pattern."

The boys groaned but shuffled back into formation.

Yuuto dribbled at the top of the key, eyes sharp. Arisa stood beside Coach, observing. Her voice was calm, but her words hit hard.

"Shunjin, stop ball-watching. Riku, your spacing's garbage. And Marcus "

"What now?" Marcus barked, panting.

"Stop flinching like the ball's allergic to you."

Laughter rippled through the team. Even Kenji and Kento, who were taking a water break near the baseline, cracked up.

Marcus scowled. "I ain't flinching!"

"Then prove it," Arisa said coolly. "Run it again."

He did and this time, when Yuuto passed him the ball, Marcus caught it hard, grounded his stance, and drove to the rim with power. The layup hit clean.

A small smirk curved Arisa's lips. "Better. See? Not allergic after all."

The gym filled with laughter again, but the tension was shifting. The players weren't just playing they were competing against her expectations.

Shinji nudged Keiji from the corner. "You realize she hasn't missed a single detail? She's calling out everyone's weakness like she's reading our stat sheets."

Keiji nodded. "No wonder Coach trusts her."

Arata exhaled, wiping sweat off his chin. "Still can't believe she's Coach Hikari's daughter. Guess it runs in the blood."

Coach Hikari gave a small smirk at that comment but said nothing. She just watched waiting.

Arisa clapped again. "Alright. Water break two minutes!"

The team scattered. Some collapsed onto the floor. Others leaned against the wall, gulping from their bottles. The fans spun lazily overhead, pushing the heat around.

Yuuto sat cross-legged, wiping his forehead with his towel. Marcus dropped beside him, chest heaving.

"She's relentless," Marcus muttered. "No breaks, no sympathy."

"She's her mom's daughter," Yuuto said between breaths. "Just… more unpredictable."

Rei flopped onto the floor next to them, eyes half-shut. "She's like if Coach smiled while torturing us."

Across the court, Arisa was pacing, checking her notes on the clipboard. Even the smallest things foot placement, defensive timing, passing rhythm she tracked all of it.

Ryo approached her, still catching his breath. "Hey, Arisa… be honest, are we that bad?"

She looked up from her notes, thoughtful. "No. You're not bad. You're just… incomplete."

"Meaning?"

She tossed him a towel. "You all have habits that don't match your instincts. It's like watching talented players stuck between two selves the one they are, and the one they're supposed to be."

Ryo blinked, then nodded slowly. "That's… weirdly deep."

"I get that from my mom," she said, grinning.

Coach Hikari pushed off the wall and walked toward center court, her whistle glinting under the lights. Her calm but commanding presence made the team instinctively stand straighter. Even Arisa stopped talking.

"Enough," she said, voice firm. "Gather up."

The entire team moved quickly into a loose semicircle. Sneakers squeaked, water bottles rolled aside. The sound of heavy breathing filled the still air.

Coach Hikari scanned the group Yuuto, Marcus, Rei, Shunjin, Daichi, Sora, Tsubasa, Arata, Riku, Ishida, Kenji, Kento, Ryo, Keiji, Toma, Shinji, Daniel her eyes moving with precision, as if weighing every one of them.

"You've worked hard today," she began. "Arisa's drills pushed you, and I can see where each of you stands."

Marcus straightened slightly. Arisa stood a few steps behind her mom, arms folded, watching the team with a proud but knowing smirk.

Hikari continued, her voice carrying through the gym like a measured rhythm. "You've all improved. But improvement means nothing if you don't understand yourselves."

The players exchanged looks.

Yuuto tilted his head. "Understand ourselves?"

"Yes," Hikari said. "Every athlete in this world fits into a certain category. You can't grow if you don't know what kind of player you are. That's what separates amateurs from real competitors."

Silence. The air felt thicker somehow.

Arisa crossed her arms and glanced toward the team. "She's about to drop one of those speeches," she whispered to herself.

Coach Hikari stopped pacing and faced them squarely, hands clasped behind her back.

She scanned the lineup of players standing before her Marcus, Rei, Yuuto, Shunjin, Daichi, Sora, Tsubasa, Arata, Riku, Ishida, Kenji, Kento, Ryo, Keiji, Toma, Shinji, and Daniel.

Arisa stood off to the side, quietly helping her mom organize the cones.

"Good." Hikari crossed her arms, her voice sharp yet composed. "Now, I'm going to teach you something most coaches won't ever tell you."

She began pacing slowly across the court, her sneakers echoing against the polished floor.

"There are three types of players in this world. Not just in basketball in every sport. The Genius, the Prodigy, and the Self-Made Player."

The gym fell silent. Even Arisa looked up, curious.

Coach Hikari raised one hand.

"First, the Genius. These players are born with physical gifts that defy logic long arms, explosive legs, height, reflexes traits that make them built for the game."

She looked directly at her team.

"A genius doesn't just play. They dominate. Their bodies were made for it. Like Renji the King of the Court. You played him, remember? His physique is perfect for basketball: strength, speed, agility, and vertical power. Add a skill like dunking or rebounding, and you get a monster that can't be contained."

Yuuto swallowed.

Yeah… I remember going up against him. It felt like trying to stop a storm.

"But here's the thing about geniuses," Hikari continued, her eyes narrowing. "They're rare and sometimes, they're prideful. They think talent alone is enough."

Arisa smirked faintly. "Talent means nothing without discipline."

Hikari nodded. "Exactly."

She lowered her hand. "Next, we have the Prodigy. These players may not have freakish physical gifts, but they possess a skill so sharp it feels like second nature."

Her gaze found Yuuto.

"Yuuto you're a perfect example."

"M-me?" he stammered.

"You weren't born with unnatural height or power, but you have something else speed. Your dribbling, your reaction time, your court awareness… that's your prodigy trait. It's instinctive. Your body moves before your brain even catches up."

Yuuto rubbed his neck, flustered. "I-I don't really see it that way…"

"Of course you don't," Hikari said. "That's what makes you dangerous. Prodigies don't realize how gifted they are until someone pushes them. But once they wake up" she smiled faintly, "they're unstoppable."

The team murmured among themselves. Some nodded. Others looked at Yuuto differently now.

Finally, Hikari turned to Marcus. Her tone softened.

"And then… there's the Self-Made Player."

Marcus blinked. "Me?"

"Yes. You."

Her words carried a weight that hushed the room.

"You weren't born with natural athletic gifts or raw skill. But everything you have your control, your discipline, your leadership you built it with sweat, repetition, and failure."

Marcus frowned slightly. "So… I'm the weakest type, then?"

Hikari slammed her clipboard against her palm.

"No!"

Her voice thundered through the gym.

"There's nothing weak about being self-made. Geniuses and prodigies both rely on players like you. You bring balance, strategy, and vision. You make everyone around you better. You're the glue that holds a team together."

She stepped forward.

"Without self-made players, geniuses crumble and prodigies lose their direction."

The silence was thick, the message heavy.

Even Arisa looked impressed, her eyes shining.

"Take Renji again," Hikari continued. "He's a genius. But even he needed a self-made player to feed him the perfect pass. Geniuses and prodigies might shine under the spotlight but self-made players? They build the stage."

Her eyes returned to Marcus.

"Don't ever think you're lesser. You're the reason this team can stand against players like Renji."

Marcus stared at his hands, gripping them tightly.

"…Thanks, Coach."

Coach Hikari finally stepped back, scanning her players.

"Each of you falls into one of these three categories. Some already know where you belong. Some don't. But understanding what kind of player you are that's the key to growth."

Her gaze swept the room.

"Ask yourselves this: are you a Genius, a Prodigy, or Self-Made?"

Arisa smiled faintly from the side. "They're all important, huh?"

"Exactly," Hikari said. "Each one serves a purpose. Together, they make a team. Together… they can beat anyone."

She clapped her hands once. "Alright! Enough philosophy. Back to drills!"

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