Kiyoshi leaves and Hyuga reflects on his true feelings towards basketball. The next morning, the newly-formed basketball team goes up the rooftop before morning assembly and announce their courage with an oath. Hyuga changes his "yankee" style to his current haircut and proves that he is willing to join the team. Riko also agrees to coach them. Kiyoshi trusts Hyuga to be captain of the team, even though the Kiyoshi had initiated its formation. In the first matches Seirin played, they defeated Kyoritsu 71-52, then Kiyoshi's putback dunk winner from Hyuga's 3-point miss led to a defeat of Shimamura 91-90. The day of the preliminaries finals, the Seirin team sees the Teiko Middle School team, but they don't notice when Kuroko walks past them. Seirin then takes on Kirisaki Daiichi, which included Hanamiya Makoto, an Uncrowned General like Kiyoshi. Seirin took control of the game at first, with Hyuga's consecutive 3 pointers and Kiyoshi's playmaking, but the latter's legs are acting up. Leading 81-71 with less than 4 minutes to play, Hanamiya enters, and then when Kiyoshi grabs a rebound, Hanamiya orders his teammate to push his left leg down, leading to a sprained leg for Kiyoshi. Hyuga knows it was Hanamiya's doing, which Hanamiya denies, plus there is no real proof. Seirin still took the win, but without Kiyoshi things just got harder for Seirin as they lost the subsequent matches and got eliminated from the Nationals. Kiyoshi promised he will return next year, when he can play again and make a second attempt to get Seirin to be the best in Japan. However, that year would be his last as there will be serious consequences to his legs if he continues on after his 2nd year. Hyuga promised that he will lead Seirin to be the best in Japan, which they are on course to, and Kirisaki Daiichi is next in their way.