"Tch, You're seriously annoying, you know that?"
"Oh! Thanks for the compliment!"
Aomine Daiki and Tsugawa Tomoki were practically glued together as they ran across the court. Whether Aomine had the ball or not, Tsugawa stuck to him like a shadow, and even someone as laid-back as Aomine was starting to get irritated.
What annoyed him even more was that, because of this guy's constant pestering, he was getting fewer and fewer passes…
It wasn't that Akashi couldn't pass the ball to Aomine.
And it wasn't that Aomine couldn't create a momentary opening against Tsugawa.
With the "Emperor Eye" as his cheat-like ability, Akashi Seijuro could easily find the perfect moment to pass the ball whenever he wanted.
But the reason he wasn't passing to Aomine was simple, there was no need to.
Right now, every single member of the "Generation of Miracles" had absolute scoring potential. In other words, no matter who Akashi passed to, there was a high chance they'd score.
Under those conditions,
Aomine Daiki, who was constantly being hounded by Tsugawa and whose passing window was now 30% to 40% more difficult, was no longer Akashi's first choice.
Smack!
The ball was passed to shooting guard Midorima Shintaro, who was already beyond the three-point line. The moment he caught the ball, he raised his arms to shoot.
But just as he lifted the ball, Akashi Asuka abandoned the inside line without hesitation and closed in fast. There was no way he'd give a monster like Midorima a free shot from three. Even if Midorima hadn't yet reached his peak in this timeline, the entire half-court was already his shooting domain.
Akashi Asuka wasn't as monstrously fast as Aomine, but with his decent Speed stat and his long legs, he could cover three to four meters in just two or three strides.
A massive shadow loomed over Midorima. His expression shifted.
Without hesitation, he pulled back his shot and began to dribble, attempting a drive toward the basket. While Midorima wasn't Aomine Daiki, as a shooting guard, he still had a surprisingly solid set of driving skills.
That said, his speed and agility were only top-tier by normal standards, about the same level as Akashi Asuka.
Although Asuka's old basketball team skills had dulled over time, his defensive instincts hadn't. Midorima tried several times to break past him and even circled back out to the perimeter, but no matter what he did, he couldn't shake Asuka.
So Midorima went for a fake pass to throw him off.
But Asuka didn't even flinch. He didn't so much as glance toward the imaginary target.
Inside, he felt absolutely nothing.
In fact, he kind of wanted to laugh.
"Are you planning to pass? Go ahead, pass it! If you do, I'll hand this ball over to your team myself," Akashi Asuka said with a teasing grin.
All around Midorima, Akashi Seijuro, Murasakibara Atsushi, and Kise Ryouta were completely unguarded. The remaining three players from Kaijo Junior High had long since lost the will to fight, they were basically background decorations, no more useful than video game "fake eyes."
Even Aomine had broken free from Tsugawa's marking for the moment, sprinting through the paint and shouting for a pass with his hand raised.
Despite the glaring vulnerabilities in his own team's defense, Akashi Asuka remained utterly unfazed, he even looked like he was about to yawn.
Like hell he was worried.
Why do you think Akashi Asuka dared to abandon the paint and charge in for a close press like that?
Because he already knew this was how it would play out.
At this stage, every member of the "Generation of Miracles" had a bit of a mental screw loose.
Their biggest shared flaw? They only trusted themselves. On offense or defense, they each insisted on finishing every play solo, they absolutely refused to pass the ball.
The only exception was Akashi Seijuro.
But that was only because his position was "point guard," meaning his primary role was to pass and lead the team. So, during each possession, he was the first, and only, one to pass.
Even then, Akashi didn't just pass to whoever called for the ball. He passed to whoever he decided was worthy.
And if that person failed to score after receiving his pass? They'd be mercilessly abandoned by Akashi on the next play.
Like a ruthless, cold-blooded emperor.
"Hmm? Still not gonna shoot? Keep hesitating, and you're gonna run into a 24-second violation. Am I pressing you too hard? Want me to ease up a bit?"
Basketball isn't like volleyball.
In volleyball, there's a net separating the two teams, so direct trash talk is rare, conversations mostly happen between teammates when planning plays.
But basketball is often one-on-one, face-to-face. Especially in pro matches, if you're not throwing out a little trash talk, you're not playing for real.
Of course,
This was a high school game. They were all still students. Civilized folk.
So if you're going to trash talk, you've got to be a little more... tactful. A little more "refined." Otherwise, it's easy to get carded.
"Could you hurry it up, please? This is taking so long I'm getting dizzy just watching. I think I'm gonna fall asleep."
"You sure talk a lot. I remember you weren't nearly this chatty when Murasakibara was crushing you in the first half. What, trying to provoke me now? Pretty clumsy strategy."
"Doesn't matter if it's clumsy. As long as it works, who ca—ah!"
Halfway through his sentence, Akashi Asuka let out an actual yawn. It looked like he really was getting sleepy.
Midorima's eyes flashed with sharp intent. He stepped back and raised the ball, ready to shoot. But just as he was about to release,
Akashi Asuka lunged forward like lightning.
"Heh~~ Gotcha! Just kidding, dumbass!"
Despite having a relatively low Jump stat, that was a common issue for tall players. His 67 stat might not seem like much, but for someone his height, it was more than enough.
Combined with his nearly two-meter frame, his vertical leap didn't need to be spectacular. It was still more than enough to block a shot from this version of Midorima.
But just as Akashi Asuka jumped,
He realized that Midorima had only faked it. He hadn't jumped at all.
"How foolish. In the end, you're still just a mere mortal."
Midorima's voice was cold as ice. He only jumped to shoot once Asuka began his descent.
But then,
BEEP~~~~
Before Midorima's knees even fully extended, before he left the ground,
The referee blew the whistle.
"White team, number 7. Holding violation. Blue team gets possession!"
At the sound of the ref's announcement, Midorima's movement froze in place.
==========
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