"Beep~"
The second quarter ended. Both sides concluded their intense scoring battle. The current score was 64:69, with Homi Academy temporarily trailing by 5 points. In this scoring duel, Teikō clearly held the advantage. They had more scoring options. Even though Homi Academy had gone "all-in," with even their center shooting three-pointers, they ultimately lacked the output of their primary scoring threat, Yuuto.
The bad news: their firepower couldn't match Teikō's.
The good news: Kuroko's Misdirection was still usable. After a short rest, he could re-enter the battle and help the team.
After so many simulations, this was the best half-time performance Homi Academy had ever played against Teikō. Putting all his energy into defense also meant Yuuto had more stamina for the second half.
He returned to the locker room, put on his jacket, and walked out the door. "I'm going to buy some drinks." Yuuto wasn't thirsty, but he wanted to walk around to ease the tension in his heart.
"Captain..."
"Let him have some peace and quiet."
The coach stopped the person, then nervously arranged the strategy for the second half.
Meanwhile, Yuuto came outside the gym alone, found a spot, and sat down casually. He felt the breeze and gazed into the distance... Could they really win?
He couldn't help but ask himself. In countless simulations, Homi Academy had more than once played a first half that matched Teikō's. But when it came to the second half, when he needed to take over the game, Yuuto lost. That kind of painful defeat, he had experienced it time and time again.
But that was in the simulation, and he could always tell himself then, I'll have another chance. But today, there would be no next time. If he lost, there would be no going back. A huge pressure swept over his entire body and mind. He wanted to win so badly that his hands couldn't stop trembling from fear.
Then, a soft hand grasped his. Sora came, resting her head on his shoulder. She said nothing, just quietly accompanied Yuuto as he looked into the distance.
Then... "Let's go, time is almost up." Yuuto felt the time was right and stood up.
"Thanks, Sora. I feel much better now."
"Mhm!"
When you are apprehensive, fearful, and uneasy, the presence of family can speak volumes.
...
"Buzzer~"
The second half began. When both teams stepped onto the court again, the atmosphere erupted with cheers even louder than at the start of the game. This so-called "Second Impact" matchup of the century had not disappointed anyone.
In the south stands, the Tochigi Prefecture fans held up a large "Certain Victory" banner, and in Yuuto's fan club area, a large portrait of Yuuto's face was held up. In their hearts, Yuuto's relationship with the Tochigi Prefecture was like LeBron's with Cleveland.
Kuroko rested on the bench. Coach Old Den cherished Kuroko's limited Misdirection ability. Reality wasn't like the anime; Kuroko's Misdirection only lasted about twenty minutes and wouldn't have the kind of Schrödinger-like condition where he could disappear whenever Seirin needed him to. Without the "Shadow," Homi Academy's offense needed someone to fill the gap.
On the opening possession, Akashi held the ball and went straight to face Yuuto. His signature Ankle Breaker wasn't primarily aimed at penetrating but at disrupting Yuuto's center of gravity. The non-stop change of positions would make anyone feel overwhelmed. But he didn't fall. In this game, he didn't know how many times he had guarded Akashi, correcting his weakness over and over.
He flicked his fingers around, directing his teammates' defensive positions even while defending. The frequency of his finger movements was too high for the Teikō players to understand the meaning. But under the influence of the God's Finger skill, Yuuto's self-created specialty skill, the entire Homi Academy team understood his signals.
Homi Academy's defense became watertight for a moment. Seeing this, the Tochigi Prefecture fans grew even more excited. They shouted, "The ever-advancing Tochigi people will win the game!"
Ever-advancing? That's right. He had always been moving forward, never stopping! Yuuto's eyes were even redder. While putting pressure on his opponent, Akashi also felt an increasingly intense pressure coming from Yuuto. Yuuto was closing in step by step.
At a time like this, he couldn't afford to be timid.
"Don't be so arrogant, Yuuto!" Akashi rarely roared. After a crossover that damaged Yuuto's center of gravity, a swift spin allowed him to brush past Yuuto's body. He got past. He drove to the basket, faked a shot to send Haizaki flying, and calmly made a layup.
"I am the only one who dictates everything!"
He seemed to tear off his disguise, revealing his true self, being incredibly dominant. At this moment, he seemed to sideline the team and even his teammates.
"Akashi-kun..." Momoi stared blankly at the court. The team's current state was completely out of control. As mentioned before, a team's demeanor is determined by its leader. He would unconsciously influence the team. When Akashi chose to play isolation, their fragile connection broke instantly.
"I will personally crush that unrealistic dream of yours." Akashi's eyes were frighteningly cold, staring fixedly at Yuuto.
"As long as there's life, the dream won't stop. As long as I can sleep, my dream won't cease..." Yuuto replied meaningfully.
The game continued. The difference was 7 points. Yuuto brought the ball across half court to the top of the arc. Facing Akashi's man-to-man defense, he bravely stepped into the Emperor Eye's domain once again. Then, after several exchanges, the ball in Yuuto's hands was batted away.
The ball luckily flew near Koyasu. Homi Academy's center picked up the ball, intending to shoot quickly, not realizing he was inside the three-point line. As he gathered the ball and jumped to shoot, Murasakibara's figure rushed over, completely enveloping him.
"Swat!"
A fierce block. Koyasu's shot was destroyed. Facing Murasakibara, Koyasu could clearly feel his heart rate accelerating.
Teikō immediately counter-attacked. Akashi demanded the ball back from his teammate and drove straight toward Homi Academy's half. Yuuto followed closely. In the one-on-one duel, the power of his Death Wrap was fully displayed, further refined through countless corrections. Akashi struggled intensely on this possession, but he still scored.
The point difference immediately increased to 9 points, just one step away from double digits. A deficit of single digits and a deficit of double digits are two completely different psychological states. People saw Homi Academy frequently struggling at the start of the second half and worried that they might suddenly collapse in the third quarter. This was common in basketball. A brief, sudden "power outage" for a team, even for just a minute or two, could affect the final result of the game, leading to a decisive run by the opponent.
Homi Academy now seemed to show signs of collapse. Yuuto's mood was surprisingly stable. Despite being overwhelmed by pressure during halftime, he was completely unaffected on the court. His concentration was getting stronger, and his level on both offense and defense was continuously rising.
"This... this..."
The Teikō coach watched clearly from the sideline. Yuuto was slowly but surely closing in on the Emperor Eye. The difficulty for Akashi to score over him was becoming harder and harder. Was Akashi getting weaker? Of course not. The Lion of Okukozome was getting stronger, continuously and rapidly evolving during the game.
"At this rate, Ah Yuu will eventually reverse the entire situation." Momoi had a premonition. The tiny wish from a year ago might come true. The boy who was initially only seen as a chance to make her childhood friend play seriously, was now facing the strongest team in history and rapidly closing the gap.
Back then, on the Homi Academy rooftop, she had said, "If it's Ah Yuu, maybe you can really defeat Teikō." This was originally just a joke.
And Yuuto's reply to her then now flooded her mind like a tide. "Someone is always going to succeed, so why not me?"
"I've never felt I was weaker than those guys!"
...
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