On a basketball court, everything can change in an instant. Even the slightest hesitation can lead directly to giving up points.
Atsushi Murasakibara's hesitation gave Nash Gold the opening he needed.
Nash Gold was already an exceptional point guard, even a master playmaker. His command of the game's rhythm was superb.
The moment he saw Atsushi Murasakibara hesitate instead of stepping up to defend, Nash Gold seized the opportunity.
He gathered the ball, rose into his shot, and released it.
Left completely open, Nash Gold might as well have been shooting in practice. The ball dropped cleanly through the basket.
Swish!!!
Three points!
Only after Nash Gold scored did Atsushi Murasakibara realize his mistake.
He rubbed his head in frustration.
Seijuro Akashi noticed and gently patted him on the arm.
"Don't blame yourself, Murasakibara. Don't hesitate. Trust your instincts."
Atsushi Murasakibara nodded and murmured:
"Got it."
...
Possession changed hands.
The Dragon Slayer Team had the ball.
After bringing the ball across half-court, Seijuro Akashi waved Atsushi Murasakibara over to set a screen.
Atsushi Murasakibara understood and came out to set it.
Seijuro Akashi then moved to the right.
Nash Gold smiled helplessly.
"So you copied us. You really are a clever kid."
Nash Gold didn't try to fight through the screen. Atsushi Murasakibara's frame was far too large for him to get around.
Jason Silver naturally didn't hesitate either. He immediately stepped in front of Seijuro Akashi.
At that moment, Atsushi Murasakibara suddenly cut toward the paint.
Nash Gold followed him with a resigned expression.
Seijuro Akashi immediately raised his hand and sent the ball over.
The pass was placed at a difficult angle, leaving Jason Silver no chance to intercept it.
It was another alley-oop!
Nash Gold watched the ball sail over his head and gave up on the play.
There was nothing he could do. Atsushi Murasakibara could match Jason Silver physically.
Nash Gold certainly couldn't challenge him with brute force.
Had Seijuro Akashi thrown a direct pass or a bounce pass, Nash Gold could have activated the [Belial Eye] and stolen it.
He might also have stripped the ball as Atsushi Murasakibara jumped and caught it one-handed.
But there was nothing he could do against a lob.
Nash Gold could only watch as Atsushi Murasakibara caught the ball and slammed it through the basket.
After the dunk, the giant bear behind Atsushi Murasakibara threw back its head and roared.
"ROAR!!!"
It was obvious that Atsushi Murasakibara had thoroughly enjoyed that play.
Possession changed hands.
The Black Dragon Team had the ball.
Nash Gold brought the ball across half-court and smiled at Seijuro Akashi.
"Kid, what's your name?"
Seijuro Akashi replied calmly:
"Seijuro Akashi."
Nash Gold repeated the name under his breath.
"Seijuro Akashi... Good. Seijuro Akashi, you're worth remembering!"
"I'm talking about your basketball IQ, of course. Whether your skills are enough to make me remember you remains to be seen!"
Seijuro Akashi's gaze sharpened.
"You'll remember me."
A subtle change came over Seijuro Akashi's presence.
Nash Gold sensed it and grinned.
"Then you'd better work for it!"
With that, Nash Gold began dribbling at a blistering pace.
Seijuro Akashi widened his eyes and focused intently on every movement.
Then Nash Gold suddenly darted to the right.
Seijuro Akashi immediately moved to follow, only to collide with someone.
He had been so focused on Nash Gold that he hadn't noticed the player standing beside him.
The collision forced Seijuro Akashi back two steps.
Just as he regained his balance, a crisp sound rang out.
Swish!!!
Allen's cheerful voice followed:
"Lucky!"
Nash Gold and Allen bumped fists before turning and heading back on defense.
Ryota Kise scratched his head apologetically.
"Sorry, Akashi. I thought Nash was going to shoot a three, so I went over to defend him."
Seijuro Akashi shook his head.
"It's fine. That was my mistake."
By then, Seijuro Akashi had already figured out Nash Gold's plan.
First, Nash Gold had used his words to make Seijuro Akashi believe he intended to attack one-on-one.
Then he increased the speed of his dribbling, forcing Seijuro Akashi to focus completely on his movements so that he wouldn't notice Allen.
With Allen's build, Seijuro Akashi could normally slip around his screen with ease. That was why Nash Gold had needed the deception.
Once Allen was in position, Nash Gold drove toward him.
Because Seijuro Akashi's attention was entirely fixed on Nash Gold, he failed to notice Allen and was caught squarely by the screen.
From there, Nash Gold had several options. If Ryota Kise stayed with Allen, Nash Gold could take the shot himself. If Ryota Kise stepped up to help, Nash Gold could pass to Allen for the shot.
With one small scheme, the Black Dragon Team had secured an easy three points.
Seijuro Akashi glanced at Nash Gold again, impressed despite himself.
'What incredible basketball IQ.'
...
Possession changed hands.
The Dragon Slayer Team had the ball.
Seijuro Akashi brought the ball into the frontcourt and used the pick-and-roll again.
Atsushi Murasakibara's screen separated Nash Gold from him once more.
Just as Seijuro Akashi expected Jason Silver to step up and defend him, something unexpected happened.
The player in front of him wasn't Jason Silver.
It was Zack!
Seijuro Akashi's pupils contracted. He turned and saw that Nash Gold had switched onto Daiki Aomine.
Jason Silver, meanwhile, was still guarding Atsushi Murasakibara.
Seijuro Akashi quickly regained his composure and surveyed the court.
He spotted Ryota Kise and passed him the ball.
The moment Ryota Kise caught it and prepared to shoot, Allen charged toward him.
Ryota Kise immediately passed to Shintaro Midorima.
Nick's eyes flew open.
'Shit! He got the ball!'
Shintaro Midorima caught the pass, completely ignored Nick, and rose straight into his shot.
Nick had no choice but to grit his teeth and jump after him.
In the end, however, he could only watch helplessly as Shintaro Midorima released the ball.
Nick was utterly frustrated. He simply couldn't reach Shintaro Midorima's release point.
A towering arc, an extremely high release point, an explosive vertical leap, and incredible hang time.
With all those advantages combined, how was any normal player supposed to block him?
After all, Shintaro Midorima was 1.95 meters tall.
...
...
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