The plan was to continue using the alley-oop three-pointer.
However, they could not rely on it blindly.
Someone needed to set a screen for Shintaro Midorima, and that player had to hold Nash Gold back, even if only for a moment.
Seijuro Akashi's first choice had been Atsushi Murasakibara.
However, Atsushi Murasakibara only had eyes for Jason Silver right now. He was completely ignoring everyone else.
Seijuro Akashi had no choice but to find another solution.
Having Daiki Aomine set the screen would not work either, since Miyamoto Tokima was guarding him.
If Daiki Aomine came over to screen, Miyamoto Tokima could simply switch onto Shintaro Midorima. That would do more harm than good.
That left Taiga Kagami as the best option.
After all, Zack was still not capable of completely shutting down Shintaro Midorima's shot.
Seijuro Akashi gave Taiga Kagami a meaningful look, then raised two fingers.
He signaled the number two.
Taiga Kagami immediately understood and began running toward Shintaro Midorima.
Zack smiled when he saw this.
He did not know what Seijuro Akashi's hand signal meant.
All he knew was that the moment Taiga Kagami moved toward Shintaro Midorima, Nick's prediction had been proven correct.
When Nick saw Seijuro Akashi raise two fingers, he was quietly delighted.
Zack might not have understood the signal, but Nick did.
It was an instruction for Taiga Kagami to set a screen for the shooting guard.
On the basketball court, the number two represented the shooting guard position.
The moment Taiga Kagami set that screen, Nick's plan would succeed.
...
Taiga Kagami reached Shintaro Midorima and set the screen.
Shintaro Midorima immediately understood the play and moved toward Taiga Kagami.
Nash Gold naturally noticed Taiga Kagami's movement. Instead of chasing Shintaro Midorima, he switched onto Taiga Kagami.
The instant Shintaro Midorima broke free, he entered his shooting motion.
At the same time, Seijuro Akashi prepared to pass.
Seeing this, Nick tensed and prepared to intercept the ball.
In the next moment, Shintaro Midorima jumped, and Seijuro Akashi released the pass.
Nick burst forward at the same time, stretching out his arm to steal it.
Seijuro Akashi watched him without expression.
"None of your movements can escape my eyes."
Nick smiled faintly.
"Is that so?"
In the next instant, Nick turned and sprinted toward the frontcourt without looking back.
Seijuro Akashi froze, completely baffled.
Then...
Smack!
Zack suddenly burst out with his Animal Instinct activated and intercepted Seijuro Akashi's pass.
Seijuro Akashi cried out in disbelief.
"How is that possible?!"
Miyamoto Tokima shook his head when he saw what had happened.
He had already said that the alley-oop three-pointer had serious limitations.
The defenders did not need to block Shintaro Midorima's shot. They only needed to intercept the pass being sent to him.
During the previous possession, Nick and Zack had kept their eyes on Seijuro Akashi the entire time and memorized his passing route.
Since there was only one possible route, they did not need to consider many possibilities.
Nick only had to make a move before Seijuro Akashi passed, drawing all of his attention.
That way, Seijuro Akashi would fail to notice Zack's subtle movement.
Their coordination had drawn Seijuro Akashi straight into the trap.
Daiki Aomine and Taiga Kagami reacted quickly and raced toward the frontcourt.
Realizing that he had been deceived, Seijuro Akashi gritted his teeth and chased after them.
All three pursued Nick and Zack.
Suddenly, a mass of black mist rushed past them with a violent roar, accompanied by overwhelming pressure.
Seijuro Akashi's pupils contracted.
'Are you joining the fast break too?!'
If only Nick and Zack were attacking, the three of them might still have been able to stop them.
But if Miyamoto Tokima joined the fast break, they would not stand a chance.
In only a few moments, Miyamoto Tokima overtook everyone on the court, including Nick and Zack.
Zack spotted him and burst out laughing.
"Cool!"
He hurled the ball forward with all his strength, without even considering whether Miyamoto Tokima could catch it.
As far as Zack was concerned, as long as the pass was not completely ridiculous, Miyamoto Tokima would find a way to reach it.
Miyamoto Tokima, who had already reached the area around the free-throw line, stared at the pass in disbelief.
Was this guy serious?
That pass was way too high!
Did he really expect Miyamoto Tokima to jump with everything he had?
Miyamoto Tokima had assumed that his speed would let him finish the fast break with a simple alley-oop.
He had not expected Zack to throw such a difficult pass.
He cursed inwardly, but his entire body immediately tensed.
Everyone stared at Miyamoto Tokima in shock.
The black mist surrounding him suddenly began forming a long, thick strand.
It coiled around Miyamoto Tokima's body as though it were some kind of living creature.
Miyamoto Tokima planted his left foot and pushed off with all his strength.
The long strand of black mist surged upward like a dragon soaring into the sky.
Miyamoto Tokima caught the basketball in midair with his right hand.
The black mist rose alongside it, with the part resembling its head pressing against the ball.
Then, as Miyamoto Tokima drove his right hand forward, the black shape twisted and surged toward the basket with him.
Boom!
The violent sound of the dunk shook everyone in the arena.
Miyamoto Tokima landed heavily, then slowly turned around.
The dark strand began circling his body.
Finally, its head came to rest near Miyamoto Tokima's shoulder.
Everyone stared blankly at the shape coiled around him.
A faint red glow seemed to flicker within its head.
Whoosh!
In the next instant, the strand disappeared and transformed back into a mass of black mist floating behind Miyamoto Tokima.
Seijuro Akashi stared with wide eyes and muttered, "What the hell was that thing?"
...
The game continued, but the Black Dragon Team had taken complete control of the rhythm.
At the beginning of the second quarter, Miyamoto Tokima began putting in a little more effort, and the Dragon Slayer Team struggled to withstand the pressure.
He was not the only one.
The other members of the Black Dragon Team had also begun stepping up.
Nash Gold's No Motion Pass repeatedly tore apart the Dragon Slayer Team's defensive formation.
Jason Silver had not increased his intensity much. He was having too much fun battling Atsushi Murasakibara in the paint while both of them used Animal Instinct, with Atsushi Murasakibara also in the Zone.
Zack continued using his defense and sudden attacks to give the Dragon Slayer Team endless trouble.
However, no one was suffering more than Seijuro Akashi.
The reason was simple.
Nick, the man guarding him, was far too intelligent.
...
...
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