Seijuro Akashi had mellowed out considerably these days and no longer said things like, "My orders are absolute."
It was as though the once-edgy teenager had finally grown out of that phase.
After driving into the paint, Seijuro Akashi didn't slow down in the slightest.
Atsushi Murasakibara had already been substituted out, and Kirisaki Daiichi's interior defense no longer posed any threat to Seijuro Akashi.
After all, Seijuro Akashi knew Eikichi Nebuya inside and out!
Seijuro Akashi drove straight to the basket, cradled the ball in his right hand, and tossed it upward. The ball arced high over Eikichi Nebuya's head before dropping into the hoop.
Seijuro Akashi scored with a floater!
After making the basket, Seijuro Akashi glanced at Eikichi Nebuya, causing his entire body to tense up.
It couldn't be helped. Back at Rakuzan High School, the pressure Seijuro Akashi's secondary personality had placed on Eikichi Nebuya and the others had simply been too overwhelming.
...
Possession changed hands.
Kirisaki Daiichi's ball.
Miyamoto Tokima was still the one handling the ball.
Although he was guarding Shintaro Midorima on defense, he remained the team's playmaker on offense.
Miyamoto Tokima slowly dribbled to the three-point line and came face-to-face with Seijuro Akashi.
"Akashi," Miyamoto Tokima said with a smile. "Can you see through my moves now?"
Seijuro Akashi said nothing. A bead of cold sweat slid down his forehead.
Forget seeing through his moves. Right now, he couldn't even detect the slightest change in Miyamoto Tokima's muscles!
In Seijuro Akashi's eyes, Miyamoto Tokima looked like a corpse whose muscles weren't moving at all.
But the next second, Miyamoto Tokima's muscles suddenly shifted!
Right!
Seijuro Akashi immediately used the [Emperor Eye] to predict Miyamoto Tokima's trajectory.
He instantly stepped toward the direction Miyamoto Tokima was about to attack from, only to freeze in disbelief.
Miyamoto Tokima hadn't driven right at all!
He had simply pulled up for a shot!
In other words, that drive to the right had been nothing more than a feint!
But wasn't that far too realistic?!
It was practically indistinguishable from an illusion!
This was Miyamoto Tokima's divine offensive skill, [Illusion]!
Miyamoto Tokima's [Illusion] could even deceive Seijuro Akashi's [Emperor Eye]!
Swish!
The ball dropped cleanly through the hoop.
...
Possession changed hands.
Teikō Middle School's ball.
On the inbound, Shintaro Midorima had already positioned himself in the backcourt, with Miyamoto Tokima standing right beside him.
Seeing this, Seijuro Akashi took the ball without the slightest hesitation and rushed toward the frontcourt.
He knew this was their best opportunity to widen the score!
The secondary personality immediately called out to the primary personality in his mind.
"Hey, it's your turn! I need your passes to send the others into the pseudo-Zone!"
The primary personality quickly replied in a gentle voice, "I know."
As Seijuro Akashi advanced, his expression suddenly changed. His sharp gaze softened.
The next moment, a flash of white light flickered in his hand.
The basketball vanished before everyone's eyes!
No Motion Pass!
Smack!
Ryo Sakurai stared at the ball in his hands in surprise, having no idea when the pass had even been made.
After all, there was an enormous difference between the primary personality's No Motion Pass and the secondary personality's No Motion Pass!
Reo Mibuchi noticed the ball in Ryo Sakurai's hands and immediately rushed over to contest him.
Damn it, he switched to the primary personality?!
Reo Mibuchi gritted his teeth, his expression turning grim.
He knew his help defense might already be too late.
Sure enough, the very next moment, Ryo Sakurai said nervously, "I'm sorry!"
Then he released the ball at incredible speed.
This shot was faster than any he had taken before, and his shooting form was more precise than ever!
Standing near the center line, Shintaro Midorima knew the result at a glance.
"It's in."
As though responding to Shintaro Midorima's words, the ball dropped cleanly through the hoop!
Swish!
Three-pointer good!!!
At the same time, lightning began flickering in Ryo Sakurai's eyes, the lightning of the Zone!
However, compared to the true Zone, the lightning was noticeably dimmer.
Reo Mibuchi's pupils contracted sharply at the sight.
How is that possible?! A single pass was enough to send him into the pseudo-Zone?!
Before this, they had needed several passes from Seijuro Akashi before they could enter the pseudo-Zone!
But now, just one pass from Seijuro Akashi had sent Ryo Sakurai into the pseudo-Zone!
Had Seijuro Akashi evolved too?!
Reo Mibuchi turned his head and stared at Seijuro Akashi in complete shock.
Seijuro Akashi gave him a faint smile, almost as though answering his question.
That's right. Seijuro Akashi had grown during this time as well!
Now, with just a single pass, he could draw out another player's latent potential and send them into the pseudo-Zone!
However, Seijuro Akashi wouldn't use it unless the timing was right.
After all, the pseudo-Zone was extremely taxing on a player's stamina!
If Ryo Sakurai and the others entered it too early, or activated it at the wrong moment, the cost would far outweigh the benefit.
But right now was exactly the right time!
Over the next several possessions, Teikō Middle School's Kotaro Hayama and Teppei Kiyoshi both entered the pseudo-Zone through Seijuro Akashi's No Motion Pass!
Unlike Kotaro Hayama, who had already experienced it once, Teppei Kiyoshi was a complete newcomer.
This was the first time he had ever slipped through the gap in the Zone's [Gate]!
As Teppei Kiyoshi felt the strange state wash over him, it seemed as though his strength had increased, his speed had risen, and his movements had become far more agile!
His body felt as if it had suddenly awakened, filling him with an incredible sense of freedom.
Teppei Kiyoshi looked down at his hands and murmured in astonishment,
"Is this... the Zone?"
"No." Kotaro Hayama smiled and patted Teppei Kiyoshi on the shoulder. "This is only the pseudo-Zone. The real Zone is much stronger than this."
"Even the pseudo-Zone feels this incredible," Teppei Kiyoshi said in amazement. "Then what would it feel like to activate both the Zone and Animal Instinct at the same time...?"
"Even better?!"