Chapter 161: I Can Also See the Future
"What a terrifying player. Dominating on offense is one thing, but to perform at this level defensively as well?"
Coach Taoka's brow furrowed deeply. Rakuzan's tactical adjustment fell within Ryonan's expectations, but Akashi Seijuro's performance far exceeded anything he'd imagined.
Transition. Ryonan's ball.
Sendoh brought the ball across halfcourt, surveying the court situation. For a moment, he found himself genuinely uncertain where to attack.
Having Yagami face this version of Akashi directly seemed unwise. Uozumi's post-up game wasn't reliable enough. Hikoichi was being shadowed even more tightly by Mibuchi, making it difficult to create space...
Logically, Fukuda Kicchou should be the optimal choice in this situation.
But based on the defensive ability Akashi had just demonstrated, even passing to Fukuda would only trap him in a double-team.
Fukuda wasn't skilled at passing. Breaking through a trap formed by both Akashi and Mayuzumi on offense was virtually impossible.
"How did this suddenly get so difficult..." Sendoh smiled bitterly to himself.
At that moment, Hayama Kotaro seized on his brief lapse in focus and immediately pressured the ball.
Sendoh shielded it behind his body.
"Hayama, don't force it! This is a crucial stretch—our defense needs to be more cautious!" Mibuchi shouted from nearby.
"It's precisely because it's crucial that we need to pressure aggressively!" Hayama continued applying physical pressure to Sendoh. "Reo-neesan, if we only think about mounting a comeback at the very end, we'll probably be finished!"
"Hayama..." Mibuchi hadn't expected such awareness from him. The first half must have really gotten under his skin.
"Bang!"
Sendoh executed a spin move past Hayama, drove into the paint, then pulled up for a jumper!
"Not happening!" Hayama chased from the side, leaping with everything to contest.
"Clang!"
The ball bounced off the back iron.
Sendoh didn't think the contest affected him—his touch just wasn't there.
"Rebound!"
"Just because you're a few centimeters taller, don't get cocky!" Nebuya roared as he muscled Uozumi aside. "Muscle—"
"Smack!"
Nebuya secured prime position, rose up, and secured the rebound.
"Push it!!"
Nebuya bellowed, firing an outlet pass.
Mayuzumi received it at the free-throw line as a relay point, swinging his arm to redirect the pass.
"Zip!"
The ball flew toward Akashi.
"Smack!"
Yagami read Rakuzan's passing lanes, getting a hand on the ball before Akashi could secure it!
"Don't get too excited."
"Smack!"
Before Yagami could control the loose ball, Akashi snatched it back and immediately turned to attack toward Ryonan's basket.
"This guy—"
Yagami spun and gave chase. Sendoh also converged from the side.
"Akashi! I'm open!" Hayama sprinted past halfcourt, shouting from the right wing.
Akashi seemed completely deaf to his teammate's call, continuing to advance on his own until both defenders cut him off near Ryonan's three-point line.
At that moment, Mibuchi caught up from behind, positioning himself to screen Sendoh and spring Akashi free.
"Tch."
Akashi's expression showed displeasure, though his movements were lightning-quick as he sliced through the gap between Yagami and Sendoh, penetrating into the paint before rising up—
"???"
"What the—"
"Could he—"
"BOOM!"
Akashi threw down a one-handed dunk!
Ryonan 54, Rakuzan 52.
Rakuzan had cut it to two!!!
But even more shocking than the score—
"Akashi's barely over five-seven, right?"
"Terrifying hops!!"
"How can he dunk?!!"
"Reo, don't do unnecessary things." Akashi's words froze the smile on Mibuchi's face. "You should know—I don't need you."
Immediately after, Akashi swept his contemptuous gaze across the cheering spectators on the sideline before positioning himself directly in front of Yagami and Sendoh, staring them down. "Don't assume dunking is the exclusive privilege of you taller players. As long as I want to, I can do it anytime."
Sendoh's expression grew grave. So winning the championship wouldn't be this simple after all?
"Heh."
A soft laugh drew both their attention. Akashi and Sendoh looked toward Yagami, who had suddenly broken into a grin, both confused.
"What exactly were you talking about just now?" Yagami looked at Akashi with an odd expression. "Who asked you?"
"???" Akashi's eyes narrowed slightly, a dangerous aura radiating from him.
"You don't actually think you'll take the lead, do you?" Yagami raised his chin with a dismissive look. "Actually, I can also see the future. This game—"
"Ryonan will stay ahead until the final buzzer!"
"Hmph. Delusional." Akashi snorted coldly, retreating toward Rakuzan's end.
"Sendoh-senpai..."
"Yeah yeah, no problem." Yagami and Sendoh exchanged hushed words.
Transition. Ryonan's ball.
After Sendoh crossed halfcourt, Hayama immediately pressured him again. Yagami posted up on the right side against Akashi, calling for the ball. Sendoh flicked his wrist, delivering a crisp pass.
"Huh? No way, right?" Kise shot to his feet, pressing against the railing. "Is Yagami going one-on-one against Akashi?"
"Foolish. In this state, Akashi cannot lose." Midorima adjusted his glasses.
"Oh man, he really couldn't resist after all..." Aomine's grin widened. "But can he actually pull it off?"
Yagami caught the ball, lowering his center of gravity. The ball moved rapidly between his legs.
Akashi maintained half an arm's distance, his heterochromatic eyes locked onto his opponent. Though he didn't have the physical advantage, that calm, oppressive presence radiated outward.
"Yagami..." Even Chihiro Yui from the sideline couldn't help growing tense.
"Bang!"
The ball exploded off the hardwood. Yagami attacked with a vicious front crossover to the right. Akashi slid perfectly to stay in front.
Immediately, Yagami stopped hard, executed a behind-the-back dribble switching to his left hand, dipping his shoulder left to fake a drive from that side. Akashi's weight shifted slightly, but his footwork remained sound.
"Bang!"
Yagami's left hand detonated the ball, bouncing it hard to the right. Yagami lowered his body, attempting to explode past on the right side with pure burst!
Akashi read it perfectly, his reaction terrifying. The instant the ball bounced and Yagami gathered to accelerate, Akashi reached out, slashing decisively at the basketball!
"Smack!"
Akashi's fingertips caught ball, disrupting its trajectory. It spun loose toward the sideline.
However, Yagami didn't panic. Instead, he shifted laterally to seal Akashi's position. The ball rolled untouched out of bounds.
"Tweet!"
The whistle blew. The referee signaled Ryonan ball.
"Akashi's defense nearly completed the steal, but possession remains with Ryonan!"
"Hmph. A futile gesture." Akashi said dismissively.
"It's still too early—now's not the time to butt heads with Akashi!" Kise clenched his fists anxiously.
"Oh? Are you rooting for Yagami?" Kasamatsu raised an eyebrow.
"Of course! Ryonan represents Kanagawa after all." Kise stated matter-of-factly. "Don't misunderstand, Kasamatsu-senpai—you're definitely more important to me than Yagami."
"Bang!"
Kasamatsu's foot, which he'd been about to retract, still landed precisely on Kise's rear end.
Ryonan inbounded. After several passes, the ball returned to Yagami's hands.
"A death struggle?" Akashi muttered.
Yagami protected the ball at his hip, raising an eyebrow. "Are you showing off your literary skills? One idiom after another."
"..."
Before Akashi could respond, Yagami attacked again—only to be entangled once more, unable to create separation.
The shot clock winding down.
On the left, Sendoh faked once, shaking Hayama before cutting toward the rim.
Yagami backed into Akashi, then spun quickly.
"Hmph." Akashi wasn't fooled, sliding to stay in front of Yagami.
"Whoosh!"
The basketball flew over Akashi's head.
"?!!"
"?!!"
"Beautiful!"
"A behind-the-back pass while spinning!"
Akashi's eyes darted left. Hayama had caught up to Sendoh. Nebuya had also stepped out from the paint to help.
"Smack!"
The moment the ball reached Sendoh, he slapped it back. The ball flew toward Akashi from behind!
"Turnover?!"
Akashi turned to receive it.
However, an even faster figure appeared!
After passing to Sendoh, Yagami hadn't hesitated for even a moment. He completed his spin faster than Akashi, exploding at full speed!
Nebuya slid over immediately, roaring as he rotated to Yagami, arms raised high to cut off a direct shot.
"Boom!"
Yagami drove into the restricted area, planted both feet hard, and launched himself skyward! His elevation was phenomenal, his body fully extended in the air, right hand holding the ball high overhead!
"How is this possible?!!" Nebuya's face filled with horror. If only he hadn't stepped out—
"BOOM!!!"
The dull thud of bodies colliding and the thunderous crash of the rim being punished erupted simultaneously!
The massive impact from the poster dunk sent Nebuya stumbling backward, landing on his backside beyond the baseline. Yagami, carried by the dunk's momentum, hung from the rim with one hand, swaying slightly as he surveyed his landing zone before releasing and dropping down.
The entire basket structure still hummed and vibrated.
"OHHHHHH—!!" After a brief moment of stunned silence, the arena erupted in tsunami-like roars and cheers!
"Ryonan answers with a vicious poster dunk from Yagami Sorato!"
Ryonan 56, Rakuzan 52.
After landing, Yagami forcefully slapped hands with Sendoh as he ran over.
"Oh, right." Yagami turned to Akashi with a smile. "Why don't you try dunking on our Uozumi-senpai too? Of course, you'd need to jump even higher than you just did~"
Uozumi: "???"
Akashi's eyes turned ice-cold. He was about to respond—
"You've got to be kidding! If I got postered by this little guy, I'd bash my head against the basket support!" Uozumi shouted.
"???" Every Rakuzan player stared at Akashi.
Even Nebuya, whose face had turned ashen after getting dunked on, forgot his anger. He just felt that while Ryonan was the opponent, their courage was undeniably real.
Transition. Rakuzan's ball.
Yagami actively stepped up to meet Akashi advancing with the ball.
"Your defense is even worse than before!" Akashi didn't need any moves—he simply used pure explosion to attack left.
"What's your rush?" Sendoh cut in from an angle, instantly forming a perfect double-team with Yagami!
"Yagami deliberately let him go that way?!" Momoi Satsuki exclaimed in surprise.
"As expected—Yagami guessed that guy won't pass." Aomine watched silently. From the spectator's vantage point, if Akashi would just find a way to pass out, Rakuzan could score easily.
"So basically, it looks really stupid..."
Akashi was locked down by both defenders, his dribbling space shrinking rapidly. Even so, he had no intention of passing to Hayama, who'd stepped up to receive.
"An opening!"
Akashi pulled the ball right. Even against two defenders, with these eyes of mine, I can definitely find an opportunity!
Sendoh pressured again. Akashi seized the last chance, rising for a contested fadeaway jumper.
"Akashi, he..." Hayama felt something indescribable.
"Hayama, rebound!" Mibuchi shouted, simultaneously sprinting toward the basket.
Nebuya struggled to establish position. Right now, Rakuzan had the interior advantage. If they could secure the board, they could score immediately!
"Smack!"
But the instant the ball left Akashi's hands, Yagami swatted it clean!
"Blocked!!"
"Push!"
Sendoh scooped up the loose ball, charging toward Rakuzan's basket.
"Impossible, this is impossible!" Mibuchi stared at Akashi in disbelief. "Akashi couldn't even get a clean shot off?!"
"Dammit!" Hayama started toward the basket, only to see the situation reverse completely. He could only turn and chase Sendoh.
Can't catch him!
Just as Hayama felt helpless, a figure flashed past him—Akashi Seijuro!
I made a mistake?
A mistake?
How could that be?
...?
"YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING!!!" Akashi closed the distance with frightening speed, cutting in front of Sendoh.
"Zip!"
The ball flew to the opposite side. Yagami waited beyond the three-point arc.
Akashi chased the pass, launching himself at full speed toward Yagami!
"I absolutely cannot experience defeat in my career! I am absolute!"
Yagami caught it, rising immediately without hesitation.
"Watch out, Yagami!" Sendoh shouted in alarm.
Akashi's speed didn't decrease even slightly as he crashed into Yagami's body.
"Whoosh!"
The ball left Yagami's fingertips as both he and Akashi tumbled hard to the floor.
"TWEET—!"
The referee's whistle blew immediately.
"Swish!"
Three-pointer, good!!!
Ryonan 59, Rakuzan 52.
"Ahhh!" Screams erupted from the stands.
Players from both teams' expressions changed drastically as they rushed toward the collision point. Coach Taoka shot up from the bench, charging to the sideline with deep concern etched on his face.
Yagami lay on the floor, momentarily winded from the impact, with part of Akashi's weight still pressing on him.
The referee quickly separated the converging players, his expression severe:
"Rakuzan number 4, flagrant foul! Three-pointer counts, plus one free throw! Additional frontcourt possession awarded to Ryonan!"
The call was crystal clear. Akashi's action had gone far beyond the bounds of basketball competition—it was extremely dangerous.
With his teammates' help, Akashi got to his feet. He wasn't injured, but stood somewhat dazed.
"I..." Akashi opened his mouth but didn't know what to say.
"Pretty pathetic, aren't you..." Yagami supported himself on his elbow, slowly sitting up.
"Tssss—"
Yagami hissed, inhaling sharply from the pain. Fortunately, after facing Kirisaki Daiichi, he'd learned how to protect himself when absorbing flagrant contact. This just hurt from the impact—he shouldn't be injured.
"Yagami! / Sorato!" His teammates asked worriedly.
"I'm fine." Yagami grinned. "There's still a free throw, right?"
He walked toward the free-throw line. Passing Akashi, whose expression had grown complex, he turned his head slightly. "Thanks for the free throw."
"Clang!"
The bonus free throw missed.
"..." Yagami rotated his arm. As expected, his touch was affected.
However, Ryonan still had another possession. Fukuda inbounded from the sideline.
Yagami received the pass. Akashi stood before him, defensive stance still technically sound, but his eyes seemed unfocused—like his soul had left his body.
"Tch. I've got no reason to feel sorry for you."
Yagami didn't hesitate, pulling up for three right in his face.
"Clang!"
Slightly too much force—it hit the back iron and bounced high.
"Huh?" Yagami's eyes widened.
Fortunately, the rebounding ball fell straight down, dropping directly through the net!
Three-pointer, good!
Ryonan 62, Rakuzan 52.
Ryonan led by ten!
For the first time, the margin exceeded double digits!
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