Rakuzan was indeed strong—strong enough that even while lagging significantly in intel, they didn't fall behind in matchups. As time passed, they even began to gain the upper hand.
The problem was...
"Akashi is struggling to score on Yuuto."
Nakatani Masaaki, Harasawa Katsunori, and Aida Kagetora sat on the bench.
They saw the potential crisis for Rakuzan.
Seiho's number 10 had evolved to another level. Even with the Emperor Eye, Akashi didn't have enough confidence to score on Yuuto.
On the other hand, Yuuto...
Star Bible talent activated.
Yuuto isolated Akashi, using his specialization ability to twist the future results once again.
Challenging the limits of speed—even if the Emperor Eye saw it, the body couldn't react.
Yuuto sprinted to the free-throw line. Mayuzumi and Mibuchi surrounded him again, executing a double team.
If they succeeded just once, if they could gain a lead of just one possession, it would be a huge advantage for the current state of the game.
But the next second.
Under their gaze, Yuuto suddenly seemed to split into two, sprinting past both of them.
"Deceiving the sensory systems of two people at once? That guy really is a monster." Haizaki Shogo was at a cold drink shop again, accompanied by the girl from last time.
He had decided to return during the Winter Cup to play with those guys.
Not out of love for the game, but simply because he was too bored and wanted to crush something to pass the time.
"Damn it!"
On the court, Mayuzumi and Mibuchi couldn't distinguish which was real and which was fake.
And while their brains were still processing, Yuuto's emotionless voice reached their ears.
"Too slow!"
Golden light flashed between them, carrying a gust of wind.
They couldn't stop him. They couldn't stop him at all. They couldn't even delay him for a moment.
"He evolved again. Even this level of double-teaming is useless." Shirogane Eiji didn't know what to do anymore.
He had thought of many methods. Most were useless against Yuuto; some had an effect, but would become completely ineffective after three rounds.
That infinite evolution ability made him, the coach, feel powerless.
The opponent wasn't an existence that could be defeated by tactics.
!
Yuuto scored again. Akashi's expression grew more solemn.
"Amazing. Far beyond where we were in high school." Harasawa whispered, showing a look of regret.
Yuuto's talent was too high. Even as a former professional player, Harasawa felt inferior.
He felt that Yuuto might even be qualified to compete with the chosen ones overseas.
With Yuuto's endless correction talent, he would sooner or later step onto the world stage.
"After this year, staying in Japan might hinder his development."
Regardless of whether Seiho won the championship this year, there was no reason for Yuuto to stay in Japan. He had completely surpassed the Generation of Miracles.
To keep evolving, Yuuto needed greater challenges.
"You mean, sending him to the US to play?"
"Exactly. In fact, I originally planned to let Aomine train at Tōō for two years, and then recommend him to play abroad in his third year."
This was Harasawa's original plan: let Aomine receive better training, temper himself in high school for two years, then go to the US for a year of high school league play to seek entry into the NCAA.
Staying in the basketball desert of Japan, even if he dominated the country, wouldn't amount to much.
Only by receiving the world's most professional training and competing against the best geniuses could he transform into a super player capable of taking basketball further.
Now it seemed Yuuto had a higher probability of success than Aomine.
He felt it was a pity that such a talent, qualified to compete with the world's top geniuses, wasn't on his team.
While they spoke.
Rakuzan and Seiho exchanged several more rounds.
The level was extremely high; neither could stop the other.
Rakuzan played more as a unit, while Seiho's possession was more concentrated in Yuuto's hands.
"14 consecutive points! Seiho's King is unstoppable!"
Commentators everywhere were roaring loudly.
Yuuto's performance in this quarter was absolutely phenomenal.
Facing such a formidable Rakuzan, he frantically scored 14 points in a single quarter.
And Rakuzan?
Only under Akashi's needle-threading passes could they keep the score difference from widening.
But the 'Other' Akashi knew that if this continued, they would definitely lose.
That Dead Spot would eventually appear with Yuuto's corrections.
At that time, Rakuzan would face its greatest crisis. Even now, Rakuzan's overall scoring was becoming increasingly difficult.
It seemed...
It was time to say goodbye.
The 'Other' Akashi looked at his other self with some sentimentality.
Akashi didn't know. He thought he craved friendship, but he didn't realize that he himself also craved friendship.
So he let the 'Other' Akashi open his heart to accept people other than the Generation of Miracles.
Little did he know.
The 'Other' Akashi had never accepted anyone from the beginning, including his old teammates from the Generation of Miracles...
From the moment of his birth, he had been silently watching the future of the host.
When did it start?
It was the day his mother passed away unexpectedly, at that cold, temperature-less funeral.
That day, Akashi cried heartbreakingly, losing the pillar of his soul.
Only in the corner he couldn't see, the 'Other' Akashi had always been with him.
Watching his sadness, watching him forced to learn the massive amount of coursework arranged by the family before he could even process his emotions.
Etiquette, tea ceremony, socializing, piano, etc.
Akashi endured all of this alone throughout his childhood, while the 'Other' Akashi accompanied him by his side, never leaving for a second.
Later.
They went to Teikō together and met the Generation of Miracles.
He gained the friendship he craved, becoming close friends who talked about everything with Aomine, Murasakibara, Midorima, Kise, and Kuroko.
During that time, Akashi lived happily. The smile on his face was no longer formulaic, but from the heart.
The 'Other' Akashi was happy for him from the bottom of his heart.
But.
Everything changed in the second year of middle school, the moment his teammates' talents awakened.
As Murasakibara defeated him with devastating force, Akashi encountered the second major blow in his life.
He was afraid, terrified, trembling.
The memory of that cold funeral flooded his brain like a tide.
He worried that the precious things he had finally obtained would leave him again.
And so.
The 'Other' Akashi appeared. He took control of the body to give Akashi a place to hide.
Then he crushed Murasakibara and ruled the Generation of Miracles once again.
Akashi feared loneliness and craved friendship. The 'Other' Akashi was the same; they both feared being alone.
It was just that in the eyes of the 'Other' Akashi, having the other self by his side was enough.
Teikō, Rakuzan, all teammates—he actually didn't care about them, as long as he had the other self in his heart.
He was happy during this time. Although he lost control of the body, he could frequently communicate with his other self, which made him feel satisfied and no longer lonely.
Only.
Such a version of him was ultimately incomplete, as he had split away half of the whole.
Akashi sat silently in the shadowy corner, then slowly stood up.
"Now, it is time to return what originally belonged to you."
"The chance to defeat Yuuto lies within the complete Emperor Eye."
...
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