Chapter 152: Reigning Over the Court
TWEET!
"Rakuzan timeout."
"Only three minutes left in the game. This should be the final tactical adjustment for both teams, right?" Aida Hikoichi asked. According to his notes, each team had one timeout remaining.
"Surprising that Rakuzan called it though, when they're still ahead," Ikegami Ryoji muttered.
"If there's no special arrangement, then it means—" Sendoh Akira looked toward Rakuzan's huddle. Akashi Seijuro sat alone to one side while the other players gathered around their coach.
"Rakuzan's about to close the net," Yagami Sorato finished.
Honestly, Yosen performing at this level exceeded Yagami's expectations. The gap between these two teams should have been more obvious.
Murasakibara's transformation had truly elevated Yosen's strength considerably. And Murasakibara in the Zone—it was impossible to imagine anyone limiting him one-on-one.
TWEET!
Timeout over. Both teams returned to the court.
Rakuzan possession.
"Let me show all of you just how different we are."
Akashi Seijuro brought the ball up. Rakuzan's atmosphere seemed different from before the timeout.
"No, not Rakuzan—it's Akashi..." Himuro Tatsuya felt an inexplicable chill. "What just happened?"
Akashi dribbled past halfcourt but didn't immediately initiate the offense. Instead, he slowly controlled the ball at the top of the key, as if contemplating something.
Yosen's players didn't dare relax. Fukui Kensuke and Okamura Kenichi both stepped up, fully concentrated on his movements.
"Something's wrong! The Akashi in front of me is definitely different from before!" Himuro clearly sensed a suffocating pressure and another type of dangerous aura that repelled approach.
Suddenly, Akashi moved.
A simple crossover, not particularly wide, but with unnatural rhythm. Fukui instinctively slid laterally—only to realize he'd read the wrong direction. Akashi's crossover was a feint—he actually broke the opposite way!
Fukui adjusted his weight in time.
Bang!
Fukui and Okamura collided. The two had made opposite reads on Akashi's movement!
"How is this possible?!"
Akashi's movement didn't look fast, yet he easily beat both defenders, knifing into the paint.
"I know this feeling!" Murasakibara gritted his teeth, quickly stepping up to help, his massive frame blocking every angle in front of Akashi.
Nebuya Eikichi was left wide open under the basket?!
"Why did Murasakibara come out so far? The paint's completely unprotected!" spectators shouted in surprise.
Based on the first three quarters, Murasakibara's paint coverage had been excellent. This shouldn't happen.
Bang!
Akashi actually accelerated again. Just as he neared Murasakibara, he spun sharply. The ball seemed glued to his hand, completely unaffected.
"He beat him clean?!!"
Akashi used Murasakibara's body as a pivot, spinning into the paint and rising for the layup.
Murasakibara spun and lunged to block!
The height difference was obvious. Even with Akashi's successful penetration, Murasakibara's rotating contest still loomed above him!
Akashi pulled the ball back in midair, avoiding the block, then softly released just before landing.
Swish!
Splash!
Pure net.
Rakuzan 98, Yosen 95
After scoring, Akashi's expression remained calm as he quickly backpedaled.
This time, not just Himuro—every spectator in the arena felt a chill.
"Blowing past three defenders! Then finishing through Murasakibara's contest at the rim..."
Yosen's possession.
Akashi Seijuro stood at Rakuzan's three-point arc, pressing toward Yosen's ball handler.
Fukui Kensuke quickly swung the pass.
Himuro Tatsuya caught it, preparing to isolate against Hayama Kotaro when Akashi suddenly appeared from the wing!
"A trap?!"
Himuro reacted quickly, protecting the ball while scanning Yosen's formation.
"Move," Akashi said coldly.
"Huh? Is he talking to me?" While Himuro was confused, Hayama Kotaro actually vacated his position, rotating toward Fukui Kensuke.
"What's going on?" Himuro's mind was in chaos, though he instinctively sensed this was the perfect moment to pass to Fukui!
Himuro faked a drive, his left hand pushing the ball toward—
"!!!"
I knew it wouldn't be that easy!
Himuro saw Akashi's weight shifting and understood immediately—it was a deliberately shown opening, meant to intercept the pass!
Himuro's five fingers gripped the ball firmly, pulling it back with a behind-the-back dribble to his right hand, then pushing toward the basket—
"Atsushi!"
Murasakibara prepared for the alley-oop, but—
Smack!
Akashi had anticipated the passing lane. Almost the instant the ball left Himuro's vicinity, he leaped and stole it!
"Impossible?!!"
"You look rather pathetic."
Akashi left those words in Himuro's ear before streaking past him, scooping up the ball for a quick break.
Fukui and Liu Wei desperately chased back, but the distance only widened.
Swish!
Splash!
Facing Yosen's empty paint, Akashi finished with an easy floater.
Rakuzan 100, Yosen 95
The lead stretched to five!
"Akashi—reigning over the court!!"
"He's Kyoto's new king! Still undefeated!"
"His performance seems to tell everyone he'll replicate his middle school miracles in high school basketball!"
"Amazing..."
"Akashi! Akashi!"
The crowd wasn't chanting Rakuzan's name—they were calling Akashi Seijuro's.
TWEET!
"Yosen timeout."
"So this is Akashi's Zone..." Sendoh Akira and Yagami Sorato locked eyes, both seeing the gravity in the other's expression.
"Someone five-foot-eight can do that?" Aida Hikoichi stared at the court in disbelief, as if seeing a new world.
"..." Coach Taoka was also deeply shocked. Fortunately, being in that state prevented him from saying something even more crushing to Hikoichi.
The timeout ended quickly. Play resumed.
However, judging from the players' expressions, they hadn't found a solution.
After all, the problem was simple—Akashi Seijuro was unstoppable.
Yosen inbounded quickly. Himuro caught it and pushed without hesitation, pulling up for a three before Akashi could set his defense—
Splash!
Yosen's desperate, all-or-nothing three dropped!
Rakuzan 100, Yosen 98
Two minutes remaining. Everything still looked possible.
Rakuzan's possession.
Akashi controlled the ball upcourt. His teammates instinctively spaced out.
"Isolation again?" Fukui took a deep breath, lowering his stance to meet him.
This time, the help defender wasn't Okamura Kenichi—it was Himuro Tatsuya.
Every decision after Yosen's timeout was a gamble.
They'd gambled on Himuro's three falling. Now they were betting Akashi absolutely wouldn't pass.
"We have to stop him!"
Himuro was fully locked in, eyes glued to the basketball.
Akashi's dribble rhythm alternated fast and slow. Just a right-shoulder fake fooled Fukui into sliding to cut off the lane. Akashi pulled back, connecting with a behind-the-back crossover to his left hand while leaning left.
Himuro slid left.
Another fake! Still a fake!
Akashi's left drive was just a feint. His real explosive move came from his right foot—driving hard off the floor, accelerating right!
Fukui adjusted his center of gravity again, his feet stumbling, nearly falling a second time.
Akashi created space, stepping back for the jumper!
Himuro hesitated, then lunged forward.
The basketball flew smoothly toward the rim with a beautiful arc.
"Don't go in—" Everyone on Yosen's bench silently prayed. As long as it missed, Murasakibara would grab the rebound!
Swish!
The clean sound of nylon.
Rakuzan 103, Yosen 98
All of Rakuzan retreated.
"I have zero expectations for any of you on offense," Akashi said emotionlessly to his other four teammates. "In return, you'd better focus on defense."
"If you can't even do that, I have nothing more to say to you."
"..." Rakuzan's other players kept their heads down, quickly retreating.
Yosen's possession.
Himuro's pull-up three last possession had been effective. Akashi again stepped directly in front of him.
Fukui held the ball at the top, attempting to drive past Hayama Kotaro without success.
Time ticked away. Yosen faced greater offensive pressure.
Fukui reluctantly lobbed it into the post. The moment Murasakibara caught it, Rakuzan collapsed—
Triple-team!
"Again?"
Murasakibara couldn't operate in the paint. He immediately chose to kick it out.
"Atsushi! Watch out!"
Himuro suddenly remembered—Murasakibara's passing wasn't sophisticated. He simply moved the ball using his scoring threat, with no real technical refinement.
Which meant—
Akashi leaped to intercept!
Smack!
Himuro quickly jumped forward. The two collided in midair. Himuro used his slight height advantage to tip the ball loose.
No whistle!
Okamura secured it. Mayuzumi immediately rotated to him.
"Have to shoot!"
Okamura pulled up from mid-range.
Clang!
Miss!
Fortunately, the ball bounced back toward him. Okamura used his absolute height advantage to grab his own rebound and put it back up.
Swish!
Two points!
Rakuzan 103, Yosen 100
Yosen hadn't given up hope!
Rakuzan's possession.
As soon as the ball dropped through the net, Akashi grabbed it, tossed it to the nearest Mayuzumi then sprinted onto the court, immediately taking it back from him and attacking Rakuzan's frontcourt at full speed!
"What!?"
By all logic, Rakuzan should milk the clock. Yosen never expected Akashi would launch a one-man fast break like this!
Fukui and Himuro, who'd barely retreated to halfcourt, couldn't set their defensive stance before Akashi executed an ultra-compact crossover into an explosive drive. His first-step burst left both defenders seeing stars as he blew past them!
Murasakibara was actually the first to engage. He left the paint entirely, meeting Akashi head-on.
Almost simultaneously, Okamura rotating from the wing formed a pincer—one frontal, one from the side!
Two giants over six-foot-seven constructed an imposing wall the instant Akashi entered the paint. Four long arms extended, sealing every conventional layup and shooting angle, their shadows completely engulfing him.
"Sss—!"
Gasps echoed through the arena. To anyone watching, this was hopeless defense. Passing might be the only reasonable option.
However, Akashi didn't slow in the slightest. The moment his foot crossed into the paint, he gathered and jumped. Using his momentum, he launched the ball at a steep angle.
Murasakibara exploded upward when Akashi left his feet.
The basketball flew in an impossibly high arc, clearing Murasakibara's fully extended fingertips and still climbing until reaching its apex before beginning descent.
Bang!
The ball hit the top edge of the white square on the backboard.
Swish!
Nothing but net!
Rakuzan 105, Yosen 100
"Unbelievable!!"
One minute remaining. Yosen's possession.
Murasakibara grabbed the ball and fired the outlet!
Time was running out. Yosen had to answer quickly!
"Atsushi! Don't!"
The instant Okamura caught it and prepared to throw it downcourt—
Smack!
Akashi stripped it. He stayed low, gliding past Okamura, adjusted one step, and rose from mid-range.
Murasakibara frantically closed out.
Swish!
Splash!
No suspense—two points!
Rakuzan 107, Yosen 100
Seven-point lead!
Fifty seconds left.
"I..." Murasakibara stood frozen.
Akashi glanced at him. "It's over, Atsushi."
"Atsushi, inbound!" Himuro called from halfcourt.
"Give them one back first! There's still time!" Okamura grabbed the ball and inbounded from the baseline.
Himuro pushed quickly. Murasakibara ran toward the frontcourt with his head down.
Akashi still guarded Himuro. Himuro used an Okamura screen to create a sliver of space, then pulled up immediately.
Clang!
The ball hit back iron and bounced up.
"Rebound!"
Murasakibara was still dazed. Okamura jumped with everything he had, but Nebuya boxed him out.
Mayuzumi grabbed it, threading it outside.
Akashi caught the ball but had lost interest. After casually shaking Fukui, he passed out.
Mibuchi received it, stepped back, and launched from way downtown.
Splash!
Direct hit!
Rakuzan 110, Yosen 100
Yosen's final possession—Himuro launched a contested three over Hayama's defense.
Clang!
As the ball bounced skyward, the game-ending buzzer sounded.
TWEEEEET!
The final margin: ten points.
"National High School Comprehensive Athletic Meet Basketball Competition, Court A Semifinal victor—"
"Rakuzan High School!"
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