"This guy… you really can't let your guard down for even a second!"
Akashi Asuka wiped the sweat from his forehead. The third quarter was nearing its end, and ever since Midorima Shintaro revealed his full-court three-point ability, Shutoku's scoring rate had shot straight up.
The scoreboard now read 63–58.
So far in this quarter alone, Shutoku had scored about 23 points, roughly 15 of those from Midorima's threes.
That might sound like a lot, but if you looked at another stat, you'd see that this was actually a remarkably low output for Midorima.
Because in the third quarter alone, Akashi had racked up 12 blocks, just on Midorima.
"Terrifying!"
Kasuga Ryuhei glanced at Midorima, shuddered slightly, and wiped his sweat. "Thank goodness we have Akashi. I can't even imagine… if we'd let that monster shoot freely, how many points would we have given up?"
Full-court threes aside, just Midorima's near-perfect shooting accuracy alone was a nightmare for any team.
"But hey… we've got our own monster too."
Kasuga passed the ball to Akashi, who drove toward the paint. His moves were still plain and unflashy, just a simple post-up, but paired with his ever-growing brute strength, it gave off the feeling of one move to rule them all.
In the blink of an eye, Akashi was in the restricted area.
Shutoku's power forward, Kimura Shinsuke, had a strong build himself, but against Akashi's attack, he didn't have the slightest chance.
"As expected… relying on one person to defend No. 11 is just too much."
Coach Nakatani Masaaki watched the battle under the rim and muttered, "But… what if it's three people?"
Screech! Screech! Screech!
A sudden chorus of rubber soles against hardwood filled the air, and three players appeared around Akashi.
Otsubo Taisuke.
Kimura Shinsuke.
Miyaji Kiyoshi.
Three Shutoku senior starters surrounded Akashi in a tight triangle.
"Triple-team!"
The Seiho players' expressions changed instantly.
To outsiders, Akashi looked like he was in trouble, trapped in a sudden triple-team defense.
"Oh my, so scary, senpai!" Akashi pursed his lips, his tone oddly playful. "You're going this hard on a first-year?"
"Hah? This has nothing to do with what year you're in! Besides, your body doesn't look like a first-year's at all!" Miyaji shot back without hesitation.
"Mhm mhm mhm… ah, I can't even deny that. But really, three senpai think they can stop me?"
Akashi's lips curled into a slow grin, and a terrifying pressure burst out from him.
In that instant, the three Shutoku players' faces changed.
"This guy… that presence, stay sharp! Don't relax!" Otsubo barked.
The next moment,
Whoosh!
Right before their eyes, Akashi flicked the ball backward.
Tsutomu Iwamura caught it and finished an easy layup.
63–60.
Grinning cheerfully under their stares, Akashi said, "Don't look at me like that, senpai. I'm not part of the Generation of Miracles. If you send three people to guard me, then passing the ball out is the obvious choice, isn't it?"
"You agree, right, Midorima?"
Sure enough, as soon as Akashi mentioned him, the three seniors' attention shifted to Midorima. Adjusting his glasses, Midorima chose the wise path, silence.
Yeah, there was no good comeback for that.
Beeeep!
The whistle sounded, the third quarter was over.
Back on the bench, Coach Nakatani massaged his temples, watching Akashi walk away. For the first time, he felt an actual headache.
Truth be told, there had already been plenty of surprises in this game, but most were still within his tolerance.
But that pass… that pass had broken him.
Why? Why is it that other people's "geniuses" can be so… normal, and mine… oh, forget it!
Before meeting Akashi, Nakatani had been able to tolerate Midorima's quirks. After all, he wasn't the only one, every member of the Generation of Miracles had some psychological oddity.
Because all of them did, Nakatani could accept it.
That assumption made him believe Seiho's Akashi was also a lone wolf type, which was why he tried the triple-team tactic.
He never imagined Seiho had somehow recruited a normal genius, and suddenly, Nakatani felt a little bitter.
Glancing at Midorima again, Nakatani sighed.
He didn't say anything, but his expression said it all:
Look at them… then look at you.
Why is the gap between people so wide?
"For the final quarter, we switch to an offense-first strategy. As for the triple-team on No. 11, drop it."
He shot another look at Midorima before adding, "Since No. 11 can pass, using multi-man traps just leaves gaps in our own defense."
Seiho's starters weren't like the rookies from the qualifiers. If Shutoku triple-teamed Akashi, it meant someone else was left completely open.
Three on one meant the others were playing four-on-two.
Two on one meant four-on-three.
Even one open man was enough for Seiho's players, given their chemistry, to turn into a fatal weakness.
And no sane coach would double Akashi anyway. Anyone thinking straight knew it was pointless.
"Ahhh!!!"
After hearing the plan, Shutoku's players couldn't help glancing at Midorima again and sighing in unison.
So… love really does fade, huh?
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108 Advance Chapters Available on Patreon! Patreon.com/Veltoria [remove brackets]
250 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter
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