The situation on a basketball court is sometimes like snow piled up on a mountain, once a collapse happens in one spot, it can quickly trigger a chain reaction.
Right now, Yosen was undoubtedly in that exact situation.
Both Yosen and Seiho used a 2-3 zone defense. However, there were still notable differences between the two.
Seiho's defense resembled a checkpoint. Four players formed a barrier at the perimeter, blocking all attempts to break through toward the inside. Only those who managed to pass that first wall would face the final boss, Akashi Asuka.
Seiho's defensive style mainly targeted teams that specialized in attacking the paint. Against teams like Shutoku who excel both inside and outside, or those who focused on perimeter offense, this formation became much less effective.
Yosen's 2-3 defense, however, relied on layered reinforcement.
Because aside from point guard Fukui Kensuke, every member of Yosen's lineup was tall, even the former starting shooting guard before Himuro Tatsuya transferred in was over 190 cm.
This allowed every Yosen player to have an astonishing defensive coverage.
With Murasakibara Atsushi stationed at the center, he alone could cover the entire three-point arc. The remaining four formed layered zones on top of his coverage, each occupying and reinforcing an area.
This defense was nearly impenetrable, even Seiho's might not compare.
With such defense...
In the original Winter Cup, Yosen even recorded several rounds of completely shutting out their opponents, an absolutely terrifying feat.
But now, there was a massive flaw in Yosen's defense, and that flaw appeared at the most crucial point of the formation: Murasakibara Atsushi himself.
Boom, boom, boom…
Under the basket.
Akashi Asuka dribbled with his back against Murasakibara, going one-on-one. With a twist of his hips and a raised elbow, he forced the giant center backward step by step.
Once he pushed all the way to the inside, Akashi suddenly turned and went for a jumper. His motion was extremely quick, almost instantaneous, yet Murasakibara still reacted in time.
Murasakibara leaped up with full force to block, but just as his massive hand was about to slap the ball down, Akashi pulled the ball back mid-air and shifted into a hook shot motion.
Swish!
With a gentle flick of his wrist, the ball dropped smoothly into the net.
32 : 25.
"Beeeeep"
At that moment, the referee blew the whistle. Araki Masako finally called her first timeout of the first half.
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Spectator Seats
Top-tier spectator Kise Ryouta scratched his head.
"He's getting completely dominated! Murasakibara!"
This match between Seiho and Yosen was filled with unexpected developments.
For starters, before the first two quarters even ended, two hoops and a hoop stand had already been destroyed, no one had seen that coming.
And although the score remained close afterward, everyone, including Kise, a member of the Generation of Miracles, had expected the duel between Akashi Asuka and Murasakibara to be an epic clash.
But instead, for two straight quarters, Murasakibara was completely overwhelmed.
And not just physically, but technically as well. A total, two-fold defeat.
"Kurokichi should be feeling pretty crushed right about now. I mean, he's never taken a beating like this before," Kise sighed.
The Generation of Miracles were not undefeated. Before fully awakening their talents, both Aomine Daiki and Midorima Shintaro had experienced plenty of losses.
Especially Aomine, he became strong through countless defeats on the street courts.
But Murasakibara was different.
His overwhelming physicality was a natural-born talent. Among the Generation of Miracles, the one who had suffered the fewest defeats was undeniably Murasakibara.
Even Akashi might not compare.
And most of the losses Murasakibara did experience were due to team circumstances, not being crushed head-on by an opponent like today.
This was likely the first time in his life… or perhaps the second.
"Is that so?"
Midorima Shintaro disagreed. His gaze remained fixed on Murasakibara as he spoke softly:
"I, on the other hand, think that… Murasakibara might actually be happy right now."
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Yosen Bench
"Crap… why am I feeling so excited?"
Just as Midorima predicted, Murasakibara wasn't discouraged at all. On the contrary, he was thrilled. So thrilled that even he couldn't explain it.
His large hands trembled slightly, but not from fear. It was pure excitement.
"Not good… I want to play. I want to get back out there… right now…"
Much like Aomine, Murasakibara had been a fierce competitor in junior high. But his overwhelming strength had made him lose the ability to feel challenged.
After entering high school at Yosen, he spent most games camped beneath the basket, rarely even stepping past the three-point line.
He couldn't remember the last time he felt this primal urge to fight.
It had been too long.
So long that he had almost forgotten this beast-like instinct inside him.
"Masako, can I get a hair tie?"
Coach Araki was about to speak, but Murasakibara interrupted.
A vein pulsed on her forehead, she turned, ready to scold him, but then she saw his eyes.
She had seen eyes like that before, on certain teammates back when she played professionally.
She paused.
"Forget it. Keep the same formation. We'll finish out the first half like this."
The Yosen players were confused, until they saw Murasakibara tie up his purple hair into a ponytail.
Then everything made sense.
==========
Thirty seconds later.
Timeout ended.
The game resumed.
Iwamaru Tsutomu didn't understand the meaning behind the ponytail, but the pressure radiating from Murasakibara felt like a calamity. His instincts screamed danger.
Akashi Asuka narrowed his eyes the moment he saw the change.
He quietly warned his team:
"Everyone, stay sharp. A powerful one is coming."
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Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria