Teikō's Gate: Bai Ze You's Departure

In the Tokyo of West Moon, the air was filled with the pale pink scent of fresh cherry blossoms, humming with the restless, vibrant energy unique to the dawn of youth. The grand gates of Teikō Junior High, seemingly forged from steel and glass, were currently swallowing a new wave of boys and girls filled with anticipation and trepidation. Bai Ze You stood at the edge of the crowd, his stature already quite tall for his age. His soft, silver-gray hair brushed against his smooth forehead in the breeze, revealing a pair of clear yet unusually calm amber eyes. He tilted his head slightly, his gaze crossing the noisy crowd to land precisely on the modern gymnasium, which held a prestigious reputation even within Tokyo. Sunlight danced and refracted on the massive glass curtain wall, as if melting the intangible words "basketball powerhouse" into a scorching reality, branding it into the eyes of everyone who looked toward it.

"Teikō... Basketball Club..." he whispered, his voice light yet carrying a near-devout certainty. Subconsciously, his right hand pressed against his left chest through his brand-new Teikō uniform. There, his heart beat with steady, powerful rhythm; every contraction and expansion seemed to echo a melody that had never ceased since his childhood—the rhythm of a basketball striking the floor.

He withdrew his gaze and picked up the dark blue basketball bag at his feet, which looked like it had seen many years of use, its edges already worn. The canvas was washed to a pale shade, but the small, polished basketball charm hanging from the zipper remained bright. It was a souvenir from the first official game he had ever won. As his fingertips habitually traced the cold metal surface of the charm, You took a deep breath of air mixed with the sweet scent of cherry blossoms and the sweat of youth, then stepped forward, joining the torrent of freshmen heading toward the gymnasium to register without hesitation.

The emptiness and echoes inside the gymnasium instantly magnified every sound. The squeak of rubber soles against the polished wooden floor, the dull thuds of basketballs hitting the ground, the sharp, authoritative shouts of upperclassmen, and the excited or nervous whispers of the freshmen all combined to form a stirring overture titled "Selection." The air was filled with a peculiar scent of disinfectant, sweat, and the leather of new basketballs—to You, this was the most familiar and reassuring scent of a battlefield.

He quickly changed into the red-and-white sportswear he had prepared in advance, loosening his wrists and ankles. His gaze, like the most precise radar, scanned this battlefield that would determine the trajectory of his next year, or perhaps even three. On the sidelines, one figure firmly captured his attention.

The man was tall and sturdy, sporting a somewhat rugged buzz cut, with powerful, knotted muscle lines visible beneath his deep wheat-colored skin. He stood with his arms crossed, silently watching the figures running and jumping on the court. His eyes were as sharp as a hawk's, carrying a sense of scrutiny and heavy pressure. Even from a distance, You could feel the weight of that gaze—it was the pressure of a king, forged through countless real-world battles. Nijimura Shūzō, the current captain of the Teikō Basketball Club and the absolute core who had led Teikō to consecutive national championships. Legends about him were already textbook material among basketball-loving youths.

"That is Nijimura-senpai..." You murmured to himself, a trace of imperceptible excitement racing down his spine like an electric current. Being able to compete on the same court as such a powerhouse, and even catching his eye, was in itself the beginning of recognition.

"Freshmen! Assemble!" A resonant roar cut through all the noise. The third-year seniors in charge of the basic screening quickly divided the sea of freshmen into several groups. You was assigned to the third group for the most basic tests—dribbling around obstacles and set-shot shooting—which were also the most revealing. His expression was calm, but his movements were fluid. The basketball seemed to have a life of its own in his hands, weaving lightly between the cones. Every change of direction carried a smooth sense of rhythm; low dribbles, between-the-legs, and behind-the-back moves were switched with ease, the ball appearing as if it were glued to his hand. His set-shot shooting was terrifyingly stable, nine out of ten shots finding the mark, the crisp sound of the net becoming the background music for his group.

"Hey, that kid... his dribbling is so steady!"

"His shooting form is beautiful, just like a textbook."

"The one with the silver-gray hair? His movements look so effortless..."

Low discussions spread among the freshmen. You turned a deaf ear, focusing on completing every movement. Fine beads of sweat seeped from his temples, and in his amber eyes, there was only the hoop and the ball in his hands.

The basic tests ended, and the cruel elimination began. Nearly half the names were called out, and they left the court with disappointment and reluctance. Those who remained felt a hotter flame igniting in their eyes.

"Next, 3v3 matches!" the senior in charge announced. "Form your teams freely, quickly! We start in ten minutes!"

The crowd immediately became restless. You did not rush to find teammates, but instead cast his gaze toward Nijimura Shūzō on the sidelines once more. Nijimura's gaze happened to sweep across this area, lingering on You for a brief moment. His eyes were still sharp, but they seemed to hold a hint of indescribable, curious inquiry that hadn't been there before.

Soon, two other freshmen who had passed the basic tests approached You. One was stocky, named Kobayashi, who looked to have good strength; the other, named Takahashi, had agile movements and a clever look in his eyes.

"Bai Ze-kun, shall we team up?" Kobayashi took the initiative, his tone tinged with nervousness. "I saw your basics are really strong!"

Takahashi nodded vigorously as well: "Yeah, yeah! Please!"

You looked at them, offering no unnecessary pleasantries, just a simple nod: "Fine. I'll play point guard, keep moving, and I'll pass if there's an opening." His voice was steady, carrying a calmness that transcended his age, making his two slightly anxious new teammates feel inexplicably at ease.

Their opponents were also quickly assembled—three freshmen who were all noticeably taller than You's side. The leader had a streak of flashy blond hair and an arrogant look in his eyes, casting a look of undisguised provocation at You.

"Kid, fancy dribbling is useless. Don't go crying later!" the Blondie sneered.

You merely glanced at him indifferently, his amber pupils devoid of any ripples, as if the other party were nothing more than insignificant air. He bent his waist, his fingers gently brushing the rough surface of the basketball, feeling the familiar texture, and then steadily controlled the ball at his side. The whistle blew!

The confrontation instantly reached a fever pitch. The opponents, relying on their height advantage, immediately tried to force their way into the paint. Kobayashi defended with all his might, but the strength gap was obvious; he was shoved aside by the opposing center, who scored an easy layup.

"0:2!" the senior referee announced the score.

It was You's team's turn to attack. Takahashi passed the ball to You in a panic. The Blondie immediately stuck to him like a shadow, spreading his long arms and attempting to force a turnover with oppressive defense.

"Pass! Don't let him steal it!" Kobayashi shouted anxiously.

However, You seemed not to feel any pressure at all. Facing the Blondie's aggressive close-marking, he suddenly feinted to the right with his upper body, dropping his shoulder and shifting his feet. The movement was massive and so realistic that it looked as if he were truly going to break through from the right! The Blondie's pupils contracted, his center of gravity instantly deceived, and his feet subconsciously shifted to the right to block.

In that split second, You's right wrist, which was controlling the ball, flicked with an eerie, boneless fluidity. The basketball traveled in an inconceivable path, passing from the outside of his slightly raised right knee, skimming the ground with a lightning-fast bounce, and passing directly through the Blondie's instinctively parted legs! At the same time, his shifting body, as if pulled by invisible threads, pivoted on his left foot in a spin so swift it left only a blur, sweeping past the left side of the Blondie like the wind!

"Nutmeg?! A spin move to get past him?!" a senior on the sidelines couldn't help but gasp.

The Blondie felt a flash before his eyes and a gust of wind sweep past his side. When he turned back, the silver-gray-haired figure had already appeared behind him like a ghost, steadily catching the floor-ball that had bounced up from between his legs! The entire sequence was executed in one breath, as fluid as if it had been practiced a thousand times. The instantaneous flexibility and balance, combined with the precise timing of the deceptive move, left everyone who witnessed it breathless.

"Beautiful!" Takahashi shouted subconsciously.

Having shaken off the defense, You didn't pause for a second, piercing the heart of the opponent's defense like an arrow released from a bow. Another opponent rushed to help, spreading his arms to block his path. Just as the two were about to make contact, You's right hand, which was dribbling at high speed, suddenly pulled the ball sharply to the left, his center of gravity shifting with it—a highly realistic left-side crossover fake! The defender's center of gravity was immediately deceived.

However, at the moment You's leaning body was almost completely off-balance and on the verge of falling, he used a superhuman flexibility and powerful core strength to force his body back! His right foot seemed nailed to the floor, his waist and abdomen exploding with astonishing power, and his entire body, like a compressed spring, shot forward to the right! As he pulled his center of gravity back, the basketball was already being flicked from his left hand in an incredibly subtle, rapid pass, delivered like a scalpel to Kobayashi, who had briefly found an opening due to the defender's help.

Kobayashi was stunned for a moment, but the opportunity was fleeting. He immediately jumped and, before the opposing center could return to block, managed to put the ball into the basket.

"2:2!" the referee's voice carried a trace of imperceptible surprise.

"Great pass, Bai Ze!" Kobayashi landed and punched the air excitedly.

You merely nodded slightly and retreated to defend. His breathing remained steady, but in the depths of his amber eyes, that calmness began to be replaced by a focused, gradually burning flame. He smelled the scent of a challenge.

The next few minutes became a showcase of You's personal skills and a stage for his initial emergence. The intensity of the opponent's defense continued to rise amid the Blondie's frustrated roars, even escalating to double-teaming. But You was like a slippery fish, weaving through the forest of muscles.

Facing the towering presence of the tall inside player under the basket, he didn't choose to clash head-on. During a fast break, he charged into the paint at high speed. The moment the opposing center leaped like a tower to block him, You's airborne body displayed astonishing flexibility and air time. He seemed to ignore gravity, his entire body twisting and folding in the air in an incredible way, turning his original frontal layup into a high-difficulty, near-horizontal mid-air adjustment! The basketball grazed the opponent's fingertips, narrowly passing by, and tapped softly against the backboard before spinning into the net.

"Hiss... that core strength..."

"He can still twist like that in mid-air?!"

The discussions on the sidelines grew louder, and even the few seniors who had been stone-faced all along now had a look of gravity in their eyes.

However, what was most impressive was his unfathomable feints. Every shift of his shoulders, eyes, and feet was seamless and filled with lethal deception. A simple crossover, when performed by him, had such realistic shoulder drops, eye-gazing directions, and footwork rhythms that it was enough to make a defender bet their entire center of gravity on it. And when the opponent's balance was deceived, the explosive breakthrough that followed was so fast that only a blurry afterimage remained. In one set play, he even used three consecutive fakes with different rhythms and exaggerated amplitudes to force the Blondie to lose his balance and fall onto his backside in a heap! This drew uncontrollable laughter and gasps of shock from the sidelines.

The score seesawed, quickly reaching a 9:9 tie. There was little time left in the game. The final possession was in You's hands. The entire court fell silent instantly, all eyes focused on the silver-haired boy in the brand-new red-and-white uniform, whose dribbling rhythm was terrifyingly steady.

The Blondie and his teammates had fierce looks in their eyes, filled with a desperate, all-or-nothing resolve. The three of them surrounded him in a triangle formation, completely sealing off all breakthrough and passing routes, vowing to completely strangle this freshman who had caused them to lose face!

The air seemed to freeze. The immense pressure was like a solid wall, squeezing You in the center of the court. Kobayashi and Takahashi ran anxiously in the distance, but they could never shake off their shadows.

Sweat slid down You's temple, dripping onto the polished floor and leaving a small dark spot. He lowered his center of gravity slightly, the basketball hitting the floor between his legs in a rapid, stable, and rhythmic "thump, thump" that sounded like it was beating against everyone's heart. In his amber eyes, all emotions settled down, leaving only an ice-cold calmness and the purest obsession with the hoop.

Nijimura Shūzō had long since lowered his crossed arms, his body leaning forward slightly, his hawk-like eyes locked unblinkingly on the figure surrounded by three people on the court. He felt something—something extremely rare in a freshman: a more pure and powerful fighting spirit that was ignited precisely when facing a desperate situation.

He moved!

You's left foot stepped sharply to the front-left, his entire body leaning heavily to the left, his eyes piercing sharply toward the left path, and the basketball in his right hand was pushed out toward the front-left with extreme exaggeration! It was a massive, clearly intentional left-side breakthrough fake!

The defender on the left had his nerves stretched to the limit; seeing this, he shifted his center of gravity to the left almost instinctively, attempting to seal the path!

The moment his center of gravity shifted, Bai Ze You's left-leaning body snapped back like a taut bowstring! That exaggerated left-push motion, through a subtle inward rotation of his wrist too fast to track, transformed into a high-speed, tight-to-the-body Crossover Pull-back! The basketball, as if drawn by a magnet, instantly passed through his legs from the left side and returned to his right hand!

Simultaneously, leveraging the rebound force of his body, he kicked off the ground hard with his right foot. Like a leopard coiled with power, he burst forward toward the only opening that had appeared—the center lane, created by his teammate's movement! One step! In just one step, he squeezed his body halfway through that fleeting gap!

"Stop him!" Blondie roared, his eyes splitting, as he and his teammate on the right converged toward the middle to seal the path! Their large hands acted like iron gates, locking down all space and shooting angles in front of Bai Ze You!

He was about to collide with the human wall! Yet, at this moment of Thousand Jun danger, Bai Ze You's sprinting body executed a move that transcended human limits! He did not decelerate; instead, he forced himself to Rise from the ground while at full sprint! However, his jump was not vertical; he forcibly twisted his waist and rotated his body in mid-air! His immense core strength and flexibility were displayed to the fullest at this moment, his entire body twisting nearly ninety degrees like a corkscrew in the air! He completely evaded the block from the front!

Simultaneously, his right hand holding the ball—in a state of extreme imbalance where his vision could barely track the hoop—relied on muscle memory formed through countless repetitions and an astonishing sense of space. With an incredibly soft flick of his wrist, he tossed the ball toward the basket!

The basketball traced a low, swift arc with a strange spin, threading through the impossibly narrow gap beneath the high-raised arms of Blondie and the other defender, passing through with heart-stopping precision!

"Shua!"

The sound of the basketball swishing through the net in the suddenly silent gymnasium was as crisp as a thunderclap.

Time seemed to freeze for a second.

"Beep—!" The Final Whistle sounded sharply.

"10:9! White Team wins!" The referee's voice carried an incredulous excitement.

"Waaa—!!!" After a brief silence, a massive wave of cheers and exclamations erupted, sweeping across the entire court. Kobayashi and Takahashi rushed over in a frenzy, excitedly wanting to embrace Bai Ze You.

Bai Ze You landed steadily, his body swaying slightly from the inertia of that extreme move before he stood firm. He raised a hand to wipe the sweat from his chin, his chest heaving slightly, his breathing a bit rapid. He glanced at the scoreboard, then looked down at his own palm, a faint yet incredibly genuine arc finally curling at the corners of his mouth. It was the satisfaction of victory, and even more, the relief of seeing his abilities perfectly unleashed under high pressure.

On the sidelines, Nijimura Shūzō slowly straightened his body. The sharp light in his eyes did not fade; instead, it grew more intense. He stared fixedly at the silver-haired boy who remained calm and reserved amidst the throng of teammates, as if examining a piece of raw jade that had just been cut open to reveal a brilliant luster within.

"Bai Ze... You?" Nijimura whispered the name from the registration sheet, his voice carrying a hint of intrigue and unmistakable appreciation. "This flexibility... this sense of balance... and those feints... it's almost like... a White Phantom..." He paused, his mouth pulling into a nearly sharp arc. "Interesting. It seems the First String positions are going to be lively this year."

Just then, the corner of Nijimura's eye keenly caught a figure leaning in the shadows at the entrance of the second-floor balcony. The person was equally tall and slender, with striking, messy dark blue hair and dark skin. His hands were tucked into his pockets, his posture casual yet carrying a beast-like laziness and sense of power. He had clearly been watching the breathtaking game-winning shot, and now, he tilted his head slightly. His deep blue eyes, like a leopard locking onto its prey, were fixed with great interest on the silver-haired figure causing a stir on the court, a wild, challenging smile curling his lips.

Aomine Daiki.

The future ace scorer of Teikō Junior High was, at this moment, firmly captivated by this White Phantom known as "Bai Ze You."

Bai Ze You seemed to feel something. He looked up, his amber eyes piercing through the gaps in the crowd, and happened to collide in mid-air with that aggressive gaze from the shadows on the second floor. There were no sparks flying, yet a silent, fated current seemed to quietly sprout between the two.

The gates of Teikō had already swung open for Bai Ze You. And the legend belonging to the White Phantom had quietly written its first note on this wooden floor, permeated with the scent of sweat and dreams.