Yū's Response: The Unique Mirage

Inside the Teikō basketball gym, the atmosphere was subtle. Kise Ryōta's exploratory, peculiar movements, attempting to fuse different styles, though failing at an extremely high rate, were like pebbles dropped into a pond, stirring ripples beneath the calm surface. Especially when he repeatedly tried to integrate Bai Ze You's "Phantom" technique into his own, that clumsy yet persistent imitation and recombination inevitably drew focus to the "original."

"Hey, Bai Ze, that blonde kid seems particularly 'fond' of you, huh?" During a training break, Aomine Daiki took a swig of water and nudged Bai Ze You with his elbow, his tone laced with a gloating amusement. "He's been pondering all day how to turn your 'slippery' into his 'slippery,' and he's actually studying it quite diligently."

Bai Ze You was wiping sweat with a towel. Hearing this, he didn't stop his movements, his gaze calmly drifting to the other end of the court. Kise was repeatedly practicing a "Bai Ze Style" rhythm change, combining Aomine's explosive start with his own understanding, in front of empty air. His movements were still a bit stiff and jerky, but the focus and the burning flame within were clearly visible.

"Mhm, I see," Bai Ze You responded faintly.

"Don't you feel anything?" Aomine raised an eyebrow. "Your signature moves being taken apart and pieced back together like that?"

Bai Ze You put down the towel and picked up a basketball, spinning it on his fingertip, his eyes deep. "Feel? It's a bit interesting. He learns very quickly, and he works very hard." He paused, his voice calm but carrying an ineffable certainty. "But, Aomine-senpai, some things just can't be imitated."

"Oh?" Aomine's interest was piqued. "Like what?"

Bai Ze You didn't answer directly. Instead, he looked at Aomine. "Your 'Wildness,' can others imitate that?"

Aomine grinned, revealing a row of white teeth. "Ha! What a joke! That's something in my bones!"

"Then Midorima-senpai's 'Absolute Accuracy'?"

"That calculating maniac's style? It gives me a headache just looking at it!"

"Murasbara-senpai's 'Absolute Strength'?"

"That guy's a monster!"

"Kuroko's 'Misdirection'?"

"...That guy's already like a ghost!"

"Then," Bai Ze You's gaze returned to Kise, who was still trying hard, the corner of his mouth curling into an extremely faint, yet supremely confident arc. "My 'Phantom' can't be replicated just by watching a few times or dissecting a few moves."

The basketball in his hand stopped spinning and was held firmly.

"Every one of my changes of direction, every feint, every shot taken while off-balance... they are all decided by my body, my nerves, my sweat, and... my way of playing. It's uniquely Bai Ze You's 'one and only'." His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached Aomine's ears, carrying an irrefutable weight.

Aomine looked at Bai Ze You's calm profile. For the first time, he didn't retort, only let out a "Tch," but his eyes held a hint of acknowledgment. He understood Bai Ze You's meaning. Just as his wildness couldn't be copied, Bai Ze You's flexibility, balance, and deception, woven into his very being, were also a part of his existence itself.

Soon, a more intense, full-court five-on-five intra-squad scrimmage began. Kise Ryōta was assigned to the main team (Red Team), alongside Akashi, Midorima, and Murasbara. Bai Ze You, on the other hand, was in the reserve team (White Team), grouped with Aomine, Kuroko, and two second-year students. Fatefully, the two were matched up again.

As soon as the game started, Kise displayed his terrifying speed of improvement! He no longer fixated on rigidly fusing imitated moves but began to consciously utilize the nascent form of "Imitation · Creation."

* On one offense, he used Akashi's pass, and upon receiving the ball, he mimicked Bai Ze You's low-center-of-gravity ball-protection stance. He immediately followed it with an Aomine-style explosive first step drive! Though his power and speed weren't on par with Aomine's, the explosiveness and suddenness of the start, combined with the stability of Bai Ze You's ball protection, allowed him to instantly get past the first defender!

* Facing the help defense, he didn't force an imitation of Bai Ze You's complex spin turn. Instead, he used a simplified rhythm change stop (imitating Bai Ze's sense of rhythm). After tricking the defender into shifting their weight upwards, he immediately followed with a Midorima-style standard pull-up jump shot! The form was beautiful, and the basketball drew a high arc—"Swish!" It went in clean!

"Nice shot, Kise!" Akashi praised calmly.

"Well done!" Midorima also adjusted his glasses.

Applause erupted from the sidelines. With that shot, Kise demonstrated his ability to preliminarily fuse different elements, no longer just pure imitation but with his own understanding and choices! He excitedly clenched his fist, his gaze subconsciously flicking towards Bai Ze You, who was guarding him, carrying a hint of challenge and seeking validation.

Bai Ze You met his gaze with a calm look and gave a slight nod. Good progress. But this... was not enough.

It was the White Team's turn to attack. Bai Ze You held the ball at the top of the arc, guarded by Kise Ryōta, whose eyes were burning with fighting spirit!

"Bai Ze-senpai! Please guide me!" Kise lowered his stance, fully focused. He had just successfully fused a move, his confidence soaring, and he was eager to prove his path in front of the original "Phantom"!

Bai Ze You didn't respond. He moved.

There was no flashy start, just a simple crossover dribble in front of his body. But the moment the ball switched from his right hand to his left, his shoulder, his gaze, and even the center of gravity of his entire upper body tilted extremely realistically, as if flowing like mercury to the left! It looked as if he was about to break through to the left with full force at any second!

Inductive feint!

Kise's pupils constricted! He had imitated this move countless times! He reacted immediately, shifting his weight rapidly to the left, preparing to block!

However, the instant his weight shifted, Bai Ze You's left foot seemed to be nailed to the ground! His core muscles erupted with immense power, forcefully pulling his left-leaning center of gravity back! Simultaneously, his right wrist flicked nimbly, and the basketball, as if imbued with a soul, executed a fast and hidden crossover pull-back! As his center of gravity was pulled back, he used the momentum to forcefully lower his shoulder and push off towards the front right!

The real breakthrough direction—to the right!

All of this happened in a flash! Bai Ze You's change of center of gravity was unnaturally fast, and the transition between movements was as smooth as breathing! Kise's center of gravity had already been completely drawn to the left. Trying to forcefully twist his body back to the right, his steps became instantly clumsy, and he stumbled, nearly falling!

Bai Ze You, like a white phantom, instantly swept past Kise! Fast! And filled with deceptive beauty!

"So fast! He pulled his center of gravity back?!"

"Kise-kun was completely shaken!"

Gasps erupted from the sidelines.

But this was just the beginning! Murasbara Atsushi's massive frame stood like a mountain in Bai Ze You's path! A terrifying sense of pressure washed over him!

Bai Ze You's eyes remained unchanged, his speed undiminished! The moment he was about to collide with Murasbara, his body once again displayed astonishing flexibility and sense of balance! He didn't choose to collide head-on, nor did he stop abruptly. Instead, while sprinting at high speed, his body, like a flexible willow branch, pivoted on his left foot in an extremely small, yet incredibly fast ultra-low center of gravity spin turn!

His body spun past Murasbara's massive frame at an almost touching distance! During the spin, the basketball seemed to stick to his hand, protected by rapid changes of hand at a very low height! Murasbara's huge palm swept past with a gust of wind, only to hit air!

"What?!" Even Murasbara's eyes widened in surprise. Such an extreme spin and ball control under the pressure of absolute strength required terrifying core strength and body control!

Bai Ze You spun past Murasbara, and the basket was now open before him! He stepped and jumped without hesitation! However, Akashi Seijūrō appeared like a ghost from his rear flank, his timing impeccable! His crimson eyes were as cold as ice, his hand precisely reaching for the basketball in Bai Ze You's possession!

Heavenly Emperor's Eye prediction!

At the critical moment! Bai Ze You, in mid-air, once again unleashed power from his core! He forcefully folded his body, which was previously extended, into an extreme body fold and tuck! Simultaneously, he flicked the wrist of his ball-holding hand. Instead of going for a layup, the basketball, as if by magic, was passed with a bounce pass through an extremely narrow gap beneath Akashi's blocking arm!

The basketball, with strong spin, bounced precisely off the floor and flew towards the weak side baseline!

There, Kuroko Tetsuya, like a true phantom, had quietly appeared in an absolutely open space while everyone's (including Akashi's) attention was captured by Bai Ze You's extreme maneuver!

Kuroko received the ball and, without any hesitation, executed a standard push shot!

"Swish!"

The basketball went through the net cleanly!

The entire offensive play was fluid and breathtaking!

From shaking off Kise at the top of the arc, to evading Murasakibara with an extreme spin in the paint, then mid-air tucking to avoid Akashi's steal and delivering a brilliant pass, and finally Kuroko finishing it off! The whole process took only a few seconds, yet it perfectly showcased Bai Ze You's unique "Mirage" trait!

Extreme flexibility!

Incredible sense of balance!

Feints so realistic they're in his bones!

Ultimate maneuvers in tight spaces!

A terrifyingly calm big-picture view and passing vision!

These aren't things you can gain through imitation! This is instinct carved into his body through countless training sessions, a basketball art forged by both talent and sweat, belonging only to Bai Ze You!

The sidelines fell silent, with only the "thump-thump" of the basketball hitting the floor. Everyone was stunned by the series of plays.

Kise Ryōta stood frozen, staring blankly at Bai Ze You's retreating back as he picked up the ball from under the basket and calmly headed back on defense. The shock of being shaken off earlier, the awe of witnessing Bai Ze You's extreme maneuver amidst the pincer attack of Murasakibara and Akashi, and the composure of that final brilliant pass... it all crashed down on him like heavy hammers!

The frameworks of the moves he had been imitating earlier seemed so pale and ridiculous in front of Bai Ze You's fluid, natural "Mirage"! He finally understood what Captain Nijimura and Bai Ze You had meant by "cannot be imitated"!

It wasn't a stack of techniques; it was a resonance between soul and body! It was Bai Ze You's unique way of existing!

A sense of defeat washed over Kise like an icy tide. His proud imitation and fusion seemed fragile and pathetic in the face of true "uniqueness." He bit his lip tightly, his face pale, his eyes filled with confusion and self-doubt.

"Did you see that, Kise-kun?" Bai Ze You paused slightly as he passed by Kise on his way back on defense, his voice calm, devoid of mockery, just stating a fact, "This is my 'Mirage.' It belongs to me, and only me."

He paused, looking at Kise's dazed expression, and added with a hint of encouragement, "Your path has just begun. Finding your own 'uniqueness' is what's truly 'cool'."

With that, Bai Ze You didn't linger and ran back to his defensive position.

Kise stood rooted to the spot, Bai Ze You's words echoing in his ears. "Uniqueness"... "belonging to oneself"... He looked down at his hands, then at Bai Ze You's white back, blending into the team's defense yet still radiating a unique brilliance. An emotion stronger and more complex than before churned within him. The frustration hadn't disappeared, but within it, a hint of... clearer understanding and a more determined desire seemed to be growing!

On the sidelines, Momoi Satsuki forcefully wrote a new evaluation on the page for Bai Ze You, in the blank space under "Style Summary":

"Core Trait Confirmed: 'The Unique Mirage'"

"Performance: Perfect fusion of skill, body, awareness, and instinct, forming an unreplicable personal style."

"Essence: Not mere technique, but a way of being."

And on Kise's page, she looked at the dejected blonde boy whose eyes, however, held a new fire, and wrote:

"Observation Subject: Kise Ryōta - Status Update"

"Encountered 'Phantom Barrier': Imitation/Fusion attempts met with complete failure against the 'original'."

"Current Reaction: Intense frustration + profound cognitive shock + initial awakening to the concept of 'uniqueness'"

"Potential Level: Maintained S (Setbacks are the flames of tempering)"

"Core Task Upgrade: From 'Imitation · Creation' to 'Finding True Self'."

On the Teikō court, the white mirage declared his irreproducibility through a stunning practical demonstration. The golden imitator, however, crashed headfirst against the mirage's barrier, only to finally see clearly for the first time the path ahead, more arduous but also more brilliant, named "self." The unique mirage not only belonged to Bai Ze You but also became a beacon illuminating Kise Ryōta's future path, even if that light seemed blinding and distant at this moment.