The venue for the Tokyo regional preliminaries was packed with noise. The air was thick with the mixed smell of sweat and plastic flooring, filled with the shouts of the schools' cheering squads and the echoes of basketballs striking the floor. However, when the Teikō Junior High players stepped onto the court in their iconic blue-and-white uniforms, the atmosphere seemed to freeze for an instant before erupting into an even more frenzied wave—a complex mixture of awe, fear, and anticipation.
Teikō. The name itself was a kind of invisible pressure. And this year, as the name "Generation of Miracles" spread after several shocking practice games and internal scrimmages, that pressure had transformed into tangible fear, weighing heavily on the hearts of every opponent about to face them.
The first game: against the weak Tanigawa Junior High.
The game lost all suspense almost from the moment of the tip-off. Murasaki-bara Atsushi's massive body was like a moving fortress, and he easily tapped the ball to Akashi Seijūrō. Akashi caught it and calmly swept his crimson eyes across the court, like a king surveying his domain. He did not even dribble. With a flick of his wrist, a precise long pass spanning half the court shot toward Aomine Daiki, who was already charging downcourt like a black bolt of lightning!
Aomine caught the ball with nothing but open space ahead of him! He let out a wild roar and took three huge steps into the paint, like a beast breaking free of its restraints. Then he leaped high and slammed down a tomahawk dunk filled with brutal beauty! The rim let out a pained groan!
2:0!
Only three seconds after the opening!
The Tanigawa Junior High players had not even fully taken their positions yet! The stands erupted in an uproar!
The rest of the game completely devolved into a one-sided Teikō showcase and the opponents' desperate struggle.
* Midōrima Shintarō was like the most precise artillery battery. The instant he found even the slightest opening beyond the three-point line—even for a fraction of a second—the motion of pushing up his glasses seemed to signal an attack. The ball would trace a despair-inducing perfect arc, and the sound of it swishing cleanly through the net rang like a death knell! Swish! Swish! Swish! The Three-Point Rain mercilessly extinguished any hint of a Tanigawa counterattack.
* Murasaki-bara Atsushi was an impassable natural barrier in the paint. Any attack that tried to penetrate the basket area turned to nothing under his sky-blocking hands and the suppression of his Absolute Strength. Rebounds were his private preserve as well. Whether offensive or defensive, he gathered them effortlessly, then simply shoved the ball out to Akashi or Midōrima on the perimeter, or fired it directly to Aomine or Bai Ze You running the break, launching another deadly fast break.
* Akashi Seijūrō was a commander calm to the extreme. He did not need to score; simply standing there gave him control of the entire court. His passes were like scalpels, always precisely finding the most dangerous point on the court and tearing open Tanigawa's already fragile defense. His presence made Teikō's offense operate like a precise clock—cold and efficient.
* Aomine Daiki was the frenzied finisher. His drives were like raging hurricanes, leaving Tanigawa's defense utterly helpless before him. Pull-up jumpers, twisting layups, violent dunks... He sent the ball into the basket in every unimaginable way, each score accompanied by his wild roar and the opponents' increasingly pale faces. His "wildness" blossomed with even more blinding brilliance beneath the spotlight of an official game.
* Bai Ze You was like a white phantom weaving through thunder and artillery fire. He did not have Aomine's explosive scoring runs or Midōrima's precise long-range attacks. But he was everywhere, like lubricant and a speed shifter, making Teikō's terrifying machine run more smoothly and more lethally.
* During one set play, he used a convincing Fake Move and nimble footwork to tear through the defense with ease. After drawing a double-team, he sent a no-look wraparound pass through the gap between the defenders, delivering the ball to Aomine cutting toward the basket and helping him finish an easy layup.
* On defense, he was like a persistent thorn in the flesh. His precise anticipation and footwork made his matchup unable to move even an inch. After a beautiful steal, he pushed the ball up himself. Just as the opposing defenders were about to seal him off, he used a light Rhythm change stop to create space and calmly sank a mid-range jumper.
* When the opponent tried to limit Aomine with a double-team, he appeared like a phantom in the open space on the weak side. He received Akashi's pass and struck like a blade, sinking a three-pointer! The movement was smooth and natural, without the slightest hesitation.
* Even during one fast break, when faced with the opposing center's help defense, he displayed his trademark flexibility and balance. In midair, he made a slight folded reverse layup, avoiding the block and flipping the ball into the basket with his other hand, winning cheers from the entire audience.
His scoring might not have been the highest, but he always appeared when needed, solving problems in the most reasonable and deceptive ways, like scattering invisible salt into the opponents' wounds and deepening their sense of helplessness. On Momoi Satsuki's clipboard, the number in the "efficiency" column for Bai Ze You was jumping wildly.
Halftime score: Teikō 68 : Tanigawa 12.
The enormous point gap was like an uncrossable chasm. The Tanigawa Junior High players' eyes were vacant and their steps heavy, as if they had already exhausted all their strength and hope. Teikō's supporters cheered wildly in the stands, while the spectators from the other schools sat in deathly silence, their faces filled with shock and fear.
During halftime, the Teikō bench was relaxed. Nijimura Shūzō did not lay out any complicated tactics. He merely emphasized, "Stay focused and cut down on unnecessary mistakes. Put what you've trained into practice." To them, this was nothing more than a warm-up.
The second game: against Nakano Jitsugyo, who had reached the regional top eight the previous year.
Nakano Jitsugyo had clearly done its homework, trying to restrict Teikō with more aggressive zone defense and physical play. At the start, they even managed to keep the score close for a brief period.
However, in the face of an absolute talent gap, effort looked so pale.
When Midōrima Shintarō calmly launched an ultra-long three-pointer despite two defenders rushing at him, the ball tracing an arc like the scythe of the Grim Reaper before dropping cleanly through the net; when Aomine Daiki used his unreasonable speed and strength to smash through two defenders and force in a layup for a 2+1; when Murasaki-bara Atsushi still easily pulled down a rebound under a triple-team and hurled the ball downcourt like he was throwing out trash to start a fast break... the faint spark of fighting spirit that had just ignited in the Nakano players' eyes was crushed completely.
Bai Ze You took on more of an organizing and defensive spearhead role in this game. He keenly identified the opposing point guard's driving habits, and several precise anticipatory steals directly snuffed out Nakano's attempts to counterattack. Then, during one half-court offensive assault against their tight zone defense, he used his tremendous off-ball movement. He repeatedly used screens from Murasaki-bara and his teammates, slipping along the baseline like an eel. After receiving Akashi's brilliant pass, he sent the ball steadily into the basket with an extreme fadeaway mid-range jumper, just before the fingertips of the rotating defender could block it! That shot showcased his flexibility, balance, sense of rhythm, and composure in crucial moments to perfection!
Final whistle: Teikō 102 : Nakano Jitsugyo 48.
Nakano's coach slumped into his chair and stared silently at the glaring score on the scoreboard for a long time. His tactics board fell to the floor, and no one went to pick it up.
The final: against Itabashi High School, last year's regional runner-up, renowned for its iron-blooded defense.
Itabashi High School was a genuine tough nut to crack. They had a powerful group of interior players and tireless perimeter defenders who gnawed at their opponents relentlessly. Before the game, their coach shouted himself hoarse in the locker room to raise their morale: "Remember! We're Itabashi! We'll build an iron wall with our muscles and sweat! Even if we lose, we'll tear off a piece of Teikō's skin! Don't let them win so easily!"
The game began, and Itabashi indeed displayed fierce fighting spirit. With near-suicidal physical contact and rabid full-court pressure, they tried to disrupt Teikō's rhythm. For a time, Teikō's turnovers increased slightly, and the score did not rapidly widen.
However, the Teikō players, including the first-year "Miracles," showed no panic on their faces. Akashi Seijūrō's ball handling was as steady as a rock, and Itabashi's pressure was child's play before him. Midōrima Shintarō continued to sink threes despite tight coverage, as if the interference did not exist. Murasaki-bara Atsushi wreaked havoc in the paint, making Itabashi's interior players look like children. Aomine Daiki's drives remained wild, and after every collision, he answered with even more ferocious offense!
The true turning point came three minutes into the second half.
After a successful defensive play, Itabashi High School tried to launch a fast break. However, just after the ball crossed half court, it was intercepted by a white phantom! Bai Ze You had read the passing lane in advance, completing a beautiful steal!
He did not pause for even a moment and burst forward! Itabashi's defenders reacted quickly, with two of them trying to close him off from either side!
Just as they were about to converge, Bai Ze You's body seemed boneless, displaying incredible flexibility! His upper body suddenly tilted forward and to the right, creating the illusion that he was forcing his way through the right side! The right-side defender's center of gravity was instantly pulled off balance!
Bang!
Yet Bai Ze You's left foot planted itself firmly into the floor like a nail! His core strength exploded, forcibly pulling back the center of gravity that had tilted right! At the same time, he executed a lightning-fast between-the-legs change of direction, transferring the ball from in front of him to his left hand! His body was like an arrow loosed from a bow, shooting straight through the tiny gap between the right-side defender whose balance had been deceived and the left-side defender who had not yet fully recovered his position!
"Through two!" the commentator cried.
The stands erupted with thunderous cheers!
But it was not over yet! Itabashi's last interior defender charged in like a wild bull! Bai Ze You did not slow down at all as he raced forward! Facing the oncoming collision, he once again displayed inhuman balance! At the instant of contact, his body tilted to the side like a willow catkin following the impact, dissipating the force! At the same time, he used an extremely subtle underhand scoop layup!
The ball grazed the tips of the defender's fingers, carrying a faint spin as it softly kissed the backboard and dropped through the hoop!
And One!
The referee's whistle rang out! A free throw!
The entire attack, from the steal to splitting two defenders and then the extreme finish through contact, had flowed like water. It was filled with deception and technique, perfectly combining strength and beauty, and completely ignited the entire arena!
Bai Ze You stepped to the free-throw line, took a deep breath, and calmly sank the shot. He turned back on defense with an even expression, as if he had merely completed an ordinary practice drill.
However, that basket was the final straw that broke the camel's back. The last glimmer of stubborn light in the eyes of the Itabashi High School players went out completely. Their coach covered his face in agony. The iron-blooded defense they had been so proud of was like paper before that white phantom, torn apart and toyed with ease!
Dominance! It was the only word in everyone's mind at that moment.
The rest of the game completely entered garbage time. Teikō sent in its substitutes, but still maintained an overwhelming advantage. Itabashi High School had already lost the will to resist and merely went through the motions of finishing the game.
Final score: Teikō 115 : Itabashi High School 63.
Teikō Junior High crushed the Tokyo regional preliminaries without the slightest suspense, overwhelming its opponents with the terrifying average margin of victory of more than 50 points per game. They easily took the championship and advanced to the National Tournament (IH)!
At the awards ceremony, Nijimura Shūzō, as captain, raised high the trophy symbolizing regional supremacy. Sunlight spilled across the young, confident faces of the Teikō players. Aomine Daiki grinned wildly; Midōrima Shintarō pushed up his glasses with a calm expression; Murasaki-bara Atsushi seemed to find the trophy a little light and showed little interest; Akashi Seijūrō's gaze was deep, as if he were contemplating a more distant future; Kuroko Tetsuya stood quietly in the corner like a shadow; Kise Ryōta excitedly waved to the fans below, his eyes filled with longing for a higher stage.
And Bai Ze You stood among the team, his fingers gently brushing the medal on his chest. A faint smile rested on his face, and his eyes were clear and calm. To him, victory in the regional preliminaries was merely a necessary step on the road to a higher peak. He lowered his head and lightly wiped the wristband around his wrist, where the sensation of sweat from the game seemed to linger.
Momoi Satsuki applauded vigorously from the stands, her face alight with a proud smile. On her clipboard, the page concerning the team's performance contained only one brief yet immensely powerful assessment:
"Observation Conclusion: Teikō Wall—Impenetrable. Dominance: S+. National Tournament (IH)—the true stage awaits."
Teikō's war chariot rolled over the regional preliminaries and thundered toward the flames of the National Tournament, carrying unparalleled dominance and unfathomable potential. The era of the "Generation of Miracles" had officially begun! And Bai Ze You's "White Phantom" would also leave his own unique, one-of-a-kind trail on a far broader stage.
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