The National Tournament (IH) stage was lit by spotlights more scorching than those of the regional qualifiers, and the air seemed frozen solid by an invisible pressure. Teikō Junior High's first opponent was Yamagata Nishi Junior High, a powerhouse from the Tōhoku region. They were famous for their tenacious will, ironclad defense, and accurate three-pointers—nothing like the likes of Tanigawa and Nakano.
From the very beginning, Yamagata Nishi displayed their resilience and focused strategy. They had clearly conducted extensive research on Teikō, especially on the sharp-edged Aomine Daiki and Midōrima Shintarō.
* Aomine Daiki faced the tightest defense he had ever encountered. Yamagata Nishi sent two physically gifted players with extensive defensive experience to take turns shadowing and double-teaming him. They spared no energy, using hard physical contact and tenacious harassment to drain Aomine's stamina and restrict his space to receive the ball and drive. Every point Aomine scored became exceptionally difficult, demanding an enormous physical cost. A few times, he even failed to force his way through. His face was filled with irritation, and his savage roars were laced with the frustration of being restrained.
* Midōrima Shintarō received special treatment as well. Yamagata Nishi's defenders clung to him like parasites, never leaving his side. They even subjected him to fierce physical contact when he was moving without the ball, giving him no room to receive it comfortably or adjust. Midōrima was noticeably pushing up his glasses more often. Even when he barely managed to shoot through his powerful core strength, the ball's trajectory had lost its usual Absolute Accuracy, and several shots bounced off the rim. The "Absolute Accuracy" that the data fanatic took pride in had developed cracks under the high-pressure defense.
* Murasaki-bara Atsushi still dominated the paint, but Yamagata Nishi cleverly used fronting and rapid double-teams to limit his easy catches. At the same time, Yamagata Nishi's outside shooters were on fire, sinking difficult three-pointers in succession and making up for their disadvantage inside.
* Akashi Seijūrō continued to direct the game calmly, but the opponent's tenacious, targeted defense made Teikō's usual offensive patterns far less smooth.
At the end of the first half, the score was unusually close: Teikō 38 : Yamagata Nishi 35. Only a three-point lead! For Teikō, accustomed to crushing its opponents, this was an unprecedented situation! The Teikō supporters' section fell silent, while Yamagata Nishi's cheering squad erupted in earth-shaking cheers! They could see hope of toppling the giant!
The atmosphere on Teikō's bench was somewhat tense. Sweat slid down the players' cheeks, and their heavy breathing could be clearly heard.
"Damn it! Those two bastards!" Aomine irritably wiped away his sweat with a towel and slammed his fist against the chair.
"The intensity of the interference exceeded expectations. It disrupted my shooting rhythm." Midōrima's voice remained calm, but his tightly pursed lips betrayed his inner unrest.
Murasaki-bara Atsushi had unusually stopped eating snacks. He merely complained lazily, "Agh~ What a pain. They keep jumping around."
Akashi Seijūrō sat in his chair with his red eyes lowered and his hands clasped beneath his chin, like an emperor lost in thought. A cold aura radiated from him. He was calculating, searching for the key to breaking through the deadlock.
Captain Nijimura Shūzō looked around at his teammates and spoke in a deep, powerful voice. "Everyone, calm down! Yamagata Nishi is strong, and that's a good thing! This is exactly what opponents in the National Tournament should be like! They're fighting with their bodies and their will, so we'll crush them with an even stronger will and sharper minds!"
His gaze passed over Aomine and Midōrima before finally landing on Bai Ze You, who sat in the corner quietly replenishing his fluids. Bai Ze You's face held neither Aomine's irritation nor Midōrima's gravity. There was only a calm concentration. Sweat dampened his white hair and pressed it against his smooth forehead, while his eyes were clear, like a bottomless, frigid pool.
"Yū." Nijimura's voice rang out.
Bai Ze You raised his head. "Captain?"
"In the second half, I need you to step up." Nijimura's gaze was sharp, carrying unquestionable trust. "Aomine and Midōrima are being heavily guarded, and Murasaki-bara is being restricted in the paint. Yamagata Nishi's defensive focus is all on them. You're the weakest link in their defensive chain! And you're also the spearhead we need to break through!"
Bai Ze You met Nijimura's eyes without hesitation. Only a calm flame burned in his gaze. He nodded firmly. "Understood!"
"Use your rhythm! Use your way! Tear open their defense! Crush their hopes!" Nijimura's voice was decisive. "Teikō needs you. The moment for you to be the 'Clutch Player' has arrived!"
The second half began, and Yamagata Nishi's morale was even higher. They continued carrying out the strategy from the first half, relentlessly surrounding Aomine and Midōrima. The point gap was tied at one point and then even surpassed!
40:40!
42:40! (Yamagata Nishi took the lead!)
The cheers from Yamagata Nishi's section thundered through the stands! Teikō's supporters' palms were sweating, and they were too nervous to speak. Momoi Satsuki clutched her clipboard tightly, her knuckles whitening from the force, her eyes locked on the white figure on the court.
At that moment, Akashi Seijūrō moved. He dribbled the ball across half court, his red eyes like the most precise radar, instantly catching the subtle change in Yamagata Nishi's defensive formation. Because of their excessive focus on Aomine and Midōrima, their defense on the weak side, where Bai Ze You stood, and around the top of the key had loosened slightly!
Akashi did not hesitate! He made a convincing eye Fake Move toward Aomine, who was being double-teamed on the Strong Side, but his wrist flicked deftly like a magician's! The basketball transformed into an orange-red bolt of lightning and flew accurately and swiftly toward Bai Ze You, who stood near the extended free-throw line in a brief opening!
"Bai Ze!" Akashi's voice remained calm.
Bai Ze You caught the ball! In an instant, Yamagata Nishi's defense swarmed like a startled hive of bees! The two nearest defenders immediately abandoned their original assignments and pounced on Bai Ze You like starving wolves! They knew they absolutely could not let Teikō's relatively "quiet" scoring point get started!
A double-team! It formed in an instant! The pressure surged over them like a tide!
On the sidelines, Nijimura Shūzō clenched his fists. Momoi's heart rose into her throat.
Facing the vicious double-team rushing toward him, Bai Ze You's gaze did not waver in the slightest. Instead, it grew even calmer! He did not choose to pass hastily or force up a shot. The instant he caught the ball, his center of gravity began to flow like mercury!
He planted his left foot and suddenly made an exaggerated rear-turn Fake Move toward the left rear! His shoulder and eyes were intensely deceptive! The defender on the left was completely fooled by the realistic Fake Move, and his center of gravity shifted involuntarily to the left!
Now!
Bai Ze You's core strength exploded! He forcibly pulled back the momentum of his body, which had been turning toward the left rear! At the same time, his right foot struck the floor like a spring, and his center of gravity, compressed like a spring to its limit, instantly shot toward the right! A lightning-fast front-turn drive, completely opposite to the Fake Move!
Bang!
The defender rushing in from the right felt as if he had crashed into a slippery mass of cotton! At the moment of contact, Bai Ze You used his extraordinary flexibility and Roll-off Teique, letting his body slide sideways like a serpent along the direction of the impact. His feet moved rapidly, and he forced his way straight through the gap just before the double-team closed!
"He got through!!" the commentator cried out.
The stands erupted in an uproar!
Like a White Phantom breaking free of its restraints, Bai Ze You instantly escaped the double-team and drove straight into the heart of the paint! Yamagata Nishi's interior players paled and hurried to cover him!
Facing the tall help defender, Bai Ze You did not slow down! He took one dribble and launched straight into the air! The help defender roared and leaped high, his enormous palm slicing through the air as it slammed toward the ball! He intended to snuff out the drive!
Yet airborne, Bai Ze You once again displayed his inhuman balance and core strength! His body forcibly executed an Extreme body fold and tuck, curling up like a shrimp and narrowly avoiding the opponent's sure-to-be decisive block! At the same time, he deftly flicked the wrist of his ball-holding right hand. Rather than attempting a difficult finger roll, at the instant his body folded to its limit and he was about to lose his balance, he used an almost "flinging" motion to softly lob the ball toward the hoop!
With a faint spin, the basketball passed over the help defender's desperate fingertips, grazed the backboard, and bounced into the net!
"Bwoo—!"
The referee's whistle sounded at the same time!
Blocking foul! One free throw!
2+1!
The entire arena erupted! Teikō's supporters burst into a long-suppressed roar!
"Bai Ze! Bai Ze! Bai Ze!"
"Clutch Player!"
Bai Ze You landed from the air and staggered once before steadying himself, his chest heaving violently. That split-second Fake Move, drive, aerial evasion, and Off-balance Floater had consumed enormous physical and mental energy. He stepped to the free-throw line, took a deep breath, ignored the jeers from the Yamagata Nishi fans, and calmly sank the free throw!
45:42! Teikō retook the lead!
That shot was sunlight piercing through dark clouds, instantly dispelling the gloom in Teikō's players' hearts! Aomine waved his fist hard. "Nice one, Shiro!" Midōrima pushed up his glasses, and the tension at the corners of his mouth eased slightly. Murasaki-bara Atsushi yawned, as if to say, "It should've been like this from the start." The corners of Akashi Seijūrō's lips curved in an almost imperceptible smile.
Meanwhile, the flame of hope that had just ignited in the eyes of Yamagata Nishi's players was completely extinguished by Bai Ze You's earth-shattering "2+1"! Their morale visibly wavered! The white figure they had always regarded as the "weak link" had transformed in that moment into the most lethal Phantom, delivering them the heaviest blow!
The "Clutch Player's" moment of triumph!
That "2+1" completely reversed the momentum of the game! Bai Ze You's drive opened up the court, and Yamagata Nishi's defense was no longer impenetrable. Aomine's pressure was sharply reduced, allowing him to seize the opportunity and repeatedly attack the paint; Midōrima finally got a moment to breathe and sank a three-pointer to stop the bleeding; Akashi's direction became even more effortless; and Murasaki-bara reestablished a no-fly zone in the paint!
With Bai Ze You's White Phantom Gear providing powerful momentum, Teikō's terrifying machine resumed its crushing operation! Yamagata Nishi's resistance melted away like snow, and the point gap rapidly widened.
Finally, when the final whistle sounded, the score froze at Teikō 88 : Yamagata Nishi 65. What appeared to be a close game had, in truth, been decided by one decisive blow from Teikō's Clutch Player!
After the game, the players gathered together to celebrate the victory. Aomine laughed loudly as he vigorously rubbed Bai Ze You's white hair. "Not bad, Shiro! That shot was so crucial! You looked awesome!"
Midōrima Shintarō also spoke up, a rare occurrence. "Your handling of the clutch shot was very calm."
Akashi Seijūrō walked up to Bai Ze You, a trace of approval in his red eyes. "You did well, Yū. When we needed you, you stepped up."
Murasaki-bara Atsushi said, "Ah, you slipped away pretty smoothly on that shot."
A faint smile rested on Bai Ze You's face, and sweat soaked through his jersey. He said little, simply accepting his teammates' approval calmly. But inside, a scorching warmth flowed through him. He had proven that within this star-studded Teikō team, even in desperate moments when his teammates were being restricted, he, Bai Ze You, could become the "Clutch Player" who decided the outcome! His "Phantom" was not only dazzling, but deadly!
On Momoi Satsuki's clipboard, she added a heavy mark beside Bai Ze You's "mental attributes":
"Clutch Shot Ability: S++"
"Performance: Unshakable mentality under high-pressure adversity, calm and decisive judgment, extremely high technical execution, and the qualities of a big-shot finisher."
"Signature Performance: The first game of the National Tournament, a crucial 2+1 that turned the tide!"
Beside "Tactical Value" on the team page, she drew a small, glowing white gear and wrote beside it:
"Code Name: The Clutch Gear—Activates in moments of crisis and injects decisive momentum into victory."
Bai Ze You accepted the towel Kuroko Tetsuya silently handed him and wiped the sweat from his face. He raised his head and gazed toward the broader stage of the National Tournament, his eyes clear and determined. He knew this was only the beginning. The crucial moments of the "White Phantom" would shine again and again on even fiercer battlefields! He was ready.
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