The Way to Break Through: The Flexible Method of Breaking Through

The heavy door of the Teikō locker room was pushed open, and the roar of the second half rushed in like a heatwave. Bai Ze You walked at the very front of the team, his steps no longer heavy from being locked down in the first half, but replaced by a contained sharpness. His sweat-soaked white jersey clung to his body, outlining the smooth lines of his muscles. His gaze was as calm as the deep sea before a storm, no longer burning with frustration, but with a cold flame called "Breaking the Deadlock," ignited by Captain Nijimura and tempered by Akashi's words.

Kishimoto Minori, still grinning, came forward, his massive body like a moving mountain of flesh, carrying undisguised malice. "Little white-haired brat, had enough rest? Ready to be crushed by me again in the second half?"

Minami Ryō followed beside Kishimoto like a ghost, his eyes sharp as knives, fixated on Bai Ze You's every subtle movement.

Bai Ze You didn't respond to Kishimoto's trash talk, not even his gaze wavered. He simply adjusted his wristband slightly, his eyes calmly sweeping across the court, finally settling back on Toyotama's basket. His body lowered slightly, his center of gravity lower than in the first half, as if all his strength was concentrated between his feet and waist. An invisible aura permeated his being – the focus of a "Phantom" that had reached perfection after being pushed to the brink.

Teikō's ball for the first possession of the second half. Akashi Seijūrō controlled the ball, his crimson eyes like the most precise radar, instantly capturing that Toyotama's defensive focus was still locked onto Bai Ze You. Kishimoto was like a leech, Minami Ryō was poised to strike, and the weak-side defenders were also watching intently. The Triple Chain remained formidable!

Akashi didn't force the ball to Bai Ze You. Instead, he lobbed it to Murasaki-bara Atsushi, who had sealed his position inside. Murasaki-bara's massive frame drew a double-team. He failed to score and passed to Aomine, who was left open on the perimeter. Aomine caught the ball, drove hard, and drew a foul, making one of two free throws.

43:42! The score remained tight.

Toyotama failed to score on their possession, and Teikō counterattacked. Akashi once again brought the ball past half-court. This time, his gaze met Bai Ze You's in mid-air, and he gave a barely perceptible nod. Operation Break the Chain, commence!

Bai Ze You didn't wait in place but began active, varied off-ball movement! He no longer tried to overpower Kishimoto with strength but weaved through Toyotama's defensive jungle like a slippery fish, using his teammates' screens!

Kishimoto gritted his teeth and pursued relentlessly! His strength advantage became a burden in the chase! Bai Ze You used a solid Murasaki-bara screen to instantly gain half a step on Kishimoto! Just as Kishimoto roared and squeezed past the screen, Akashi's pass, precise as a scalpel, landed in Bai Ze You's hands!

Receiving position: one step inside the three-point line at the right 45-degree angle! Minami Ryō, like a viper waiting in ambush, lunged forward immediately! At the same time, Kishimoto broke free from the screen and charged at Bai Ze You from the side and rear like a charging bull!

Double-team again! A battle of strength and prediction!

At the critical moment! The instant Bai Ze You caught the ball, his center of gravity flowed like mercury, eerily shifting! He didn't immediately dribble or shoot but made an extremely large, incredibly realistic shooting fake! His shoulders, eyes, and even the direction of his toes perfectly deceived the lunging Minami Ryō! Minami Ryō's center of gravity was instantly lifted, and his body leaped uncontrollably to block!

The fake drew Minami Ryō up!

The moment Minami Ryō's feet left the ground, Bai Ze You moved! He didn't shoot, but pivoting on his left foot, his body tensed like a drawn bowstring, he made a powerful burst and shoulder drop drive to the right! The movement was extremely large, full of power, and perfectly aimed at the direction Kishimoto was charging from the left!

Kishimoto's eyes flashed with ferocity: "Trying to drive through me? You're asking for death!" He grinned menacingly, pouring all his strength into his left shoulder, preparing to teach Bai Ze You an unforgettable lesson!

However! Just as Kishimoto's force was about to connect and his center of gravity fully tilted to the left, Bai Ze You's core muscles erupted with terrifying power! His apparent full-power drive to the right was merely a reverse, even more realistic fake!

Bang!

Kishimoto hit what felt like a solid wall of air! His force completely missed! His body stumbled forward due to the immense inertia!

And Bai Ze You, the moment Kishimoto's force missed, his waist and abdomen contracted and twisted like the most precise spring! Pivoting on his left foot, his center of gravity completed an incredibly small, lightning-fast extreme backward spin to the left rear! Simultaneously, his right wrist flicked nimbly, and the ball, as if glued to his hand, completed a behind-the-back crossover dribble at a very low height!

Slide, absorb force, extreme spin, behind-the-back crossover!

A set of moves executed seamlessly in a confined space, in the blink of an eye! Filled with extreme flexibility and body control!

Kishimoto's full-force impact was cleverly absorbed and guided by Bai Ze You's spin and slide, transformed into the power for his own rotation! Not only did Kishimoto miss his target, but due to the missed force and loss of balance, he stumbled forward and almost collided with Minami Ryō, who had just landed!

And Bai Ze You, like a white elf gracefully spinning in the eye of a storm, the moment Kishimoto and Minami Ryō collided due to inertia, had already completed his spin and crossover, and drove through the fleeting gap between them!

"He got past them!!!" the commentator's voice cracked with excitement!

"My goodness! How did he do that?!"

The stands erupted in deafening cheers and applause!

The first level of the flexible solution: absorbing and borrowing force! Using softness to overcome hardness!

Bai Ze You broke through the double-team, and the path ahead was open! But Toyotama's zone help defense reacted quickly! Two interior players immediately collapsed, like two heavy gates, blocking his direct path to the basket!

A narrow path! No retreat!

Bai Ze You's eyes were cold, his speed undiminished! The moment he was about to collide with the help defender, his body once again displayed that inhuman balance and core strength! He didn't choose to force a confrontation or take a pull-up jumper. Instead, while sprinting at high speed, his body, like a flexible vine, pivoted on his right foot and executed an exaggerated, dance-like wide Eurostep!

His body first tilted sharply to the front left, deceiving the left help defender into shifting his weight to block! Then, his core strength exploded, pulling his body back forcefully, while his left foot powerfully pushed off the ground, and his body slid like a phantom to the front right! The entire movement was as fluid as water, full of deception and beauty! The two help defenders were completely thrown off by his change of center of gravity, like clumsy wooden stakes!

The second level of the flexible solution: deceiving the center of gravity and maneuvering in tight spaces!

After shaking off the last two barriers, Bai Ze You faced the basket directly! Without hesitation, he took a step and leaped! Toyotama's center roared and leaped from behind, his massive hand swatting fiercely at the ball with a whooshing sound!

Bai Ze You in the air, his waist and abdomen erupted once again like the toughest bowstring! His originally extended body forcefully made an extreme body fold and tuck in mid-air, while his right wrist flicked. He didn't opt for a difficult layup but, at the limit of his body's fold, almost losing balance, he gently tossed the ball towards the basket with a near-"fling" motion!

The basketball, with strong backspin, as if imbued with life, drew a strange arc, bypassing the blocker's fingertips, grazing the backboard, and gently bouncing into the net!

"Beep—!"

The referee's whistle sounded again!

Hándǎ foul! One additional free throw!

Another 2+1!

The entire stadium was in an uproar! Teikō's supporters roared wildly! Bai Ze You's name echoed through the heavens!

"Bai Ze! Bai Ze! Bai Ze!"

"Phantom! Invincible!"

Bai Ze You landed from the air, this time, he stood steadily, without stumbling. He panted slightly, his chest rising and falling, but his eyes were sharp as knives, coldly sweeping over the ashen-faced Kishimoto and Minami Ryō, finally landing on the scoreboard. He raised his right hand, pointing his index finger to the sky, as if announcing the return of the "Phantom"!

The third level of the flexible solution: the art of finishing amidst imbalance!

This earth-shattering "2+1" completely shattered Toyotama's meticulously constructed "Triple Chain"! The power suppression that Kishimoto prided himself on was neutralized and toyed with by Bai Ze You's extreme flexibility and skill; Minami Ryō's precise prediction became a joke in the face of more realistic and varied fakes and rhythms; the zone defense's human sea tactic crumbled against the incredible evasive maneuvers and unbalanced finishes in tight spaces!

The Phantom's way of breaking through is to use extreme flexibility, balance, and deception to turn the opponent's chains into threads for his own dance!

Bai Ze You calmly sank the free throw. 46:42!

This basket was like opening Pandora's Box! Teikō's offense was completely ignited! Bai Ze You was no longer a locked-down gear but had transformed into a white storm tearing through the defense!

* He used a realistic fake to draw Kishimoto up, then attracted Minami Ryō's help defense, before delivering a bounce pass through to the cutting Aomine, assisting him in a powerful dunk!

He faced Minami Ryō's tight man-to-man defense, but with a sudden change of pace, a quick stop and go, he easily broke free. After receiving the pass, he didn't hesitate, sinking a three-pointer! It was a swift, decisive shot, a response to their underestimation of his shooting range!

During one fast break, he received a long pass from Akashi. Facing Kishimoto's chasing block, he executed a graceful crossover layup in mid-air, dancing on the edge of a knife, and sent the ball into the basket once more!

Toyotama's defense had completely crumbled. Kishimoto Minori was panting heavily, his eyes filled with frustration and disbelief. His strength seemed clumsy and laughable against Bai Ze You's flexibility. Minami Ryō's face was pale; his predictions had failed time and again against Bai Ze You's more exquisite feints and rhythm. Zone defense? Against Bai Ze You's explosive drives and precise passes, it was riddled with holes!

The method of using softness to overcome hardness didn't just break through the chains; it ignited the entire Teikō team's fire!

Final score: Teikō 95 : Toyotama 72. A seemingly close first half ultimately turned into Teikō's overwhelming victory in the second half!

After the game, Bai Ze You was surrounded by his teammates. Aomine laughed and slapped him hard on the back, "Nice job! Little Bai! You toyed with those two jerks! So satisfying!"

Midōrima Shintarō adjusted his glasses, "Second-half efficiency rating back to S-class, the key to breaking the deadlock. His use of flexibility and skill has reached a new height."

Murasaki-bara Atsushi said, "Yeah, he dodged pretty slickly."

Akashi Seijūrō walked up to Bai Ze You, his crimson eyes showing clear approval, "A perfect breakthrough, Yū. You've proven that the 'Phantom' is impenetrable."

Bai Ze You wore a faint smile, sweat glistening under the lights. He looked towards the sidelines, where Momoi Satsuki was clapping enthusiastically, tears of excitement welling in her eyes. On her stat sheet, the section for Bai Ze You's "Path to Breaking Through" was heavily filled in:

「Observation Conclusion: Method of Using Softness to Overcome Hardness」

「Core: Deflecting and redirecting force (countering strength) + Deceiving center of gravity (breaking predictions) + Finishing in tight spaces (breaking zone defense)」

「Performance: In the desperate situation of the 'Triple Chain,' he used softness to overcome hardness, skill to break strength, and illusion to shatter reality! Achieving a dual sublimation of personal ability and tactical value!」

「Rating: S++ (Master of Breaking Deadlocks in Adversity)」

And next to the "Phantom Gear" diagram on the team tactics page, she drew a shining arrow pointing to a higher position:

「Status Update: Overclocking! Breaking through shackles, efficiency multiplied!」

Bai Ze You took the towel handed to him by Kuroko and wiped away his sweat. He looked towards the deeper stages of the national tournament, his gaze becoming more profound and determined. Toyotama's "Triple Chain" had not only failed to lock him down but had instead served as a whetstone for his "Phantom." He had found a way to break through extreme, targeted defense. He knew that stronger opponents and more intricate tactics awaited him on the road ahead. But at this moment, he had only one belief in his heart:

No matter what kind of chains, only softness can break them! The White Phantom will never stop!