The bitter wind of Nagano's mountain region carried fine ice pellets as it lashed against the windows of the speeding bus, making a sharp pattering sound. The bus was utterly silent, the atmosphere heavy as lead. The ease that had followed the end of training camp was gone, as was the bustle of the journey home. Only oppressive silence and the monotonous sound of tires grinding over snow remained. Everyone's gaze, openly or covertly, drifted toward the empty seat at the front of the bus—that was Captain Nijimura Shūzō's seat.
The white lights of Nagano Prefectural General Hospital cast a cold shadow over everyone's hearts. The doctor's diagnosis fell like a heavy hammer: "Extreme fatigue has aggravated an old injury, causing a cracked rib, severe internal bleeding, and a lung infection. Surgery must be performed immediately, followed by at least three months of rest. He absolutely cannot engage in any strenuous exercise in the short term."
Three months... That meant Nijimura Shūzō, the captain and spiritual pillar of Teikō Junior High's basketball team, would have to bid farewell to the final National Tournament of his high school career—the ultimate battle for the throne was tomorrow.
The smell of disinfectant in the hospital stung the nose. Bai Ze You stood outside the ward, looking through the glass window in the door. Nijimura Shūzō lay on the hospital bed, his face as pale as paper and his lips cracked. Tubes were inserted into his body, connecting him to cold machines. His eyes were closed, his chest rose and fell faintly, and each breath was weak and labored. The figure that had stood like an iron tower, roaring as he led them forward, now looked so fragile.
Bai Ze You's heart was squeezed tight. The image of the captain forcing himself to direct training and roaring encouragement to his teammates on the final day of camp overlapped with the feeble figure on the hospital bed. That glaring smear of blood, the hand pressing against his ribs, and the silent pressure of bearing the burden of his family alone... Everything had an answer now. Guilt, heartache, and a powerful sense of responsibility surged through him like a tide.
The ward door opened gently, and Akashi Seijūrō stepped out. His expression remained calm, his red eyes like bottomless, frigid pools. Not the slightest ripple could be seen in them. He glanced at the players gathered in the corridor—Aomine pacing irritably, Midōrima silently pushing up his glasses, Murasaki-bara dozing against the wall in rare quiet, Kise with reddened eyes, Kuroko standing silently in a corner, and Momoi Satsuki clutching her clipboard, her face pale.
"The captain's condition has stabilized." Akashi's voice was calm and emotionless, breaking the silence in the corridor. "The surgery is scheduled for an hour from now. Everyone, return to the hotel."
His words carried an unquestionable command. There was no comfort or sentimentality in them. It was as though Nijimura's collapse were merely an incident to be dealt with, not an emotional storm.
"But, Akashi..." Aomine could not help speaking up.
"No buts." Akashi cut him off. His red eyes swept across everyone, as sharp as blades. "Captain Nijimura's responsibility ends here. From this moment onward, I, Akashi Seijūrō, will assume the position of captain of the Teikō basketball team."
The cold declaration was like another basin of icy water poured over their hearts. The transfer of power was completed under circumstances so cruel and sudden.
"Tomorrow is the National Tournament final." Akashi's voice was not loud, but it reached every ear clearly, carrying a chilling power that made their hearts tremble. "Our opponent is Hokkaido's king, Kitano Academy. They are strong, possessing the nation's finest teamwork and an ironclad will. But—"
Akashi's tone suddenly rose, and a nearly ruthless flame ignited in his red eyes:
"Teikō's goal has never changed—Absolute Victory! Three consecutive championships! Engrave Teikō's name on the championship trophy!"
"Captain Nijimura has fallen, but we will inherit his will! We will personally make up for his regrets!"
"There is no way back in tomorrow's game! No excuses! I want to see every one of you pour all your talent, all your strength, and all your will onto the court without holding anything back!"
"Crush the opponents in the coldest, most precise, and most unquestionable manner! Destroy all their hopes! Bring victory back to Teikō by absolute means! Bring it back... for our captain!"
"Absolute Victory!" Akashi's voice rang out like steel striking steel in the cold hospital corridor. "This is Teikō! This is the one and only resolve we possess at this moment! Is that understood?!"
Silence.
Silence as deep as death.
Aomine Daiki clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white. A wilder battle flame burned in his eyes—the fury of turning grief into strength!
Midōrima Shintarō pushed up his glasses. His gaze behind the lenses was cold and resolute, every calculation pointing toward the sole destination—victory!
Murasaki-bara Atsushi opened his eyes. For the first time, clear sharpness appeared in his languid gaze, as though some kind of bottom line had been touched.
Kise Ryōta wiped away the tears at the corners of his eyes and straightened his back. A flame belonging to the imitator himself ignited in his eyes.
Kuroko Tetsuya nodded calmly, merging into the new command like a shadow.
Momoi Satsuki bit down hard on her lower lip. The fingers clutching her clipboard had gone white from the force.
Bai Ze You stood closest to the ward door as Akashi's words washed over him like a cold torrent. Absolute Victory... the cold throne... the captain's solemn charge... He looked at the feeble figure inside the ward, then at the utterly emotionless red eyes of Akashi. Two completely different forces collided violently within his heart.
Just then, Nijimura Shūzō's weak yet clear voice came from inside the ward: "...Yū... come in..."
Bai Ze You's body shuddered. He took a deep breath and pushed open the door.
The ward was dimly lit. Nijimura Shūzō managed to open his eyes. When he saw Bai Ze You, he pulled out an extremely weak yet determined smile. His voice was so hoarse it was almost inaudible:
"You brat... don't... look so miserable... I'm not dead yet..."
Bai Ze You's nose stung, but he held it back and walked to the bedside. "Captain..."
Nijimura laboriously raised the hand without an IV in it and patted Bai Ze You's arm firmly, though with extraordinary weakness:
"Listen... to Akashi... He... can lead you to victory... His path... is the right one..." Each word seemed to exhaust all his strength and was accompanied by violent coughing.
Bai Ze You's heart sank. Did even the captain acknowledge Akashi's "absoluteness"?
However, Nijimura's next words left Bai Ze You stunned:
"But... Yū... don't... lose yourself..."
"Your 'Phantom'... is beautiful... and powerful... At crucial moments... it can save lives..."
"Trust... your teammates... just as... I trust you..."
Nijimura's gaze was cloudy, yet it held a warmth and expectation that seemed to see through everything:
"Win... in your own way... Take Teikō... all the way... to the summit..."
"This... is the Teikō... I want to see..."
Another bout of violent coughing seized Nijimura, and he curled up in pain. A nurse hurried in and gestured for Bai Ze You to leave.
Bai Ze You took a deep look at the captain on the bed, suffering yet still trying to pass on his convictions. He nodded hard, then turned and walked out of the ward. The door closed softly behind him, cutting off that frail yet mountain-like figure.
By the time they returned to the hotel, night had already fallen deep. The neon lights of Tokyo blurred into hazy patches of light through the curtain of rain on the windows. The pressure of the final, mixed with the shadow of the captain's collapse, weighed heavily on everyone's hearts.
Akashi Seijūrō stood in the suite's living room, conducting his final analysis over the tactics board. His voice was calm and precise as he analyzed every tactical detail of Kitano Academy and laid out a tight defense and lethal offensive plan. Every instruction pointed toward the core of "Absolute Victory": efficiency, precision, and the merciless destruction of the opponent's will to resist. Aomine, Midōrima, and Murasaki-bara stood around him, their expressions focused and their eyes filled with nothing but cold battle intent. Kise struggled to understand the complicated tactical movements. Kuroko merged into the formation like a shadow.
Bai Ze You sat on the sofa in the corner, unconsciously spinning a basketball in his hands. Akashi's cold, efficient tactical instructions clashed fiercely in his mind with the captain's weak yet warm words from the hospital bed.
Absolute Destruction? Or trust and creation?
A cold throne? Or a summit with warmth?
Akashi's "absolute" was a straight, efficient yet frigid road to the heavens. Nijimura's hopes, on the other hand, pointed to a path of ascent filled with uncertainty, one that required trust and cooperation but carried the warmth of human connection.
His gaze swept over his teammates, who were focused on the tactics in the living room. The wildness burning in Aomine's eyes needed guidance; Midōrima's precision needed space; Murasaki-bara's strength needed trust; Kise's imitation needed direction; Kuroko's passes needed a target; even Akashi's control needed someone to carry it out and create miracles beyond the tactics... Teikō had never been one person's team, not even when it was the "Generation of Miracles."
Bai Ze You tightened his grip on the basketball. The cold touch of the leather steadied his mind. He closed his eyes, and scenes flashed through his mind: the unbelievable finish he had completed through flexibility and balance at the final moment of training camp, when his stamina had been depleted and his body had fallen beyond his control; the exhilarated looks of his teammates after he broke through the "Triple Chain"; Kuroko's calm "Nice pass" after Bai Ze You had assisted with a brilliant pass; and, most of all, Captain Nijimura's words from the hospital bed: "Win in your own way"...
A thought, like lightning piercing the rainy night, became clear in his heart:
Akashi's "Absolute Victory" is the goal, the throne Teikō must ascend!
But the road to the throne is not made only of coldness and destruction!
His "Phantom," his flexibility, his balance, his deception, his creativity, and his trust in his teammates... All of these are also indispensable powers for Teikō! They are the keys to tearing through iron walls and creating miracles!
He did not need to become an emperor like Akashi, nor did he need to abandon his own qualities to accommodate absolute coldness! He only needed to become the strongest Bai Ze You! With his one-of-a-kind "Phantom," he would carve out his own path to "Absolute Victory" within the cold framework Akashi had established!
Teikō's resolve is victory!
And Bai Ze You's resolve is to protect his own basketball amid that inevitable victory, to safeguard the light of trust and creation, and in his own way, set a dazzling gemstone called "Phantom" into Teikō's crown!
He suddenly rose, picked up the basketball, and walked out of the suite without a word under the slightly surprised gazes of the others.
The hotel's underground training room was brightly lit. Bai Ze You stood alone in the center of the empty court. Rain tapped against the high transom windows, making a fine, delicate sound.
He began to practice.
There were no fierce confrontations and no complicated tactical movements.
There was only the most basic dribbling. The basketball seemed to come alive in his hands, flowing smoothly between his fingertips, palm, and the floor. Every change of direction, every between-the-legs dribble, and every behind-the-back dribble carried a completely new rhythm and deceptiveness.
He practiced his footwork. Slides, crossovers, spins, Eurosteps... His movements were light and swift, his center of gravity gliding along the edge of the limit like a dancer on a knife's edge.
He practiced his fakes. The coordination of his gaze, shoulders, feet, and center of gravity was like the finest magic trick, blending truth and illusion unpredictably, as though weaving invisible traps through the air.
He practiced his finishes. Floaters, finger rolls, and reverse layups from all kinds of off-balance positions... His movements were filled with supple beauty and absolute control over his body.
Sweat soon soaked through his training clothes. Yet his eyes were brighter and more resolute than ever! All his confusion, struggles, and pressure transformed into the purest motivation at this moment! He had to become stronger! Stronger still! Strong enough to support Teikō's victory, and strong enough to protect his own basketball!
Momoi Satsuki quietly pushed open the training room door. She made no sound, merely standing in the shadows with her clipboard in her arms. She watched the white figure on the court, watched each of his smooth and deceptive movements, watched the light of resolve that had settled in his eyes, brilliant as cold stars.
Her heart filled with an indescribable emotion. The worry remained, but what filled her even more was pride, emotion, and a trust bordering on reverence. She opened her clipboard and, on a fresh page, drew a white gear that remained nimble and radiant beside the cold throne. In the center of the gear, she solemnly wrote:
"Subject of observation: Bai Ze You"
"Status: Resolve complete"
"Core beliefs:"
＞ 'Walk the emperor's path in the form of the Phantom!'
＞ 'Under the iron law of Absolute Victory, protect the fire of creation!'
＞ 'This body and these skills are Teikō's spear, and proof of my path!'
"National Tournament final—the moment the Phantom ascends the steps!"
The rain outside grew heavier. Tokyo's neon lights blurred into a single halo through the curtain of rain. The final stage of the National Tournament awaited Teikō Junior High, awaiting that white phantom whose resolve had already been forged, so that it could write a steadfast legend of their own!
Before you continue