Inside Tokyo Gymnasium. Beneath the dome, the roar of the crowd surged like a tsunami, almost tearing the steel fortress apart. Dazzling spotlights pierced through the arena's clamor like swords, focusing on the polished wooden floor at center court. The air was thick with the salty tang of sweat, the distinctive smell of the plastic court, and the suffocating pressure created by hundreds of thousands of spectators gathered for something called "the finals."
The final of the National High School Basketball Championship (IH). A clash at the summit. Teikō Junior High VS Kitano Academy.
The Teikō players stepped into the heart of the light in blue-and-white uniforms. Without Captain Nijimura's mountain-steady figure leading the way, Akashi Seijūrō had taken his place. He walked at the very front of the team, his crimson eyes calm and unruffled, as though the tumultuous roar surrounding him were no more than a gentle breeze brushing his face. A cold, absolute authority radiated from him, like a newly crowned emperor surveying his battlefield.
Aomine Daiki followed close behind, an almost tangible wild flame burning in his eyes. It was a frenzied fighting spirit kindled by Nijimura's fall and stoked by the finals stage. Midōrima Shintarō pushed up his glasses, his gaze behind the lenses sharp as an eagle's, precisely calculating the humidity, the court's echoes, and the opponents' positions. Murasaki-bara Atsushi's massive body was a moving fortress, while absolute strength lay dormant beneath his lazy demeanor. Kise Ryōta drew a deep breath, trying his best to imitate Akashi's composure, but the excitement glittering in his eyes betrayed the turmoil within. Kuroko Tetsuya was like the quietest shadow, silently blending into the light.
Bai Ze You walked in the middle of the formation. He tilted his head slightly upward, and the dome's brilliant lights fell into his clear eyes, reflecting a resolve as firm as cold stars after being tempered. The deafening roar battered his eardrums, while the pressure of the finals seemed to squeeze his chest. But at this moment, his heart was perfectly clear. The sweat of training camp, the captain's instructions, Akashi's coldness, his own resolve... Every burden had become the steady steps beneath his feet and the flame in his heart called "the phantom."
This was his stage. The national stage. The name "White Phantom" would rise to prominence across the nation at this very moment!
The pregame ceremony ended. Both teams took their positions at the center circle. The tip-off! Murasaki-bara Atsushi's massive body erupted with terrifying power, easily tapping the ball toward his own half!
The basketball flew precisely toward Akashi Seijūrō! Akashi caught the ball, his crimson eyes instantly sweeping across the court like the most precise radar locking onto a target! Without the slightest hesitation, he flicked his wrist and unleashed a precision-guided full-court pass!
The target—Aomine Daiki, who had already shot toward the frontcourt like a black bolt of lightning!
"Fast break!" The commentator's voice rose sharply!
Kitano Academy's transition defense was incredibly fast! Two players charged at Aomine like arrows loosed from a bow!
Aomine caught the ball! Facing the double-team, a fierce glint flashed in his eyes! With a hard dribble and a shoulder drop, he forced his way through the gap between them like a primeval beast! His terrifying explosiveness and strength were on full display! He took three giant strides into the paint, then let out a savage roar as he faced the final help defender and leaped high!
Tomahawk dunk!
The rim groaned in agony! The tremendous crash instantly ignited the Teikō supporters' fervor!
2–0!
Only five seconds into the game! Aomine Daiki had announced Teikō's arrival in the wildest way possible!
"Aomine! Aomine! Aomine!" The cheers were deafening.
Akashi remained expressionless, as if everything were under his control.
The Kitano Academy players wore solemn expressions and quickly inbounded the ball to advance.
Kitano Academy, the kings from Hokkaido, were by no means undeserving of their reputation. Their offense meshed like precision gears, with rapid, fluid ball movement and flawless coordination in their positioning. After a patient series of passes, the ball reached their ace scorer—small forward Fujita Osamu. Fujita moved swiftly, stopping abruptly after a change of direction. Despite Midōrima's defense, he sank a difficult mid-range shot!
2–2!
The game entered a deadlock. Kitano Academy clung stubbornly to the score with tenacious team defense and efficient half-court offense. Aomine's wild attacks ran into hard double-teams and help defense; Midōrima's three-pointers were smothered by tight coverage; Murasaki-bara was limited in the paint by fronting and rapid double-teams; and although Akashi's orchestration was exquisite, Kitano's rotating defense surged like a tide, always filling the gaps in time.
8–8!
12–12!
16–16!
The gap simply refused to widen. Teikō's offense fell into a brief stagnation. Kitano Academy was like a tenacious pack of wolves on an icy plain, using discipline and teamwork to stubbornly withstand the assault of Teikō's prodigies. The atmosphere in the stands grew increasingly tense.
"Teikō doesn't seem... to be having things as easy as expected?"
"Kitano's defense is incredibly solid!"
"Is Captain Nijimura's absence really having that much of an impact?"
Akashi Seijūrō dribbled across half court, his crimson eyes scanning the situation. Kitano's defensive focus was clearly centered on Aomine and Midōrima, leaving a slight opening around the top of the key and on the weak side. His gaze fell on Bai Ze You, standing one step inside the three-point line at a 45-degree angle on the right.
An opening!
Akashi flicked his wrist and sent a fast, precise bounce pass. The basketball streaked through the legs of Kitano's defenders like an orange-red bolt of lightning and reached Bai Ze You's hands!
He caught the ball! In an instant, Kitano's defense swarmed like a startled hive of bees! The nearest player, Satō Ken, renowned for his smothering defense, immediately lunged forward viciously! The wing help defender, Kobayashi Hiroshi, also quickly collapsed inward! The double-team formed in an instant!
Pressure surged toward Bai Ze You like a tide! For the first time, the spotlights of the national stage were focused so completely on him!
On the sideline, Momoi Satsuki's heart leaped into her throat, the tip of her pen hovering above her clipboard.
Countless eyes in the stands focused on this relatively "low-key" first-year from Teikō.
The Kitano players watched him with scrutiny and wariness.
Bai Ze You's gaze was as calm as still water, without the slightest trace of panic. The instant Satō Ken lunged in front of him, he moved! His center of gravity flowed with uncanny fluidity, like liquid mercury!
A wildly exaggerated fake move in front of the body! His shoulders, gaze, and even upper body all seemed to be pulled toward the left by an invisible hand! The motion was utterly convincing!
Satō Ken's center of gravity was instantly deceived! His feet shifted involuntarily to the left!
Center of Gravity Deception successful!
The moment Satō Ken's center of gravity shifted, Bai Ze You's core strength exploded! He forcibly pulled himself back from the leftward fake! At the same time, his right foot drove powerfully into the floor like it had a spring inside it! His body, compressed like a spring to its limit, shot toward the right in an instant! A ghost-fast straight-line drive!
His launch was astonishingly quick! His stride was enormous!
With his center of gravity deceived, Satō Ken was half a beat too slow to recover! He could only watch helplessly as Bai Ze You swept past his side!
But Kobayashi Hiroshi was already in position to help! Like a wall, he sealed off the driving lane!
A narrow road with no way back!
Bai Ze You did not slow down in the slightest! Just as he was about to collide with Kobayashi, his body displayed extreme flexibility and balance! Using his left foot as a pivot, he performed an exaggerated, dance-like wide Eurostep!
His body first leaned dramatically toward the front left! Kobayashi's center of gravity shifted left instinctively to block him!
Then Bai Ze You's core strength exploded like a precision spring! He forcibly pulled his body back while his right foot slammed into the floor! His body slid toward the front right like a phantom!
The entire motion flowed like water, brimming with deception and beauty!
Kobayashi Hiroshi was completely thrown off by the shift in Bai Ze You's center of gravity, like a clumsy wooden post!
Past them both! Smooth as flowing water!
"He's through!!" the commentator cried out in disbelief!
"My God! What kind of footwork was that?!"
"So slippery! Like an eel!"
The stands erupted with thunderous cries of surprise and cheers!
Bai Ze You shook off the double-team and faced the basket! Kitano's center, Takahashi Isamu, roared as he charged out of the paint, his massive hand swinging down with a rush of wind!
In midair, Bai Ze You's abdomen and waist exploded once again like the toughest bowstring! His initially extended body forcibly folded inward in a perfect extreme body fold and tuck, while he flicked the wrist of his ball-handling right hand. He did not attempt a difficult layup; instead, at the instant his body folded to its limit and he was nearly off balance, he used an almost tossing motion to send the ball softly toward the basket!
The basketball spun hard backward, tracing a strange arc as it curved around Takahashi Isamu's fingertips, grazed the backboard, and softly bounced into the net!
"Brrr—!"
The referee's whistle sounded at the same time!
Hándǎ foul! One free throw!
And-one!
The entire Tokyo Dome erupted! Teikō's supporters screamed wildly. "Bai Ze! Bai Ze! Bai Ze!" Their roar surpassed the cheers for Aomine for the first time!
"Phantom! The White Phantom!" someone shouted excitedly!
The commentator was so excited that his words tumbled over one another. "Unbelievable! Teikō's first-year! Bai Ze You! With a dreamlike drive and finish, he tore through Kitano's Iron Wall Defense! This is the 'White Phantom'! Flexibility! Balance! Deception! He created a miracle in a space barely large enough to move!"
Bai Ze You stepped to the free-throw line, took a deep breath, ignored the jeers from the Kitano fans, and calmly sank the free throw!
19–16! Teikō took the lead again!
He calmly retreated on defense without any exaggerated celebration, but confident, dazzling light flashed in his clear eyes. For the first time, the national stage's spotlights focused so clearly on him, and he answered every expectation with one perfect "phantom" performance!
Momoi Satsuki excitedly wrote on her clipboard:
**"Observation Record: National Stage Debut!"** **"Performance: One perfect point of breakthrough! Three-stage drive (Center of Gravity Deception → Eurostep → Off-Balance Finish)!"** **"Effect: Tore through Kitano's Iron Wall Defense, ignited the entire arena, and made a name for himself!"** **"Code Name: White Phantom—Showing His Edge for the First Time at the National Summit!"**
In the "Personal Value" column, she forcefully drew an arrow soaring upward:
**"Threat Level: From 'Point of Potential' → 'Core Threat'!"**
Akashi Seijūrō watched Bai Ze You's back as he retreated on defense. For the first time, his crimson eyes clearly reflected that white figure. It was no longer a blurry gear, but a phantom blade that had already been sharpened, its edge fully revealed! He gave a slight nod, the corner of his mouth curling into an almost imperceptible arc of approval.
Aomine Daiki grinned and slapped Bai Ze You hard on the back. "Beautiful! Shiro! Now that's more like it!"
Midōrima Shintarō pushed up his glasses. "A significant increase in efficiency. A crucial point of breakthrough."
Murasaki-bara Atsushi said, "Ah, he slipped right through."
Kise Ryōta's eyes were filled with admiration. "Shiro-senpai! That was so cool! That Eurostep just now! I want to learn it!"
The Kitano Academy coach urgently called a timeout. The players gathered around him, their expressions grave. Fujita Osamu's gaze pierced through the crowd and locked firmly onto that white figure, filled with unprecedented wariness and fighting spirit. They knew that within Teikō's terrifying machine, a lethal gear called the "White Phantom" had officially begun turning, revealing its unparalleled edge—the power to tear through every defensive line!
The finals stage of the National Tournament was thick with the smoke of battle. And the name "White Phantom," accompanied by that earth-shattering "and-one," was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake. The ripples it created were rapidly spreading across the nation from the Tokyo Dome as their center! The era belonging to Bai Ze You had officially raised its curtain at this very moment!
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