Fierce Battle Against a Strong Foe: The Flexibility Barrier

The roar inside the Tokyo Gymnasium was like an unending tsunami. The fervor ignited by Bai Ze You's earth-shattering "2+1" had yet to subside when the Kitano Academy coach decisively called for a timeout. This brief respite was an opportunity for Teikō to consolidate their morale, and for Kitano, a precious chance to adjust their tactics and extinguish the threat.

On the Kitano bench, the atmosphere was as heavy as ice. Coach Sakuma Ryūji's face was ashen, the tactical board in his hands creaking from his grip. He stared intently at the glaring 19:16 on the scoreboard, his gaze like a hawk's fixed on Bai Ze You, who had just returned to the Teikō bench and was accepting water and a towel from Momoi Satsuki.

"Fujita!" Sakuma's voice carried suppressed anger and unquestionable decisiveness.

Ace Fujita Osamu immediately straightened up. "Coach!"

"That Bai Ze You..." Sakuma pointed in Teikō's direction. "His flexibility, balance, and feints are the sharp knives tearing through our defense! We can't let him break through and score so easily like he just did!"

He slammed the tactical board onto the table, his voice suddenly rising:

"Change the defensive strategy! Focus on locking down Bai Ze You!"

"Kishimoto!" He looked at the team's strongest and most ferocious reserve power forward, Kishimoto Yūki (similar in style to Toyotama's Kishimoto Minori, but younger). "You, replace Takahashi! You have only one mission: Stick to Bai Ze You like glue! Use your body to crush him!"

"Fujita!" He then looked at the ace, Fujita Osamu. "You'll be responsible for help defense! Use your speed and anticipation to disrupt and attempt steals the moment he shakes off Kishimoto! Also, pay attention to cutting off his connection with his teammates!"

"Everyone else! Pay attention to zone containment! If Bai Ze You breaks through Kishimoto or Fujita with his skills and penetrates the inside, form a pocket immediately! Overwhelm him with numbers! We'd rather give up some perimeter shots to lock him down inside! I want to make it impossible for him to move in our 'muscle jungle'!"

A fierce light flashed in Sakuma's eyes, his voice like poisoned ice shards.

"'White Phantom'? I'll turn him into a 'White Prisoner'! I'll break this newly sharpened knife of Teikō!"

The timeout ended. Kitano Academy made a substitution, and the bear-like Kishimoto Yūki entered the game, his target clear. He walked directly towards Bai Ze You, his eyes filled with undisguised ferocity and provocation. Fujita Osamu, meanwhile, prowled nearby like a leopard, his gaze sharp as a knife.

The game resumed. Teikō had possession. Akashi Seijūrō keenly sensed the shift in Kitano's defensive focus. He dribbled the ball forward, his crimson eyes scanning the court, instantly discerning the opponent's intention—concentrate their strength to strangle Bai Ze You!

Akashi didn't hesitate. With a flick of his wrist, the basketball flew like a precision-guided missile towards Bai Ze You, who stood on the wing! He wanted to see if this newly sharpened "Phantom Blade" could cut through the shackles Kitano had so meticulously set!

Bai Ze You caught the ball! The instant the ball was in his hands, Kishimoto Yūki, like a maddened bear, charged forward with suffocating pressure! Immense force was transmitted through their physical contact without reservation! Bang! A dull thud! Bai Ze You felt as if his chest had been hit by a heavy hammer, and he involuntarily stumbled back half a step!

"Kid! You were pretty slippery just now!" Kishimoto grinned menacingly, spitting trash talk, his huge palm subtly pushing Bai Ze You's waist. "Try it again! Let's see if I don't break you apart!"

Simultaneously, Fujita Osamu moved like a phantom nearby, his footwork swift, his eyes locked onto the ball in Bai Ze You's hands and every subtle change in his body, ready to pounce at any moment!

Power pressure + anticipatory interference! Double strangulation!

Bai Ze You instantly felt pressure far exceeding that of the Toyotama match! Kishimoto's strength was younger and more ferocious than Toyotama's Kishimoto Minori! Fujita's anticipation and speed far surpassed Minami Ryō's! His dribbling space was compressed to the limit, every dribble accompanied by intense physical confrontation and Kishimoto's heavy breathing in his face!

He tried to use rhythm changes to shake Kishimoto, but Kishimoto didn't bite! He was like a moving wall of flesh, using pure strength and bulk to stubbornly hold his position! Bai Ze You's space for changing direction was severely restricted! A desperate attempt to break through was met with a hard shoulder from Kishimoto, nearly causing him to lose the ball! Fujita, like a shark smelling blood, instantly pounced, his fingertips barely grazing the edge of the basketball!

"Beeeep!" The referee called a defensive foul on Kishimoto.

But the offensive rhythm was completely disrupted! Teikō's offense ground to a halt!

Momoi Satsuki on the sidelines was anxious, quickly recording on the scoreboard:

「Observation Alert: Kitano's 'Muscle Jungle' Tactic Activated!」

「Core: Kishimoto (Power Pressure) + Fujita (Anticipatory Interference) + Zone Containment (Human Wave Tactic)」

「Effect: Bai Ze-kun's receiving space ↓70%, Dribbling error risk ↑200%, Breakthrough routes completely blocked!」

「Phantom encounters the ultimate test of the 'Flexibility Barrier'!」

It was Kitano's turn to attack. They seized the opportunity of Teikō's stalled offense, and Fujita Osamu, exploiting the brief gap before Murasakibara could recover, sank a precise mid-range shot!

19:18! The gap narrowed!

Teikō's offense again. Akashi tried to pass the ball to Murasakibara inside, but Kitano's fronting and quick double-teams were executed perfectly, making it difficult for Murasakibara to receive the pass. The ball was passed back out to Bai Ze You.

Kishimoto stuck to him like a leech again! The power confrontation was relentless! Fujita lurked menacingly on the wing! Bai Ze You felt his arms go numb, even dribbling becoming difficult. He forcefully lowered his center of gravity, attempting a crossover dribble to shake off Kishimoto's frontal pressure!

The moment the ball switched hands behind his back! Fujita Osamu moved! Like a precisely anticipating leopard, he instantly exploded! His hand, swift as lightning, slashed at the ball's trajectory!

Crack!

A crisp sound!

The basketball was precisely stolen by Fujita Osamu! A steal!

"Defense!" Akashi's sharp shout rang out!

Kitano instantly launched a fast break! Fujita Osamu, like an arrow loosed from the bow, took the ball and charged down the court, easily scoring a layup!

19:20! Kitano takes the lead!

"Nice shot, Fujita!"

"Defense! Defense!" Kitano's cheering squad erupted in thunderous cheers!

The Teikō supporters' section fell silent. Bai Ze You's turnover directly led to the opponent's counter-attack!

Bai Ze You stood rooted to the spot, looking at the glaring score on the scoreboard, listening to the Kitano fans' cheers, feeling Kishimoto's smug grin and Fujita's sharp gaze. Frustration and pressure washed over him like a cold tide. The absolute disadvantage in strength, in front of a defender like Kishimoto who relied purely on his physique, was magnified to the extreme! His "Phantom" seemed truly trapped in the cage of muscles built by Kitano!

"Shiro! Don't just stand there!" Aomine Daiki's roar came, tinged with impatience.

Akashi Seijūrō's icy gaze swept over Bai Ze You. Though he said nothing, that silent scrutiny was more pressure than any reprimand.

Momoi Satsuki's heart clenched. She saw Bai Ze You's tightly clenched fists and the flicker of hesitation in his eyes.

Is it… is he really going to be locked down?

Can the flexibility barrier truly not break through the siege of power and anticipation?

Bai Ze You took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the turmoil in his heart. He closed his eyes, and in his mind, the scene of the final day of training flashed by—in the desperate situation where his stamina was depleted and his body out of control, he completed that unbelievable finishing move with flexibility and balance; he saw Captain Nijimura's weak yet firm instructions from his hospital bed: "Win your way!"; and even more, he saw his own resolved oath: "Under the ironclad rule of Absolute Victory, protect the fire of creation!"

Not enough strength? Then make up for it with skill and intellect!

Space is compressed? Then create space!

A muscle jungle? Then use flexible vines to entwine, borrow strength, and find openings!

An unprecedented calmness and fighting spirit, like the fusion of ice and fire, surged within him! The wavering in his eyes disappeared, replaced by a deeper, more dangerous focus!

Teikō attacked again. Bai Ze You actively moved, using Murasakibara Atsushi's massive frame for a solid screen, temporarily shaking off Kishimoto by half a step! Akashi's pass arrived with surgical precision!

He received the ball! Kishimoto roared as he pushed through the screen, charging again like a bull! Fujita Osamu also lunged instantly!

Double-teamed again!

This time, Bai Ze You didn't choose to confront head-on or make a hasty change of direction! The moment Kishimoto collided, he used his extraordinary flexibility, his body like a supple willow branch, sliding sideways to absorb the force of the impact! At the same time, his core strength locked his center of gravity, preventing him from being thrown off! Kishimoto's power hit like a ball of tough cotton, most of it absorbed!

Force absorption successful!

As he absorbed the force! Bai Ze You's right wrist flicked nimbly like a magician's! A highly deceptive in & out dribble feigned a drive to the right! His shoulder and gaze faked with incredible realism! His target was Fujita Osamu!

Fujita's pupils contracted! His center of gravity instinctively shifted to the right to block!

Fujita's center of gravity tricked!

The instant Fujita's center of gravity shifted! Bai Ze You's core strength exploded again! He forcefully pulled back from the rightward feint! Simultaneously, with his left foot as the pivot, he executed an incredibly swift left turn! His body spun like a top, and during the spin, the basketball was deftly passed with a crossover between the legs!

He used the residual force from Kishimoto's collision and his body's rotation, like borrowing strength to strike, instantly completing the turn and crossover, and spinning through the fleeting gap between Kishimoto and the deceived Fujita!

One on two! A flexible spin breaks the deadlock!

"He's past them again!" the commentator exclaimed!

The stands erupted once more!

But it wasn't over yet! Kitano's inside defense had already collapsed! Two tall players stood like moving walls, blocking the paint!

An unavoidable confrontation! Bai Ze You's speed didn't decrease! Facing the help defense, he didn't force a drive. Instead, while moving at high speed, his center of gravity shifted bizarrely and continuously! An exaggerated double change of direction Eurostep!

A leftward fake! So wide, it looked like he was about to crash into the defender on the left!

The defender's center of gravity was pulled off balance!

A cut to the right! Speed like a phantom!

The defender on the right scrambled to block!

But Bai Ze You's body, as if boneless, twisted forcefully in the gap between the two converging defenders, again utilizing extreme flexibility and balance, executing a superb underhand scoop layup!

The basketball, with a strange spin, passed under the outstretched arms of the two defenders, grazed the backboard, and bounced into the net!

Basket made!

21:20! Teikō took the lead again!

The entire Tokyo Dome instantly ignited! The shouts of "Bai Ze! Bai Ze! Phantom!" were deafening!

Bai Ze You landed, his chest heaving, sweat dripping from his temples. The force absorption, spin, Eurostep, and extreme layup in that split second were a massive drain on his physical control and concentration. But his eyes were sharp as knives, coldly sweeping over the stunned Kishimoto and Fujita, finally fixing on the scoreboard.

A flexibility barrier?

No! Flexibility is his ultimate weapon to break through all barriers!

Kishimoto Yūki looked at his empty hands, then at the basketball rolling into the net, his face filled with disbelief. His proud strength seemed so clumsy and laughable in front of that white figure's incredible flexibility and skill! Fujita Osamu's expression grew even more somber; his proud anticipation had failed again and again against Bai Ze You's deeper feints and psychological games!

Momoi Satsuki was so excited she almost jumped, rapidly writing on the record board:

"Observation Record: Flexibility Barrier Broken!"

"Method: Force Absorption & Borrowing Strength (Overcoming Power) + Spin Kill (Breaking Double-Team) + Center of Gravity Deception Eurostep (Breaking Help Defense) + Extreme Finish (Breaking the Crowd)!"

"Effect: In the 'muscle jungle,' overcoming hardness with softness, breaking power with skill, the Phantom's brilliance reappears!"

"Rating: S++ (Master of Breaking Deadlocks in Adversity! Flexibility Trait Ascended!)"

A barely perceptible smile curved Akashi Seijūrō's lips again. He saw it! He saw Bai Ze You's transformation and evolution under immense pressure! This "Phantom Blade" had not only not been broken but had become sharper and more deadly through the tempering!

Aomine Daiki clenched his fist forcefully: "Well done! Shiro! Tear them apart like that!"

Midōrima Shintarō: "Flexibility trait converted into a core advantage for offense and defense, efficiency value increasing."

Murasaki-bara Atsushi: "Yeah, it slipped in again."

Kitano Academy's coach, Sakuma Ryūji, turned ashen. His meticulously planned "muscle jungle" had not only failed to lock down Bai Ze You but had instead become a stage for the opponent to display his ultimate flexibility and skill! He angrily slammed his tactical board.

The fierce battle continued. On the smoke-filled stage of the national finals, the "White Phantom," with his unparalleled flexibility and balance, had built a "flexibility barrier" that could not be crushed by power or penetrated by anticipation! This barrier not only protected him but also became Teikō's fatal weapon for tearing apart Kitano's ironclad defense! Under the stadium lights, that white figure was declaring with his actions: the true phantom fears no encirclement! His flexibility is his kingdom!