Kudo opened his mouth, only to find he could not answer. Was he searching for the Zone? For the ability to copy? Or... for a power that could lead this depleted Shohoku lineup to conquer the nation?
"Basketball is a five-man sport." Coach Anzai's voice was quiet, yet it reached everyone's ears clearly.
"With Akagi absent, we've lost an important gear, but that doesn't mean the machine can't run.
"The remaining gears simply need to find a new way to mesh, turn faster, and bear more weight."
His gaze swept over Hanamichi Sakuragi, Kaede Rukawa, Hisashi Mitsui, and Ryota Miyagi before finally settling on Ryota Kudo.
"Kudo, you're the new axis. You don't need to fixate on imitating anyone, nor on training your teammates. Make this team turn in your own way."
Everyone froze. Only then did they realize that Ryota Kudo had been acting very strangely today.
Or rather, something had been off since their last game against Aiwa Academy. Ryota Kudo had played far too unobtrusively.
They had originally thought Ryota Kudo was too nervous and had lost his form at the National Tournament.
They had never imagined this was the reason!
Ryota Kudo did not deny it. He slowly stood.
"I understand, Coach." Ryota Kudo's voice was unusually calm, yet it carried an unquestionable force.
The whistle signaling the second half was like a spark touching a fuse.
Daiei Academy attacked first. Jun Tsuchiya still held the ball steadily at the top of the arc, his eyes sweeping the court for gaps in Shohoku's defense.
Ryota Kudo, who was guarding him, positioned himself completely differently from the first half.
He no longer tried to press him closely or fixated on anticipating his every fake. Instead, he left a step and a half of space, lowered his center