Resting on the bench, Jun Tsuchiya's chest heaved, his eyes filled with confusion, agitation, and a trace of... self-doubt.
He could no longer hear anything his coach was saying. He was completely shut away in his own world.
Jun Tsuchiya had always thought highly of himself. He believed he was no worse than Dai Moroboshi of Aiwa Academy; he simply lacked an opportunity to prove himself.
But when his team fell into a desperate situation and needed him to do what Dai Moroboshi did-to keep them alive through unstoppable individual ability and drag them forward-
Only then did he realize how pale and powerless the playmaking and control he took such pride in looked against the opposition's suffocating defense and the enormous deficit.
He could not tear apart the opposing defense with sheer, outrageous scoring and lift his team's spirits the way Moroboshi could.
He was accustomed to using his intelligence to mobilize his teammates. When those teammates were locked down, and he himself was backed into a corner, the frustration of having no way to exert his strength cracked the composure he took such pride in.
He looked at the glaring 59-40 on the scoreboard, at the fighting spirit burning in the Shohoku players' eyes and their fluid teamwork.
For the first time, Jun Tsuchiya clearly felt the gulf between himself and Dai Moroboshi, the Aichi Star-the ability to shoulder a team in desperate circumstances and turn the tide.
Tweet! The game resumed.
Mired in self-doubt, Jun Tsuchiya played even worse. He showed none of the responsibility expected of a team's ace, merely running back and forth in a daze.
Ten minutes into the second half, the score was 69-50! Shohoku entered the final ten minutes with a massive nineteen-point lead.
With Ryota Kudo's awakened command, Hanamichi Sakuragi's surprise