"Hayakawa-senpai, be a little more aggressive when boxing out inside. After four quarters, that big guy's gotta be running out of gas. Don't waste your stamina advantage."
As Kota spoke, his hand brushed his chin. His body was deep in puberty now, testosterone in full swing, and faint stubble had begun to sprout across his jawline.
It had been a while since he'd felt that rough texture—strangely familiar yet new—and the sensation made him rub at it again, lost in thought.
After a few more strokes of appreciation, Kota turned to the two first-years sitting on the bench.
"Takumi, just keep doing what you did in the first three quarters. You've been great—your screens and positioning have been perfect."
"Got it, Kota-senpai."
Takumi nodded calmly, his face unreadable, though the glint in his eyes betrayed a quiet fire inside.
"As for you, Yuki…" Kota exhaled. "Honestly, I'd love to tell you to just run around and catch a few passes, but… nope."
He shrugged, smoothly taking the tactics board from Takeuchi and sketching out a few quick plays, pointing as he spoke.
"Don't worry, Kota-senpai! I'll give it everything I've got!"
Yuki clenched his fists, determination written all over his face. For the timid first-year, the fact that his teammates needed him was reason enough to be proud.
Kota smiled, clearly satisfied with the kid's attitude, and patted him on the head encouragingly before turning his gaze to Kise.
"And you… our Mr. genius?"
Kota crossed his arms, eyes narrowing with mock curiosity. Kise immediately knew what that look meant. This wasn't going to be good.
"Uh… Kota… I still haven't found my rhythm yet," Kise said sheepishly, pressing his index fingers together.
Kota's expression darkened. He looked about ready to explode, so Kise quickly waved his hands to calm him down.
"But! But! I still have a secret move I haven't used yet!"
"Huh? A secret move? Since when?"
Kota raised a brow, surprised. Given the situation, Kise wouldn't be stupid enough to make something up just to dodge a scolding—so maybe he really did have something.
"It's something I came up with recently" Kise said, leaning in close to whisper. "I was thinking—if I combine my Perfect Copy with this little tweak, it might actually work…"
As Kise spoke, Kota's expression grew increasingly weird. When the blonde finally finished, Kota tilted his head, then smirked.
"Hmm… sounds like it might actually work. Alright, let's roll with it."
He gave Kise a pat of approval, but just before they stepped back onto the court, Kota calmly placed a firm hand on Kise's shoulder and squeezed—hard.
"But just so we're clear," he said with a grin that didn't reach his eyes, "if you choke at the last minute and we lose this game…"
He leaned in slightly, voice dropping to a menacingly cheerful tone.
"You wouldn't want the title of 'Ace' slipping away to someone else, right?"
The pressure in his grip intensified just enough to make his point crystal clear.
Kise stiffened instantly. "Y-yes, Captain, sir!"
...
Cough cough!
"We're back from the timeout. Both teams are returning to the court — let's see what happens next!"
Bobi glanced at the scoreboard and the player stats on the monitor, adjusted his mic, and continued his excited commentary.
"The score now stands at 101 to 100! Kaijo is holding on to a razor-thin lead, with only four minutes left on the clock! Who will claim victory in this fierce showdown? Let's find out!"
"Before the timeout, Akashi delivered two consecutive steals that closed the gap! By the way, that makes eight steals for him this game — eight! This just shows how completely he's been reading Kaijo's offensive patterns. If Kaijo wants to open up their attack again, they'll have to adjust their strategy. Let's hope this timeout gives them a breakthrough!"
Bobo's analysis was fair, but to many fans listening, it sounded like he was leaning toward Rakuzan.
The livestream chat had a feature that allowed viewers to vote for which team they supported. Right now, Rakuzan had a slight edge — 51% to Kaijo's 49% — thanks to Akashi's explosive performance in the last part of the third quarter and the start of the fourth. Most spectators felt Rakuzan was about to seize the momentum.
Of course, Kota wasn't about to just sit back and let Akashi do whatever he wanted.
Kaijo's possession. Kota scanned the court, assessing the formation. Without hesitation, he passed the ball straight to Kise — clearly planning to rely on his ace to break through.
Akashi looked up, locking eyes with Kise. Confirming that Kise hadn't entered the Zone, he exhaled calmly and said coldly,
"Give it up. In your current state, you won't break through."
Kise blinked, slightly taken aback by the way Akashi addressed him so bluntly. Then he smirked, scratching his cheek.
"Man, you've gotten all stiff, Akacchi. You used to call me Kise so sweetly. As my opponent, you're really not supposed to be giving me advice, you know."
Akashi didn't respond. Under the influence of his golden-haired personality, his tone and manner were completely different — sharper, colder.
Kise sighed, lowering his eyes as he dribbled. His peripheral vision flicked sideways — just a glance, but enough for Akashi to notice.
That kind of thing never escaped the Emperor Eye. Akashi's pupils contracted slightly. He instantly saw who Kise was looking at.
"Kota.
What's he up to? A hand-off play?"
But before Akashi could react, Kota moved — stepping up, both hands guarding his midsection, assuming a textbook screening position right beside Akashi.
"Screen?"
Akashi's mind froze for a split second, but his body didn't. Thanks to his predictive vision, he spun lightly, evading the pick before Kota could set it properly and continued shadowing Kise.
However — a smirk tugged at Kise's lips. With a quick bounce pass, he sent the ball back to Kota, then darted toward Himuro to set another screen!
The rapid double-screen combo completely threw Takeshi off. Unlike Akashi, his size made him a little slower to react, and caught between Kise and Kota's synchronized movements, he lost his footing. Kise successfully screened him, leaving Kota wide open!
Akashi tried to recover, reading the play immediately and rushing to contest, but the real Kaijo twin stars' secret weapon wasn't done yet — Kota whipped a cross-court pass right back to Kise!
In pure physical terms, Kota's style was more about rhythm and contact — and that made him vulnerable to a larger defender like Takeshi. But Kise? That was a different story.
Takeshi's footwork might've been barely enough to guard Kota, but against a lightning-quick player like Kise — it was hopeless.
Without wasting a single dribble, Kise pulled off a sharp crossover and drilled a clean mid-range jumper.
Kaijo scores! 103 to 100!
Akashi exhaled sharply, eyes narrowing as Kaijo's duo bumped fists in celebration.
"That screen… I've never seen Kise use that before. Wait—"
His gaze sharpened. On closer inspection, he could see it — in Kise's movements, in his posture — traces of Kota's style!
"So that was it. Kise had copied him."
Kise, noticing Akashi's frown, leaned toward Kota and muttered,
"Uh, Kota… I think Akacchi already figured it out."
Kota sighed.
"Figures. You tried to copy my playstyle but forgot to copy the presence that comes with it."
Kise pouted. "Hey, I've got presence! Just not the scary kind, okay?"
Kota: "…"
"So basically, you're saying I'm scary?"
Kota smacked Kise lightly on the head, earning a sheepish laugh. "Ow—! I mean, your moves are solid, Captain. Didn't know screens had so many tricks to them!"
He rubbed his head, thinking back on the technique he'd just mimicked. It wasn't just the motion — he'd perfectly recreated Kota's timing, rhythm, and control. That's why their dual screen combo hit so hard it forced even Akashi to pause and calculate.
Still, Kota didn't think Akashi could figure out a solid counter in the mere three minutes left.
After all, at this point, analyzing strategies was useless — both sides were done thinking. It was time to fight, play for play, bucket for bucket.
Rakuzan's next possession: Akashi went solo. Breaking Kota's balance with a feint, he pulled back and drained a step-back jumper.
Two points.
Kaijo answered immediately — same play, same setup. Their double screen couldn't be stopped. Both teams were trading blows like heavyweight fighters.
Under Akashi's leadership, Rakuzan's offense was still sharp. In the next two minutes, Hayama slipped in a baseline layup, and Reo nailed a three-pointer.
Kaijo, on the other hand, let Kota and Kise fully take over. With their improved coordination, Akashi couldn't get a single steal. Three straight possessions — one mid-range jumper from Kota, two from Kise — all buckets.
109 to 107. Kaijo up by two. One minute left. Rakuzan ball.
The entire gym went silent, tension thick enough to feel. Everyone knew — this next sequence could decide the game.
"Get the stop, and it's over!"
Kota barked the order, stepping up to face Akashi head-on. As Akashi dribbled forward, Kota grinned faintly — focused, yet excited.
As Akashi lowered his stance to drive, Kise and Yuki shifted toward the wings, forming a perfect arrow formation with Kota at the tip.
"Huh?"
Even Akashi, with his omniscient vision, sensed something off. He paused, eyes flicking between Kise and Yuki, who were inching closer.
Realizing he'd been noticed, Kota roared, "Now!"
Instantly, Kise and Yuki lunged — a triple-team trap closing around Akashi like a steel cage.
"This one's for you, Akashi!"
Kota's eyes gleamed. With a burst of speed like white lightning, he dove for the ball — a gamble steal!
But Akashi twisted away, barely dodging. As he regained balance and prepared to burst past, Kise slid in, cutting him off.
Kise's eyes now gleamed gold — the Perfect Copy: Emperor Eye.
He couldn't overpower Akashi one-on-one, but with Kota and Yuki in sync, that wasn't the goal. The aim was containment.
Akashi darted side to side, scanning for passing lanes, but Kaijo's triple trap had been carefully engineered for this moment.
Yuki didn't join the steal attempt — instead, he patrolled the outer ring, sealing every possible passing angle.
Kota's plan was airtight: he and Kise would pressure Akashi directly, while Yuki shut down the outlets.
Akashi's passing game — his deadliest weapon — was effectively caged.
It was a masterpiece. Takeuchi, was already on his feet, and Shirogane, had his eyes closed, muttering something like a prayer.
Bobo's commentary exploded. "Kaijo's triple trap is insane! Look at that coordination — Kota with the pressure, Kise with the mirroring, Yuki blocking every pass! Rakuzan's cornered!"
Fans everywhere were holding their breath.
Less than a minute left. Kaijo still up by two. If Rakuzan lost this possession, it was game over.
Akashi's breathing grew heavy, sweat dripping. His two personas argued in his mind.
"Think! There has to be a way out!"
Golden Akashi handled the dribbling — dodging, spinning, crossing over — while Red Akashi analyzed, calculating plays in milliseconds.
But Kota's setup was flawless. For once, even Akashi couldn't find an opening.
After dodging another desperate steal, Golden Akashi hissed, "Got any ideas yet?"
"Not yet," Red Akashi replied calmly.
Golden Akashi twitched. "Easy for you to say! You try dribbling against these lunatics!"
Kise and Kota were like wolves, relentless in their pressure, while Yuki prowled like a hawk on the perimeter. Akashi could barely breathe.
"This is ridiculous! Not even Ultraman could survive a 1-vs-3! If you don't think of something, we're going down with Rakuzan!"
Golden Akashi's voice cracked with frustration.
Finally, Red Akashi spoke again, slyly. "Hey, relax. The game's not over yet. I've got an idea."
Golden Akashi blinked. "You do?!"
Red Akashi grinned, gesturing toward the sideline referee. "With all this chaos, not even the refs can see clearly. So maybe… we give them a little nudge?"
Golden Akashi's jaw dropped.
"You mean—cheat?! Are you insane?! You want me to stoop?! I'd rather die than tarnish the Akashi name!"
"Whoa, calm down, drama king. I meant draw a foul, not commit one!"
"...A foul?"
Golden Akashi froze, then frowned in thought.
"Seriously, man," Red Akashi sighed. "You've already lost three times. Drop the royal pride for once! Look at Kota — he gets fouled all the time, and people call it high basketball IQ!"
Golden Akashi's eyes flickered. As much as he hated to admit it… it made sense.
"Fine," he growled. "But it's not for pride — it's to beat him!"
"Yeah, yeah," Red Akashi smirked. "Whatever helps you sleep at night."
The shot clock ticked down — 3 seconds.
Dodging another steal, Akashi suddenly charged forward into Kota, eyes blazing with resolve.
"Let's see how you like this, Kota!"
Kota's pupils widened. He could tell instantly from Akashi's motion.
"Wait—he's trying to draw a foul?!"
Kota's expression twisted in disbelief.
"Akashi… you've changed, man. You're not the pure, honest Akashi you used to be…"