The second quarter began quickly.
Yuuto's side had made three substitutions. Their lineup was now: Yuuto, Haizaki, Kuroko, Kagami, and Murasakibara.
Jabberwock's lineup stayed the same. It was their ball.
Shifted to point guard, Yuuto and Nash stood face-to-face at the top of the arc.
"Here it comes!"
"I don't know what's going to happen."
Takao and the others were on edge. Even though the action hadn't started, they could feel the atmosphere growing heavier.
Though Nash had kept a low profile in the first quarter, he was undeniably Jabberwock's captain.
"Plus, he gives off the same vibe as Yuuto."
Hyūga's expression was grim.
According to Momoi's intel, Nash had also been a five-star recruit like Yuuto.
Known as "The Magician," he was a world-class prodigy who'd been considered the most likely to make it to the league.
"Want to show me what you've got?"
Yuuto beckoned with his finger.
"No need. Humans don't get angry when monkeys steal their bananas."
That was what he said, but Nash's eyes had visibly sharpened.
Kagami and the others felt this shift too.
"Here it comes? Nash's aura is completely different from the first quarter!"
"Yuuto must feel it too. How's he going to handle this?"
Aomine watched intently.
Witnessing a clash between world-class players up close—this kind of opportunity was rare.
Thump, thump, thump—
Nash dribbled slowly, eyes locked with Yuuto.
Everyone held their breath.
Then—
SNAP!
The ball appeared in Allen's hands seemingly out of nowhere.
Like watching a movie with a crucial frame missing—the ball was there, and then it simply wasn't.
Everything happened so suddenly.
"Tch—"
Haizaki realized too late, diving desperately, but he was a step behind. Allen was already pulling up for three.
"A No-Motion Pass?!"
Kise and the others were stunned. They never expected Nash to have this godlike skill.
"Nash knows it too?"
"Strictly speaking, the No-Motion Pass belongs to Nash. Yuuto's the one who copied it."
After Yuuto went to America, Momoi had gathered extensive intel from there.
This included Nash's No-Motion Pass.
"But if it's just the No-Motion Pass, Yuuto should have been able to intercept it."
Akashi watched the court. Nash's pass had forced even Yuuto to merely react—he couldn't actually stop it. He'd been a step slow.
But then—
On the next possession, Yuuto faced Nash at the three-point line with the ball.
Without hesitation, in the middle of his dribble, he delivered a pass with zero telegraph—the ball landing in a teammate's hands before anyone could react.
"What?!"
Jabberwock was just as stunned. They hadn't expected the other side to have the same move.
Rise where you fall—that was Yuuto's pride.
"It really is tit for tat!"
Someone remarked with wonder.
But those who followed American basketball knew this was normal.
Especially at the prep level—it was all about talent.
Most of the time, players didn't shy away from one-on-one challenges because every elite prospect was competing against the others.
It wasn't just about team victories—it was about draft stock and selection order.
The most direct way to boost your draft position? Take down the player ranked above you!
So in American games, it was common to see star players going at each other head-to-head.
Even coaches couldn't stop it—they had to give their players room to settle it on the court.
Yuuto and Irving's legendary duel had become a classic for this very reason. They'd gone at each other practically the entire game, leaving fans thoroughly satisfied.
The ball reached Haizaki. A step-back into a pull-up three.
SWISH—
It went in. Team Yu answered.
"This guy..."
Nash was also surprised. One of his signature moves had just been countered.
"But you won't get a second chance like that."
"Those exact words right back at you."
Yuuto showed no fear. His Weakness Correction had already activated once.
Both sprinted to the other end of the court.
Then Yuuto and Nash met again at the three-point arc.
Still that same unhurried dribbling rhythm.
Nash stared at Yuuto, but his peripheral vision—via those Demon Eyes—surveyed the entire court.
What Nash didn't know was that everything reflected in his pupils, Yuuto could see too.
On the right, Nick has shaken his defender and is cutting from the arc toward the rim—
Nash noticed. His wrist made an imperceptible twitch, about to pass.
But then—
In his pupils, he saw the motionless Yuuto suddenly move. That prediction born of reading blood flow, heartbeat rhythm, and muscle respiration forced Nash to abort the action.
SNAP—
He immediately dribbled backward, deliberately creating distance.
Almost simultaneously, Yuuto surged forward.
"What..."
"What just happened?!"
Most people couldn't follow it—the level was too high, beyond their comprehension.
Only Akashi, his expression touched with shock, considered a possibility—one even he found hard to believe.
"What troublesome eyes you have."
Yuuto spoke calmly.
Compared to Akashi, Nash was far more troublesome—it was hard to find his blind spots. Because Nash possessed physical abilities that surpassed even Akashi's.
"This guy's eyes... he can see through my passes!"
Nash was sharp enough to realize Yuuto possessed some unbelievable visual talent.
That visual talent was enough to read through his No-Motion Pass.
The two faced each other, only seconds passing, yet both minds had raced through a storm of analysis.
SNAP—
Eventually, Nash still got the ball to his teammate.
A feint, a drive to the right, then a behind-the-back pass—Yuuto saw it but couldn't intercept.
That was the terrifying aspect of those Demon Eyes.
They kept their gazes locked—there was no reading intent through line of sight.
The ball reached Jason Silver, who rose against Murasakibara's defense with a pump fake, using his transcendent athleticism to attempt a mid-air adjustment.
Murasakibara immediately sensed the difference—the pressure from Silver's palm was heavier than in the first quarter.
"You've got to be kidding. He wasn't even going full power in the first quarter?"
Murasakibara leaped with him, contesting with everything he had—but still couldn't stop it.
BOOM—
Jason Silver threw down a two-handed slam, nearly dunking through Murasakibara.
On the sideline, Aomine shot to his feet. "How is that possible?!"
Wakamatsu asked, "What's wrong?"
Akashi narrowed his eyes. "It's Wildness. No doubt about it. And it's a level of Wildness that surpasses Aomine and Kagami—on par with Yuuto's."
Like a raging dragon.
WHOOSH—
Jason Silver exhaled slowly, then fixed his gaze on the opposition.
"I'll crush you. Monkeys."
...
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