Zack laughed awkwardly, then glanced at Shintaro Midorima and sighed in admiration.
"Still, that really caught me off guard. I didn't expect Japan to have a few talented players after all."
Nick had no interest in listening to any more of Zack's nonsense. He turned and ran toward the baseline at the other end of the court.
"Enough talking. It's our turn to attack!"
Zack and Allen nodded before running to their positions.
Possession changed hands.
The Black Dragon Team had the ball.
Nash Gold took the basketball and slowly advanced into the frontcourt.
As he crossed the court, he gave Shintaro Midorima another long look and thought:
'That range and confidence... It seems he really can guarantee his three point accuracy from anywhere on the court.'
'A shooter like that... Hah. Interesting.'
Nash Gold stopped paying attention to Shintaro Midorima and turned his gaze toward Seijuro Akashi, who was guarding him.
The corner of his mouth curled upward as he began dribbling faster.
Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!!!
The ball moved rapidly between Nash Gold's hands. Seijuro Akashi widened his eyes, focusing completely on his every movement.
The next second, Nash Gold moved.
Without warning, he drove to the left.
Seijuro Akashi caught the movement and immediately stepped into his path.
Nash Gold paused in surprise, then passed the ball to Zack beside him.
The moment Zack caught it, Daiki Aomine pressed him closely.
Zack chose to take him on one on one.
He used a series of streetball moves, repeatedly trying to shift Daiki Aomine's center of gravity.
But Daiki Aomine had also grown up playing streetball, so he wasn't easily fooled.
Seeing that, Zack began mixing abrupt changes of rhythm into his streetball moves.
This time, Daiki Aomine reacted.
Although he was also a streetball player, Zack's halting, stop and start rhythm made him extremely uncomfortable.
Shuzo Nijimura had once used the same kind of rhythm against him, and Daiki Aomine had struggled with it then as well.
He hadn't expected Zack to use those same rhythm changes while blending them with streetball.
In truth, it was simply the result of Zack playing Shuzo Nijimura one on one so often.
Their styles had gradually begun to resemble each other.
Before long, Zack used his jerky changes of pace to get past Daiki Aomine.
Once he beat him, Zack didn't slow down at all. He charged straight toward the paint.
Atsushi Murasakibara immediately moved to help on defense, but the next second, he felt himself run into something.
When he looked, he saw Jason Silver!
Jason Silver had firmly blocked Atsushi Murasakibara's path. He grinned and said:
"Sorry, kid. You're not getting through here!"
Zack naturally noticed Jason Silver's screen. As he approached the paint, he prepared to finish with a floater.
He sent the ball gently toward the basket.
Suddenly, a figure burst into view, stretching out one hand and desperately reaching for the ball.
It was Daiki Aomine!
Zack was slightly startled to see him appear so suddenly.
'He actually caught up!'
Daiki Aomine gritted his teeth and reached for the ball with everything he had.
At last, his fingertips grazed it.
Even Jason Silver looked surprised.
'He actually touched it!'
Atsushi Murasakibara and Jason Silver immediately began fighting for position, preparing to battle for the rebound.
Clang...
Swish!
To everyone's surprise, Zack's floater bounced around the rim before falling in!
Zack waved one hand and shouted:
"Lucky!"
He then turned and ran back on defense.
Daiki Aomine rubbed his head helplessly and muttered:
"What luck."
Possession changed hands.
The Dragon Slayer Team had the ball.
Seijuro Akashi dribbled into the frontcourt, immediately sweeping his gaze across the entire floor.
Nash Gold suddenly sensed something familiar. He looked at Seijuro Akashi in surprise and thought:
'This feeling... Hm?'
Confusion entered Nash Gold's eyes.
He didn't understand why he sensed that familiar feeling from Seijuro Akashi, but it certainly caught his interest.
The next second, Nash Gold suddenly closed the distance and began harassing Seijuro Akashi's dribble with his hands.
Caught off guard by the sudden pressure, Seijuro Akashi immediately pulled back with a behind the back dribble.
His hands never stopped moving as he protected the ball from Nash Gold's attempts to steal it.
Seijuro Akashi quickly regained his composure. He began avoiding the pressure methodically while continuing to check the positioning of everyone on the court.
Nash Gold grew even more interested.
'Even after being caught off guard by tight defense, he adjusted almost immediately and resumed surveying the entire court.'
'You're an excellent point guard.'
With that thought, Nash Gold continued reaching for the ball. He wanted to see just how far Seijuro Akashi could go.
Just as Nash Gold focused his attention and prepared to make a precise steal, Seijuro Akashi passed!
Nash Gold stopped pressing him and took two steps back. The corner of his mouth rose as he said:
"Kid, you're interesting."
Seijuro Akashi remained expressionless. He calmly nodded and replied:
"So are you."
The ball reached Shintaro Midorima.
Nick immediately closed in on him. After witnessing Shintaro Midorima's ability to make three pointers from anywhere on the court, Nick had raised his threat level by several ranks.
But one thing confused Nick.
Shintaro Midorima clearly had no room to shoot, yet Seijuro Akashi had still passed him the ball.
That wasn't a decision a competent point guard should make.
Nash Gold was puzzled as well. Seijuro Akashi was undoubtedly elite when it came to ball handling and court vision.
So why had he handled the possession so carelessly?
Under the confused gazes of the Black Dragon Team, Shintaro Midorima entered his shooting motion.
Nick stared at him in disbelief.
Man, I'm right in your face, and you're still winding up for a shot?
Do you really look down on me that much?
Nick's expression darkened. He gathered his strength and focused completely, preparing to block Shintaro Midorima's shot.
The moment Zack saw this, he abandoned Daiki Aomine and sprinted toward the other end of the court.
There was no deeper reason.
He simply trusted Nick.
But Zack trusted Nick, and Daiki Aomine trusted Shintaro Midorima just as much.
Daiki Aomine looked toward Shintaro Midorima and made his decision.
The moment Shintaro Midorima sent the basketball into the air, he would turn around and walk away.
Just to show off!!!
...
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