Chapter 113 - Finals: #10 (2/2)
He immediately thought the most optimal solution for scoring.
Akashi: 'I should bait him to me, and when he just outside of my range, I would pass the ball. Yes, that is the best solution.'
Akashi was going to follow this plan, but then the memory of Shun looking at him with a mocking smile flashed through his mind.
Akashi narrowed his eyes and thought.
Akashi: 'I need more information about him. I should postpone passing for a few plays and acc.u.mulate more information Kageyama Shun.'
Akashi's pride plagued his decision. He couldn't believe that his eyes had been defied and used the excuse of collecting information on Shun to have a one-on-one against Shun.
Akashi moved towards Shun, ready to have a direct exchange with him.
-*-*-*-
Shirogane Kozo sighed as he saw Akashi moving towards Shun.
Satsuki and Kuroko looked at their coach. Kuroko decided to ask the reason behind the sigh.
Kuroko: ”Coach, what is it. Why do you sigh?”
Coach Shirogane glanced at his student and replied after a pause.
Shirogane: ”Did you notice the change in Akashi?”
Kuroko and Satsuki thought of the break after the first half and Akashi's change.
Kuroko nodded and replied.
Kuroko: ”His speech pattern and mannerism changed. Even the way he held himself changed.”
Kuroko was a master of observation, so he noticed the changes in Akashi clearly.
Satsuki may have noted such minute changes, but she did notice something else.
Satsuki: ”Akashi-kun's playstyle has changed. It's like he is a different player. Those ankle breakers and ball-handling skills weren't in Akashi-kun's before this game.
He used to make use of fakes and made space before passing the ball. Direct confrontations aren't Akashi-kun's style.”
Shirogane nodded as he directed his gaze back to Akashi.
Shirogane: ”Just now Akashi could've waited for Kageyama move towards him, and then passed the ball to any of the others, for a great chance to score, but he didn't.”
He pointed at Akashi and continued.
Shirogane: ”Look at him. He is obviously going for a direct confrontation with Kageyama. Now, this might turn out great, and he could score on his own, but it might turn out for the worse and end up in a turnover.
Akashi should've used the bait-and-pass strategy here. Direct confrontations against Kageyama are a poor choice before the point-gap is closed.
Akashi wouldn't have done that if he was playing the same as he did in the first half. He has definitely changed.”
-*-*-*-
Akashi dribbled towards Shun, and as soon as they were in each other's range. Akashi's Emperor-Eyes glowed into life, and Shun's focus concentrated on Akashi, ready to let his body to flow to where his reflexes guided him.
Both of them had to temporarily cut out their court vision to focus on each other. Both of them didn't want to lose out just because they were focusing somewhere else.
Akashi's eyes showed him Shun's muscle contraction, his center of mass, and his defensive form.
Bio-electricity ran rampant inside Shun's body, his nervous system primed to relay any signal that Shun received through his senses.
The eyes of all people, including the players on the court, were on the pair.
The people in the stands were silent, all of them were too busy watching the pair for talking much less cheering.
The first one to make a move was Akashi. He leaned to his left.
Shun's reflexes blared, but he had to restrain them from moving his body.
Shun: 'Left... no, it's a fake.'
This was the weakness of Shun's God-Speed Impulse. If Shun reacted to every reflex, then he would be falling for every single fake.
This is where Shun's second ability came to work. Shun's copy ability recorded every piece of play that he ever saw, it didn't matter if he wanted to use it or not, they were stored in his memory.
Just like Kise, who had just begun to develop the sense/intuition for the game, Shun too possessed the intuition, but Shun's was on an entirely different level.
Shun had studied a lot of the moves and plays from his memories, his copy ability, and the long time history with basketball had pushed that intuition to the limit.
Shun used this intuition to filter any reflexive actions that may cause him to fall for a fake.
Just like, Akashi was not strong because he had the Emperor-Eyes. It's because someone like Akashi was the one with Emperor-Eyes.
Shun was not strong because he possessed the God-Speed Impulse, he was strong because he knew how to use it.
Shun waited for Akashi to make his next move, and as he predicted, Akashi used a left-to-right crossover.
Shun smiled as he felt the familiar jolt of reaction, he raised his left hand to speared the ball the moment it arrived in Akashi's right hand.
Akashi came to a startled stop as the rings in his eyes disappeared from shock.
-*-*-*-
The silent crowd came to life as cheers for Shun sounded throughout the stands.
Kaitani once again jumped from his seat, and this time pulled Sora with him.
Kaitani: ”Woohoo!!”
Sora: ”Whoa! Senpai! Be careful!”
-*-*-*-
Shun passed Akashi and grabbed the ball. Then it was a straight road to the basket.
Shun arrived at the basket and rammed the ball into the rim with a two-hand dunk, grabbed the rim of the basket, and let the momentum swing before landing on the ground.
-*-*-*-
Tokiwadai students and club members began chanting in unison.
Tokiwadai: ”Shun! Shun! Shun! Shun! Shun! Shun!”
Teiko, who thought that the third quarter would be in their favor, but seeing the return of Shun's previous performance made them think otherwise.
Shun had stopped Teiko's increasing momentum on his own and returned Tokiwadai on the map.
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
[
AN: The reason Akashi isn't having a nervous breakdown is that in the original, he had two years' worth of time for his pride and ego to develop.
Currently, he hasn't developed the 'Emperor' mentality to that level.
]