RAKUZAN SEIRIN
That was a solid return, but...
We don't have a shooter. If it's just threes, Kagami, Koga, and I can do it.
But our success rate is far from Hyuga's.
Rakuzan has a shooter who's far scarier than Akashi.
Mibuchi!
Can this be?
The Wild?
- A no-fake three? - No, this is...
Void.
He lunged at big sis Reo's Void?
Crap...
Thanks to Koga, I see how to tackle the three types of shots...
And I see through it all now... What Void is!
72Q. A WARNING
- Hyuga, you're coming in? - Yeah. I'm fully aware of the risks.
- Even so, I will beat Mibuchi this time! - Sorry, Hyuga... I didn't have it in me...
What are you saying? It's thanks to you that I can fight.
I'll make him suffer plenty for you too.
Yeah, I'm trusting you to. Please do, Hyuga.
Ten more minutes. Nothing to fret about.
But don't think just about keeping the lead.
Stay on the offensive and go pummel Seirin!
Yeah!
Reo. It looks like Hyuga's coming out for them. He has four fouls, but don't drop your guard.
- Right. - Eikichi.
- Kiyoshi's eyes aren't dead yet. Stay focused. - Yeah!
Kotaro. How much longer will you behave? I still need you to score.
Of course!
And he wants me to stay out as well.
Using me while I'm useful till I'm spent... You're such a frugal one, spoiled brat.
But...
I don't know for sure what, but I feel something's out of place with Akashi as he is now.
The break is over.
All right! Let's go!
Teppei?
What's wrong, Riko?
No, nothing.
- Kiyoshi. - Yeah.
We'll make sure we win! Seirin, fight!
Yeah!
Fourth quarter at last. This will decide the winner of the Winter Cup.
- Can Seirin recover from a 20-point deficit? - Who knows?
But they haven't given up. For giant killing, what's most important isn't tactics but your feelings.
- Starting with a three? - The defensive check was quick too!
Coach, I have one favor to ask.
Got something for these jitters in my hand?
Wait, didn't you nail that call-out just now?
This is something different!
I got four fouls! The pressure on me is something else!
- Jeez, really... Turn around! - S-Sure!
SLAP That hurt!
So fast!
Wow, Captain!
RAKUZAN SEIRIN
All right, we're coming for you, Rakuzan!
I thought he'd barely be able to play with four fouls. Yet he's in the best condition he's been in all game...
All right! Let's stop one!
Yeah!
De-fense! De-fense! De-fense!
That's good defense. The team really pulls together when Hyuga's on court.
But when you're not allowed to foul even once, how do you fight?
Go for it, Junpei!
That's the Heaven shot!
But Hyuga read that too!
A fake? Then it's really...
The Earth shot, and Hyuga-san's fifth foul!
Captain!
He didn't jump! Did he read into this as well?
Mibuchi, your three shots have no difference in form until right before jumping.
But their centers of gravity are slightly different! Heaven, Earth, Void...
Each shot shifts the center of gravity towards the jump. If I see through that...
Go, Hyuga!
Hyuga!
This is more power than all game!
- Teppei, can you be... - That idiot!
The future, my injury... I can't make decisions that are just correct. Right now, this moment...
No good! Even then, he can't get in position!
That's what I thought you'd do.
No matter how much we tell you, you'll be reckless.
Even if we bench you, you'll make Riko cry and come back. I won't stop you anymore!
Kiyoshi, dammit, how long have you been playing center? Don't lose to a stupid muscle brain!
What? So fast!
- Go! - Kagami!
All right!
How dare you, Junpei-chan. I'll seriously crush you now.
That's my line. And don't call me by my first name with the chan honorific!
He's pissed, but he's still calm. No need to worry about big sis Reo.
On the other hand...
Damn you!
- Calm down, Ei-chan. - What are you doing!
You're like me, and you got a short fuse. Be careful.
Kiyoshi's strong. Without his injury, he was at our level until a short while ago.
You better not take him lightly.
Shut up. I know that already.
How many times have we had the shooting-guard face-off?
Junpei Hyuga... This boy is dangerous.
He can tell my three shots apart and is responding.
Then I'll challenge him with Void, which can't be stopped even if seen coming.
But he might have a grasp of something about Void too...
Should I challenge him with something else? Move the ball around?
No, that's even more reason to challenge him! As a Rakuzan player, I can't pull back!
With all of my pride on the line... I'll shoot a Void!
I see! I get it! The secret why the defense can't jump to block that shot!
It's the depth he sinks right before jumping!
When Mibuchi shoots a Void, he sinks deeper than with normal shots.
And he stops on purpose the instant the defense's knees fully straighten.
The defense falls for that instant, and the stored energy from sinking goes away, and they can't jump.
But since Mibuchi sank deeper, he still has some energy and uses that to make his shot.
That's the secret behind Void!
Man, my back hurts.
Was Riko that strong?
Nah, that can't be it. I'm sure it's how much she put into it...
It's not just her... It was the feelings from the entire team.
Five Uncrowned Kings? Rakuzan? Like I care!
No matter how strong you are, I will make sure to stop this one shot!
- He did it! - Hyuga!
They cut through!
With their shooter's return, the defense spread outside and it eased creating space inside.
Not letting you!
To catch up...
But he's being reactive. The initiative is with Kiyoshi.
A three?
A good loop shot. The spin has zero deviation.
Three baskets in a row!
But still, Akashi hasn't said anything. What is he thinking?
The one-on-one emphasis for Mibuchi and the others bothers me too. Why isn't he acting?
It can't be...
Even Akashi's forced to do nothing but that in front of him?
But man, what's going on... Kagami seems even more imposing than before!
Today's match between Seirin and TÃ´Ã´...
Amusing. To be honest, I never thought about it in that way.
I have experience with Zone. But what's surprising...
...was that Daiki entered it when he wanted to, of his own will.
It is possible.
With the focus to brute-force the door open...
...and the self-awareness of what my trigger is to open the door...
Oh, Sei-chan, you were here?
Yes. What's the matter?
We finally have a game tomorrow, so we thought we'd get some light exercise.
Even with the Winter Cup, having a bye when you're seeded is boring.
Perfect then. Play me for a bit.
Sure thing. What? A one-on-one?
No... A three-on-one.
- You know, Akashi... - I can't see us losing, you know?
I'm not gonna care what happens, okay?
All right. At this level, there will be no issues in an actual game.
You serious?
You're way too big a monster, Akashi...
However, this is something I need to call a trump card.
Me showing this hand means that the situation is extremely dangerous for Rakuzan.
And one more thing. This is a warning.
The trigger to enter this state...
Dammit, so this is when... The stealth all-court man-to-man defense!
This isn't looking good, is it?
Given the size of Kagami's defensive area in Zone, there's hardly a pass safe from Kuroko!
Big sis Reo!
Drats...
Kuroko!
He got stopped! Even with his all, Kiyoshi-san can't beat Nebuya-san's power!
You don't need to win.
You just need enough power to be competitive. Because that creates strategic bargaining.
This guy... That's another spin that puts a huge stress on the legs...
Ten-point deficit!
Dammit...
Mibuchi, you four go on offense, just for the next possession.
Hold it, Sei-chan, what does that mea...
Run.
- All the way midcourt? - This isn't good! Go ba...
- He's not moving from his side? - Think about it later! Focus on defense!
Those eyes... They're the same as that day...
This is a warning.
The trigger to enter this state is my will...
...to guarantee grasping victory by my actions and not by commanding others to do so.
In other words, when I decide I will fight with only my strength.
It is when I lose faith in you and decide to abandon you.
Can they score five in a row?
I'm sinking this! He can't break Meteor Jam here like in the first half!
Take this, Akashi!
Akashi-kun?
Allow me to teach our difference in social standing to all individuals on this court.
Akashi's Zone...
Hold on there, Akashi!
Impossible!
Stop!
What pacing...
He's too fast!
You've defied me this long... It is not enough to merely have you sit.
On your knees.
Crap... A fake!
Stay in that pose of admiration and realize...
...your defeat is absolute.
- He put that down! - He went coast to coast all by himself!
Even if he stops using his teammates... No, he's stronger without them.
Our existence is being shaken up by how much of a monster he is. No...
Does he seriously not need us at all?
So they took a timeout...
Yet even then, they surely have no means at all to stop him...
I'll do it.
Wait, Kagami! You mean you'll do it yourself?
- Yeah, then he's all yours. - Aren't you taking it lightly, Captain?
- Yeah, I think that that's appropriate. There. - You too?
- You heard it, Kiyoshi. - Got it.
- Everyone's taking this lightly? - More like why are you butting in?
It's the same as it's always been. When facing the Generation of Miracles, this always happens.
A moment where we have to trust our ace.
It may have been time to give up if we didn't have an ace to rely on. But we have Kagami.
Isn't that enough?
Kagami-kun.
You know what's at stake, Kagami-kun.
From here on, it's win or lose. The real deal, the showdown.
Go and win, Kagami!
Yeah!
Aomine... There's one thing that's been on my mind.
You said earlier...
That guy... He's diving deeper into the Zone.
What in the world did you mean by that?
This is all based on my image. When you enter Zone, there's a giant door that you open.
Upon opening it, you're underwater. The more you focus, the deeper you sink.
Keep sinking and at some point you touch the bottom. That's when you're fully in the Zone.
When you draw out everything performance-wise.
But there's another giant gate there, and in front stands someone who you can't see the face of.
Like a gatekeeper...
Then if you could open that door...
Who knows? I've never opened that door myself. But I'm sure of it...
Beyond that door is a Zone greater than Zone...
If Kagami has any chance of winning against Akashi, it would be by opening that second door.
You've entrusted the battle to your ace, Seirin?
Then I have only to crush those hopes. Defeat is impossible for me.
73Q. WHY DON'T WE GIVE UP? The weak must grovel before the strong. I am the absolute.