TWEET—
Halftime ended.
The team named after Yuuto led Jabberwock 49-44.
"Nice work, but this lead is precarious. We could get overtaken at any moment. Next half, I'll continue rotating players."
Kagetora crouched before Yuuto and the others, tactical board in hand.
The gap between them and Jabberwock still existed—particularly with Nash and Jason Silver.
What he'd observed was that besides Kagami entering Zone early, everyone else's stamina was draining far faster than usual.
These prodigies could all play entire games during nationals.
Now, one quarter felt like two.
Fortunately, they had deep personnel—enough to rotate heavily and maintain energy.
The most important factor remained Yuuto.
He'd maintained his own rhythm throughout—that efficient, energy-conserving style that even the Generation of Miracles needed to learn.
His gaze swept over Murasakibara and Walker. Kagetora still couldn't bring himself to sub in Walker.
"Murasakibara, take a rest for now."
For the second half, he planned to deploy all of the Generation of Miracles except Murasakibara, moving Yuuto to the two-guard spot—less ball-handling, more focus on scoring.
This would leave the paint vulnerable to Jason Silver.
The obvious choice was to sub in Covanord's big man Walker, but Kagetora didn't want to do that.
He had his own stubbornness.
"Third quarter, we go toe-to-toe with them offensively. Akashi, along with everyone else, try to create scoring opportunities for Yuuto. Let him go to work."
"Understood!"
Though reluctant to admit it, Yuuto was undeniably the team's strongest player right now.
TWEET—
The whistle blew. The second half began.
The fans roared their support.
The first half had thrilled them, showing them the possibility of victory.
Jabberwock's ball.
On their first possession, Nash immediately targeted Jason Silver, attacking Team Yu's interior weakness.
Yuuto naturally wouldn't allow it, stepping up aggressively.
HUM—
Golden and crimson rings simultaneously erupted from their eyes, intertwining, clashing intensely.
One could glimpse an opponent's future through subtle bodily cues.
The other could read changes in physical data to predict movements and rapidly analyze for weaknesses.
For an entire year, across nearly ten simulations, Yuuto hadn't been able to evolve his Demon Eyes.
Visual talents were exceedingly rare, and he hadn't won every game in America—the accumulation wasn't enough.
At the top of the arc, Yuuto and Nash tangled together, their bodies constantly crossing as they engaged in ultra-high-speed one-on-one.
Their shoes screeched violently against the floor, the harsh sound more adrenaline-pumping than any rock concert.
Everyone held their breath. This duel was too terrifying.
It surpassed the Generation of Miracles' internal battles during nationals.
"Why do I feel like they're not weaker than NBA players?"
Someone voiced this sentiment.
In truth, at Yuuto and Nash's level, they were already infinitely close to the NBA.
What they lacked was merely time—three to five years.
Perhaps their current strength wasn't enough to start in the NBA, but they could definitely play backup minutes, with enormous untapped potential.
"This is essentially a collision between NBA prospects."
Fans made such evaluations.
After all, players like Garnett, Kobe, and LeBron had already proven that with enough talent, even high schoolers could establish themselves in the league.
Though Yuuto was young, his talent arguably rivaled those legendary players.
Nash was already draft-eligible.
On the court.
The intense duel continued. The ball seemed glued to Nash's hand. His extraordinary feel and vision made his offense ferocious, like a violent storm.
Kise and the others watched in alarm.
After battling Yuuto for so long, Nash still maintained such dominance. It was bewildering.
A year ago during the Winter Cup, Yuuto only needed one quarter—sometimes half—to fully adapt to opponents.
But Nash?
Against Yuuto, he still held his ground. That was remarkable.
"This is what I'm missing."
Akashi saw clearly. His eyes were no worse than Nash's—what he lacked was the physical talent.
The athletic ability to compete with Zone, combined with the all-seeing Demon King's Eye.
As a player, Nash was truly complete.
However.
Nash wasn't as comfortable as Kagetora assumed. The pressure he felt from Yuuto was steadily increasing.
This feeling was terrible—the enemy before him was rapidly adapting to his style.
"Die!"
He didn't want to drag this out, afraid that continuing would eventually lead to Yuuto suppressing him.
Nash transformed into a beam of light, seizing on Yuuto's weakness, using a quick cut to create separation.
Then with a snap, the ball went to Jason Silver in the post.
Silver spun and threw down a thunderous slam.
Kise and Aomine's defense had been quick, but the size difference was too great. In post battles, they were clearly outmatched.
"Impressive, Nash. You knew you couldn't win so you ran. Very smart." Yuuto mocked, trash talk flowing freely.
His mouth was notorious even in America—always targeting people's sore spots.
But Nash didn't take the bait.
Who hadn't fought their way through trash-talkers?
American prep ball had plenty of elite "trash talkers," and Nash had also played college ball on top of that.
"Don't lump me in with those idiots. That level of trash talk won't work on me."
Nash snorted coldly and headed back on defense.
At that moment, Akashi approached Yuuto.
"I have an idea," Akashi said.
Yuuto replied, "What a coincidence. So do I."
The two exchanged glances and smiled.
On offense.
Akashi had the ball. He beat his defender and drove to the rim for a layup, only to be swallowed up by Jason Silver's contest.
That terrifying defensive range—even Akashi couldn't crack it.
He decisively passed—a no-look dish threading through traffic.
The ball reached Kise, but Kise's jumper was also blocked by Jason Silver.
"Damn!"
The fans groaned. Though they hated Jabberwock, they couldn't deny their strength.
"Guarding Yuuto personally while leaving us to Silver, huh?" Aomine and Kise were both irritated.
Nash shadowed Yuuto relentlessly, leaving everyone else to Jason Silver.
Essentially saying: You're not worth my attention.
Sides switched.
Nash pushed the ball up quickly. Yuuto tracked him, forcing him to retreat.
"It's useless. Besides you, those monkeys can't compete with Silver!"
Nash launched a fierce attack, his movements wild and unpredictable. Eyes that could see the future let his mind work like magic.
Yuuto's pupils radiated cold light, his focus razor-sharp, his agile body constantly sliding to stay in front of Nash.
But it still wasn't enough. The time needed to correct against Nash exceeded any member of the Generation of Miracles—Nash had to be one of the strongest opponents he'd ever faced.
However.
They'd already found another way.
SNAP!
What?!
Nash was suddenly startled.
...
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