"It went in! It actually went in!"
"And it was a clean pass?!"
"That wasn't luck!"
The whole gym was roaring after Nash's impossible pass. Some people still doubted, murmuring maybe it was just luck, but most couldn't deny it anymore: that kid wasn't normal.
Akagi frowned as he watched Nash jog back."He is a fucking monster" he grumbled.
Even Ayako, surprised, glanced sideways at old Anzai."You think that was luck?"
The coach shook his head with his classic calm smile."There's no such thing as luck in basketball."
From that moment on, the game changed.
And Nash changed the way he played too.
He started running the team. Every play went through him, and every pass was right, he always makes the right play. With slow, deliberate movements full of intent, Nash organized, distributed, and broke the game's rhythm whenever he wanted.
The first example? He stole a direct pass to Akagi he read it before it even happened. The fast break was obvious, but instead of taking the easy layup, Nash threw the ball off the backboard for Kaede Rukawa, who was sprinting in from behind
SLAM! "No way he's that confident"
BAM.
9:6
The gym exploded again.
Rukawa normally stone-faced actually walked up to him, fired up, and gave him a high five."You're strong" he said bluntly.
Nash gave him a cocky smirk."Huh ? Hit me with something new, you haven't seen anything yet."
On the other side, Akagi tried to take the lead back. But every time he got the ball, Nash was right there to throw him off. A quick double team, a read ahead of time, and then…
Nash strips the ball!
He dove to the ground and without looking threw a behind-the-back pass to Kuwata, who took off running.
But the third-years were fast. The defense got back. Kuwata hesitated… and Nash showed up again, asking for the ball.
Rukawa wanted it too, but Kuwata passed it to Nash. Of course he did.
Nash caught the ball and no fakes, no hesitation
Another three.
12:6
"Holy shit!" someone in the stands screamed. "This dude's insane!"
"What's his name?!" a girl shouted.
"Nash! Nash Gold! First-year!" one of his teammates yelled proudly.
Even Haruko, who had seen him play when they were kids, was shocked. He was too good—way too dominant.
She watched him, cheeks blushing, heart racing."Better than Kaede? Better than my brother?"
And then…
Nash got the ball at half court.
Akagi stepped up.
"You again?" he muttered, annoyed.
Nash smirked.
His eyes changed.
Light green, intense, cold, they suddenly lit up.
The Belial Eye was active.
One simple step to the left Akagi reacted.
A burst of speed and… Nash disappeared.
Akagi turned desperately to the right, but Nash was already back on the left. He tried to recover, but his feet slipped.He fell.
The whole gym screamed.
The captain was on the ground!
Nash stopped outside the arc. Looked down at him with contempt.
And let it fly.
Swish.
16:6
Silence.
Then chaos.
Sakuragi was yelling like a maniac, Ayako had her hands over her mouth, Haruko was speechless didn't even know who to cheer for and Akagi… was staring at the ceiling of the gym, still lying on the floor.
Nash turned around, walking off slowly, and muttered under his breath "Yeah yeah keep yelling gorilla."