Chapter 128: The snake’s Weakness
“But if our boss regains his sanity, his Animal Instinct will disappear.”
Titus Monroe took a deep breath. In his heart, he quietly said “sorry” to his captain, then turned to Nash Gold and spoke.
“Ten bucks. Don’t forget.”
The corner of Nash Gold’s mouth lifted.
“Relax. I’m not the kind of person who goes back on my word.”
Nash Gold shifted his gaze toward Dicky Anthony and thought to himself,
‘An interesting kind of Animal Instinct.’
This was the first time Nash Gold had ever seen a player who completely lost his rationality after activating Animal Instinct.
He walked over to Miyamoto Tokima, intending to pass along what he had just learned.
When Miyamoto Tokima saw Nash Gold approaching, he asked,
“What is it?”
Nash Gold told him everything Titus Monroe had just revealed.
After listening, Miyamoto Tokima was slightly surprised.
‘Power gained by trading away reason?’
While the two were talking, Shuzo Nijimura’s shot clanged off the rim once again.
This time, however, Jason Silver grabbed the offensive rebound.
Kit Barry and Hausberg both exclaimed in unison,
“Freak!”
Jason Silver secured the rebound, spun around, and slammed the ball back into the hoop.
After the dunk, he shouted loudly,
“Nijimura, what are you doing out there?!”
Shuzo Nijimura apologized awkwardly.
“Sorry. His defense really is hard to deal with. I need a little more time to adjust.”
Jason Silver sighed helplessly and yelled,
“Then hurry it up! Don’t let your father down!”
Shuzo Nijimura nodded repeatedly.
“Yes!”
As the game went on, Dicky Anthony completely suppressed Shuzo Nijimura.
On offense, the [Venomous Fang] left Shuzo Nijimura with no way to defend.
On the offensive end, Shuzo Nijimura did manage to adapt to Dicky Anthony’s defensive rhythm at first, breaking through him to score once.
But soon after, Dicky Anthony shifted his defensive posture, like a venomous snake changing its stance, and his defense immediately became different.
The rhythm Shuzo Nijimura had just adapted to instantly lost its effect, and he once again fell into the viper’s suffocating coils.
The game continued like this until the end of the first quarter.
While heading off the court for the break, Nash Gold asked,
“Tokima, do you think Nijimura can break through Dicky’s defense?”
Miyamoto Tokima shook his head.
“He can’t. Dicky’s defensive rhythm is too strange for Nijimura-senpai.”
Indeed, after closely observing the matchup between Shuzo Nijimura and Dicky Anthony, Miyamoto Tokima had come to a clear conclusion.
Dicky Anthony could continuously alter his defensive rhythm, making it impossible for Shuzo Nijimura to truly get used to it.
Every possession, he was facing a different defensive tempo.
On top of that, Dicky Anthony’s height and wingspan far exceeded Shuzo Nijimura’s.
The combination of the two completely locked down Shuzo Nijimura on the defensive end, even with the Zone active.
(ps: The Zone is not invincible. It simply allows a player to fully display their overall ability. Shuzo Nijimura was already inferior to Dicky Anthony in his normal state, so once Dicky Anthony activated Animal Instinct, he was still able to defend him. Please don’t flame.)
That said, Miyamoto Tokima did notice something interesting while watching.
After losing his rationality, Dicky Anthony’s attention stayed on Shuzo Nijimura when Shuzo didn’t have the ball.
Whenever Shuzo Nijimura was off the ball, Dicky Anthony’s focus remained locked on him.
But the moment Shuzo Nijimura caught the ball, Dicky Anthony’s attention instantly shifted to the basketball.
And when the ball was passed, Dicky Anthony’s gaze would briefly follow the ball as it moved.
That brief moment was more than enough for Shuzo Nijimura to create a step of separation.
If these two points were properly exploited, then a way for Shuzo Nijimura to break through Dicky Anthony existed.
That way was to find a teammate to receive the pass and use a two-man play to break through and score.
“The job of coordinating with Nijimura-senpai is yours, Nash.”
Nash Gold patted his chest confidently.
“Leave it to me, Tokima. I’ve got this.”
...
The second quarter began.
Shuzo Nijimura stood up and prepared to reenter the game.
After Victor’s nearly inhuman training, Shuzo Nijimura’s stamina had increased dramatically.
If he had to put it into numbers, he could now maintain the Zone for an entire quarter
(one quarter, not an entire game—don’t get that mixed up).
He had entered the Zone midway through the first quarter.
After resting for a bit, his stamina had recovered enough to continue playing in the second quarter.
Miyamoto Tokima and the others planned to take over the game once Shuzo Nijimura reached his limit in the second quarter.
On the other side.
The moment Dicky Anthony stepped onto the court, he activated Animal Instinct again, muttering under his breath,
“Not allowed… to be toyed with…”
Miyamoto Tokima looked toward Shuzo Nijimura and asked,
“Nijimura-senpai, can you enter the Zone again?”
Shuzo Nijimura glanced at his father, took a deep breath, and slowly closed his eyes.
‘Score… score…’
When he opened them again, black lightning began flickering within his pupils.
Miyamoto Tokima nodded slightly.
At this stage, it was clear that Shuzo Nijimura could now enter the Zone on his own through his belief in scoring—undoubtedly a good thing.
And it had to be said: Shuzo Nijimura truly was a genius.
After entering the Zone only twice, he had already grasped how to activate it voluntarily, something that surpassed many other prodigies.
The second quarter officially began, with the Black Emperor Dragon Team in possession.
After Nash Gold dribbled past half court, a wide grin spread across his face as he looked at Titus Monroe.
“Want to see it?”
Titus Monroe looked confused.
“See what?”
Nash Gold bounced the ball with his right hand, pointed at his own eyes with his left, and said arrogantly,
“Want to see… another pair of eyes?”
As soon as he finished speaking, Nash Gold’s eyes changed. His emerald-green pupils contracted sharply.
In the next instant, a golden halo appeared within his eyes.
[Belial Eye]!
With [Belial Eye] activated, Nash Gold burst into wild laughter.
“Take a good look! Eyes that far surpass yours!”
He followed up with several rapid dribbles.
Titus Monroe felt his center of gravity being pulled and shifted again and again.
Suddenly—
A wave of weightlessness hit him, and he was completely shaken to the floor by Nash Gold, staying down for a long moment.
After breaking him down, Nash Gold flicked the ball with his left hand, passing it straight to Shuzo Nijimura.
At the same time, he sprinted behind Dicky Anthony.
The moment Shuzo Nijimura caught the ball, Dicky Anthony’s attention instantly shifted from Shuzo’s body to the basketball.
Shuzo Nijimura felt a surge of excitement.
‘Just like Tokima predicted!’
He immediately whipped the ball away with a sharp pass.
Dicky Anthony’s gaze followed the ball for a split second.
And by the time he snapped back—
Shuzo Nijimura had… disappeared…
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