Chapter 20

A few minutes passed, and the referee signaled for the players from both teams to take the court as the final two minutes of the game continued.

The game pressed on, with Meiko having possession of the ball. They inbounded it to Ichigo, but to everyone's dismay, the whole team seemed lifeless. It was evident that they had lost all hope of winning the game.

As Ichigo crossed the halfcourt line, he suddenly came to a stop, standing just inside the halfcourt line.

Aomine was perplexed when he saw this. "Did he give up already?" Aomine thought to himself, observing Ichigo standing motionless in his position while dribbling the ball.

The other players from Teiko also noticed this, but they didn't react much. They were accustomed to opponents giving up halfway through the game as Teiko always dominated them. So it wasn't surprising for them that with only two minutes left and a 45-point deficit, they believed winning was impossible.

Even Ichigo's teammates accepted the situation. Their best player had already given up, and they lacked the willpower to turn things around.

Among the players, Ogiwara was the most devastated. Ichigo had been instrumental in keeping them in the game and boosting their spirits. However, to Ogiwara's surprise, Ichigo had suddenly given up. Despite feeling disheartened, Ogiwara couldn't blame Ichigo. Ichigo had given his best effort throughout the game and as the team's ace, Ogiwara could only offer support to him, considering that Ichigo had played a crucial role in bringing them back into the competition.

Ogiwara didn't blame Ichigo or his teammates; instead, he blamed his own incompetence in this crucial game.

But unbeknownst to Aomine, the other players, and the crowd, Ichigo was lost in his thoughts, unintentionally shutting out the outside world.

His mind was being bombarded with negative thoughts: 'Give it up,' "You already did your best,' "They won't blame you if you give up now.' These thoughts filled his mind, but deep down, he knew that he still wanted to win. "But what can I do?" he asked himself.

"I've already given my best, but it's not enough. What more can I do?" he pondered.

"Is this really the best I can do? It feels like my previous life, where no matter how hard I tried, I never gained recognition from others. Perhaps its my destiny to be mediocre all my life," he sighed, feeling disheartened.

Lost in his thoughts, suddenly everything went black. His body felt heavy, as if he was submerged in water. As he opened his eyes, a door stood before him.

Upon seeing the door, Ichigo was shocked. "Is this the door from the show?" Following the initial shock, excitement rushed through him.

"This is my chance to win this game, to prove myself in this world," he exclaimed, determined to push open the door.

But just as he touched the door, his hands were suddenly electrocuted. After that, he saw a prompt from his system.

[The host cannot access the Zone right now as he has not yet completed his first assimilation.]

As Ichigo read the system prompts, he couldn't help but feel disappointed. This was his one and only chance to get back in the game and have a real shot at winning.

He opened his status to check how much more assimilation percentage he needed to completely assimilate Akirah Sendoh's card. To his surprise, he saw that he only needed 15% to complete the assimilation process. With this in mind, he became eager to get back in the game. However, there was a problem - how could he escape from this place?

Just as he pondered over this, he noticed a system prompt:

[As a system privilege, you can instantly enter the 1st stage of the Zone of any elite or higher player card you completely assimilate.]

[But be warned, host. Entering the Zone puts a high drain on your stamina, and pushing yourself beyond your stamina capacity greatly increases the risk of injury. I advise you to regularly train your stamina if you want to stay in the Zone for an extended period of time.]

Upon reading this, Ichigo instantly became ecstatic. He knew from the show just how difficult it was to enter the Zone. Only the most talented players could achieve it, and accessing the Zone for the second time was even harder than the first.

So, being granted the privilege by the system to enter the Zone, even if it was just the 1st stage, was a significant advantage for him. Granted, it required an elite or higher card, but it was still a big opportunity.

"System, how can I access the second stage of the Zone?" Ichigo eagerly asked.

[The second stage of the Zone falls outside the system's jurisdiction. It is something the host must conquer on their own.] the system responded.

This prompt made sense to Ichigo. In the show, only Kagami Taiga was shown to have access to the second gate, and he opened it during the final game of the Winter Cup.

With that, Ichigo prepares to return to the game. But before he can, he panics and asks, "System, how long have I been here?" He realizes that there are only two minutes left in the game, but it feels like he has been here for an hour already.

[Don't worry, host,] reassures the system, [This body you're in is not your real body. It's merely a materialization of your mind. So you don't have to worry about the passage of time outside; it will be the same as the time before your mind was here.]

Ichigo breathes a sigh of relief upon hearing this. "Okay, system, please get me out of here," he says, addressing the system.

After that, he feels his body floating and closes his eyes. When he opens them, he finds himself face-to-face with Aomine.

Still slightly in a daze, he surveys the floor. He can see that Teiko's team remains the same as before, but as he looks at his teammates, he notices a familiar sense of helplessness and hopelessness on their faces. The determination they had at the start of the 2nd half seems to have vanished.

Even the coach, as Ichigo glances at the bench, doesn't appear overtly helpless, but his body language and eyes reveal his true feelings. It's clear that he has already accepted this as their loss.

Even Ogiwara, who is constantly trying to inspire and motivate the team during the timeout, wears a smile of helplessness on his face. It is evident that he is not content with the outcome and still wants to win. But what can he do? How can he win alone when his teammates have already given up?

As Ichigo observes the helpless and hopeless expressions on his team's faces, he is perplexed. He wonders what happened in the few seconds that his eyes were closed. What could have caused this sudden change?

As Ichigo pondered the change in his teammates, he suddenly heard an arrogant voice saying, "Pathetic. You disappoint me." Aomine, with a relaxed posture and a sneer on his face, uttered those words.

Upon hearing this, Ichigo became even more perplexed. However, as he analyzed the events that had occurred from the timeout until now, a sudden realization struck him.

"Did they believe that I had given up simply because I was standing still?" Ichigo thought to himself.

It may be difficult for Ichigo to accept, but the truth is that the change in mood within his team can only be explained in one way. As he surveys the floor, he notices that all the Teiko players are in a relaxed posture, indicating that they believe he has already given up.

Glancing at the clock, Ichigo realizes there are precisely 2 minutes and 10 seconds left in the game. Observing Aomine, the player guarding him, in a lax position, Ichigo seizes the opportunity to burst past his defense and effortlessly scores a basket without any challenge from the Teiko team, making the score 67-110.

After the successful basket, Ichigo claps loudly, the sound reverberating throughout the entire stadium, as he shouts to his teammates, "FOCUS!"

Motivated by his words, Ichigo immediately transitions into a full-court press. As Akashi receives the inbound pass, Ichigo applies intense pressure, attempting to steal the ball from him.

Anticipating the steal, Akashi swiftly spins away from Ichigo. Undeterred, Ichigo makes another attempt to steal the ball, but he suddenly feels a heavy air surround him. As he tries to poke the ball out of Akashi's hands, Akashi skillfully dribbles the ball behind his back, executing a crossover move that throws Ichigo off balance, ultimately causing him to fall on his behind.

Gazing up at Akashi, Ichigo finds him looking down with a cold expression. "Lower your head. It is held too high. Know your place," Akashi says, his tone chilling.

As Ichigo meets Akashi's gaze, he immediately feels small and insignificant, like a mere pebble on the road. Just a single look from Akashi's Emperor Eye diminishes Ichigo's confidence, reminiscent of his previous experiences with authoritative figures. That's the commanding presence Akashi exudes with his Emperor Eye.