03x24 - So It Was You

[bunniefuu]

Who am I?

Who am I?

I...

I am...

You are my weakness.

I was trying to save it by winning.

Something irreplaceable.

Our guilt will stay with us forever.

I thought it couldn't hurt to lose.

But it seems I was wrong.

How dare you ask who I am?

EPISODE 74 IT WAS YOU

You want to play?

Akashi,
you could barely play a second ago!

You're sure you're okay?

Yes. I disgraced myself.

I feel badly about it.

I'm sorry.

What?

No way. Sei-chan apologized?

I want you to lend me your strength again
so we can beat Seirin.

RAKUZAN - SEIRIN

Defense!

-Let's stop them! No matter what!
-Yeah!

-Let's go, Kagami.
-Yeah.

What is this?
Akashi's changed in some way.

He's coming. Focus.

I can't beat Akashi
unless I focus completely.

It's been a while...

Kuroko.

What?

That was a beautiful shot.

Well done, Mibuchi.

No way. Sei-chan cheered me on?

And the position, timing, and angle
of the ball's seams against my fingers...

were perfect just now.

I've never taken such a comfortable shot
during a game before.

What's going on?

This is getting exciting.

That pass told me everything.

Those are the passes we received.

Which means...

Akashi is back to his old self.

What? Seriously?

Now that the true Akashi's awake,

he's almost certainly stronger
than before.

In other words, the real game starts now.

Bring it on!

Crap! What a pass!

And this space...

This place is my specialty!

This speed at this distance...

This is bad. It's Hayama in his best form.

Yeah!

All right!

Akashi's changed since the time-out.

Rakuzan has regained their composure,
but we're scoring too.

But I feel uneasy.

Why do I feel like something's wrong?

That's odd. What's going on?

He's amazing,

but the other members of the Generation
of Miracles were far more threatening.

Did I imagine that chill earlier?

Doesn't Akashi seem surprisingly normal?

Normal? Yeah, right.

As a point guard myself,
he looks like a monster to me.

High-speed passes from a still position.

The ability to dribble
without looking at his hands.

Total vision of the court.

At first glance, it looks like Akashi's
making assists, but that's not all.

As Akashi's teammates receive his passes,
their movements improve.

Perfect passes create perfect rhythm.

Akashi's Emperor Eye sees
opponents and allies alike.

He easily makes what should
be impossible passes,

drawing out the full potential
of his teammates.

The Zone...

We're just getting started.

Relax. This game won't turn out
the way you fear it will.

I've simply returned to a previous state.

I won't change dramatically anymore.

However, the same can't be said
for the other four.

No way.

All five of them are in the Zone?

No way.

The Zone is attainable by the
Generation of Miracles and Kagami's class.

Only a few prodigies can enter it.

That's not a complete Zone.

Akashi's drawn out their potential
to a level approaching the Zone.

It's only possible because
they're the Uncrowned Kings.

What are we supposed to do?

There's nothing they can do.

I almost feel sorry for Seirin.
It's tragic.

This pressure...

It's no use. I can't go for Barrier
Jumpers, much less normal shots.

Izuki! Crap!

This is bad! Run back!

This speed...

You're going nowhere!

Then how about this?

Lightning Dribble Level 5!

Damn it. He's better than the others.

What?
Are you sure you want it there, Akashi?

Don't blame me if they steal the ball.

If you say so, it must be all right.

An alley-oop with Nebuya?

It's not over yet!

Kagami!

No.

That's not your place anymore, Kagami.

I can't reach him!

No way.

What should we do? This is getting bad.

And we've finally reached...

the limits of Kagami's stamina.

I can't breathe.

My limbs feel alien and heavy.

My mind is dull.
I can't properly assess the situation.

This is bad. I'm nearly running on empty.

This is bad. He's out of the Zone.

Kagami's completely out of gas.

We can't win without Kagami.

We can't use anymore time-outs either.

Isn't there anything we can do?

Damn it. It's not over yet!

You're slowing down.

You think I'll let you take that shot?

It's no use. I can't get in position.

His knee is finally screaming.

But I'll show no mercy.

This is a battle!

Perfect. It's time to repay the favor!

Look, look, look.

Predict Hayama's movements.

You don't have to stop him.

At least slow them down with a foul.

It'll give Kagami a few seconds of rest.

This is the pseudo Emperor Eye.

Kuroko!

Pushing, black No. 11!

That was close.

No, wait. Isn't this bad?

Kagami's not the only one.

Everyone's approaching their limit.

Their physical abilities are dropping.

In contrast, Akashi's
improving Rakuzan's performance.

The difference is too great.

It's no use.

It's over.

This is the end.

You can do it, Kuroko!

Don't give up!

You can do it, Kuroko!

Ogiwara...

That's him?

That kid...

That's Tetsu's friend
we played at the national finals.

Ogiwara...

But I...

Come on, Mochi. Cheer for him.

O-Okay.

Right.

Sheesh. I can't watch this.

Tetsu, Kagami!

You beat us!

If you don't beat Rakuzan, I'll k*ll you!

Aomine...

Dai-chan?

Just so you know, so will I!

Win, Seirin!

Beat Akashi! Beat Rakuzan!

You're not saying anything, Atsushi?

I'd never do that.

Don't give up, Seirin!

Seirin!

It wouldn't be interesting otherwise.

Kuroko.

Cheers really lift you up, don't they?

Yes.

Do you have a second?

RAKUZAN - SEIRIN

Seirin was discussing something
amongst themselves.

Is there something they can do
to stop Rakuzan?

If there is, it's the Zone greater
than the Zone Dai-chan mentioned.

But...

Can he move those huge doors
and the man standing in front of them?

At the very least,
I couldn't make them budge.

They're running a tight man-to-man defense
with Kagami on me.

Nothing has changed.

Kagami has recovered,
but not enough to reenter the Zone.

It's the same for the other four.

They're moving,
but they're not faster than before.

But...

What is this mysterious pressure?

Not even their quick passes are enough
to make their defense crumble.

It feels like they're matching
their movements to something else.

Sei-chan!

-What?
-That was good!

Kagami? When did he enter the Zone?

I believe it.

I had a bad feeling about this.

You haven't surprised me!

Was he prepared for this?

A double clutch?

They stopped him!

What was that?

We caught Seirin off guard,
but they all reacted immediately.

Regardless, how are they able to
coordinate with Kagami's movements?

I see. I get it.

So that's how it is.

Dai-chan?

They're matching Kagami.

Could it be that the true Zone is...

That's right. It's not fighting alone.

It's fighting as a team!

No wonder it wouldn't open.

I'd already abandoned you.

He wasn't a gatekeeper.

The man standing in front of the door...

It was you, Tetsu.

They're synchronizing their movements
with a second of eye contact.

Super high-speed teamwork
matching Kagami's Zone speed.

The Direct Drive Zone!

He passed him!

Go, Kagami!

I can't keep up with Kagami's speed
if I think.

Don't think. Trust your intuition.

We can do it.

Believe in our bonds.

Yes!

What just happened?

It was too fast to keep up.

Team play at the Zone's speed?

How is the even possible?

This is the Zone greater than the Zone
that lies beyond that door.

No, this is its true form.

The true Zone.

Maybe I can't win by myself.

Yeah. I think you're right, Dai-chan.

They're playing as one.

Seirin is an amazing team.

Yeah. Just watching them is exciting.

I'd like to try playing
with them sometime.

Defense, let's stop them!

Yeah!

Focus. Don't miss the shift
in his center of gravity.

If we leave defeated now,
it'll all be for nothing!

Is that heaven?

Pass, Mibuchi!

It's a trap!

They stopped them!

Yes! Go!

Get Hyuga, Mayuzumi!

This is intense.

There's no room to breathe.

But Seirin's winning.

Akashi is supporting his team
with Emperor Eye...

but Seirin's coordination
is slightly faster.

If Seirin blocks
another one of Rakuzan's attacks...

they'll be able to score.

Then they'll be only three points behind.
They could win.

If we can stop them,
victory will be in reach!

Dig deep! Give every last drop!

Defense!

I will win.

You're far too inexperienced
to beat Rakuzan.

Kagami has entered the true Zone,
but Rakuzan's victory is still secure!

We won't give up until the end.

We'll fight together, as hard as we can.

Yeah. Let show them
how we play basketball, Kuroko!

Yes, Kagami!