Kuroko's Basketball: I'm not the boss?

In the original work, the ones who entered the Zone were Kagami, Aomine, Akashi, Murasakibara, and Kise.

Of these people, Murasakibara definitely wasn't completely passionate about basketball, but he still made it into the Zone, which shows...

The two conditions mentioned above are not mandatory! At least the second one isn't, and considering what Kise just said, absolute mental focus is required.

Is there a possibility that...?

Only geniuses or those who are extremely passionate about basketball can concentrate all their energy on the game!

Zone isn't a skill that magically enhances a player's abilities; rather, it unleashes 100% of a player's potential. Since ordinary people can't concentrate their full mental energy on basketball, Zone seems like a skill unique to geniuses.

Genius and passion are not necessarily necessary conditions; the real necessary condition is: absolute concentration!

In an instant, everything became clear.

Ignoring Kise who kept calling his name, Xiangyang immediately rushed to the basketball court, grabbed a basketball, and started dribbling. At the same time, he opened his talent panel.

A talent he only ever treated as a passive skill, never attempting to use it actively—Excessive Thinking!!

call--

Xiangyang took a deep breath.

Calm down, you need to be absolutely focused...focus...

Having lived two lives, superhuman mental strength is also an essential quality for time travelers.

Talent: Overthinking has been activated.

A cold, robotic voice echoed in my mind.

Xiang Yang frowned slightly. Even though he had focused almost all his attention on basketball, he still couldn't feel like he was in the zone.

What happened? Was the deduction wrong? Is the zone really the domain of geniuses...?

Wait a minute, didn't Kise just say "pull the trigger"?

In the original work, Vulcan's "trigger" seems to be one of his signature moves, Meteor Dunk.

What about my signature move?

Suddenly, Xiang Yang's mind stirred, and his gaze drifted toward the talent panel.

No way...it can't be you, can it??

Chapter 87 New Talent Zone

Chapter 87 New Talent —

"What is that guy doing?"

Kasamatsu looked at Hikaru, who was standing on the court with his eyes closed and dribbling with one hand, and couldn't help but ask a question.

Kise walked over to him and explained, "I just told Kosuke how to enter the zone, and then he ended up like this."

"What?! There's even a way to get into the Zone?"

Kasamatsu turned to look at Kise in surprise.

"Yes, there is, but it's rather abstract..."

Kise then quoted Aomine's original words again and explained them once more.

"So he's trying to enter the zone right now?"

Kasamatsu nodded as if he suddenly understood, then complained, "But this isn't a competition, so it's impossible to fully concentrate on the competition."

Hearing their conversation, Takeuchi secretly shook his head.

Kasamatsu is right. The Zone state requires extremely concentrated mental focus, and only a very few geniuses can reach this level in evenly matched games.

As for Qingfeng being able to enter freely, it's because his focus and talent in basketball far surpass those of ordinary people, allowing him to concentrate and enter the zone at any time during the game.

"That's too eager for quick success..."

Takeuchi sighed. He could naturally see that Hikaru's mentality had changed after losing to Kise in the training match.

But Kise is a genius. He can rival Aomine in his zone state without even entering the zone? In terms of talent, Kise is absolutely unique in basketball history.

Moreover, although he can't compare to Kise, with Xiangyang's current level, it's absolutely no problem for him to suppress Akashi and enter the national youth team.

It's impossible for Akashi to enter the Zone, right? You're kidding, where would you find so many geniuses?

The moment the idea crossed Wu's mind, he shook his head and dismissed it, thinking it impossible.

Not only Takeuchi, but the other members of Kaijo also gradually came closer to listen to Kasamatsu and Kise's conversation.

At this moment, Kobori was breathing heavily through his nostrils, and his eyes were brimming with tears as he said, "That's amazing! Xiangyang has already become so strong, yet he's still trying to break into the zone and find a breakthrough. I can't lose either! I'm going to dunk 10,000 times today!"

Kasamatsu didn't hold back either, slapping Kohori on the back of the head to calm him down.

Others also discussed the possibility of Xiangyang entering the zone, but most were pessimistic. After all, the zone isn't like cabbage on the street; there aren't that many of them.

"When Xiao Xiangyang gives up, go and comfort him! Treat him to a meal, he should be happier."

Kise rested his head on his hands, thinking to himself. Even though he had complete confidence in Xiangyang, he didn't think Xiangyang could succeed. After all, so much time had passed and he still hadn't managed to get in. If he didn't know Aomine's personality well, he would probably think Aomine was joking with him.

Xiangyang, who was on the court, was unaware of what was happening off the court. At this moment, he was completely focused on the basketball. He slowly squatted down and pulled up his pants.

In an instant, it was as if a string snapped in Xiangyang's mind. His basketball skills improved dramatically, and despite not being the "King of the Fourth Quarter," a sudden, intuitive feeling rose within him as he stood near midcourt. If...

Shooting from this position would result in a swish three-pointer. Opening his eyes, a flash of white lightning suddenly appeared in Xiangyang's gaze.

beep—

The host has been detected to have mastered a new talent – ​​Zone, which has been added to the talent panel.

New Talent:

Entering the body under conditions of high mental concentration allows one to unleash deeper levels of physical power.

(A talent that the host himself has come to understand.)

Really... entered the zone?

Xiang Yang looked at his hands, feeling a bit incredulous. He had only thought about verifying his own idea after hearing Kise's words, but he hadn't expected to actually do it. His signature move, the "trigger," was actually actually pulling up his pants for defense???

Huh? Why are there so many people standing on the sidelines?

In zone mode, Xiangyang's attention was mostly on the basketball, and it took him a while to realize that everyone from Kaijo was standing on the sidelines of the court.

Coach Takeuchi stared wide-eyed, his face filled with disbelief, his jaw agape so wide it looked like he could fit an egg in it.

Kasamatsu stopped halfway through his fight with Kobori and looked at Hikaru with an expression as if he were looking at a monster.

The substitutes from Haichang also looked like they'd seen a ghost in broad daylight.

Only Kise, after a brief moment of surprise, rushed forward and pounced on Xiangyang.

"Little Xiangyang!! Teach me!!"

……

"Hey, Ms. Masako, I'd like to bring a friend over for dinner tonight, is that alright?"

Hearing the silence on the other end of the phone, Xiang Yang added, "Don't worry, this friend isn't Coach Takeuchi."

After a two-second silence, a light "okay" came from the other end of the phone.

call--

Xiang Yang breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, he reacted quickly and made it clear that he wasn't Takeuchi, otherwise he would most likely have been rejected.

"I'm taking you to my training area now... so get off me!"

Xiangyang looked indignantly at Kise clinging to his back. Ever since he entered the zone at the stadium, this bastard had been hanging on him.

"No, no, I won't get up until you teach me how to enter the zone!"

Kise grabbed Hiyori's head with both hands, looking like he was determined to pester her to the very end.

"I told you! You have to be fully focused, and then pull the trigger... just like Aomine said."

Seeing Kise's resentful expression, Xiangyang helplessly repeated Aomine's words again.

It's not that I'm hiding my abilities; Aomine really didn't lie to Kise about how to enter the zone, and even Hideaki couldn't think of a good word to describe the feeling.

And so, Kise lay on Xiangyang's back, muttering "stingy" and "liar" all the way.

"My physical strength has really improved a lot," Xiangyang thought to himself, looking at the Shark Gym in front of him.

Before being trained by Masako, he would never have been able to carry Kise to the Shark Gym.

Once Kise saw that they had arrived at their destination, he stopped causing trouble and climbed down from Xiangyang's back, curiously looking around at the place.

"I'm back."

Xiang Yang opened the gym door and called out familiarly. Kise followed closely behind him, looking around.

At this moment, Masako came out. She glanced at Xiangyang silently without saying a word, then looked at Kise.

He nodded, which was his way of saying hello.

Unlike Kise's restraint, Xiangyang pulled him directly to sit on the sofa, put his legs up on the coffee table, and casually called out to Masako, "Miss Masako, I want to eat steak tonight."

"I remember your indulgence meal won't be until next week."

Masako poured a glass of water for the two of them, and said without even glancing at Xiangyang.

"What does it matter? We have guests."

Xiang Yang shrugged and said excitedly, "I'll help you cook!"

Shark Gym not only has a basketball court, but also a small kitchen.

Xiangyang turned to Kise and said, "Genius, sit down for a while. There are some exercise machines over there; you can go and play with them." Then he put his hands behind his head, humming a little tune, and followed behind Masako.

Kise, sitting on the sofa, stared blankly at the scene.

Isn't that person Coach Takeuchi's crush? Why do they seem to know each other so well?

The two were unaware of Kise's true feelings, and they entered the kitchen one after the other.

You seem to be in a good mood today.

Masako turned her head and glanced at Xiangyang.