When the buzzer went off, both teams returned to the court, with Koganei substituting Kuroko while the latter rested on the bench with Yasu taking care of him. 'It's not as though I doubt him, but if he doesn't return to the court, we're more than screwed.' thought Kagami. 'I've been saved by his little ass tons of times. Believe, but don't expect anything. We don't want to be too far behind when he returns. Beating Aomine doesn't matter anymore.' Kagami stood in front of Touou's ace and thought, 'This time I'll save him.'
With eight minutes left before the end of the first half, the game continued with Seirin having the ball. Izuki dribbled the ball and passed it to Kagami, who was marked by Aomine. The two of them stared at each other for a second before Kagami passed the ball to Kiyoshi when he was open.
'Over here!' thought Wakamatsu when he saw Kiyoshi leaning towards Izuki. But as soon as he went towards that direction, Kiyoshi drove past him from the other side. "Damn it!" he cussed. Kiyoshi made it to the team's hoop and scored with a lay-up.
"Alright!" cheered the boys on the bench.
"Nice shot!" shouted Fukuda.
"Was I imagining things?" scoffed Aomine when Kagami walked by him, stopping the latter in his tracks. "I thought you looked ready to go when you stepped on the court."
"Shut up." scolded the latter. "Kiyoshi-san just happened to be in a good position." When Seirin returned to defence, Aomine had the ball while Kagami guarded him. "Don't worry. I have no intention of running." Aomine only furrowed his brow while bouncing the ball.
'A change of pace...' noted Murasakibara.
'It's one of Aomine's strengths.' thought Midorima. 'Even if you predict his timing, stopping him is nearly impossible. However, more importantly...'
'Kagamicchi's stance...' noted Kise, who was thinking the same thing as the other two. 'It's a relaxed and natural stance, just like Aominecchi's!'
'Here it comes.' thought Akashi when he saw Aomine's expression, ready to attack.
Kagami reached out and tried to steal the ball. But Aomine switched it to his other hand, and jumped up to score a basket. Yasu stared at Kagami with an intense gaze, while Riko watched as she recalled what the manager had told her about Kagami's development back in the gym, where the Seirin basketball team practised. To everyone's surprise, Kagami caught up and smacked the ball away, blocking Aomine's formless shot.
"What?!" gasped Imayoshi, who was as shocked as the rest. Even Aomine was shocked by the block.
'Did Kuroko-kun's total loss unleash his strength?' questioned Riko. 'By going from saved to savior, the power he's been unconsciously suppressing is being released. Is this Kagami-kun's true strength?' The said boy's teammates stared at him with shock, still trying to register what had happened.
"Good." said Aomine with a grin. "You're finally getting excited." He turned around to look at Kagami. "Honestly, I didn't expect much from you, but you've improved considerably. I might be able to play a little harder this time." Yasu noticed his dark expression, which made her furrow her brows. The game resumed with Aomine having the ball again, with Seirin's ace marking him. "Entertain me, Kagami!" He charged ahead, but turned around and drove past him from the other side, catching the said boy off guard.
'I already thought he was unbelievably fast, but he's going even faster!' thought Izuki, who was also shocked by Aomine's pace.
Kagami managed to catch up but Aomine slammed the ball to the ground, making bounce towards the hoop. "Alright!" yelled Wakamatsu as he jumped up to catch the ball so that he could do an alley-oop. "Leave it to me!"
'No, Aomine won't let his own teammates touch the ball.' thought Yasu with a serious look, being familiar with the said boy's style.
And just like she had thought, Aomine drove past Kagami. "Don't jump to conclusions." he scoffed. "Of course it isn't!" He took the ball away when Wakamatsu was about to grab it, and made a shot behind his back.
"He wasn't even looking at the basket!" noted Furihata.
"He stole the ball from his own teammate!" said Kawahara.
"You're so confusing, Aomine!" scolded Wakamatsu as he trailed behind Aomine with a vein throbbing on his cheek.
"Don't interfere with my play." scoffed the said boy. "When I get the ball, give me some room."
"What?!" responded his angry teammate.
But Aomine ignored him, as he said, "I finally have a real opponent. Stay out of my way."
The second-year stood and glared at him while gritting his teeth, with more veins throbbing on his cheeks and fist, as blood started to ooze out of his skull. "Wakamatsu-san..." called the nervous Sakurai, who was trying to calm him down.
Kagami caught the ball, and Aomine was marking him. "A screen?!" said Sakurai when he noticed Koganei standing behind Touou's ace. Kagami drove past Aomine, but the latter got around Koganei, who immediately tensed up.
'Not only did he he dodge it, Aomine's completely unfazed!' thought Hyuga.
'He's not trying to pass me.' noted Aomine when he saw Kagami's stance. The latter bounced the ball to the other side before jumping up with the ball in his hand. "Damn it!" he cussed as he tried to block Kagami's shot, but failed as the ball went through the net.
"Kagami's evenly matched with Aomine." commented Tsuchida. Yasu glanced at Kuroko, who watched with a surprised look.
"Kagami, did I do something I shouldn't have?" asked Koganei as he ran up to the said boy.
"No way." he replied. "I don't think your presence changed the outcome, though."
"What?!" responded the senior, who froze upon hearing the last sentence.
"Sorry, but could you leave Aomine to me?" asked Kagami to his teammates. "I think... I think I'm almost there."
The upperclassmen approved his request. Aomine had the ball and tried to dribble past Kagami, who was closely guarding him. 'This always happens in a battle between members of the Generation of Miracles, but to think this is happening with Kagami...' thought Imayoshi with an uneasy expression.
'What a battle!' commented Hyuga. 'Even if I wanted to help, they're way too good for me!'
"This balance will collapse soon." said Midorima, causing Takao to look at him. "They're both going all out, but they haven't reached 100% yet."
'Even if that happens...' thought Kise. 'Honestly speaking, I can't imagine Aominecchi losing.'
Finally, Aomine halted and jumped to do another formless shot. But the next thing that happened caught everyone off guard. Kagami jumped high enough to block the shot. Even the rest of the Generation of Miracles were shocked. "Kagami!" cheered the benchwarmers.
"What?" said the shocked Imayoshi, who had his eyes wide open.
'He blocked a full throttle Aominecchi shot?' questioned Kise, who had the same expression.
'That's impossible!' thought Midorima. 'Could it be? Is Kagami better than Aomine?' Kuroko and Yasu had shock written all over their faces when they witnessed the block.
"I don't mind entertaining you if you can afford to take it that easy." scoffed Kagami.
"Bastard!" cussed Aomine, who was glaring at him.
The game went on with Aomine having the ball while Kagami guarded him, trying to prevent the former from getting past his defence. "Aomine's attacks are being stopped?!" questioned Wakamatsu with disbelief. Aomine jumped to make a shot but Kagami caught up to block it. Aomine then landed, doing a fake, and drove in, only to have the latter catching up, which surprised the other Touou players.
"Amazing!" cheered Furihata.
"Nice defense, Kagami!" shouted Fukuda.
'What's going on?' questioned Imayoshi with a shock look. 'How is Kagami keeping up?'
'Is he predicting Aomine's movements?' questioned Midorima. 'No, that's impossible. But Aomine's so fast, if you wait until he moves, you can't respond in time.'
"It's hard to put into words, but he feels like a wild beast right now." commented Kise, which was heard by Kasamatsu.
"I don't know where he learned that." said Shutoku's coach.
"Yeah." said Kagetora with a smirk. "We struggled a lot with those types when we played."
'He must have gone to see Alex.' thought Himuro, who recognised Kagami's moves. "You've taken drastic measures again, Taiga." he commented, which caused Murasakibara to glance at him when he heard him.
'Kagami must've gotten his training from the other street ball players when he went to see Alex and father.' thought Yasu.
The ball bounced on the rim, and Wakamatsu jumped to get the rebound. To his surprise, Kagami jumped even higher and caught the ball. 'He's so quick to take off!' noted the Touou center. 'How can he jump with that timing?!'
As soon as Kagami landed, he passed the ball to Izuki, who dribbled it towards the hoop with Sakurai running beside him. 'We're two points behind.' he noted. 'If we make this, we can end the quarter tied! Please!' He then passed the ball while yelling, "Kagami!"
The said boy caught the ball and jumped to attempt a formless shot. "Don't be ridiculous!" scoffed Aomine. "You're not ready for that!" He jumped to block the shot, only to have his fingertip graze the ball as it went to the hoop, spinning around it before bouncing off right at when the buzzer went off.
"I can't believe you tried this." scolded Hyuga. "You're out of control in a lot of ways!"
"I felt like I could do it, so..." trailed off Kagami while rubbing the back of his head.
Yasu heaved a sigh. "He's really reckless without realising it himself." she remarked. On the other hand, Aomine stared at his finger that was bruised from blocking the shot.
"We will now be taking a break." announced the panel. "The third quarter will begin in ten minutes."
Both teams began leaving the court to return to their respective locker rooms. Yasu was about to follow her team when she noticed Aomine walking away from his. She noticed the subtle change in his body language and smiled. 'Seems like he's finally found an opponent against whom he can play his hardest.' she thought before catching up with her teammates. 'He is probably beside himself with joy.'
Inside the locker room, Yasu took out a sealed container and opened the lid to reveal honey-soaked lemons. She walked up to her seniors who played on court and held the container towards them. "Have some of these." she said with a smile.
The three of them smiled as Hyuga took the container, and began eating the sliced lemons. Izuki and Koganei joined him. "Thanks, Yasu!" they said in unison.
The said girl nodded at them before looking around to see that the two weren't around. But she was aware of where they had went to, and a small smile was formed on her lips. 'Looks like Kagami went to talk to Kuroko.' she thought.
~Time skip~
When the ten-minute interval was up, both teams returned to the court. Aomine entered the court with a wide grin, and Kuroko joining his teammates while adjusting his wristband, which surprised everyone. 'Kagami's awakening closed the gap to two points, but it's still not enough.' thought Kagetora before his gaze landed on Kuroko. 'We need him to win, but...'
"Should he even be playing?" asked Wakamatsu. "I'm surprised he's even on the court after being destroyed by Aomine, but what can he do?"
Once both teams were ready, the referee blew his whistle to start the third quarter. Imayoshi was dribbling the ball when Izuki came up to guard him. "Don't look so angry." mocked the captain when he saw the latter's expression. 'Their defence is good.' he noted. 'They've all improved their fundamental skills. Not that it matters.' He passed the ball to Aomine, who was still marked by Kagami.
'This guy...' thought Seirin's ace when he took note of the former's expression. Suddenly, Aomine drove past Kagami, which caught his opponents off guard with his speed. 'What's going on?! Aomine should've already been playing at full power, but he's getting faster! That's impossible!'
'It's no use!' thought Kiyoshi while rushing over to defend. 'I won't make it in time!'
Yasu looked over, and her eyes widened before she shot up from the bench. "Stop, Aomine!" she yelled.
The said boy heard her and noticed what she warning him about, but he was too late. He bumped into Kuroko, making him fall to the ground. The referee blew his whistle when witnessed this. "Charging!" he shouted. "Black, number 5!"
"What?!" responded the surprised Wakamatsu.
'Even if he'd gone to help after Aomine passed him, he would've been too late.' thought Imayoshi. 'Did he predict his course?'
"If you can predict my movements, isn't the opposite true, as well?" asked Kuroko while trying to get up. "We both spend that time together. We get along when it comes to basketball, Aomine-kun."
"You've done it now, Tetsu." scoffed Aomine.
Kagami went to his teammate and helped him up. "Sorry." he said. "Thanks."
"You're welcome." said Kuroko as he stood on his feet while Kagami stared at Aomine.
"Let's go!" yelled Izuki while dribbling the ball.
Kuroko broke past Susa's defence. "Crap!" he cussed when he realised the former was gone.
Izuki passed the ball to Kuroko, who directed it towards Kagami. 'Is he not doing anything on offence?' questioned Wakamatsu. Kagami then bounced his pass to Kiyoshi, who passed it to Kuroko. The latter then used Ignite Pass when changing the passing course. "He is?!" said Wakamatsu, realising he had assumed wrongly.
"Ow!" exclaimed Hyuga when he caught the ball. By the time Sakurai realised Seirin's captain had the ball, the latter had scored with a three-point shot. "Yeah!"
"Alright, Captain!" cheered Kawahara.
"Kuroko!" called Hyuga.
"Nice shot." praised the said boy.
"That pass hurts really bad!" snapped the captain, showing his swollen hand to him.
"Sorry." said Kuroko.
'Was that an Ignite Pass?' wondered Sakurai when he recognised the move. 'I thought only Kagami could catch those.'
As if she could hear his thoughts, Riko smirked while thinking, 'They've improved that much. Now that they've all improved physically, every one of them can receive an ordinary Ignite Pass.'
'However, I had to spend more money on ice for that.' thought Yasu with a sheepish smile when she recalled having to place ice packs on their swollen hands every time they caught the pass.
"Alright, defence!" yelled Hyuga. "Let's stop them!"
"Yeah!" shouted his teammates.
"They're really going at it." said Kise.
"Of course they are." said Kasamatsu.
"Is Seirin finally making their comeback?" questioned Takao.
"Impressive." said Imayoshi mockingly while bouncing the ball. "The team is completely different with him." He then glanced at Kuroko and thought, 'But he's not doing anything special. On offence, he doesn't overextend when Aomine is near, and he only passes when he's far away. On defence, he uses his experience and Kagami's assistance. He's supporting as best he can with his current set of weapons. He's sacrificing himself for the team. You got me.'
He looked at Izuki, who was guarding him, and said, "How admirable. It's so admirable, I could cry. But doing your best doesn't guarantee victory. It's not that easy."
'He feels different.' noted Izuki, who felt uneasy about the Touou team captain.
Aomine took a deep breath before letting it out. 'Is he...' trailed off Kagami when he noticed this.
"Things have mostly gone according to plan so far." said Touou's coach. "It's a shame he just came on the court, but we need to keep him under control."
Momoi stared at the floor while recalling what she said to Riko back at the hot springs. "Yes." she muttered after looking ahead. 'I'm sorry, Tetsu-kun.' she thought. 'But when it comes to Yasu-chan, I won't hold back, especially when I've admired her for so long.'
Imayoshi bounced the ball a few times before jumping with the ball in his hands. 'A sudden shot?!' questioned Izuki while he jumped to block the shot. But instead of shooting, Imayoshi passed the ball to Wakamatsu. 'Crap! It's a fake!'
"Nice pass!" shouted Wakamatsu before scoring a basket with a lay-up, leaving Touou to be ahead of Seirin by one point.
"Damn it." cussed Izuki.
"Don't worry about it, Izuki." said Hyuga, who went to retrieve the ball. "We're in control of the game."
The said boy was dribbling the ball when he and the rest from Seirin were shocked to see what was happening on the court. "You're kidding!" gasped Riko as she shot up from her seat, followed by Yasu standing agape with horror.
"We're the ones in control." said Imayoshi darkly. "You must really underestimate us."
"Imayoshi-nii's on Kuroko?!" exclaimed Yasu, who glanced at Momoi, knowing that this was one of her strategies.
"Did you know?" taunted Imayoshi to Kuroko. "Some things can be only seen from behind the mirror."