Aomine took a few seconds to look at Himuro, and said something that surprised Momoi. "Number 12 is pretty good."
"What?" she responded, surprised by his statement. 'Since this is his first appearance at a tournament, I don't have any data on him.' she thought before taking note of his expression. 'Is he good enough to put Dai-chan on guard at a glance?'
Himuro and Tatsuya had a staredown until the former jumped to make a shot. Kagami jumped to block it, but he realised that Himuro's feet were on the ground. 'A fake?' he thought. Himuro took this opportunity to drive past him.
'It totally looked like he was going for a shot.' thought Aomine. 'I've never seen such a perfect fake.'
"No, you don't!" yelled Hyuga as he stepped up to block him.
"It's a pincer attack!" said Kagami when he landed behind Himuro, double-teaming him with Hyuga. But before any of them could react, Himuro jumped and scored a basket with a jump shot.
"I can't believe the captain and Kagami couldn't react at all." said Furihata.
"What kind of trick is he using?" asked Fukuda.
"He's not doing anything." replied Yasu, grabbing their attention, as she stared at the court with her arms crossed over her chest. "He simply stopped and made a jump shot. However, because he transitioned so smoothly, neither of them noticed him enter his shooting motion. It's an incredibly ordinary play, but each element is of the highest quality. He's the exact opposite of the formless Aomine. He adheres strictly to orthodox methods. It's like a refined dance."
'I saw what was happening, but I couldn't respond.' thought Kagami, who was still in shock of Himuro's jump shot. 'I can't believe how smoothly he moves.'
"Alright!" cheered Himuro.
"That part of you hasn't changed at all." said Kagami, when he remembered Himuro telling him that the mind must be cold and the heart should be hot.
Himuro had the ball again, and Kagami went to guard him. "You still do, don't you?" asked the former with a glare. "Somewhere in your heart, I hope you don't still think of me as your brother." Kagami's eyes widened, and he let out a gasp, knowing that Himuro was right.
The raven-haired boy jumped and made a shot. 'It's not a fake this time.' thought Kagami. 'Block!' Though he jumped and held his hand up high to block the shot, the ball seemingly went through his hand, and through the net.
'That's impossible.' thought Hyuga when he saw the shot. 'The ball passed through his shot.'
'This happened when we played street ball.' thought Kagami while staring at his hand.
"You and I are enemies." growled Himuro. "Come at me like you're trying to kill me."
Suddenly, the buzzer went off, and Riko stood at the panel with Tsuchida next to her. "Kagami!" he called, telling him that he was substituted.
"Me?" he responded, shocked by the coach's decision.
"Should we be doing this?" asked Izuki as he and the others watched Kagami reluctantly leave the court.
"They're probably giving him time to cool his head." said Kiyoshi. "Kagami's weakness is he can't separate his emotions from the game. He's too kind."
"We can't afford to worry about him, though." said Hyuga before glancing at the five Yosen players. "We've got a much bigger problem. we need to score two points off Yosen. In other words, we have to pierce the Shield of Aegis." He then looked at the team's center. "You know everything's riding on that first shot, Kiyoshi."
"I know." he said. "Honestly, it's outside my specialty, but I'll make the shot."
The game resumed with Tsuchida on the court. Like back in middle school, Kiyoshi was marking Murasakibara, and guarding him very closely. "You never learn." scoffed Murasakibara, making Kiyoshi look over his shoulder to glance at him. "I just don't understand why people work so hard when they can't win."
"Whether or not I can win doesn't matter." said Kiyoshi while looking ahead. "Working towards a goal is just so much fun I can't help myself." Murasakibara only furrowed his brows at him. "Don't you enjoy basketball?"
This seemed to have provoked the purple-haired giant. "What?" he growled. Izuki passed the ball to Kiyoshi, who jumped and made a shot when Murasakibara was blocking him. "It's annoying that you can say things like that. Both you and Kuro-chin."
"A double clutch!" said Furihata when Kiyoshi shot the ball from behind Murasakibara.
"Don't act like you've accomplished anything when you're only going to lose!" said the purple-haired boy with a glare before blocking the shot.
"It's not over yet!" warned Himuro.
Izuki caught the ball and passed back to Kiyoshi, who was already behind the three-point line. 'What?' questioned the surprised Fukui. 'When did he get there?'
'The center's shooting a three?' thought Himuro with disbelief when Kiyoshi made a shot. The ball went through the net, and Seirin scored three points.
"Alright, Kiyoshi!" cheered Koganei.
Murasakibara heaved a sigh. "It must've been a fluke." he remarked.
'Kiyoshi didn't have any threes in our data.' thought Okamura. 'He can't keep it up.'
'It's not even a clever plan.' thought Fukui.
When Yosen had the ball, Himuro scored another basket with a shot. "Damn it." cussed Tsuchida while retrieving the ball.
"Don't worry about it." assured Kiyoshi. "We're just getting started."
"We've taken enough precautions." said Hyuga. "Let's go pierce the Shield of Aegis."
Kiyoshi took the ball and bounced it towards the team's hoop, stopping in front of Fukui. "What is that?" muttered the latter.
"Let's have some fun." he said.
'This guy's the point guard?' questioned Fukui.
"What do they think they're doing?" asked Okamura.
'It's on you, Teppei.' prayed Riko.
'Is he shooting another three?' guessed Fukui when Kiyoshi looked at the hoop. Kiyoshi dashed forward and immediately stopped when Fukui caught up. 'Crap, I can't reach!' thought Fukui when Kiyoshi was making a shot.
"Everything you do is annoying, Kiyoshi!" yelled Murasakibara as he jumped to block his shot.
Aomine realised what they were doing and chuckled. "So that's how it is." he said, which caught Momoi's attention. "Seirin's going to win this battle."
Kiyoshi lowered his hand and passed the ball to Izuki. "Alright!" he said.
"What?!" gasped Fukui.
Izuki went closer to the hoop and was making a shot when Liu and Murasakibara jumped to block it. "Murasakibara's following!" shouted Fukuda.
"It's alright." assured Riko.
"What?" he responded, confused.
"His Eagle Eye is truly useful in situations like these." she said.
"Repeated attacks can't beat Murasakibara's defence." explained Aomine. "With those reflexes and his huge body, he can reach most shots without jumping. However, even Murasakibara has to jump to stop Kiyoshi's mid- and long-distance shots. If he jumps, his next move is delayed by the time it takes for him to land. He can't stop attacks like that, even if he knows they're coming."
Izuki suddenly tossed the ball behind him, surprising the two Yosen players, and Kiyoshi jumped up high to catch it. "I said it doesn't matter if I win, but don't get the wrong idea." he said. "I don't intend to lose, either!" He grabbed the ball and dunked it, scoring a basket.
The game resumed, and Kiyoshi had the ball. 'That formation...' noted Momoi with surprise. 'Are they using the same plan again? But isn't that...'
Kiyoshi did a high pass to Tsuchida, who passed to back to him when he broke away from Fukui's defense. 'I just shouldn't jump.' thought Murasakibara when he noticed the distance. But when Kiyoshi's question rang inside his head, something inside of him snapped, and he jumped to block the shot.
"Atsushi!" yelled Himuro. Kiyoshi lowered his hand and bounced pass the ball to Izuki.
'What is Murasakibara doing?' questioned Yasu, noticing the boy's odd behaviour. 'He's just repeating what he did before.'
Izuki jumped, as well as Liu and Okamura who were going to block his shot, and passed the ball to Hyuga. "Alright!" he yelled when he caught the ball. "Things are starting to flow well here, too!" He scored a basket with a three-point shot.
"He made it!" cheered Fukuda. "Nice three!"
"We're only one digit behind!" shouted Koganei. As Izuki and Kiyoshi ran to defend, Murasakibara glared at the latter.
The buzzer suddenly went off, and the panel announced, "White, time out!"
"A time out, huh?" said Aomine as he watched Araki discussing with the players. "Looks like they weren't expecting that."
"Considering Kiyoshi-san's long range shooting percentage, Muk-kun doesn't need to jump." said Momoi.
"They took precautionary measures to stop him." he said, causing her to look at him. "The first was the three he made earlier. Making that made a huge difference. Even if his percentage is low, making them think he might make another had a big impact. Furthermore, Kiyoshi's got his Right of Postponement. When he goes for a shot, he's really trying to make it at first instead of faking. The last one's only a guess, but I think he provoked Murasakibara."
"What?" responded Momoi.
"I don't know what he said." continued Aomine. "He doesn't like those kind of guys in the first place, anyway. Those measures are moving Murasakibara's body. He's even using his own hatred against him. He looks nice, but he's tough."
"Here's a towel, Tep-nii." said Yasu, who offered him a clean towel.
"Thanks, Ya-chan." he said with a smile, taking the cloth from her to wipe off the sweat on his face.
'He's sweating so much.' noted Kagami while looking at Kiyoshi. 'Of course he is. He's the point guard on offence and the center on defence. It's like doing two jobs at once. Kiyoshi-senpai's just that...' Kagami stared a head as he took a few moments to ponder on his decision before saying, "Kuroko, I need a favour." When he got the said boy's attention, he picked up something from his bag and handed it to him. "Could you go throw this out?"
"What?" responded the confused Kuroko when he saw the necklace in his hand, even Yasu gasped at this action.
"Are you sure?" she asked carefully. "We thought this was an important memento."
"It's fine." he assured. "Keeping it only makes it harder to let go. Besides, between my past with Tatsuya and my future with you, it's obvious which is more important."
Yasu raised a brow at him. "Your past with Tatsuya and your future with me?" she asked, repeating his statement.
Kagami realised what he had just said, and his face became flustered. "I-I mean, with the team!" he quickly corrected. Yasu looked at him for a moment before turning to Kuroko, who nodded at Kagami at his request.
"He's coming out." said Aomine when Kagami stepped out after the time out.
"Kagami..." muttered Furihata worriedly.
"Please." prayed Fukuda.
"It's okay." assured Kuroko, making them look at him. "No one can beat Kagami-kun now."
Fukui dribbled the ball and passed it to Himuro, who had Kagami guarding him. Himuro's eyes slightly widened when he felt intensity oozing out of Kagami. "A shot?" questioned Koganei when he jumped with the ball. But Kagami knew it was a fake, as Himuro drove past him once he landed.
Hyuga was about to block him when Himuro stepped back, faking the drive. 'Is this a fake, too?' he asked with disbelief.
Himuro jumped to make a shot, but Kagami was on the ground for a few seconds before jumping up and knocking the ball out of his hands. 'Impossible!' thought Himuro. 'He reached me with that form and from that distance?'
"The battle's only starting, Himuro!" declared Kagami before running past him. Before the ball could go out of bounds, Izuki caught it. "Izuki-senpai!
"Kagami!" yelled back Izuki before passing the ball to Kagami, who started dribbling it towards the hoop.
"Go, Kagami!"cheered the boys on the bench.
"I'll crush you this time, Kagami!" said Murasakibara.
'What should I do?' questioned the said boy, who was unsure of how to get past Murasakibara's defence.'Should I keep going, or... What am I thinking? The answer's obvious. If I turn back now, I'm no ace!' He made a quick break before jumping up high to score with a dunk. "Murasakibara!" he yelled in a challenging manner.
"Go, Kagami!"cheered the other four players.
"Kagami-kun!" yelled Kuroko.
'So high.' noted Murasakibara. 'But if that's all you think it takes to win...' With a scowl on his face, he jumped with his hand held high up to block the dunk. "Don't get ahead of yourself!" he yelled. He noticed Kagami moved his hand slightly, but he managed to slap the ball out of his hands. The latter fell to the floor from the impact.
"Kagami!" called Hyuga as he rushed over to help him up. "Kagami, are you alright?"
"Sorry." he said while standing up. "I'm fine."
'What was that?' questioned Murasakibara, thinking about the subtle movement right before he blocked Kagami's dunk. 'He was trying to do something. What was that?' Kuroko stared with his mouth agape and his widened.
"Kiyoshi!" yelled Izuki as he passed the ball to him.
As soon as he caught the ball, he was triple-teamed by Fukui, Okamura and Liu. Hyuga tried to go over and help him, but Himuro guarded him closely. Before Kiyoshi could think of a plan, Okamura knocked the ball out of his hands. 'Crap!' he cussed.
"Fast break!" said Fukui before passing the ball to Himuro, who was marked by Kagami as the latter defended.
"You're not going anywhere, Himuro!" he said. As soon as he was in front of him, Himuro jumped to shoot. 'A Mirage Shot!' thought Kagami, who recognised the move. He suddenly slipped on sweat, delaying his block. 'Damn it, slipping on sweat at a time like this.' Kagami quickly jumped to block the shot, and Himuro had just launched the ball. 'It's no use! I won't make it in time!' Unexpectedly, his fingernail scraped the ball, and it interrupted the shot as the ball bounced on the rim.
"Kagami finally stopped Himuro!" cheered Koganei.
'He just slipped right before he block the shot.' noted Yasu, who had a very surprised look. Realisation slapped her when she understood what went on just now. 'Maybe...'
Kagami passed the ball to Kiyoshi, who was triple-teamed by the same players again. "Kiyoshi!" shouted Izuki. The said boy panted for a moment before passing the ball to him while avoiding their defense. 'They're no open.' he thought when he noticed his teammates were all marked. 'I have to take the shot.' He made the shot, and it missed.
"You're rushing." remarked Murasakibara. "That's mine." Before he could get the ball, Kiyoshi beat him to it, and dunked it. Murasakibara glared at him. "Kiyoshi!
"Kiyoshi's amazing!" cheered Koganei.
Kuroko was watching the said boy run back to defense when he noticed something wrong. Kiyoshi started to fall forward, only to be caught by Kuroko. "Senpai!" he called worriedly.
"Tep-nii!" called Yasu as she rushed towards him.
"Kiyoshi-senpai!" shouted Kagami, who also rushed over with the team.
"Kiyoshi!" called Hyuga.
The referee blew his whistle and announced, "Referee time out!"
Kiyoshi panted as he tried to catch his breath. "Sorry, Kuroko." he said. "I just tripped and fell dramatically." He slowly got up and stood on his feet. "Don't worry about me.
"Teppei, are you really..." trailed off Riko worriedly, who knew what was happening to him.
"I'm fine." he assured. "Let me play. Please. We finally rose this far. I don't want to interrupt this flow. I can keep playing. Let's all win together!" Riko nodded obligingly, and the game resumed with four minutes left.
'Even if I told him to stop, he wouldn't listen.' thought Hyuga. 'In that case, at the very least, we can try to take some pressure off him on defence.' Fukui passed the ball towards Himuro, only to have it stolen by Hyuga. Kiyoshi caught the ball, but was triple-teamed again. He passed the ball to Izuki, who dribbled it towards the hoop with Mitobe and Kagami, doing a three-man attack on Murasakibara.
"What?" he said mockingly. "You think you can take me? I'll crush you all at once." Izuki passed the ball to Kiyoshi from behind, and the latter made a shot. 'His rhythm and form are off.' he noted. 'He won't make this one.' Like he had predicted, Kiyoshi missed the shot. He was about to get the rebound when Mitobe pressured him. 'This bastard. Is he using all his strength to slow me down?' He tried to reach for the ball, but Kagami dunked it, scoring a basket for the team.
"He made it!" cheered the ones on the bench.
"We're only five points behind now!" added Tsuchida.
"You can do it guys!" cheered Kuroko, along with the others.
While everyone else was cheering for Seirin, Aomine and Yasu noticed the dark look on Murasakibara, as a shadow was cast over his eyes. 'I'll show you just how cruel a sport basketball is.' he growled when Kiyoshi's question rang inside his head. "I can't take it anymore." he snapped as dark aura started shrouding him, making the whole hall feel uneasy. "It's so displeasing, I could puke. Watching you squirm."
'How are we supposed to stop this?' questioned Hyuga, who stared at Murasakibara with shock.
'Hard work, determination, faith...' thought the latter darkly. 'I'll crush them all. All of them.'
Yasu gulped, and a drop of cold sweat trickled down her temple. 'He's coming.' she thought.