"Oh, that's a relief. It looks like I haven't missed much."
Kaga Michiko was like a little kid on Christmas as she walked into the large room where the first quarter-final game of the Inter-High was being held. She had a pair of dark sunglasses on, but even in the crowded arena she could see pretty well. She had two aids with her, or "bodyguards" if you will. They always accompanied her at all times. Another way to put it, they were like her secretaries. One of these two men was Yuki's father, Sugawara Eiji. He was well-built for a man of his age. He had dark hair and dark stern eyes. From that, anyone could see that Yuki didn't get her looks from him, but rather her mother.
"Oooooohh, but things are looking so serious already~" Michiko found herself a seat at the very top of the viewing area. Her two aids sat next to her. It wasn't exactly comfortably to be in such a crowded area with suits, but they would bear with it.
Eiji glanced down to find his daughter. It didn't take him long. She really stood out down there.
Michiko giggled like a schoolgirl as she pulled out a camera and started taking picture after picture of Naruto, who was glaring right at Aomine.
"My Naruto looks so serious. He's so different from usual. It's adorable!"
She squealed some, causing other nearby audience members to look at her like she was crazy.
Her other aid sweatdropped. "K-Kaga-sama, I know that you're excited to see your son play live for the first time. But this is…..."
Couldn't she be a little bit more dignified? She was the head of a company, after all!
"Eh? Don't start lecturing me, Hiroji." The woman almost pouted. "I made sure to get all my work done just so that I could come all the way out here for this. I haven't even been able to see my son for most of the summer. Don't ruin this moment for me."
Practice and matches had kept Naruto out of the house after his team got to qualify for the Inter-High. After that, he had to come all the way to this city for the tournament. He was lodging at a hotel with the rest of his teammates, which meant he hadn't been home for almost a week now. That's why Michiko was so excited for today. She was able to see her baby boy for the first time in over a week. She was glad Yuki had texted her about this.
Ito Hiroji, the other aid, looked like he wanted to say something else. He was a rather timid looking fellow. The exact opposite of Eiji. But he had still managed to climb his way to this position, even with all the competition. That's why he was able to have confidence in himself, despite what his looks would suggest.
"Just drop it, Hiroji," Eiji spoke up. "Let Kaga-sama have this moment. The attention isn't on us, after all."
No, it was on the players down in the court.
Hiroji sighed but relented, saying nothing else.
Michiko smiled as she snapped more pictures.
'Now, Naruto. Let me see you play.'
Unaware of his mother's presence in the arena, Naruto glared directly at Aomine who was staring back at him and Kise.
"Is that what you're going to do? Fight me together? Ha, don't make me laugh. You've gotten soft, Kise!" He narrowed his eyes somewhat. "Or is it that you've started thinking like Tetsu after losing to him?"
"Don't misunderstand the situation, Aominecchi," Kise responded with a half-smile. "I'm only doing everything in my power to defeat you. I don't have any other incentive but that."
Although, if Kise was being honest, he had come to respect Kuroko's way of thinking. That had no bearing in this match, though. In the end, it just had to do with his selfish desire to win against Aomine for the first time.
"Stop worrying about such pointless things," Naruto said as he made his way back to the others. "If there's anything else you got to say, then say it on the court. Otherwise, shut up."
Kise pouted as he followed his friend. "That's just mean, Uzumakicchi! I was trying to be cool there, ya know!"
"That's what makes you so uncool."
"That hurts my feelings!"
"Like I care, dumbass."
Kise could only cry more. He was always being mistreated!
Aomine watched them go. He had to laugh a little at the sight. They were certainly amusing, he would give them that. They even had more skill than he had anticipated. Stealing the ball from him like that…...it just got his blood pumping.
'It looks like I might be able to play harder this time…...!'
He couldn't ask for more.
On the side, Momoi noticed Aomine's change of attitude. While he had been sort of interested when facing Kuroko, he hadn't been outright excited either. If anything, he had become disappointed almost immediately. But now…...this went beyond excitement. She couldn't describe it. But she knew one thing.
Aomine wasn't going to play easy for this game.
Yuki was just happy to see that Naruto was no longer annoyed. Playing like that would just lead to mistakes.
"Alright, we can keep going like this," the coach said next to her. "Kise and Uzumaki seem to be on board with the strategy too."
"Understand? Understand what, sensei?" the girl asked, not understanding.
The coach just smiled, though. "You'll see soon enough."
She would indeed.
Even with that surprising turnaround, the game was only just starting. Wakamatsu had the ball and was looking to throw it in. He was scowling as he passed it to Imayoshi.
'T'ch, don't get ahead of yourselves just because you managed to stop Aomine once, you shitheads.'
Being underestimated like this…...it really pissed Wakamatsu off.
"Now, now, there's no reason to act so rashly," Imayoshi said as he started to slowly dribble the ball down the court. "We should take it easy." He was stopped right before he could cross the center line by Kasamatsu, who looked more than determined to get another turnaround. Capitalizing on Naruto's small victory against Aomine would be a sure way to take the first quarter for themselves.
Imayoshi knew this well. That's why he needed to crush that hope right away.
The two captains had a small stare-off before Imayoshi went on the attack. He tried to dribble past Kasamatsu, but the Kaijō captain wasn't going to let that happen so easily. He might not have as a tight defense as Nakamura, but he still made sure to keep up the pressure.
'This guy…...' Imayoshi frowned somewhat as he stopped for a moment. 'He's really serious about this, huh?'
So bothersome. Going so serious so early in the game…...well, expecting something different from them would be ridiculous too.
Imayoshi went on the move again, only this time it wasn't to get around Kasamatsu. He yielded this small defeat, but it wasn't like he was going to give up the game either. He threw a quick pass to Wakamatsu, who was open.
With the ball in hand, the center quickly charged for the basket. A quick attack was the only way to catch Kaijō off guard. He knew this well, but like before Kobori stood in his way. Unlike before, though, Wakamatsu was in a better position to attack. He did a rather quick spin to get around, which caught Kobori off guard. Centers who could move this swiftly were rare. He still managed to jump in time to mount a defense against Wakamatsu's attack, though. But that did little good as Wakamatsu was able to get his layup in time to score.
It wasn't as exciting as before, but the end result was the same. Tōō had just paid Kaijō back.
"It looks like Tōō has more than enough strength to push forward," Kiyoshi noted, impressed by Wakamatsu's performance.
"Stopping them here would have been a great benefit to Kaijō," Riko said, her eyes narrowed. "But….."
"Don't get so excited, you fools!" Kasamatsu didn't waste throwing the ball back in, right to Naruto's hands. And it was he who stood before Aomine this time, not Kise.
"Looks like they're taking the direct approach," Riko finished, not surprised by Kasamatsu's pass. But she was surprised by this change up.
Down on the court, everything seemed to stop for a second. Even Aomine was a little surprised. He hadn't noticed Naruto and Kise changing marks, but here it was. Naruto, facing off against him.
'W-What's going on?' Imayoshi was confused. He was certain Kise would be sticking against Aomine. But this was…...
Kagami leaned forward in his seat in anticipation. 'So it's a one-on-one…..Uzumaki versus Aomine…'
It would be their first clash with no outside interference.
Kise stood by Susa. The blond didn't look annoyed or anything. No, he was focused. More focused than he had ever been before. This strategy left him feeling a little sour since it looked like he was retreating. But that couldn't be helped. It was like he had said earlier. He wanted to win here.
He was willing to do anything for that.
Aomine didn't let this bug him for long, though. Instead, he grinned. "Bring it, Uzumaki."
Naruto didn't answer. He dribbled the ball for a second or so before every muscle in his body tensed. Aomine could see it. The moment of attack was coming.
It was almost like wind had gathered around the Uzumaki as he quickly took off to the right in a straightforward drive, just like Kise had attempted. But Aomine was right there, blocking his path. In response, Naruto dribbled the ball harder to make it bounce higher than before. It did, shooting to the left.
Momoi gasped again. 'That's-!'
With his quick reaction time, Naruto grabbed the airborne ball and bolted to the left, where it was open.
'Ha, not bad!' If Aomine was shocked to see his own movements used against him like this, he didn't let it bother him. Instead, he swiftly backpedaled to his right, exactly where Naruto was. Naruto's show of speed was doing nothing to slow him down.
'It's no use!' Yuki thought with wide eyes. 'He can't get around!'
'Yeah, that's pretty much it,' a smiling Imayoshi thought. 'Working together might produce a better result, but if he's alone, there's no way Uzumaki can-'
The words were drowned from his mind when Naruto pulled off a second fake. He tossed the ball behind his back. It was through this that he was able to catch it with his right hand again, before he shot back to his original path.
Aomine saw the movements and aimed to cut him off again. But Naruto had moved so perfectly, that he was a split of a second too late to react in time.
That's all Naruto needed. He was able to get past Aomine, at which point he went right for the basket.
'Oi, that's just-!' Imayoshi was frozen in place, disbelief visible on his face. The other Tōō players had similar reactions. Only Aomine didn't let this stop him, as he quickly chased after Naruto who was already making to jump for the dunk.
"Don't think it's that easy!" Aomine shouted as he jumped to slam the ball down.
A small grin reached Naruto's face. "No, that's just not going to cut it."
Aomine didn't understand what he meant by that, but when he saw the blond bringing his arm back he pieced it together.
'This bastard, he can't be…...!'
But he was. Naruto brought his arm forward again, where he shot the ball right for the basket. Aomine's hand was unable to catch up in time, and so the ball went in uncontested.
Naruto scored.
The audience started cheering again, amazed by what they had just seen.
"Y-You have to be kidding me," a shocked Furihata said from his seat. "What he did just now….."
Kuroko slowly nodded. "Yes. Uzumaki-kun pulled off a Formless Shot again Aomine-kun."
In his match against Kise, Naruto had done the same thing. But at the time, it had looked clumsy and kind of awkward. But now, it was more refined. The shot had been done with the utmost confidence. With that sort of mindset, there was no way it wasn't going in.
"But scoring a shot like that on Aomine of all people…..." Hyūga trailed off. He was too in awe to be able to speak right now.
That mentally rang true for the players in Tōō too. They hadn't been expecting for a move like that to work. Not against Aomine.
"You're crazy in more ways than one," Kasamatsu said as he slapped Naruto in the back.
"Goddammit, that hurts, captain!" the blond flinched. The older teen had some strength in him.
"But it's only if you're crazy that you can win," Moriyama said as he smiled.
"That about sums it up." Kobori nodded.
Kise chuckled. "Honestly. You still surprise me, Uzumakicchi."
"I don't want to hear that from you, Kise," Naruto shot back. He then frowned. "Besides, you're the one who-"
"There's no need to worry about me." Kise turned his back to him. "You just keep doing what you're doing. I'll get there soon enough."
Naruto continued to frown but said nothing else. If that's what Kise had decided, then so be it. He would support it.
With Tōō, Imayoshi walked over to the still Aomine who was just looking up at the basket. "Aomine, what just-"
"I don't have time for your questions right now." Aomine turned to look to Naruto with a wide grin. "Just give me the ball. The fun's about to start."
"You bastard, do you have any what-"
"Wakamatsu." Imayoshi stopped the center. "Just do as he says."
"But captain-!"
"Or do you think you can take on Uzumaki yourself?"
That made Wakamatsu go quiet. He already knew he couldn't. He still scowled, though.
'We really can't let our guard down in this game,' Imayoshi thought with a mental sigh. He hadn't thought this would be an easy game, but this was already proving to be tougher than they had expected.
What a pain.
The ball was live again soon after, and it went straight to Aomine. Naruto was already on him, the two ready to face each other again.
Harasawa played with one of his locks, his brow furrowed. "This is not what we planned for."
Next to him, Momoi was in agreement. She was sure it was Kise who would be leading the attack and defense on Aomine, not Naruto. But all he was doing was sticking close to Susa. Was he trying to let Naruto win the game for them? No, that couldn't be it. Kise's pride wouldn't allow it. So what then?
It was this point that Momoi noticed Kise's eyes. He was staring intently at Naruto and Aomine. Almost like…..he was examining them. But that…..that couldn't be right.
'He couldn't be trying to…...'
Fully determined, Aomine charged forward. He did a quick left, with Naruto sticking on him undeterred. This was followed by a quick spin from Aomine, which Naruto was still able to keep up with. This didn't dissuade Aomine from continuing with his charge, though, as he did a crossover, followed by a second one. Through all of this, Naruto was somehow able to keep up with the ace. It was unbelievable for all those watching. Such rapid movements like this…..
'Does Uzumaki have experience with street ball!?' Kagami thought, amazed by Naruto's reaction time. He knew it was something he still couldn't do it, which just frustrated him further.
Despite the excellent defense from Naruto's part, Aomine still kept pressing forward. This led to the two steering to one of the corners of the court without realizing it.
'Yeah!' Moriyama cheered. 'There's no way Aomine will be able to-!'
Moving just as fast as ever, Aomine did a quick spin to face the basket, at which point he threw the ball from the corner of the court. Naruto went for the jump to defend, but he knew he wasn't going to make it. He wasn't able to react appropriately this time.
Even at such an awkward angle and at a weird position, the ball still made it in.
The audience's cheer grew at this showing.
'That's, like, impossible!' Yuki thought, astonished. She couldn't believe someone could shoot like that and still score.
Aomine smirked as he clenched his hand. "Don't think you can stop me with such a halfhearted defense. You have to come at me with the intent to kill. Anything else isn't going to cut it!"
Naruto growled but kept his mouth shut. Talking back would be pointless. That had been his loss.
But this just meant he was going to have to pay him back.
Vowing to do as much, Naruto was in the possession of the ball again, and Aomine was right there to face him.
Naruto went in, and to Aomine's surprise, the blond was faster this time. But that surprise didn't last long, as Aomine's speed increased as well, the two reacting perfectly one to another.
It was a deadlock between the two powerful players.
This made some wonder if Naruto was going to try another formless shot again, as in that would be the surefire way to score on Aomine. But that didn't prove to be the case as Naruto dribbled the ball through his legs for a quick crossover that had him in the perfect position for his favorite move. And that is, to dunk.
"That ain't gonna work on me!" Aomine screams as he jumped right as Naruto jumped.
Kasamatsu gritted his teeth when he saw this. 'Dammit! He's going to stop him!'
By all accounts, he was right. Aomine was in the perfect position to stop Naruto's dunk. But that didn't happen. Instead, Naruto pulled off another impressive play. He managed to dunk right through Aomine, knocking his hand out of the way like it wasn't even there to begin with.
Aomine t'ched. 'This guy…...'
He had more power than Aomine had expected.
"That's insane! He dunked through Aomine, the ace!"
"Yeah! The two are going head-to-head!"
"There's no telling who's going to come out on top!"
These were the comments flying through the audience as they cheered even louder. Seeing Naruto and Aomine face each other like this was getting them exhilarated.
Naruto and Aomine both fell back to the floor, glaring at one another.
On the bench, Nakamura had one hand over his chest as he let out a sigh. "Honestly, that caught me by surprise. I didn't Uzumaki was going to do that."
The coach's eyes were narrowed, but otherwise he said nothing.
Yuki was quiet too, but she was staring right at Naruto. She was still a newbie when it came to sports, but that had nothing to do with her understanding of Naruto. They had known each other for almost a year now. In that time, Naruto had told her many things. And one of those things was his personal fear toward his power. It made him think that he could destroy anyone because of it. And due to that fear, Yuki always suspected that Naruto was suppressing all that strength he had in him, probably without realizing it.
That had started to change after facing Kise. And now…...
"It feels great, Yuki," he had told her when they had been walking home after practice one day. "It's amazing not having to hold back so much all the time. And if the rest of the Generation of Miracles are like Kise, I might be able to go even harder!"
He had looked so excited when he had told her that. Yuki had wanted to hug him right then and there. And what she was seeing now…...
'Is he able to release more of his strength now…..?'
Because he was facing such a tough opponent, is that what was happening?
Momoi was able to see the same thing. She had tried to make many predictions about Naruto's growth so that the team could use it to try and stop him. But with this, it was clear that was meaningless. If he was able to knock Aomine away like that, then the others would not be able to do anything.
"Ha, Uzumakicchi…...you're incredible," Kise muttered to himself. Once again, he was reminded of the first time he had watched Aomine play. That sense of admiration...it truly made him exuberant all over again. That's why he squashed that feeling down.
The match continued.
For the four other Tōō players on the court, it felt like they had just been running back and forth during the whole first quarter. You could understand how annoying it must feel, to be treated like side players. Like they didn't matter. If that's what it took to win, Imayoshi didn't really mind. This was a battle against the Generation of Miracles, after all. It was bound to happen.
Wakamatsu was a different story.
"You think we're just going to sit on the sidelines forever, huh!?"
Naruto, who was in possession of the ball again, simply stared at the taller center who was now on him. He had practically taken to defend him by force this time around. The blond also noticed Sakurai quickly approaching in the back. So they were trying to double-team him, huh? They probably thought he wasn't going to pass to his teammates, like Aomine.
'Don't make me laugh,' Kasamatsu thought as he saw this. 'It's not about friendship. There's only one course of action. And we all understand this.'
Moriyama, Kobori, and Kise were in agreement.
Destroy them.
Smirking, Naruto did a simple rush to the left, pumping much of his power to his legs to increase his speed. And it worked. Wakamatsu was far too slow to even attempt to block him.
"If you're not Aomine, you can't stop me!" he said as Sakurai ran to stop him this time. It was the same result really. Naruto simply dashed past him with so much speed, that Sakurai wasn't able to do anything about it.
'T-This is insane!' the apologetic shooter thought. 'It's just like Aomine-san!'
With that kind of speed, there was no way they could stop the blond. Heck, it was almost like they weren't even on the court!
And so, Naruto was free to dunk the ball on their basket.
"SLAM IT IN!" everyone else shouted. It's exactly what Naruto intended to do, but that didn't end up happening. Why? Because Aomine arrived at the last moment to knock the ball out of Naruto's hand before he could score.
"Aomine-san!" Sakurai said in relief, glad to see that the ball hadn't gone in. That would have made their position worse, something they didn't need right now.
Naruto clicked his teeth together in annoyance while Aomine smirked.
"Don't start forgetting about me, Uzumaki. I'm different from the rest. That kind of shot won't work on me."
The ball went out of bounds, but that mattered very little to the blond right now. Being block like this was annoying, but against Aomine it was just something that was bound to happen. If he wanted to score, he was going to need more power.
"Don't worry about it," Moriyama said as Naruto fell back with the others. "That was a nice attempt."
Kise gave him a thumbs up. "Pretty sweet, Uzumakicchi."
So cheesy. But nevertheless, Naruto did smile. Being part of a team like this…..it was fun.
With Tōō, Imayoshi prepared to throw the ball back in as Wakamatsu approached him.
"Captain, you gotta move the ball around more. At this rate-"
"Don't start saying nonsense," Aomine cut in with a glare. "What did I tell you? Pass me the ball. I finally have a real opponent. Don't get in my way."
Wakamatsu looked ready to murder someone right about now. And that someone was probably Aomine.
Imayoshi sighed, feeling mentally exhausted already. 'True. If we passed more, it would be easier to get around Uzumaki's defense. But…...'
For that to work, they would need Aomine to cooperate with them. Basically, for him to start acting like he was on a team rather than playing alone. But Aomine would never do that. He would never pass. It just wasn't like him. There was also Kise to consider. The other blond hadn't been doing anything all throughout the first quarter but sticking close to his mark, which just made Imayoshi uneasy. What was Kaijō thinking? What was their strategy?
Well, there was less than a minute left in the first quarter, and they were tied. They needed to make this play count.
Naruto and the others all prepared themselves for the counterattack, and just like before it was Aomine who was leading the attack. Which meant there was only one thing for them to do. Have Naruto stop him.
"T'ch, what the hell is all this?" Kagami said to the others as they watched this. "Why is only Uzumaki going against Aomine? Is Kise not going to do anything?"
Kuroko frowned again. He thought he had a pretty good guess as to what Kise was waiting for, but it was still too early to tell.
"It's still only the first quarter, Kagami," Kiyoshi said in return. "A lot can still change. Besides, Uzumaki has been pretty effective against Aomine so far. If something works, there's no reason to change it."
That was the gist of it. It just made Kagami unhappy to see Kise playing like this. He knew Kise was better than this.
Below, Aomine stared at the blond before him who was in a relaxed defensive stance. It was the same stance he had taken this whole time. Aomine knew why. It offered the Uzumaki the best mobility and reaction time for his moves.
It's exactly what Aomine wanted from his opponent.
Aomine charged the same way he had all throughout the first quarter, with his amazing speed and quick moves. Naruto kept on him, no matter what Aomine tried to pull. This only motivated Aomine further, and the tanned player jumped back with his two hands on the ball. He leaned back, his whole body nearly parallel to the floor of the court. It was plain to see what he was going for. It was his fadeaway jump shot, which Kagami had been unable to do anything against in his match against Aomine.
"There it is!" Koganei exclaimed as he leaned in closer. "It's that shot again!"
Kagami's body trembled. What was Naruto going to do about this?
'Don't mock me!' Naruto launched to the air with incredible force, and this time he jumped higher than he had ever before. It was because of this that he was able to slam the ball back down the moment Aomine threw it, performing the perfect block. A block not even Kagami had been able to pull off.
It was here that Aomine felt more startled, and more amazed, than he had ever before. And he wasn't alone in that.
Up in the audience, Midorima's eyes went wide. 'He blocked a perfectly executed shot from Aomine!?'
This was the first time Midorima saw something like this. No one should be able to block that kind of shot. It could be called something of a miracle.
'No way…...' Imayoshi felt something akin to goosebumps right now. And with good reason. Getting into a high enough position to block a shot from Aomine...was this guy even human!?
As for Naruto, he leveled another glare upon Aomine. "You don't have the time to take it easy. Not with me. You got that?"
Aomine's whole body shook in anger now. "Bastard…..."
Koganei leaned back in his seat, breathless. "Unbelievable…...not even Kagami was able to block that shot."
Next to him, the quiet Mitobe silently nodded his head in agreement.
Kagami wanted to hit something right now. He was that frustrated. He didn't want to think he was weak. But with what he was seeing right now…..it was easy to get dissuaded.
Kuroko simply kept watching on, enthralled by the game. Would Aomine actually lose here? That thought was beginning to take hold in his mind.
'No, this game has just started.'
There was no way Aomine would lose. Not from this.
The coach on Tōō's side eyed the clock. There were about twenty-five seconds left in the quarter, and counting. He too was shocked right now, but that couldn't let that slow down the team. They needed to stop Kaijō's advance, here and now.
The rest of Tōō all took up defensive positions, sticking close to their mark. But they knew it was pointless as Naruto moved forward with the ball. Only one person had a chance here.
Aomine stood in Naruto's path, looking more serious and more determined than he had before. The air around him had shifted. It was clear that he wasn't taking this lightly. Not anymore.
'So you're finally going in hard, huh?' Naruto thought. He glanced over to the clock to see that it was down to ten seconds. He could try to get around in that time, but it would be cutting it close. Especially against Aomine.
He smirked. 'Oh, well.'
Aomine's eyes narrowed when he saw what Naruto was trying to do. He jumped into the air at the same time Naruto did, ready to pay him back for the earlier block. Except Naruto wasn't going for the shot. No, he was going for a pass.
'A fake!?' Aomine thought when Naruto lowered his hand. It was the last thing he had been expecting the blond to do, which is why Aomine was caught completely off-guard. Everyone else in Tōō felt the same way.
Why was the blond passing now!?
The pass was made to Moriyama, who caught the ball with no difficulty. Shaking out of his stupor, Sakurai rushed to mount his defense against Kaijō's shooter. But he was too slow for that, and Moriyama launched his Irregular Shot with no problem.
'What kind of form is that!?' Sakurai thought with wide eyes as he watched the ball go into the basket for a buzzer beater. He couldn't understand it at all. Moriyama's form was just too weird. But it was effective. That couldn't be denied.
The three-pointer was good, which broke the tie just at the end of the first quarter. Kaijō was ahead, 25 to 22. They had managed to take the first quarter against Tōō, something Seirin had failed to do in their game even with Aomine absent from the game.
This was a fact none of the Seirin players missed.
Aomine turned to Naruto with confusion. "You-"
"Don't think we're the same," Naruto cut him off. "Unlike you, I have no problem relying on my teammates at moments like this. That's why you couldn't predict my move. That's what makes us different."
Is that so?
Confusion left Aomine's face, which was replaced by anger and determination. He said nothing else as he turned to his bench where the rest of his team was. The two minute break had just started, after all. But he would be back for more.
Naruto watched him go until Moriyama came in and patted him in the back.
"Thanks for that. It felt great shooting that final shot."
Naruto grinned in return. "Yeah, happy to help."
The other three looked back and shook their heads, amused.
"Let's go, you idiots," Kasamatsu said as he led them off the court. "This battle isn't over yet."
Yeah, it was still only beginning.
"Urgh, that was tiring," Naruto said as he practically fell on Yuki's lap. "I haven't played this hard since I beat Kise."
"That was a tie, and you know it!" Kise shouted from where he sat.
Naruto ignored him.
Yuki shot the boy a smile as she gave him his water bottle. "Oh, please. You're a terrible liar. We all know you're enjoying yourself. You can't hide how you really feel, Naruto-kun."
"Eh, is that so?" Naruto opened his mouth as Yuki began to feed him some of the lemon slices she had prepared the night before, just for him.
Moriyama shook in jealousy. "Why is it always him dammit!?" He wanted that treatment!
"You d(on)'t ha(ve) to c(ry) Mo(ri)yama-san!" Hayakawa tried to be encouraging, but no one could understand him still. Heck, his gibberish was getting worse. But that tended to happen when he was overly-excited, like now.
"H'mph." The coach looked at his team, feeling proud. "We've been doing well so far. However, I'm not convinced that this is enough to win."
"You can say that again." Kise glanced over to where Aomine was sitting. But the boy had a towel draped around his neck, so it was hard to tell what kind of expression he was making right now. Anger? Worry? Enthusiasm?
Kasamatsu gulped down the rest of his water before looking at Kise. "What about you? How are things on your end?"
Smiling, Kise answered, "I'm more than ready. Thanks to Uzumakicchi's big showing, I have enough."
Kobori sighed in relief. "That's good to know. I was starting to get worried."
"What was that, senpai?" Naruto said, sounding a bit put off. "You think I couldn't do this alone?"
"T-That's not what I meant at all!" Kobori quickly replied. "It's just better to take all precautions! In case something big happens. You know?"
Naruto would have argued more, but the way Yuki was running her hands through his hair was more than enough to pacify him. She already knew where all his weak spots were.
"I really want to punch him," the jealous Moriyama said with a shaking fist.
"You (ca)n't do t(ha)t Mori(ya)ma-san! Not (be)fore m(e)!"
Kasamatsu facepalmed. This team…...this team was just too much sometimes.
Moriyama wasn't the only jealous player. Up on the second floor, Kawahara was crying tears of pure rage and envy.
"W-Why? Why is it always someone else?"
Next to him, Fukuda and Furihata were thinking the same thing, also in tears. First, it had been Kuroko with Momoi. The dullest guy they knew had such a girl going after him. And now, it was Naruto with that purple-haired girl. And her boobs were just as big as Momoi's! Even with the team jacket she wore, they could still notice the big lumps of flesh jiggle ever so often. It was such a cruel sight for them.
Koganei folded his arms and did his best to remain upbeat about the situation. But it was hard to do. He wanted to be pampered like that too!
Riko's eyebrow twitched at this. She could practically hear the thoughts from the idiots above her. Why did all the girls that showed up around here have big boobs? Was life trying to mess with her or something?
'Stupid sacks of fat...'
"The first quarter didn't go the way I expected," Kagami suddenly said. Unlike the other four, he wasn't swayed by Yuki's beauty. He was more focused on the game. "Does Kise think that he doesn't have to do anything against Aomine?"
"That's not it at all," Kuroko spoke up. "I believe Kise-kun is fighting too, in his own way. He also trusts Uzumaki-kun. That's why he was able to entrust the first quarter to him."
Kagami didn't get it. "What does that mean?"
It wasn't Kuroko that answered, but Riko. "It means that Kise is more than likely trying to copy Aomine's moves."
"What!?" Kagami shouted, totally not expecting that answer.
Kiyoshi hummed. "So that's what it is…..." A lot of things would start making sense if that was the case.
"But I thought Kise couldn't copy the Generation of Miracles?" Hyūga asked, unsure.
"Yes, in Teikō, Kise-kun was always unable to copy what the others could do." Kuroko looked down to Kise, who was smiling at something Moriyama was saying. "However, he was able to copy Uzumaki-kun's moves just fine in their practice match. And you have all seen what he can do. He has the same style as Aomine-kun. They're both erratic, and they let their power burst out of their bodies like a bomb. You can't be sure of what they're going to do until after they've done it, and by that point it's already too late to stop them."
"Yeah, but not even Uzumaki is moving like he was before." Kagami glared down at Naruto, who was oblivious to all of this. "This makes his performance against Kise look like a joke."
"Yes, that's precisely why Kise-kun is taking his time," Kuroko explained. "Otherwise, if he went up against Aomine-kun as he is, he'd lose. That's what he was able to learn after facing Aomine-kun at the beginning of the quarter."
Hyūga caught on now. "So that's why he's not doing anything. He wants to make sure his copy is perfect before taking on Aomine."
"That's right. However." Kuroko's eyes shifted to Aomine. "Aomine-kun always gets stronger the tougher his opponent is. He plays with more focus, and his skills intensify. I'm not sure if Uzumaki-kun and Kise-kun are going to be able to keep up with that."
So it was like that. Who was going to buckle first? Perhaps the second quarter would decide that.
"Hmm, it seems our children are pretty close, huh Eiji?"
Said man placed a hand over his forehead to reign in his rage at what he was seeing.
"Y-Yes, it would appear so, ma'am. It's quite...jovial, isn't it?"
Michiko was amused by the man's reaction. He was very protective of his daughter. So the fact that Naruto was this close to her was really getting to him.
"I never thought basketball games could be this exciting," Hiroji remarked in awe. "Your son is amazing, Kaga-sama."
The woman raised her head with pride. "But of course. I wouldn't expect any less from him."
Is that so?
"So do you think he's going to win?" Hiroji asked.
"That's tough to tell right now." Eiji placed a hand under his chin. "From what we've seen, neither team is going one hundred percent yet. They've just left it up to their respective star players to do all the leg work. But that can't last forever. Soon, that balance will break. The team that isn't able to recover from that will most definitely be the loser today."
Michiko and Hiroji were both looking at him like he had grown a second head. He stared back, confused.
"W-What? Is there something on my face?"
Hiroji slowly shook his head. "I-It's not that. It's just…..Eiji-san, you know basketball?"
"O-Oh. That." Blushing a bit, the man readjusted his tie and said, "I played some back in my college years. That's all."
Woah. Hiroji never would have guessed. He always pictured the older man to be above sports.
Michiko smiled and said, "My Naruto would never fall under pressure. If anything, that's when he's at his best."
That's why, she was certain he would win today.
"What are we going to do about this?" It was Wakamatsu who asked the most prudent question for them. "If we just leave it all to Aomine-"
"T'ch, how many times are you going to say the same damn thing?" Aomine didn't bother to raise his head, but his words carried his mood just fine. "Don't interfere with my play, you dumbass. Is that hard to understand?"
Having had enough, Wakamatsu stood up from the bench and pointed at Aomine in anger.
"When are you going to stop thinking about yourself and realize you're not the only one playing out there, huh!? Did you not hear what Momoi just said!? Kise is trying to copy your moves! You can't even handle Uzumaki by yourself! If Kise joins in, then-!"
"I can't what now?" Aomine did lift his head this time. He did this so that he could level a glare so intense on the center that it made him freeze. "Don't get the wrong idea, you fool. I can't take him on? What are you even saying? The only one who can beat me is me. It doesn't matter what they do. That's not going to change the outcome."
Imayoshi looked away with a sigh. This was going as well as he expected. Which was not well at all.
Momoi was looking away as well. She had already explained to them the reason for Kise's lack of involvement in the first quarter. It wouldn't take that long for him to fully copy Aomine's style. She predicted that he would be ready by the third quarter, at the earliest. If that happened, they would be in serious trouble. That's why they needed to push forward in the second quarter. They needed to have a big enough lead to where couldn't Kaijō couldn't keep up, even with Kise on the court. But Aomine refused to listen. He was still going to play his own way. That left them with little options.
The break was quickly coming to an end, and Imayoshi stood up with the rest of the team.
'We have to do what we can.'
They couldn't let Kaijō get any further ahead. That would just make things harder for them in the second half.
Aomine was the last one to stand up, but his presence was stronger than any of the others.
He was more than ready.
Momoi watched him go, her eyes brimming with dejection. 'Aomine-kun…...'
Why couldn't the idiot listen to her for once?
There was nothing else she could do but watch, however. The second quarter was here now.
The players from both teams took their places as the crowd began to cheer again. They were more than set to keep watching the match unfold. That was how much excitement Naruto and Aomine had been able to spark with their one-on-one's.
None of the Tōō players were surprised to see Naruto still marking Aomine. There was no reason for Kaijō to change their strategy when it was working so well. No, it was Tōō that needed to think of something here. But without Aomine willing to listen to them…..
Imayoshi nearly scowled as the ball was made live again, which officially started the second quarter.
With quickness in their steps, Tōō began to move the ball around, but without passing it to Aomine.
"Oh?" the coach had one hand covering his mouth. "So they're trying to get around Uzumaki, huh?"
However…..
The ball reached Sakurai who was in a good position to shoot. Which he did. He was still as quick as ever, but Moriyama, who didn't want to be outdone by his junior, let out a determined shout as he jumped to block the ball. Sakurai's quick shooting made it hard, but he was still able to get some of his fingers to touch the airborne ball.
That was enough to make sure the shot failed.
'Impossible!' Sakurai thought with wide eyes.
The ball hit the rim, and it went for a rebound. Both Wakamatsu and Kobori went for it, and it was Kobori who came out victorious in their battle after making sure to get in a better jumping position than Wakamatsu.
'Fuck!' Wakamatsu cursed, angry that Kobori had bested him again.
Not wasting any time, Kobori threw the ball to the center of the court where Naruto was waiting to catch it.
'However, don't think the rest of the team isn't prepared to win,' the coach finished in his head, smiling to himself.
"Get back!" Imayoshi yelled to the others as Naruto dribbled past the center line. Imayoshi realized that catching up to Naruto now was impossible. But that was only true for them.
Not Aomine, who was already standing in front of the Uzumaki, his face full of resolve.
It was another one-on-one battle between them.
Naruto knew this was different from the first quarter, though. In a sense, it could be called the awakening of the beast. That's how different Aomine was now compared to before.
This was shown to everyone else when Aomine suddenly tipped the ball from Naruto's hand before the blond was able to do anything about it.
"It's a steal!" Kagami cried out, shocked to see that Naruto had been that careless. Or was it that Aomine was that better now? He didn't know, but it proved to be irrelevant. Why?
Because Naruto wasn't facing Aomine alone. Not anymore.
The moment Aomine grasped the freed ball, it was suddenly slapped out of his hold. Not by Naruto, though. But by Kise, who had all of sudden mixed himself in with the play. Susa was trying to keep up, but it was clear that he was too slow to do anything about it. And in that instant when Kise moved in to intercept Aomine, Susa saw it.
He saw a second Aomine.
Imayoshi saw it too, and he had to grit his teeth in frustration. His worst fear had come to pass.
Kise was able to copy Aomine.
The ball flew back to Naruto's hand again, with the blond smiling. Imayoshi saw another truth here.
'He knew that was coming!?' Is that why he didn't react to Aomine stealing the ball from him!?
Naruto pressed on forward, but Aomine recovered and ran to stop him. He went in to try and steal the ball again, but Naruto saw this coming. He dribbled the ball back through his legs, going in for a low pass. This made sure Aomine wasn't able to get it. No, rather the ball went straight to Kise's hands, who was closely following the two.
Aomine looked back with wide eyes, but he wasn't going to be beaten here. The only one could beat him was him. No one else.
"Don't get ahead of yourself, Kise!" Aomine quickly spun around to stop Kise who was getting into a shooting motion.
"He's even faster than the first quarter!" Izuki shouted out, completely taken back by Aomine's increase in skill.
Kise smiled. "It's already too late, Aominecchi."
Aomine didn't bother thinking about what those words meant. He simply jumped to stop the shot, but Kise abandoned his shooting motion and returned to his dribbling position.
It was a perfect fake! And those moves…...
'That agility…...there's no doubt about it…...' A wide-eyed Hyūga thought.
Scowling, Aomine took off running for Kise the moment he was back on the ground, proving his own agility and speed. But Kise already knew this. He believed Aomine could keep up with him.
It made little difference, though.
Aomine popped back up in front of Kise with his arm stretched out, ready to stop Kise's shot for a second time.
"Like I already said, Aominecchi, you're too late!" Kise shot the ball, except that it wasn't for the basket. Aomine watched as the ball flew to the side of the rim right where Naruto was. He had jumped perfectly to catch Kise's pass, and he dunked the ball for an alley-oop.
It went without saying that the cheering intensified after this play.
"T-That was…..." Imayoshi was at a loss for words right now.
'I-I can't believe it…...' Momoi stared at Kise with wide eyes. 'He was able to copy Aomine-kun….'
And so soon. Far sooner than she had predicted.
"Ha, you underestimated us, four-eyes." Imayoshi turned around to see Kasamatsu looking at him. "Did you really think it was going to take Kise the whole first half to catch up to Aomine? Don't make me laugh! He's not that weak."
Next to him, both Moriyama and Kobori smiled in agreement.
Imayoshi was unable to respond. He was still trying to come to terms with this development.
"Oi, if Kise can do that…..." Kagami trailed off, but the others around him understood what he was trying to say.
Naruto was one thing, but both of the blonds together? Aomine couldn't handle them both, not on his own.
"So it was just as Kuroko said," Kiyoshi spoke. "This is what Kise was aiming for all along. Even though it hurt his pride to step aside and let Naruto handle Aomine by himself, he was still able to push that aside in order to get to this moment."
Kuroko knew that the old Kise would have never agreed to a plan like this. It was his new conviction, to fight alongside his team rather than alone, which had allowed him to get this far.
'No, it's not just Kise-kun.' That conviction was shared by the other three. They had put their utmost trust in Naruto and Kise, while they did their best to support them. And now, it was paying off.
Kuroko was more than impressed. He was…..happy. Happy to see that Kise was truly relying on his teammates.
"What do you think, Aominecchi?" Kise said as he and Naruto stood next to one another. "Did I not tell you that we were going to fight together? It might have taken me a while to get here, but now that I am, I'm going to make sure you have the worst time possible."
Naruto raised his fist. "We're going to crush you."
Aomine just smirked, but it was clear that he was on edge.
"You little….."
From now on, it was going to be Kaijō at full force, and they were going to win!
The fight continues next chapter, and it's Naruto and Kise at full power. But will it be enough? Fufufu, that remains to be seen.