There was no sound coming from the audience. No cheering. No big applause. Not even shouting. Nothing. Just pure silence.
Why?
It wasn't because the game had turned for the worst, and they were no longer enjoying themselves. No, no. It was the exact opposite really. There was no cheering or applause because the crowd was too mesmerized by what they were seeing.
Kagami, Kuroko, and the rest in Seirin were caught in the same trance. As was Midorima, not that he would ever admit to such a thing. It even extended to those in the bench of each team, their eyes glued to the action on the court.
But why? What was so different now?
There was a simple answer. It was because they were all seeing two players in the Zone going head-to-head. It was totally different from before, from when Kise was in the mix. Now, it was like they were seeing an elaborate dance performance, one that no one else was allowed to partake in.
It was incredible.
Naruto and Aomine were the ones feeling this rush the most. The two were focused solely on the plays the other performed, making sure to keep at any and all turns. Neither lost focus of this. The other players didn't matter right now. It was only between the two of them.
The two boys pushed their bodies to their limits, each suffering from different weaknesses but neither letting that stop them.
The ball was thrown in, and it didn't take long for Aomine to snatch it for himself. This surprised no one at this point. Kasamatsu and Moriyama went in to try and stop Aomine, but this did next to nothing to stop Aomine's momentum as he sped past them with his incredibly fast drive.
Naruto appeared next and stuck close to Aomine, whose eyes took on a ferocious look as more electricity shot out and sparked stronger than before. This was a sure-tell sign of Aomine's intense focus at the moment.
Naruto wasn't far behind, though, as he too showed his serious side and kept on Aomine. In response, Aomine did a quick spin with Naruto stepping back to block Aomine from pushing forward. Not looking to lose, Aomine did a quick crossover followed by a second spin, which had Naruto lose traction for a split second. But that window was all Aomine needed to win. He shot to the air like a bullet, his speed surprising everyone but Naruto who quickly followed suit. But that small gap between them was still there, and it was enough for Aomine to perform another Formless Shot and send the ball to the net, scoring.
Naruto mentally cursed.
It was only at this point that some in the audience were finally able to start cheering again, bringing life back into the room.
'H-He can still shoot like that,' Yuki thought from her seat with a worried look.
'Unbelievable,' a panting Kasamatsu said to himself, gritting his teeth. 'He's not slowing down at all. Far from it. He's actually playing better than before. What incredible focus!'
Their coach wasn't far behind with this analysis, his eyes narrowed. 'It's just as we thought. He really is a monster.'
The ace for the Generation of Miracles, Aomine Daiki. He far surpassed any other player they had come across in this tournament so far.
Even so.
Kise smiled. 'He's not the only monster to watch out for.'
The next play arrived quickly on the court, and it was Naruto who had the ball this time. Just as expected, Aomine stood in his path, ready to stop him. Naruto sped forward and tried to find a way around Aomine, who didn't let him through. He didn't even give an inch. That's how ferociously Aomine was playing now.
Naruto didn't seem to crack under the pressure, and instead pulled a quick spin of his own to give himself some room. Aomine fell for the trap, thinking that Naruto was going to try and get around him. But at the last possible moment, he realized that that wasn't Naruto's plan at all.
'Bastard-!'
He quickly jumped to try and stop the incoming shot, but he was a second too late as Naruto performed another Formless Shot of his own. The shot went in, admittedly hitting the rim before going in. But it still counted.
Kagami's eyes were wide in shock. "That was the same shot as Aomine's."
"It's Uzumaki-kun's way of declaring war," Kuroko said, his eyes focused on the match below. "He's not going to lose, no matter what Aomine-kun does. That's what he's saying...I think."
The other first-years gulped in their seats while the second-years watched on.
"You can't beat me that way!" Aomine shouted as he dunked right through Naruto in the next play.
"Shut up, just watch me!" Naruto shot back with a dunk of his own.
This was quickly followed with Aomine performing a between-the-legs dunk, with Naruto responding with a windmill-style dunk. It sort of reminded Naruto of his match against Kise, only Aomine wasn't copying him at every turn.
'Oi, oi, slow down for a second!' Imayoshi thought with heavy amounts of sweat pouring down his face. He was only barely able to keep up, and that was being generous. But the two behemoths on the court didn't look like they were close to being finished.
This was shown by Aomine who was on the attack again with only Naruto on defense. The blond kept his defense close and didn't allow Aomine to get into a favorable shooting position like before. But instead of succumbing to the pressure Naruto was putting out, Aomine performed a quick spin in place at the very edge of the court right before going out of bounds, shooting the ball from behind the hoop.
There was a tense moment for all those watching, but to Aomine the situation was already decided.
The ball went in, no problem.
Naruto glared at the taller player. "Annoying little…..."
Aomine smirked. "A game is no fun unless you win. And that's exactly what I'm going to do!"
This was able to fully break the audience from the earlier spell and caused them to cheer harder than before.
"It's a total back-and-forth!"
"There's nothing to stop those two anymore!"
"Who's going to break down first!?"
Riko didn't pay too much attention to the comments flying around but had to admit that she had similar questions. Half of the quarter was almost up, and Naruto and Aomine were evenly matched. At this rate, it would be Kaijō who would win this game. Tōō had to know this, so why weren't they changing their strategy? Leaving this to Aomine alone was just…..
'No, they have no choice but to do this.'
There was no one else who could possibly stop Naruto. They were betting on Aomine to give them a window of opportunity, however small, to come back and win the game. But still, Riko wasn't sure if it was going to be that easy.
"The game is stuck on an even flow," Kiyoshi remarked, dead serious. "Getting out from such a flow is never easy. However, in this case, it won't take much to break it."
Riko knew what he was talking about. It was just like she had said earlier. Naruto or Aomine…...whoever broke first would spell defeat for their team. Even so, with this pace…...was that even an option anymore?
'Heh, we already knew this would happen,' Imayoshi thought with a small hidden grin. 'Kise or Uzumaki. It didn't matter which. It was just a matter of when.'
There was no denying it. The Generation of Miracles were frightening.
"I'm not done yet!" Aomine was grinning as he performed another dunk right through Naruto.
Naruto paid him back with the same move, swatting Aomine's hand to the side as he plowed the ball right through the net.
"They're unstoppable!"
"Their dunks are out of this world!"
Just like Riko, Momoi wasn't giving much thought to the shouts around her. Unlike everyone else present, she was more mesmerized by a different spectacle entirely. It was Aomine, her best friend from childhood. That grin, that look in his eyes. Momoi had forgotten the last time she had seen him like this. He looked like he was having fun. Like he was enjoying basketball again. It moved her heart, to the point that her eyes started to water.
"Aomine-kun….."
This was exactly what Momoi had been wanting to see from Aomine all this time. For him to have fun, to return back to his normal self. It was a small change, but Momoi knew that he was taking a step in that direction. But it wasn't because of Kuroko like she had thought. No, it was because of Uzumaki Naruto, the same mysterious player that had appeared out of thin air.
Momoi couldn't place into words just how incredible that was to her.
"AARGH!" Aomine let out a shout of determination as he he shot to the air again with Naruto right on his heels. He aimed for the basket but stopped when he saw Naruto blocking his path. Unlike before, the blond was able to keep up this time. This wasn't a good sign, but Aomine ignored it for now and pushed his body further and quickly spun in the air to dunk from the other side of the basket. This only drained what little remained of energy even more, and he could feel his legs start to wobble as he landed on the floor of the court.
'This can't be it…...'
He could already feel himself at the very deep end of the Zone. He had touched the bottom, but it still wasn't enough for him. Naruto was still keeping up just fine. Aomine knew why of course. It was his lack of training. His body wasn't used to being in the Zone for this long. His stamina was depleted. He had already long since surpassed his limit. It was only willpower that was keeping him going by this point. There was just no way that he was going to give in before Naruto did, though. That would never happen. Aomine would rather drop dead than let that come to pass.
Naruto was having his own set of problems. Like with Aomine, he was at the limit of his Zone. No, he had already reached that point a while back. It was only thanks to his immense stamina that he was able to stay in the Zone for as long as he had, but even that wasn't enough anymore. Unlike Aomine, he didn't have enough experience with the Zone to maintain it for very long.
'I'm not going to let it end like this, though.'
If he was going down, then Naruto would make sure to do so with style.
It didn't take long for the two boys to face off once more as the next play started. Kasamatsu didn't hesitate to hand the ball to Naruto who was like a speeding train, his one destination being the hoop.
A determined Aomine halted his advances for a moment. 'I'm going to stop you, even if it's the last thing I do!'
'I'm going through!' Naruto started to charge forward but stopped again when Aomine cut him off. Acting quickly, Naruto did a turnaround that put Kasamatsu's to shame, much to the captain's amazement.
With this new position, Naruto was set to try and shoot a Formless Shot again but stopped himself when Aomine appeared before him again to stop the shot.
It was clear that Aomine was going all out. He was going to do everything in his power to make sure that Naruto didn't make this play. It was the moment of truth for the two of them. They both knew that they were on the brink of exhaustion. Neither could remain in the Zone after this.
'So what are you going to do, Uzumakicchi?' Kise thought, his eyes reading the movement of both boys with caution.
For most, it seemed like Naruto was going to try and make the shot even with Aomine in the way. That would certainly spell defeat for him, though.
Which is why Naruto didn't bother with that and, in a showing of his amazing reaction time, brought the ball back down and did a high-speed crossover that made the others all do a double-take to make sure their eyes weren't playing tricks on them.
'T'ch, but he was set to shoot!' Wakamatsu was sure of it. The blond had his hand out and everything! But despite that, Naruto was still able to react accordingly to Aomine's presence!?
'There really is no doubt about it,' a wide-eyed Momoi thought, hugging her clipboard closer. 'He's just like one of them…..'
With his successful fake, Naruto did an actual for the basket this time and went for another dunk with everyone on Kaijō cheering for him. But as proven time and time again, it was never that simple.
With speed greater than any other time in the game, Aomine was in the air alongside the blond, looking ready to intercept the ball before it had a chance to go in. He had managed to drop down and then jump again and still catch up to Naruto.
It was incredible.
'No!' Yuki stood up from her seat without realizing it. How could she not? From the way it was looking, Naruto was going to lose this face-off. And if he did, Kaijō's victory could go with it.
"I'm stopping you!" Aomine declared as his fingers started to touch the ball, ready to swat it away.
The electric hue around Naruto's eyes increased as the blond released a determined shout. He had already promised to defend his rightful place, should he ever find it. Well, he had. It was Kaijō, with Yuki and Kise, and all the others.
Losing here…...to someone like Aomine…...he wasn't going to allow that to happen.
Aomine caught a glimpse of it, of Naruto's synchronization with the Zone increasing. For someone who was in the Zone for the first time, that should have been impossible.
But those thoughts vanished when he was pushed back as Naruto managed to dunk right past him. That alone would have been frustrating, but it didn't stop there as Naruto managed to shatter the entire backboard with his dunk. For a second, it looked like the whole goal might come crashing down as it shook before it stabilized.
The whole room went silent after the display. This was supposed to be high school basketball. Stuff like this was only meant to happen in the NBA or higher level leagues.
But this was just…..
'What the fuck?' Wakamatsu had to curse at what he just saw.
The referee was able to come out of his stupor first, just long enough to blow on his whistle.
The game had to take an unexpected break.
"T-That's just crazy, dude." It was Fukuda who said this, staring down at the remains of the backboard that Naruto had decimated with his dunk. Some of the officials and workers for the tournament were in the middle of cleaning the mess and setting up a new hoop before the game could continue.
"I mean, w-who does that!?"
Hyūga couldn't argue. "I've seen videos of NBA players being able to do stuff like that before. But a high school student? What kind of monster is he?"
Kuroko had seen something similar before. But it was by someone who was much taller and actually looked like a total behemoth. But Naruto? Kuroko never would have guessed it unless he saw it with his own eyes.
'Shit.' Kagami was cursing as his frustrations grew. It wasn't that Naruto was fast. He was strong too. Totally stronger than him, and possibly Aomine too. Having that combination just wasn't fair.
"Ahahaha, I didn't think I can feel anymore despair, but here we are," a depressed Koganei said, his head low. "It's like we're ants or something."
Kagami wanted to argue but stopped himself. Talking wouldn't prove anything anyway. No, he could save his frustrations for later. Right now, watching the match till the end was his only concern.
He wouldn't forget this, though.
"Oh my, I didn't think we would be seeing something like that. How fun."
Hiroji looked at his boss with a wary gaze. "U-Um, are you not shocked by this?"
Seeing Naruto completely shatter the backboard was enough to make the man feel uneasy if he was being honest. That kind of physical strength was kind of scary.
Michiko tilted her head while she snapped another picture. "Hm? Why should it?"
"I-It's not normal?"
"My son is totally normal, though."
T-That…..that wasn't the point here.
"I just knew he was going to be good when he told he wanted to play!" Michiko changed the topic as her eyes sparkled. "He's even stronger than I thought. No wonder he wanted to play! I feel like I'm the luckiest mother right now."
Hiroji wanted to tell her that there were many wrong things about her statement just now but decided it wasn't worth it in the end. He wasn't going to try and rain on her parade anymore. Not when she looked this happy.
Eiji felt shock similar to Hiroji's this time. He too couldn't believe that Naruto was this powerful. But at the same time, he felt a little proud too. He didn't know why exactly.
'Maybe because he's my future son-in-law…..'
Hmm. He still wanted to strangle the blond at that thought, but the urge wasn't as strong as before.
How peculiar.
Maybe it was because he was seeing a different side of the Uzumaki that wasn't usually present?
He didn't know, but it was still fun to speculate.
If there was anyone in the world who wasn't shocked by Naruto's showing just now, it was Yuki. The girl looked the same as always as she handed the blond another water bottle. She had long since come to terms with Naruto's power. If anything surprised her it was that it had taken him this long to bring it out.
'He must have been holding it back…...'
Yuki didn't know if it was because he was afraid, but she was certain that was the case. It was different now, though. She admitted to not knowing much about the Zone, but from what little she could grasp it was not a state one was able to achieve if they had any doubts about themselves.
"You seriously scare me sometimes." Despite his words, Moriyama was his usual laid back self as he enjoyed the few lemon slices that were left. "I had no idea you could do that."
"I surprised myself a little too." Naruto looked a bit sheepish. "I might have overdone it too. Cause, ya know….."
The others quickly understood.
"You wasted the last of your energy in the Zone for that?" Nakamura sounded disappointed. "I know you probably wanted to send a message, but I think there was still a better way."
"I disagree!"
Of course he did.
"We c(a)n still w(i) t(h)is!" Even though he hadn't been in the game at all, Hayakawa was still there to support the others with his enthusiasm. Naruto really liked that about him, even if every other word that came out of his mouth was gibberish.
Kasamatsu sighed. "Idiot, you really should have thought it through." He then grinned. "Can't say I blame you, though. I'm sure that'll make them extra cautious for the rest of the game."
"Yeah, but I'm totally spent," Naruto admitted. "I can't enter the Zone anymore."
He really wanted to keep going, but he knew it wasn't going to happen. His only condolence was the fact that he was sure that Aomine was in the same state as him.
"Aww, don't break my heart." Kise slung his arm around his fellow blond. "Unlike you, I was busted like two minutes in. How's that fair?"
"I'm just better than you."
"Why are you always so mean to me!?"
Yuki giggled at their antics. It was great to see that they were their usual selves, even in a serious situation.
"Yes, well, message or not, this still leaves us with a problem," Takeuchi said. This made all the players look at him. "With both Kise and Uzumaki unable to enter the Zone, we'll have to find another way to secure our victory."
Naruto grinned. "That's real easy, coach."
The man raised an eyebrow. "How so?"
"There's only one thing we need to do now."
And with it, Naruto was sure they would win here today.
'Hahahaha, I'm in real trouble.'
Even though he sounded really happy, Aomine looked like he was on death's door. It was the first time in a long while since he had felt this tired. His vision was starting to get blurry, and he wanted nothing more than to just take a nap. Or better yet, sleep for a whole day. That's how tired he felt. It was the price to be paid for overextending his Zone as long as he had.
Aomine was still happy, though. No, it was more than happiness. He was excited. He was actually enjoying a game for once. When was the last time he had felt this way he wondered. Even though the odds were stacked against him, he wasn't unsettled or anything.
He was just happy. Pure and simple. He was reminded of why he started playing basketball on the streets when he was just a little brat. Because of this feeling.
It was glorious.
"Aomine-kun."
The boy looked up. For once, Momoi wasn't yelling at him about a strategy or anything of the sort. Instead, she looked…...happy? Aomine didn't understand. Why would Momoi be happy right now?
"Do you know what you have to do for the last two minutes of the game?"
Aomine took a second to glance at the clock. True enough, there were only two minutes left in the quarter. The last two minutes of the game. They were going to decide the match.
Once again, excitement started to rise from within Aomine.
He grinned. "Of course I do."
There were no complaints from the others. Not this time. They were all resolved to fight till the end.
'That's only a given,' Imayoshi thought as the whistle was blown.
The five players rose from their seats and walked back onto the court with their opponents doing the same.
'We're not ready to be losers just yet.'
After a new basket was finally set up, the game was allow to resume for its final two minutes. The audience couldn't be happier, as they were prepared to see Naruto and Aomine clash again.
But right away, everyone could tell that this was a different game from before. For one thing, Kise was back on the court again. He was also the one marking Aomine, not Naruto who not stood next to a confused Susa.
"Kise is back?" Kagami looked surprised. He hadn't thought that Kise would return this late in the game.
"It only makes sense," Kiyoshi said in return with his arms crossed. He could notice that Naruto was no longer in the Zone. That meant that Kaijō's ace in the hole, so to speak, was no longer active.
Only they had something else planned?
"Oh, what's this?" Imayoshi, who held the ball, sounded genuinely surprised, but it was hard to tell with him. He enjoyed confusing others, after all. "You're not going to let your wonder boy handle Aomine anymore?"
Kasamatsu didn't respond. He no longer felt like taking the bait, not from this guy. Cooler heads would prevail in situations like this.
Imayoshi took notice of this and frowned. They were up to something. But what could they pull out this late in the game?
Whatever, standing around thinking about it wasn't going to help.
The glasses-wearer looked ready to go on the offensive, but at the last second he suddenly threw the ball for a pass to Sakurai.
It didn't take a genius to figure out that Tōō were looking ready to close the point gap. And what better way to do that than with three's?
Sakurai looked more than ready to catch the ball, but that never happened as Naruto intercepted it right before it could reach him.
'What!?'
Sakurai wasn't the only one surprised, as Susa silently cursed.
'He can still move that fast!'
Susa had let his guard down, something which he shouldn't have done. Even if Naruto was longer in the Zone, his natural speed was still not something to take lightly.
And it was his mistake that was going to cost the team.
Naruto charged ahead, but he didn't immediately go for the hoop. It was something that made Imayoshi start to get worried. Wakamatsu on the other hand didn't bother to stop and wonder why Naruto wasn't going on the attack like before. No, he was only focused on stopping the blond.
"You're no longer in Zone, so don't think you can get past me like before!"
"Huh? Like before?" Naruto started to smirk. "I really don't know what you mean."
Wakamatsu was about to curse at him but stopped himself when he saw that Naruto was about to shoot.
"Oh no, you don't!" The center was quick with his reaction and jumped up to try and block the shot. Only it was no shot at all.
Imayoshi realized this and shouted, "Wakamatsu, behind you!"
But it was too late. By the time Wakamatsu was able to turn his head toward the hoop, Kobori was already in the air to catch the pass and make the shot for a perfect alley-oop.
'T'ch, what the hell?' Wakamatsu was left confused. 'Where did he-?'
Naruto pointed at him. "Unlike you guys, we're not afraid to play together. That's our biggest difference."
Wakamatsu's face turned red from anger, looking ready to pop a blood vessel.
Imayoshi's reaction was more calm and collected, but that didn't mean he wasn't any less worried.
'So that's what it is.'
Now that both Naruto and Kise were out of the Zone, they thought they could make up the difference with team play.
How very uninspiring.
"Ha, don't make me laugh, you two." Aomine wasn't afraid to voice his opinion on the matter. "Is this the answer you came up with? How disappointing. You've really started thinking like Tetsu, Kise."
The model grinned a little. "You really underestimate our team, Aominecchi. So let me show you, why you should fear us."
Aomine narrowed his eyes in response.
The ball went live again, and Aomine didn't hesitate taking it for himself. He wasn't going to wait for the others to do something. If they were going to win, then he needed to act now.
Kise quickly blocked his path, and the two stared each other down. Kise still felt exhausted. He hadn't recuperated from the effects of entering the Zone for the first time. But he wasn't going to just sit back and let the others struggle while he did nothing. That wasn't his style.
Aomine dribbled the ball at a normal pace before he started to pick up speed, a sign that he was about to go on the attack. And he would have if his whole body didn't suddenly freeze up for a second or so. It was completely involuntary on his part, but he knew why.
'The after effects of the Zone…..!'
They were hitting him more strongly than Kise since he had pushed himself far longer.
How annoying.
"Heh, what's the matter?" It was almost like Kise was reading his mind. "Feeling tired, Aominecchi?"
Aomine growled. "Don't fuck with me…..."
Losing like this…...there was no way in hell that was happening!
He launched forward, looking to go in with a straightforward drive and leave Kise in the dust. But his moves weren't normal. They were far slower than usual.
'He's…...more sluggish,' Kagami realized, shocked to see Aomine moving like that. It just went against the image he had of the guy.
"That's why you're no good," Kise said softly as he took a massive step back to slam the ball out of Aomine's hands. "Fighting like this…..you won't win!"
Aomine had no time to answer as Kise made off with the ball.
"STOP HIM!" Imayoshi couldn't contain himself this time and shouted at Sakurai and Susa who were the closest.
The two players made to cut off Kise, but instead of allowing this to slow him down Kise merely passed the ball to the now open Moriyama who finished it up with a perfect Unorthodox Shot.
"What…...is this?" Harasawa felt a little stunned after seeing Aomine getting shut down so easily like that. It was more shocking considering Aomine was supposed to be his star player.
"So that's what it comes down to," Izuki said from the audience seats. "Kaijō is exploiting Tōō's biggest weakness."
More specifically, it was only a weakness if you could take advantage of it. While Seirin had been unable to do so, Kaijō didn't seem to have that problem.
And that weakness was that Aomine fought alone.
"They've been using that weakness during the whole game," Kiyoshi said with a shake of his head. "It's only more apparent now because Aomine has reached his limits."
Naruto and Kise had as well, but unlike Aomine they weren't afraid to rely on their teammates. From that angle, Kaijō was the true team here, not Tōō.
"Stop joking around," Aomine glowered, his hands clenching into fists. "Because of something like that, I….."
"I had to learn this the hard way as well," Kise cut in with a resigned grin. "That's why, in Kurokocchi's place, I'll be teaching you that same lesson today."
Aomine could only glare at him.
Kiyoshi eyed the clock. "There's only one minute left. If Tōō wants a chance at winning the game, then they have to score and stop Kaijō from doing the same."
For once, no one in Seirin thought Tōō was capable of something like that. Was that the power that Kaijō wielded now? Making them doubt the strongest team they faced so far?
'I can't believe this.' Imayoshi was no longer able to keep his cool as he dribbled the ball down the court. He never thought he would see Aomine in this state. Even though his Zone had been countered, Imayoshi had been positive that he would come back from it. But this was just…..
"Hey now, don't be showing that kind of face here," Kasamatsu said as he blocked Imayoshi's path. "It almost makes you look human."
Despite the grave situation, Imayoshi smiled. It was a fake smile of course, but that was beside the point.
"Ouch. And here I thought you were supposed to be better than me."
"I never said I was."
Kasamatsu had a point there.
Putting those trivial details aside, Imayoshi didn't bother to think about the the situation at large and instead sped forward.
'Attacking head-on, huh?' Kasamatsu could get behind such an idea as he blocked Imayoshi's way of attack. This made the glasses-wear stop before attempting to pass to Wakamatsu. But as the ball was leaving his hands, Kasamatsu was able to knock it off its course, much to Imayoshi's surprise.
"What-!"
"You're too rattled," Kasamatsu stated. "Reading your moves now…...it's way too easy."
Imayoshi was startled by that. Had Aomine's regression gotten to him this badly? But why!? And how!?
Those were questions that were left unanswered as Naruto scooped up the now freed ball and took off. Susa appeared to try and stop him but was unable to do much as Naruto spun around him before pressing on.
'This speed…..!' It was annoying, but Susa had to once again come to terms with the fact that he couldn't do anything against the blond.
Naruto was more than ready to dunk the ball again as he jumped for the hoop, but at the last moment Aomine came into the scene and took off in front of him.
"Don't mess with me! Losing like this…..THAT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!"
Aomine's hand grabbed a hold of the basketball as well, and now it was fight for dominance in the air between him and Naruto.
"Losing to someone like you, who only fights for himself…." Naruto narrowed his eyes. "I WON'T LET THAT HAPPEN!"
The two boys let out determined shouts as they fought for the ball. They were both strong, and they both had the will. But in the end, only one could come on top.
"DO IT, UZUMAKICCHI!"
The shout came from somewhere behind the blond, but Naruto didn't care. He had the strength of everyone else on his back. That's why he was going to protect his team at all costs.
Aomine had to look on in a sudden wave of amazement as Naruto's strength increased again. Was it more power from the Zone? But how could that happen!? He shouldn't be able to enter that realm again! What kind of monster was this guy!?
'Uzumaki…..!'
Aomine fought till the bitter end, but even with his best struggle it wasn't enough as Naruto managed to push right through him and dunk the ball.
This happened just as the final buzzer went off, and Aomine came falling to the floor. He wasn't able to land on his feet this time. He no longer had the strength for it. No, he was left too stunned by the realization that came from the final buzzer.
He had lost.
"GAME OVER!"
As the audience began to cheer once more, those in Seirin were wide-eyed at this outcome. They knew it was a possibility, but still. To see Aomine losing…...
Kuroko looked at the score.
95 to 86.
"N-No way." Furihata was floored. "They actually won, and with a nine point lead….."
Meanwhile, they had never come close to beating Tōō, least of all Aomine.
No one else in Seirin was able to say anything.
Down on the court, things were more vocal as everyone from Kaijō let out victory shouts.
"WE DID IT!" Naruto shouted at the top of his lungs before Kise and Moriyama tackled him to the floor with Kobori and Kasamatsu both grinning from ear-to-ear. Kasamatsu specially looked like he wanted to cry but held himself back.
Yuki looked on with a bright smile, with some tears managing to get through. She couldn't help it. Not after seeing such a performance.
While they could celebrate, the mood was the exact opposite for the opposing team in Tōō.
"Oi, did we lose?" Wakamatsu asked softly, obviously in disbelief.
Sakurai and Susa were unable to answer him while Imayoshi looked down in disdain. He wanted to hide his tears from everyone.
"We lost….?." Aomine's face was hollow. It almost looked like he was in some kind of trance. He was still down on the floor as well, unable to move. "I lost…..?"
Momoi had even less restraint than Yuki and openly cried. It wasn't from sadness, though. It was more…...like relief? Yes, it was something along those lines. It was certainly a strange emotion to have at a time like this, but it couldn't be helped. She certainly couldn't it. For she knew that Aomine could finally be free again.
"Oi, why are you looking like that?"
Aomine found a hand stretched before him. Looking up, he saw that it belonged to Naruto who stood over him with Kise next to him.
"Why do you look so lost? Can't you see what's happening?"
"That might be a little too straightforward, Uzumakicchi…..."
Naruto didn't care.
Aomine looked at the two of them. "What are you-"
"Just get your ass up." Naruto didn't wait for Aomine to take his hand and instead just pulled the boy back up to his feet. "It's not like this is the end for us, right? We still have a lot more basketball to play in the future."
"Mhmm, I agree!" Kise smiled. "We can play again, Aominecchi."
"Again…..?" Aomine looked baffled for a few moments before scoffing as he took a few steps back. "Don't get ahead of yourselves. Just because you won now, it doesn't mean that you'll win the next time."
Naruto smirked. "Ha, that's the spirit I like to see. But we'll still kick your ass again."
Aomine really wanted to punch him right now.
"T'ch, son of a bitch."
He grumbled but paused when he found Naruto placing his fist in between them.
"What is this?"
"Let's play again," Naruto said, only his voice was softer this time. "It was a fun game. That's why we should play again."
Despite Aomine's initial impulse to decline, he found himself bumping fists with the blond.
"Yeah, I'll take you up on that.
Kise was all smiles and chuckles when he saw this. You could even say he was fanboying. How couldn't he? His new best friend and one of his older friends were getting along. It was the best kind of development as far as he was concerned.
He wasn't the only one thinking that as Momoi and Kuroko both saw this as well.
'Aomine-kun…...' They thought at the same time, one tearful and the other just glad.
The referee blew his whistle again, the ball in hand.
"Both teams, line up!"
There was still a depressive mood in the Tōō lineup as both teams thanked one another, but that couldn't be helped. Losing was never a great thing to experience.
"With a score of 95 to 86, Kaijō High wins! Bow!"
"THANK YOU VERY MUCH!"
"Alright, boys, we can go."
"Huh?" Hiroji was understandably confused when Michiko got up from her seat and started to walk towards the exit. "But Kaga-sama, what about congratulating your son? Isn't that why you came here?"
"Hm? I can smother him later." She looked back to see Naruto in the middle of a team circle, all of them laughing and basking in their victory. She smiled. "Right now, being surrounded by his friends is what's best."
With those words, she turned back to the exit with Eiji following suit.
Hiroji was once again confused but found himself smiling.
'She really is just a caring mother, after all.'
That's the one thing that couldn't be denied.
When the Seirin team started to vacate the building, their spirits were low and the atmosphere was heavy. No one could fault them for feeling this way, though. Not after what they just saw.
"It's been reaffirmed to us," Kiyoshi said, speaking for the group as they stepped outside into the cold night. "The power of the Generation of Miracles…..."
They were monsters of the highest caliber. There was no denying that.
"And we have to face them again this winter." Hyūga let out a dry chuckle. "It's so funny, I could almost die of laughter."
Riko sighed. "We already knew what we were up against from the very beginning. We can't let ourselves lose hope now. You got that?"
"Of course, we'll make sure to win." Despite his previous statement, Hyūga looked as determined as ever. There was no room for doubt. Not against them.
Even so, the difference in their power was still far too great. They needed to get stronger. That too was something that could not be denied.
"We have to train more," Furihata said with a nod. "Good thing we still have the rest of the summer. What do you think, Kuroko?"
He expected an answer, but there was only silence. It was then that the group realized that Kuroko was no longer with them.
"Not again!" Hyūga cried out, not in the mood to go on another Kuroko hunt.
"Hey, wait a second." Tsuchida took another quick look at the group. "Kagami isn't here either!"
What the hell, both of them had disappeared!?
"Those two." Riko raised her fist as a dark aura took shape around her. "When I get my hands on them, they'll wish they were never born!"
Even by Riko standards, that was harsh!
When Kagami followed Kuroko, he didn't expect to find him attempting to make shots at a nearby street court. But maybe he should have, after the amazing game they just witnessed.
"You still suck at shooting."
Kuroko stopped mid-shot before turning to Kagami.
"Kagami-kun, I didn't think you would follow me."
"Heh, if I left you alone, you might get into another bothersome situation."
That had only happened one time. And in the end, the two of them plus Kise had been able to play together. Kuroko would call that a win.
Kagami then shot him a smirk. "I guess your blood must be pumping."
"I am excited, yes."
"Then you can imagine how I'm feeling right now."
Kuroko could indeed.
"Their plays have the power to do that to people. It's been that way since middle school. I guess Uzumaki-kun is no different."
'That guy…...' Kagami nearly scowled at the mention of Naruto's name. He never would have imagined that he was stronger than Aomine. But now, he was certain. In order to compete against those two and the other Generation of Miracles, only one path was certain.
Good old America.
Kuroko looked down in thought. "From here on out, Uzumaki-kun will have to fight them in the tournament as well…..."
Kagami frowned. That reminded him of something he was curious about.
"There are two other members of the Generation of Miracles, right? What are they like?"
"I couldn't say anymore," Kuroko answered honestly. "Kise-kun, Midorima-kun, and Aomine-kun have all changed drastically. I can only guess the other two are the same way."
They were probably stronger than ever. Which was also frightening to think about.
"Heh, that just sounds like more fun to me." Kagami smirked, his blood pumping more at the thought of all the competition they were going to have during the winter. He couldn't wait for that day to arrive, the day when he would face them.
Kuroko felt a similar excitement. In the end, there was only one goal in sight for the two boys.
To be the best in Japan, no matter what.
"Aw, jeez! Why do you always have to wander off on your own like this! It's always a pain to have to look out for you!"
Momoi's face displayed her annoyance as she ran up to Aomine after searching for almost ten minutes. It was totally unfair that she had to go through this sort of stuff simply because he felt like being random or lazy.
Aomine let out a small grunt in response. He was lying down at the top of the stairs outside the building. From this vantage point, the night breeze was the best. It was perfect for a long nap. He would probably get sick from it, but it would be totally worth it.
"Come on, let's go." Momoi wasn't going to let him do that, though. "Let's get back to the others before they leave us behind."
Now that would just suck.
"Satsuki."
The girl paused. "Hm?"
"Are you free tomorrow?"
"Oh. Um, yes?" They were in summer vacation, so of course Momoi had a lot of free time on her hands. Especially now since they were no longer competing in the Inter-High.
"I need new shoes for practice. Will you come help me look for a pair?"
Momoi's eyes widened. "Huh?"
"I gotta make sure to kick Uzumaki's ass next time. That's why I need to train. So that I can be as ready as I can."
Of all the…...
A heartfelt smile started to appear on Momoi's face.
"Of course I can help you, Dai-chan. But you gotta make sure to buy me dinner first."
"How does that work!?"
"Hehehe, it just does~"
Who was being unfair now!?
Yuki opened the door to their locker room to find Naruto still inside, his back to the door.
Strange.
"Naruto-kun? Why are you still in here? You know the others are already leaving, right?"
The only reason she had come back was because she had forgotten one of her containers inside. Leaving trash like that was rude, something she wasn't about to let happen.
"Ah, Yuki." Almost like he was snapping out of a daze, Naruto turned to her with an awkward chuckle. "I didn't think anyone would be coming back."
Suspicion began to fall over her. "What does that mean? What are you doing in here?"
"Nothing…..."
The look on her face made it clear that she wasn't buying it.
"Jeez, why are you such a good interrogator?"
"Maybe you just suck at lying."
Naruto resented that. But with a sigh, he relented. Convincing her to let the matter go would never happen.
"I was just thinking back to when I first saw this massive world that I was now a part of. And how boring it felt. And lonely."
Yuki's eyes softened. "You know you don't have to worry about that stuff anymore, right?"
"Yeah, but it's still on my mind. It makes me feel like such an idiot." Naruto shook his head. "I can't believe I let myself be stuck in that kind of mentality."
Yuki walked closer to him. "Sometimes, you can't help but feel helpless. Especially in a situation like yours, I can't say I blame you for feeling the way you did."
That said, Yuki was glad that he was able to snap out of it. She would never want to see Naruto in that mental state again. And thankfully, she was sure that she never would. Not with Kise and the others now here.
"Yeah, you're right. And it's thanks to you."
"That's not-"
"But it is." Naruto was firm as he grabbed her hand with his. "I probably would have ended up a lot worse if you weren't around. Even if you don't think so, your words did inspire me. 'Everyone has a place in the world.' I used to think it was nonsense, but I'm glad I was proven wrong."
Yuki didn't mind holding hands with the blond. It was a comfortable feeling for her, especially since Naruto always felt warm to her. It was like that warmth could spread to her. It was hard to describe, but it was almost like he was a miniature sun sometimes.
"I still think you're giving me too much credit," she said with her cheeks reddening a little. "You're strong as well, Naruto-kun. If you weren't, you could never have made it through all of that. That's not something I gave you."
She wasn't going to accept his thanks, was she? Stubborn girl. But Naruto had always enjoyed that side of her as well.
Maybe it was a "heat of the moment" type of situation, or maybe it was because he was finally expressing how much he valued Yuki being in his life. Or maybe it was a combination of the two. Who knows. Naruto sure didn't. But in that moment there was no denying the spark that was set off between the two.
Yuki saw it coming, but she didn't fight it. Because it's something she had been wanting to do for sometime now but never had the courage to initiate. Not when it's with the denser than a rock Uzumaki Naruto.
But even as dense as he was, Naruto still leaned down for a kiss that only set off more sparks between them. It was their first kiss, and in a smelly locker room…..not exactly the most romantic of places, but Yuki wasn't going to complain.
Now if only they had noticed Kise walking in only to step right out the moment he saw what was happening inside. He did give Naruto a thumbs up in his mind as he walked away, though.
'Go for it, Uzumakicchi!'
He was rooting for them both!
"Heh, now this is interesting."
A certain redhead had arrived at the last minutes of the final quarter on a whim, to see if anything worthwhile would take place.
And he was glad that he did. Because now he knew that the finals were going to be far more interesting than he originally imagined.
He couldn't wait.
Till next Time