Meanwhile, inside Seirin's changing room, the vibe was tense. Everyone was deep in thought, racing their mind to think of a way to navigate through their current situation.
"...Kuroko's out now. We've got to find a way to maintain our lead," Aida pondered, beads of sweat forming on her forehead.
Aida directed her attention to Mitobe, "Mitobe, we need you to step up and fill in for Kuroko."
Mitobe acknowledged the instruction with a nod. Aida then adopted a contemplative look, placing a hand on her chin before asking, "Kagami, do you still have the stamina to keep going?"
The question caught Kagami off guard. He nodded, a puzzled look on his face, wondering why he was being asked this.
"Alright, it might get tougher for us to score without you. So, I need you to keep pushing a bit longer while we adjust to their strategy," Aida explained. All eyes turned to Kagami.
"No problem, count on me," Kagami replied with a chuckle, showing a positive attitude.
Kiyoshi believed that with Mitobe stepping in for Kuroko, their defense would be more solid. What they needed now was the perfect timing to launch their offense.
As Kiyoshi predicted, Aida echoed his thoughts confidently, "Kagami's handling Aomine, so we've got to bolster our defense. We'll switch to a counterattack plan and make sure you're able to use our usual run-and-gun..."
Everyone agreed with the plan. On the sidelines, Kuroko was still catching his breath as he clenched his hand in frustration.
Looking at his unsteady feet, he thought determinedly, "I'll recover enough stamina to get back in the game later..."
In the stands, the crowd remained lively, eagerly anticipating the ongoing action.
"Oh, there you are!"
A voice broke in, grabbing the attention of the Fukuda Sogo players. They turned to find their coach, who seemed to have just woken up from a nap.
"...Coach! Did you get enough rest?"
Alexandra shook her head a bit, jokingly remarking, "I wish I could snooze a bit more..."
Everyone chuckled at her comment, bringing a small smile to Tsuna's face. Alexandra then took a seat next to Tsuna and asked, "Taiga's on the court, huh? How's their game?"
"It's not looking great..." Nijimura remarked. He then checked the scoreboard, showing Seirin in the lead. "They might be ahead now, but they're missing a key player."
Alexandra frowned upon hearing Nijimura explain how Kuroko's misdirection had been a significant advantage for Seirin, leaving the guy exhausted.
The break ended, and both teams returned to the court.
"Taiga's really got that instinct down, huh? He's catching up quick..." She glanced at Tsuna, who watched the game with casual interest as these thoughts crossed her mind.
Back on the court, both teams lined up, geared up for the next phase of their face-off. Their expressions were filled with determination, recognizing that this quarter would play a crucial role in deciding the winner.
Seirin kicked off the action, holding the ball.
Izuki braced himself as Imayoshi closed in and put up a pressure on him.
However, they had already planned out their move from the get-go. Without wasting any time, Izuki's eyes gleamed with resolve as he swiftly passed the ball to Kagami.
Grabbing the ball on his hand, Kagami immediately burst out with a lighting speed as he weaved the court with Aomine close on his tail, shadowing his every move, determined to thwart Kagami's advance.
Kagami raced toward Too Academy's basket with Aomine completely matching his pace and closed in. Aomine's eyes fixed on the ball, ready to pounce with grin spread across his face.
However, as Kagami neared the three-point line, he executed a lightning-quick crossover, shifting the ball to his left side.
Aomine seemed to had anticipated the move as he began to rotate his body to block Kagami's path. But Kagami also demonstrated his agility and abruptly changed direction, leaving Aomine momentarily off-balance.
The crowd gasped as Kagami accelerated toward the basket leaving Aomine behind.
Still, Aomine managed to recover with lightning speed and immediately closed the gap with his instincts kicking in.
Just as Kagami approached the rim for a dunk, he felt Aomine's looming presence behind him. Instinctively, Kagami sensed the impending block as he saw Aomine's hand stretching out to stop him and without a second thought, he passed the ball with pinpoint precision.
The ball soared through the air, gliding over Aomine's outstretched hands, and into the waiting grasp of Kiyoshi Teppei.
With a resounding slam, Kiyoshi executed a powerful dunk, sending shockwaves through the gym.
The crowd erupted in cheers as Seirin secured a brilliant play in outmaneuvering Aomine's defensive prowess.
Nevertheless, Kagami stood firm, eyeing Aomine's enthusiastic expression before returning to his position. Without understanding why, Aomine's demeanor brought back memories of their showdown against Shutoku High in the preliminaries.
He gripped his chest, feeling his heart pound hard. Goosebumps ran over him as his instincts picked up on something familiar in Aomine's presence.
With a heavy heart, Kagami came to a realization. His expression hardened as he muttered, "...The battle is far from finished."
As the game rolled on, Seirin couldn't figure out why Too Academy kept passing the ball to Aomine when they had a better chance of scoring from the other side.
This puzzling strategy left them uneasy, and as time passed, the tension in the air grew stronger.
Kagami felt the same, his hair practically standing on end the longer he faced off against Aomine.
"I just don't get it," Mibuchi said with a confused expression as he watched from the audience. Too Academy wouldn't be trailing so much if they didn't insist on getting the ball into Aomine's hands.
Seirin was in the lead, with Kagami successfully containing Aomine.
Out of the blue, Akashi chuckled, catching everyone's attention.
"...Oh? So, this is how it is, huh?" He sensed it.
A tingling sensation ran down Akashi's skin as he observed Aomine, his face lighting up with interest.
"He probably can't hear a thing right now..."
Understanding Aomine's perspective, Akashi remarked, "...That guy is completely absorbed in the game!"
Mibuchi was about to question Akashi's statement when a shiver ran down his spine. He quickly turned his attention back to the ongoing match, and the same reaction echoed among the others as they gazed at Aomine in disbelief.
"...He's radiating so much pressure," Mibuchi murmured to himself.
Not just that, that pressure felt familiar. It was a sensation they had all experienced firsthand. He glanced at Akashi, whose expression now seemed thoroughly entertained by the unfolding game.
Meanwhile, Kagami, facing Aomine, was the first to sense it.
"As I thought, this sensation..." Kagami muttered, recalling their match against Shutoku.
He quickened his dribbling to shake off the unease, glancing at Aomine. "...This is what I felt when Midorima pulled it off. Aomine, that guy! He's entering the zone!"
Seirin's coach, Aida, couldn't help but stand up, sensing the mounting pressure. Others in the game also turned their attention to the source of this intense pressure.
Hyuga felt frustrated as he looked at the Too Academy players' brightened faces, thinking, "So, that's why they kept passing the ball to Aomine!?"
Aomine appeared oblivious to everything else, his eyes now glinting with dark blue streaks as he focused intensely on Kagami.
"What an overwhelming presence!?"
Even though Aomine wasn't being overtly aggressive, Kagami sensed the pressure had intensified tenfold compared to Aomine's previous aggressive approach.
Title: Aomine entered the zone!
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