Aomine sighed and shook his head as he observed Kaijo's players. He felt a sense of pity for them, realizing they genuinely believed in turning things around, only to be silenced by Fukuda Sogo.
Aomine then looked at Tsuna on the court, who calmly watched everything unfold. He expressed his disdain, muttering, "What a terrible person you are, Tsuna..."
"Eh? I find that attractive, though?"
Momoi chimed in, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Tsuna. She thought Tsuna looked very attractive at that moment.
Aomine frowned at Momoi's comment.
"...Are you actually serious right now?"
Seeing Momoi's genuine admiration, Aomine sighed once more, muttering, "...You both are just terrible."
Back on the court, a timeout was called immediately after Kaijo's coach requested it.
"...Hmm, this is quite tricky." Takeuchi wore a thoughtful expression as he pondered possible strategies.
Kasamatsu was on the same page, glancing at the scoreboard, which displayed a daunting 43-28 with Fukuda Sogo in a significant lead.
"We have to do something about this..." he thought silently. They needed a catalyst to break through and create an opening.
"Coach, can I try something?"
A voice cut through the tense atmosphere on Kaijo High's bench, prompting everyone to turn toward Kise, who raised his hand like an eager student.
Takeuchi frowned as he asked, "What are you trying to do?"
"...I don't know."
"...Huh?"
Kasamatsu smacked Kise on the head, eliciting a groan of pain from him as Kise rolled his eyes in annoyance.
Frustrated, Kise grumbled, "What the hell is wrong with you..."
"Explain properly, you dumbass!"
"...Like I said, I don't know!"
Kise scratched his head annoyedly.
However, he then stood up, locking eyes with everyone as he spoke with a cheeky smile, "I may not know, but I'll give it my best shot! Just trust me on this, guys. After all, aren't I your ace?"
Kasamatsu forcefully suppressed the urge to smack Kise's head once again. Moriyama and Kobori shook their heads at Kise's confidence, wearing slight smiles. Meanwhile, Hayakawa chimed in, "Whoa! I see, as expected of you, Kise! I will also try my best!"
His excited shout prompted Kasamatsu to smack him on the head to silence him.
Takeuchi sighed, shaking his head in slight amusement at the scene before turning to Kise, "Sure, then. Let's channel our attack through Kise!"
Everyone nodded solemnly, while Kise smiled and reciprocated with a nod, saying, "Thank you for your trust! I promise I will not disappoint you."
Meanwhile, on Fukuda Sogo's bench, everyone shook their heads upon hearing the ruckus from Kaijo. Despite being just one player, the noise was surprisingly loud.
"They seem to be a lively bunch, huh?" Tsuna muttered with a light shake of his head. He then turned to everyone, adding, "Well, there won't be any changes to our strategy this time. Just focus on doing what you're supposed to do..."
His words were met with nods, and a gleam of excitement lit up their pupils.
Not long after the timeout ended, the game resumed, and Fukuda Sogo thoroughly seized the momentum. They aggressively continued their onslaught, leaving Kaijo High gritting their teeth as they could only watch the score difference widen.
"Today's your losing day, Ryota!" Haizaki's mocking tone trailed behind Kise as he tracked his movements.
Despite the taunting, Kise remained unfazed.
He swiftly maneuvered to the side, evading Haizaki's defense, and surged towards the basket with lightning speed. His leap to slam the ball down seemed imminent.
"Hah! You're done for, you fool!"
Haizaki's triumphant declaration echoed.
Yet, just as Kise was about to make his move, Haizaki materialized in the nick of time. With a precise block, he thwarted Kise's dunk attempt, causing the ball to ricochet off the backboard.
Ogiwara reacted swiftly, catching the rebound.
In a synchronized burst, Ogiwara relayed the ball to Tsuna. Fukuda Sogo surged forward in unison, leaving Kaijo momentarily flustered by the sudden shift in momentum.
Tsuna effortlessly flicked the ball, and it raced across the court, finding its way into Haizaki's waiting hand, closely trailed by Kise.
Dribbling the ball with a certain swagger, Haizaki cast a condescending gaze down at Kise. Despite the precarious situation of Kaijo, Kise persisted.
Haizaki couldn't resist needling him, saying, "Why not throw in the towel, Ryota? It's almost pitiful watching you fail repeatedly..."
"Damn it, I swear to go I'll fucking smack that fucker in the face!"
Kasamatsu's muttered curse echoed through the court in response to Haizaki's taunts.
Yet, Kise remained unyielding, unfazed by the direct jabs at his effort. Haizaki shook his head, silently acknowledging, "I'll take that move, Ryota..."
Despite Kise's persistent defense, Haizaki wore a smirk. Suddenly changing his pace, he executed the same move Kise had used seconds earlier, effortlessly breaking through Kise's defense. With a burst of speed, Haizaki leaped, slamming the ball into the basket.
Helpless, Kise could only watch as Haizaki gracefully landed. Glancing at the scoreboard, now displaying 52 - 34, revealed a considerable gap in the scores.
As the second quarter neared its end, Kaijo had managed to score only four additional points since the timeout.
Observing Kise's gaze on the scoreboard, Haizaki scoffed, strolling back while taunting, "Give it up, Ryota! Can't you see how useless your efforts are? I'm on a whole different level. Wake up and quit, you idiot!"
"...That guy," Kasamatsu grumbled in frustration as he retrieved the ball from behind the baseline.
Passing it to Kise, he noticed a furrow in Kise's eyebrows, uncertain of what was going on. Yet, his concern seemed unnecessary as Kise's expression oddly very composed.
"...You know, Shogo," Kise said, slowly advancing with the ball, drawing Haizaki's attention with a furrowed brow.
"Seems like you're not ready to give up..."
Kise chuckled, deepening Haizaki's frown. He sighed, then smiled, "To think that we have something to agree on, so weird..."
"...What?"
"Shogo, I agree with you..." Kise's expression shifted, and Haizaki felt a subtle alarm. Kise's pupils gleamed oddly as he declared, "We're simply not on the same level..."
"Huh?"
In a sudden pause that rippled through the court, Kise expertly adjusted his body weight, and with a swift flick of his hand, the ball blurred through the air.
"You're way below me, Shogo!"
Kise calmly declared as the ball found its precise path toward Moriyama.
Despite Kise's audacious words that would undoubtedly enrage him, Haizaki's focus shifted to something else. The move Kise had just pulled was eerily familiar, a technique known to Fukuda Sogo players.
Haizaki widened his eyes in disbelief, exclaiming, "What the heck?"
On the other hand, Kasamatsu, initially taken aback, regained his composure.
A light smile graced his face as he observed Kise's back, silently acknowledging, "We do need a catalyst to turn this around, and our ace is perfectly suited for the role..."
"...with his Perfect Copy!"
---
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