23 Chapter 22
A/N: Wow, you guys are insane! How can you vote for me like that? I woke up seeing my story was on top 40!
But in all seriousness, thanks for all the support. Even with me being new in writing, as you can see in my book, you still give all the love and support for my book. All your supports means a lot to me, so continue supporting the story and I will do my best to give you quality and satisfying story.
Big thanks to you all!!!
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After making the shot, Ichigo's teammates and the players from Teiko are stunned. They can't believe what they just witnessed. Kise, still in disbelief, asks himself, "What was that?"
Midorima, Teiko's sharpshooter, steps forward and answers Kise's question. "That was the Zone," he says, adjusting his glasses.
Curious, Kise asks Midorima about the Zone. Midorima explains that it's a state of heightened concentration where someone can access 100% of their potential. Kise, puzzled, asks why they couldn't achieve the Zone themselves if they always played at 100%.
Midorima clarifies that during regular games, even if they are talented, they usually only tap into about 80% of their potential. However, in the Zone, they can unlock their full potential but only for a limited time.
Kise is even more intrigued by Midorima's explanation, but before he can ask any more questions, Aomine interrupts, saying, "It doesn't matter."
Aomine, with excitement in his eyes, adds that this makes the game more challenging. Akashi agrees, expressing confidence that they will still win the game no matter what Ichigo does. For Akashi, having him on the team guarantees a 0% chance of losing.
Motivated by Akashi's words, the Teiko players quickly return to their positions, with Kise passing the ball inbounds to Akashi. The game clock shows 1 minute and 30 seconds remaining, and the score is 74-110 in favor of Teiko.
As the game continues, Kise passes the ball to Akashi, who is immediately met with pressure from Ichigo. Akashi tries to run down the clock, but Ichigo relentlessly tries to steal the ball without fouling.
Realizing he has no other choice, Akashi activates his Emperor Eye and dribbles the ball with quick crossovers and moves between his legs to evade Ichigo's attempts.
To everyone's surprise, including Akashi, Ichigo successfully pokes the ball out of Akashi's hands. Akashi, using his Emperor Eye, anticipates the steal, but he is unable to react fast enough.
Ichigo picks up the loose ball, and Akashi quickly gives chase. However, Ichigo does something unexpected. Instead of going for an easy dunk or layup, he confidently pulls up from the three-point line and sinks the shot.
The score now stands at 77-110, shocking both Akashi and the entire Teiko team.
They hadn't expected him to pull up from beyond the three-point line in a fastbreak situation, but upon contemplation, it made sense since they were trailing by a significant margin and time was running out. Therefore, shooting more threes was a logical choice, as three points are worth more than two.
The game then accelerated at an intense pace following that basket, with Ichigo pressuring Akashi and Akashi attempting to evade his defense.
In quick succession, Ichigo stole the ball from Akashi three more times, scoring an additional 9 points within a span of 20 seconds, bringing the score to 86-110.
Realizing that his team was in a precarious situation, Teiko's coach called for a timeout.
As the team sat on the bench, the coach immediately reprimanded his players, particularly Akashi, who had been repeatedly giving up the ball.
"What the hell are you all doing out there? Especially you, Akashi," he said sternly, his voice cold.
Upon hearing his coach's reprimand, Akashi locked eyes with him, a cold, piercing look in his gaze. However, the coach remained unfazed. Over the past two years, he had had to tolerate Akashi's influence on the team. Before Coach Shirogane fell ill, he always prioritized the players' training and improvement, both physically and mentally.
But since Sanada Naoto took over as coach, everything had changed. Akashi had taken control of the team, and the coach couldn't convince the school to intervene because, at the end of the day, they were still winning. Winning was all that mattered to the school; the methods used didn't concern them.
The team was not just winning; they were dominating their opponents. Coach Sanada could only clench his teeth and tolerate it as he watched the team, handed down to him by his mentor, veer off the right path.
It all started when Akashi allowed Aomine to skip practices, and things quickly spiraled from there. The other starters, except for Midorima, also began skipping or neglecting practice altogether.
Now, with the possibility of losing the game, however small that chance may be, Sanada sees an opportunity to bring the team back to its former glory. He seizes the chance to guide his players back on the right path.
"This is what happens when you neglect improvement. This is what happens when you skip practices," he reprimands them sternly, his strict personality shining through.
Akashi scoffs at the coach's words, saying, "You're speaking as if we're losing." His tone is cold and dismissive.
Sanada responds, "Then ask yourself this: Are you really winning right now?"
"You might be winning the game, but you're losing the fight," he adds in a stern voice.
Akashi remains silent, but his frowning face clearly shows his irritation at being challenged.
As the other Teiko players listen to the exchange between Akashi and Coach Sanada, the starters seem lost in their own worlds, except for Midorima, who listens with a serious expression.
Murasakibara wears a dreamy expression, clearly not fully focused on the game. Kise listens, but he doesn't seem to care much. Aomine, on the other hand, eagerly waits for the game to restart so he can challenge Ichigo again.
On the opposite side, Meiko's bench appears relaxed, enveloped in a comfortable silence.
Ogiwara wants to say something, but seeing Ichigo's focused face, he wisely keeps his mouth shut to not break Ichigo's concentration.
The coach notices this and signals his team to leave Ichigo undisturbed, allowing him to rest during the timeout.
The referee blows his whistle, signaling the resumption of the game. With about a minute left on the clock, Teiko gains possession.
Before the game began, Meiko's coach gathered his players in a huddle, excluding Ichigo. Although Ichigo was completely focused and didn't notice the huddle, the coach allowed him to continue without interruption, wanting to maintain his momentum.
As the players gathered, the coach surveyed them and said, "This is our final minute, boys. I want each of you to give your best and support Ichigo. It doesn't matter if you can't stop them completely; simply slowing them down will be enough," he instructed with a serious expression.
"The fact is, Ichigo is on fire right now. We'll leave the offense to him and focus more on defense. Do whatever you can to support him, because he can't defend against all of Teiko's players alone," the coach added.
Upon hearing the coach's words, the players nodded with determination. Ogiwara spoke up, saying, "Don't worry, coach. We may have let Ichigo down in the past few minutes, but this time we'll do our best. I'm willing to sacrifice my body if necessary." Ogiwara's determination was evident on his face, and his teammates echoed his sentiments.
The game resumed as Aomine inbounded the ball to Akashi. Ichigo immediately applied pressure to Akashi, but this time, Akashi didn't attempt to force his way past Ichigo's defense. Instead, he dribbled the ball slowly towards the other side of the court, wasting time.
Seeing through Akashi's tactics, Ichigo intensified his pressure. He used his body to poke at the ball in Akashi's hands, attempting to trap him in the corner and force him to either pass the ball or commit a turnover.
But Akashi was not having it, as he swiftly moved in the opposite direction using a crossover. However, little did he know that someone was closely observing his every move. Ogiwara, who was guarding Aomine while Ichigo marked Akashi, was positioned in close proximity to both Ichigo and Akashi.
As Akashi executed a crossover to his left, Ogiwara instantly seized the opportunity to steal the ball, anticipating Akashi's move. Akashi, relying on his sharp instincts, sensed that someone was about to take away the ball from him. Consequently, he was compelled to dribble the ball behind his back as a means to evade the outstretched hand aiming for the ball.
Due to Akashi's maneuver, the ball ended up in Ichigo's vicinity. Without hesitation, he swiftly poked the ball out of Akashi's grasp. With Ichigo pushing the ball forward, Ogiwara skillfully tracked its trajectory, advancing to the spot where the ball was headed.
Akashi noticed Ogiwara pick up the ball and quickly sprinted towards him to prevent him from scoring. Aomine, seeing the situation, also rushed to stop Ogiwara. However, with both of them focused on Ogiwara, they didn't have enough time to react when he passed the ball outside to Ichigo, who was waiting with open hands.
Ichigo caught the ball, planted his feet, and took a shot. Since he was wide open, he easily made the three point shot, increasing the score to 89-110.
As the coach of Teiko saw the score, he immediately shouted at his team to commit a foul. Teiko inbounded the ball, and Ogiwara, after hearing the coach's instructions, intentionally fouled Akashi.
Akashi, realizing that he had been intentionally fouled, felt irritated. This frustration was compounded by his consecutive turnovers, and it was evident from his frowning face and the anger emanating from his cold eyes.
