122 Chapter 122 : VS Yosen High XIII - Kagami vs Tatsuya

It was another timeout for Seirin High, after Tatsuya broke out and scored another two three-pointers after his last stunt from the half-court line. Even though Furihata still managed to score one three-point shoot and provide one assist for Hyuga, they are still down to 13 points right now.

But that was not what Alex worried the most. Instead, it was two of her best players; Kuroko and Furihata who panted heavily on the bench that she put all of her attention to.

Yosen High 66 – 53 Seirin High

"How long can you hold on. Furihata-kun? Kuroko-kun?"

"If you don't have any intention to replace me and let me rest for a bit, I will collapse before the last quarter begins," Furihata answered immediately, wiping the sweat that rolled down on his face.

"Me too, Alex-san. At most, it would only be three minutes for me." Kuroko nodded his head, agreeing with Furihata's assessment.

Alex bit her lips, trying so hard to think about the solution.

"I don't get it." Suddenly, Hyuga's voice was registered by everyone. "Besides me, you are probably the player with the best stamina among us here. I know it because I saw how hard you trained in the past. So, why are you so tired after playing only for 20 minutes?"

Furihata could only smile wryly at his captain.

"You forget that my playing style requires me to run constantly on the court and create space either for myself or you, captain. And with Himuro playing offense actively, I have to try my hardest in both offensive and defensive side, or the gap would be widened more."

At that, all the Seirin players turned away, trying to avoid Furihata or Kuroko's gaze. Even though they are all too proud to admit it out loud, they all know they got carried away by those two first-year players, both in offense and defense. Hell, Kuroko who only learned how to score in a month even managed to score 9 points and become the second-best scorer today behind Furihata. That would tell a lot about how horrible they are today.

However, Furihata is not over with his rant.

"That is not to mention all of this pre-zone state bullshit I accidentally activated." He complained. "It was all good and fair until I was forced to keep it active all the time and had no way to control it. My mind has to process all the information my eyes caught even as useless as Yosen's coach movement without a way for me to filter it! This is way too tiring!"

Sweatdrops formed on the others' faces as they heard Furihata's rant. It was not often they saw one of their calmest players lose his head in the middle of the game like this. But that would only prove how exhausted Furihata is right now.

"Okay, Furihata-kun, we get it!" Alex interrupted before the rant could get worse. "We will try to ease your burden. So, just rest, okay?"

After a few seconds of looking at each other, Furihata finally nodded, took a deep sigh before covering his face with a towel. Alex could only sigh before she turned around at her players.

"You all heard it, right?" All she received were solemn nods from everyone. "Two of our best players wouldn't be available for at least until the fourth quarter. Any idea how to proceed it?"

One thing Alex learned from Riko is, that when she is stuck without an idea, it is better to discuss it with the players, as sometimes, they have their brilliancy in a crucial moment like this. And that was what she got, as Kagami suddenly raised his hand.

"Yes, Tiger-kun?"

"Let me handle Tatsuya." He said with a firm determination, startling the others. "I am the one who knows him the most here. So, I have the best chance to stop him right now."

Well, she couldn't fault that logic. Having known Tatsuya for almost eight years, Kagami indeed is her best chance to stop him. But she had to make sure that Kagami knew the stakes and not to mess this up.

"Are you sure about it?" Alex asked sharply. "I know you are obsessed with their center, and I wouldn't fault you because of that. But if you decide to change your target, I won't have you do that half-heartedly. I don't care if their center is somehow involved again with their offense or if they managed to find a way to mess up our defense again, but you will have to shadow Tatsuya all the time, just like what Furihata-kun did before. Can you do that?"

Being compared to Furihata like that, Kagami scowled disdainfully. However, he is not stupid enough to make a smartass comment when all he receives right now is a serious gaze from his coach.

"I know." He huffed a little. "But as you can see, I am no match for Murasakibara. No matter how hard I tried, I don't think I could win any matchup against him today. And considering he didn't join the offense since the third quarter, I doubt I would have a chance to challenge him again. So, I better put my energy into something more productive like stopping Tatsuya."

Almost all the other Seirin players have their mouths gaped wide, staring at him in disbelief. Kagami who is well known for having his mouth running faster than his brain, suddenly making a smart comment like that? What the hell?

"Hmm…" Alex lost in thought for a moment, before she raised her head toward her players. "Okay, let's do this….."

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A minute later, the timeout is finally over, and all the players entered the court once again. For Seirin, Furihata and Kuroko were gone, replaced by Izuki and Mitobe. Just like Yosen, they are playing with three big men right now; Kiyoshi, Mitobe, and Kagami. And by putting Kagami against Tatsuya, he would have the height and strength advantages, something that Furihata didn't possess before.

"Listen carefully, Tiger." Alex stares into his eyes. "I know you are a prideful person and you will never put it aside, especially against Tatsuya. But this time, I want you to stop being stubborn and accept the other's help. The faster we could stop Tatsuya, the better our chance to chase down the score. Do you understand?"

Kagami couldn't help but scowl when he remembered what Alex had said to him. He is full of pride, not stupidity. And he knows all of his pride wouldn't matter if his team lost, so, of course, he wouldn't have a problem accepting the help. He didn't know why Alex would make a fuss like that.

"So, you finally dare to face me, eh, Tiger?" Tatsuya's voice suddenly snapped his thoughts. "I thought this would never happen, with you being trashed by Murasakibara-kun like that."

Kagami snorted at his banter. Inwardly though, he put Tatsuya on the same term as Furihata, a crafty annoying bastard who would always exploit anything legal to win the game. He had no doubt if Furihata was in Tatsuya's place, he would do something worse.

"Senpai!" He raised his hand, calling out for the ball. "Here!" Right after he got the ball from Izuki, he waved his hand away, asking for space from his teammates. It was also a request for him to single Tatsuya here.

"What makes you so confident, Tiger?" Tatsuya raised his eyebrows slightly. "You haven't been able to score even once this game. Do you think just because you are not facing Murasakibara, you will be able to do that? Your arrogance sure knows no bounds."

Kagami lowered his stance a bit, trying to concentrate while ignoring Tatsuya's words. In his mind, without Furihata and Kuroko on the court, this is the best chance for him to redeem his earlier mistake. If e could do well, the chance of a comeback would skyrocket in the last quarter.

'Let's see if I could do this.'

A second later, Kagami lunged forward, followed by Tatsuya from behind. There is no fancy movement there, just brute strength to force his way toward Yosen's inside area. When Kagami saw Murasakibara start to move toward his direction, he uses his left arm to push away Tatsuya's body sneakily, making Yosen's shooting guard fall onto the floor and block Murasakibara's path, before he threw a floater toward the hoop.

*Clank!*

*Splash!*

Even though the ball hit the rim first, it bounced back to the board before entering the basket, resulting in another two points for Seirin.

"YOSSSHAAAAA!!!"

Kagami's roar echoed throughout the entire gymnasium, as the red-haired boy waved his hand excitedly. It was his first successful attempt today after being oppressed by Murasakibara, and he couldn't hide his feelings. However, he didn't have time to celebrate as now, it is time for Tatsuya to strike.

"Come on, Seirin!"

"Defense!"

Now, facing Tatsuya in defense, Kagami put all of his concentration ahead, as his eyes are locking into the ball.

"You are still the same, Tiger." Tatsuya suddenly sneered mockingly. "Always use your brute strength, no elegancy at all."

At that, Kagami just lets out a little snort.

"Grace and Beauty have no value in basketball. Only win really matters." He quoted the sentence that would always rile up Tatsuya. And it was done perfectly this time, as he could see his teammate furrowed his brow.

It was what Alex said in the past, whenever Tatsuya complained about Kagami's playing style. Due to his body advantage, Kagami would always prefer a straightforward approach. But Tatsuya who lack of that, especially in America, had to work harder to refine his skill.

It used to irritate Tatsuya a lot, and it still is, considering his teammate right now, Murasakibara, had the exact same mindset. However, for the players who have such a gift, using it that way is indeed the best approach they could take.

"But that doesn't mean we who don't have monster physique are inferior, and I will show you that."

The ball suddenly moves faster, bouncing back and forth in both of his hands. He took a deep breath before he dashed in, trying to escape from Kagami's guard with his pure speed. Unsurprisingly, Kagami could follow his movement with ease, showing that even though he had a bad day, it was purely because of Murasakibara, not the red-haired boy's lack of effort.

"Let's see if you can stop this!"

Tatsuya slowed down a little, glancing at the basket for a second. However, right after that, when Kagami also slowed down for a moment, he speeded up once again, using a hesitation move to fool Kagami.

And it worked pretty well, giving him a good space to create a shoot without Kagami's disturbance.

"Shit! Senpai, cover!"

Tatsuya sneered mockingly as he saw one of Seirin's players come up, trying to slow him down. With a quick spin move, he avoided the collision between those two and before anyone could stop him, he flicked his ball high from his left hand.

*Splash!*

"Nice one, Himuro!"

"Keep it up!"

Meanwhile, Kagami growled, unhappy that Tatsuya managed to beat him once again. And that feeling was doubled up when he saw the infuriating smirk on Tatsya's face that he knew was directed at him.

"Senpai, here!"

"Calm down, Kagami-kun!" Hyuga scolded him. "Don't let him rile you up! Cool your head!"

Kagami nodded, closing his eyes while taking a deep breath. His emotions will always be his shortcomings. But all of the Seirin players have already helped so much that he would only get aggravated on a special occasion.

"Thank you, Captain."

Hyuga nodded, satisfied with his answer. Izuki who saw the exchange sighed in relief, glad that Kagami didn't make a fuss about that. Now that he was calm enough, Izuki had no problem handing the ball toward the red-haired power forward.

"Thanks, Senpai!"

Once again, he waved his hand away, signaling to his teammates he would go for isolation against Tatsuya.

"So, you want to go to me all the time? To wear me out?" Tatsuya sneered provocatively at Kagami. "Do you think that little trick would work against me? You underestimate me, Tiger."

Kagami keeps silent, not wanting to take Tatsuya's bait. He took a deep breath, and a second later, he changed his state from the triple threat condition to driving forward, startling Tatsuya for a bit.

"Don't think you can always get away with that shit, Tiger!"

Tatsuya turned around pretty quickly, trying to follow Kagami's movement. But right after they passed the three-point line, Kagami made a quick stop, and without hesitation, he pulled up a midrange shoot from his spot.

*Splash!*

Another two points for Kagami! This time, he uses his height and wingspan advantages to pull up a shoot, knowing that Tatsuya wouldn't be able to reach his release point. Having been playing against each other for their entire childhood, Kagami knows his advantages and disadvantages against Tatsuya, and he is not below using it, even though it is a bit unfair.

And right after the shoot went in, he stared blankly at his childhood friend before speaking slowly,

"Try to wear you out? Don't be ridiculous, Tatsuya. I pick you up because you are an easy target. No more and no less."

And right after that, he turned around, not even looking at Tatsuya's furious reaction directed at him.

Yosen High 68 – 57 Seirin High

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Author note :

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-Zeta Faes-