55 Chapter 55 : VS Shutoku XIV : The End of the Game? What Happened?!
"Well done, everyone!" Riko praised her team, extremely pleased with how the last five minutes run.
Even though they started without most of their core players, the bench players managed to hold Shutoku to only lead five points. And the moment when Furihata and Kuroko went back on the court, they overtake the lead once again, showing that even without Kagami, they could hold their ground against one of the best teams in the country.
Her expression is mirrored by her players who also feel the same about it, finally thinking that they might have a chance to win this game. However, it only lasts for a few seconds as they saw their coach change her expression into a business one.
"Okay everyone, let's not get too complacent." She clapped her hands, gaining the attention of all her players. "There are still about three minutes to go before the game is over, and with Shutoku's offense ability, anything could still happen here."
Now, everyone has the same serious expression, ready to hear what their coach would say.
"To seal the win, we need to hold their offense like before. That's why, Kuroko-kun, I need you to keep the ball as far as possible from Midorima."
"Yes, Coach!" The blue-haired boy nodded firmly.
"And for our defense, even though we have already committed six fouls this quarter, the players on the court who has the most here are Mitobe and Tsuchida with three fouls. So, we will do the same as before, use the foul game to get under their skins. And if you could, target Kimura and Miyaji. They both didn't have good free-throw percentage today."
"Yes, Coach!" This time, almost all players on the bench replied in sync.
"As for our offense, keep the tempo slow and steady. If it is possible, punish them with a three-point shooter. But if you cannot do that, use Kuroko-kun to tear their defense down. Make sure that every time they score, you will do the same. Don't let them take the lead by more than three points, or it would be game over for us. Do you understand?"
"Yes, coach!"
Riko took a deep breath, calming her nerves a little before she speaks again for the last time.
"This last three minutes will be far harder than this entire game. You will be forced to put all your concentration here. It would probably only take one mistake from us to slip in this game. But the same could also be said for them, as there is no doubt Shutoku would feel more pressure than us. So, put all of your minds on the game, and let's go back with a win in our hands!"
"Yes, Coach!"
And then, the buzzer rang once again, calling the players to go back to the court.
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The game restarted once again with the ball in Takao's hand. He couldn't help but frown when he saw Furihata is already in his sight, putting full pressure count on him. However, he is the only one from Seirin who did that as the other are waiting on the other side of the court.
'Why the hell are you here? Go back to your defense!' Takao cursed inwardly as he tried to get away from his guard.
He tried to do a quick double crossover followed by a little hesitation move to get away from Furihata's guard. However, he couldn't fool Furihata even for a second as Seirin's point guard keep following his movement tightly, his hand keeps trying to poke the ball in Takao's hand.
'Tch. As expected, I couldn't get away from him.'
Takao clicked his tongue in annoyance as he passed the ball forward before the referee declare an 8-second turnover for them. Miyaji picked up the ball in the middle of the court before he bounced it back to Takao who is already running from behind, trying to cut into the paint area.
"Nice pass, Senpai!"
Takao scanned the entire court immediately, trying to find someone who has a position advantage against their guard.
'Shin-chan is on the left with Kuroko lurking from behind. Otsubo-senpai is in a good position, but he is on my left side. If I pass the ball to him, there is no doubt this bastard beside me would just slap it from my hand. Kimura-senpai is on the other side, but he couldn't secure a box-out position. Then the only option left is…'
Takao nodded to himself inwardly, having already decided what to do in the next second. Right when he is about to break through the paint area, Takao braked forcefully, startling Furihata for a second before he dishes the ball back into the outside.
"Nice pass, Takao!"
Miyaji grabbed the ball in the high-post area before he tried to pull up a mid-range shoot. However, right at the moment when he is about to jump, Furihata is already running into him at full speed, closing the distance between them, and slapping the ball from his hand.
*Fweeeet!*
"Seirin #12 defensive shooting foul, two free-throws for Shutoku #8."
Another foul!
Miyaji could only clench his fists in frustration as this would be the fourth time he would go to the free throw spot in the last five sequences.
'They are really targeting me, damn!'
"Take a breath, Miyaji." Otsubo patted his shoulder, trying to calm his mind. "It is no use getting frustrated this time. Better use your time to concentrate on the next free throw rather than think about their strategy."
Miyaji nodded a little before he took a deep breath, trying to regain his concentration back.
"Thanks, Otsubo."
"No worries." His captain patted his back a little. "Just make sure the ball goes in, or we would be in trouble here."
A second later, the referee blows his whistle, signaling Miyaji to take the free throw.
*Splash!*
Both free throws went into the basket smoothly, tying the score once again.
"Nice one, Miyaji!"
"Go back! Defense!"
All Shutoku players are running back to their own area immediately, trying to reorganize their defense as quickly as possible before Seirin could do their infamous fastbreak attack. But this time, Seirin didn't do it as Shutoku expected. Instead, they keep the ball slow, taking their time to approach Shutoku's area.
Furihata dribbled the ball slowly while organizing his teammates' positions in the offense. And the moment he arrived in front of the three-point line, he couldn't help but grin at the green-haired shooting guard in front of him.
"Wow, you are here again! Can you show me how you dealt with trickier opponents than me just like you said before?"
"Shut up!" Midorima gnashed his teeth, a hint of irritation could be seen on his face.
Normally, he wouldn't feel this irritated when he faces someone who talks too much in the game like Furihata. He would just crush them with his play until they lose their fighting spirit. That is how all the Generation of Miracles handled a trash-talker.
However, Furihata is different. No matter how much he shows his dominance, Furihata would always pop up again and again with something new, completely disregarding his dominance.
This is the kind of trash-talker that Midorima hates the most. The ones who can back what they talk with their skill, because they would get more annoying as time goes by.
However, Furihata didn't know what Midorima was thinking. He just raised his eyebrows in amusement before saying,
"You are no fun at all. Let's play another time."
And then, Furihata passes the ball high to Mitobe who is in the low-post area, facing Kimura in a post-up battle.
"Come on, Senpai!"
Right after he received the ball, Mitobe charged forward immediately, trying to push Kimura until they are under the rim. When he could see the basket above him, he stopped pushing forward and turned around with a quick spin move before pulling up a sky hook shoot.
"Damn!"
Kimura jumped, trying to stop the shoot. However, the space Mitobe creates with the spin move before is enough for him to pull up the shoot without getting disturbed by his defender.
*Splash!*
"Nice shoot, Mitobe!"
"Awesome as always, Senpai!"
"Go back! Defense! Never lower your guard!"
All Seirin players didn't take their time to celebrate as they went back immediately for the defense. As for Furihata, he closed the distance between him and Takao immediately after Shutoku's point guard received the inbound pass.
"Damn!"
Takao gritted his teeth in annoyance as once again, he has a tough time trying to get away from Furihata. However, unlike before, Midorima suddenly arrived beside Furihata, setting a screen to let Takao get away from his guard.
"Nice one, Shin-chan!"
"Damn! Captain, switch!"
The screen not only help Takao escape his guard but also forced Furihata and Hyuga to switch their defense. Now, Midorima is facing Furihata, and Takao is in a one-on-one situation against Hyuga.
This condition didn't last long as Takao sends the ball back immediately to Midorima ready to pull up another shoot. However, before the green-haired boy could even raise his hands, he was stopped by the quick double team that Furihata and Kuroko formed against him.
Midorima clicked his tongue in annoyance. He couldn't take a shoot, and if he forced himself to charge forward, either Furihata or Kuroko would set their body to draw an offensive foul from him. But he couldn't even think about that as right now he is forced to protect the ball in his hand from getting stolen by the two defenders in front of him. The only thing he could do right now is to pass the ball.
Miyaji noticed his condition too, and as the player who gets the least pressure from Seirin, he approached Midorima quickly and yelled,
"Midorima! Here!"
Seeing his senpai's movement, Midorima didn't have other choices than to pass the ball to the small forward. But that doesn't mean he would stay passive. Right after passing the ball, he runs forward as quickly as possible, trying to get away from the double team.
And the moment Furihata and Kuroko move in sync to follow him, he did a quick step back before asking for the ball again.
"Senpai!"
"What?!"
Furihata and Kuroko are taken aback by the sudden step back from Midorima. Fortunately for them, he didn't have the ball when he did that move, making it possible for Furihata to get closer to the shooting guard right before he could launch the shoot.
*Fweeeet!*
"Seirin #12 personal foul, two free-throws for Shutoku #6."
Because Furihata charged in before Midorima could take the shoot, the foul was considered as a reach-in, which this time was rewarded by only two free throws. Regardless, that was enough for Midorima to tie the game once again.
"Good job, Midorima!"
"Go back! Defense!"
Now, the game is restarted again with the ball in Furihata's hand. This time, he sends the ball immediately to Hyuga who is standing on the wing.
"Afraid of me?" Midorima snorted mockingly after he saw Furihata passes the ball.
However, Furihata ignored him completely as right after he saw Hyuga receive the ball, he runs toward his captain immediately. Hyuga also noticed his movement, so he just hands the ball back to Furihata and set a screen to stop Midorima from chasing Furihata.
"Damn!"
Even though Seirin did this kind of play often, it still caught Midorima and Miyaji off guard by this strategy. Because of that, they both forget to communicate to each other about who defense who as they both tried to stop Furihata at the same time.
And Furihata takes advantage of two defenders approaching him as he bounced the ball forward, passing through Miyaji and Midorima as it arrived right in Hyuga's hand.
"Nice pass, Furihata!"
Hyuga who sneaks into the free throw area after setting the screen now is dribbling the ball forward without anyone guarding him. But it changed in a second as he saw Kimura pop up in front of him, trying to cover the defense.
"Don't think I will let you go easily!"
However, Hyuga didn't panic in the slightest. He slides the ball toward the low-post area where Mitobe is waiting. With only Otsubo covering the paint area against him and Tsuchida, it would be easy for him to score here.
Mitobe makes eye contact with Tsuchida to trick Otsubo to think he would pass the ball, and when Shutoku's center is attracted by his eye movement, Mitobe shoots the ball with ease, resulting in another two points for Seirin.
"Nice one, Mitobe!"
"Good ball movement, Seirin!"
"One minute left! Keep it up!"
With only one minute left, Shutoku tries to fasten their play. However, they forget once again about Kuroko's whereabouts. Right after Kimura sends the inbound pass to Takao, the blue-haired boy managed to sneak behind Takao as Shutoku's point guard is busy protecting the ball in his hand.
"He is here again?! Shit!"
Takao cursed his carelessness as Kuroko managed to slap the ball from his hand, stripping it from his possession.
"Steal!"
"Defense! Go back!"
All Shutoku players who are ready to attack now running back in hurry to stop the defense. Kuroko took advantage of this scrambled position to send a pass outside, and suddenly, Hyuga grabbed the ball in a good position, ready to launch a shoot.
"Damn! Someone, stop him!"
Otsubo who is the player nearest to Hyuga gritted his teeth as he jumped at the same time as Hyuga did. He couldn't stop the shoot completely as the space between them is too far. Fortunately, what he did was enough to disturb the shoot as a second later, he could hear the sound of the ball hitting the rim.
*Clank!*
"Nice defense, Otsubo!"
"Grab the rebound!"
Without Tsuchida or Mitobe in the paint area, Kimura is expecting an easy time to get the rebound. However, he was surprised that someone jumped from behind, trying to snatch the rebound from his hand.
"Furihata-kun!"
Seeing Furihata, the most annoying player from Seirin, managed to fight toe-to-toe against him in a rebound contest, Kimura couldn't help but be annoyed. He tried to snatch the ball once again, but this time, he did it with more power.
However, that proves to be a disaster for both him and Furihata as a second later,
*BRUGH!*
His elbow landed straight into Furihata's face, and the point guard is falling to the floor as if he doesn't have any power within his body.
The entire gymnasium which is full of the crowd during the entire game suddenly falls into silence. Nobody knows what happened, yet everybody is waiting for someone to react. But the moment when Seirin players saw Furihata whimpering weakly on the floor with a painful expression on his face, they all shouted in sync,
"FURIHATA-KUN!"
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Author note :
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You can also read this fanfiction up to chapter 75 on that page. Thank you! :)
