Chapter Ninety-Nine: Fighting Alone
"Just like Kise said, this Kuroko's passing is way too interesting!" Sendoh exclaimed with excitement.
While both were observing Kuroko, Sendoh's perspective differed completely from Yagami's. Rather than the ability to find open spaces, what captured Sendoh's attention was Kuroko's magic-like passing ability.
"Just a moment of contact to change the ball's direction and deliver it to an open teammate..."
Sendoh's fingers unconsciously mimicked Kuroko's tapping motion on his knee. A powerful urge to immediately grab a basketball and try it himself surged through him.
"Sendoh-senpai, you're not thinking of trying that in a real game, are you?" Yagami looked at him skeptically.
From Yagami's perspective, Kuroko had developed this passing style mainly because he lacked ball-handling ability. Every extra second the ball stayed in his hands increased the risk of turnovers or getting pressured. Sendoh had no need to learn this passing method—his playmaking was already top-tier among high schoolers. Using his own scoring threat as bait, able to attack or pass, was far better on the court than Kuroko's pass-only approach.
"Don't worry, I know my limits." Sendoh smiled.
Yagami's unease only grew watching that smile.
"But, Sorato." Sendoh's tone suddenly turned serious. "The original reason I play basketball is for fun."
"Don't you think that kind of passing is cool?"
"..." Yagami was convinced. He had to admit, that made a lot of sense.
---
"Bang!"
"Swish!"
Akagi powered through the paint again, taking two points.
[Seirin 38 - Shohoku 38]
"They tied the score!" Aida Hikoichi shouted excitedly.
"Hikoichi, why are you so excited? That's Shohoku, not Ryonan," Uozumi's deep voice carried no emotion.
Interior offense was far more consistent than perimeter shooting. With Shohoku's massive advantage in the paint, taking the lead was only a matter of time.
"Doesn't Uozumi-senpai get excited watching Akagi-senpai score?" Aida Hikoichi said.
A large hand immediately descended from above, grabbing his head.
"That's my acknowledgment of a rival," Uozumi said. "If Akagi lost easily in the paint to someone else, it would be too embarrassing for Kanagawa."
"Yes, yes, I understand, Uozumi-senpai." Aida Hikoichi struggled. "Could you let go now?"
"Hmph."
---
Change of possession. Seirin's offense.
Using Hyuga's screen, Izuki accelerated past Miyagi, driving into the paint. Near the free throw line, he stopped suddenly, rising for a mid-range jumper!
Sakuragi switched over a step late but still exploded upward with incredible leaping speed, his fingertips nearly reaching Izuki's shooting hand!
"Clang!"
The contested shot hit hard off the back rim, bouncing high.
"Rebound!"
Bodies collided under the basket. Mitobe fought with everything he had to box out Akagi, creating opportunities for his teammates.
Kagami crashed to the basket, grabbing the board at its peak. Without hesitation, he exploded back up for the putback, trying to hammer it through!
"Kagami, watch out!"
Before Seirin's warning finished, a red blur attacked from the wing.
Sakuragi launched himself upward, hand swinging toward the ball in Kagami's grasp!
"You again!"
At the critical moment, Kagami displayed tremendous core strength. He tucked slightly, creating a brief moment of hangtime in mid-air, forcefully adjusting his release angle—
"Clang!"
The ball barely avoided Sakuragi's block, spinning off the rim. It bounced uncertainly twice before dropping through the net!
[Seirin 40 - Shohoku 38]
"Nice work, Kagami!" Seirin's bench erupted in cheers.
"Idiot. He played you," Rukawa said coldly.
"Shut up!" Sakuragi growled quietly.
Sakuragi had no energy to bicker with Rukawa. He simply stared intently at Kagami. Being topped by someone so similar to himself—more than anger, what surged through Sakuragi was an obsessive desire for victory.
"How do I stop this guy?" The thought spun frantically through his mind.
"Why does Kagami feel like some combination of Sakuragi and Rukawa..." Kise said from the sideline with a strange expression. The feeling was really uncomfortable.
"Kagami's improved significantly since the practice match," Kasamatsu assessed objectively before his tone shifted. "But Seirin's scoring is getting harder and harder..."
---
Change of possession. Shohoku's offense.
Sakuragi received Miyagi's pass. Facing Kuroko's immediate defense, he unexpectedly didn't rush his shot, instead dribbling once to adjust.
"Swish!"
The ball traced a more stable arc than usual.
"Swish!"
Nothing but net!
[Seirin 40 - Shohoku 40]
"Hmph, see that! No one can stop this genius Sakuragi Hanamichi!"
"Stop grinning like an idiot! Get back on defense, moron!" Akagi's roar from under the basket pulled him back to reality.
---
Change of possession. Seirin's offense.
Pushing the ball forward, Izuki could clearly feel Miyagi's defensive pressure increasing.
Even his intention to call for another Hyuga screen got read. Miyagi pressed tight, positioning himself a step ahead between Izuki and Hyuga.
Seirin's offense stalled. Instinctively, Izuki found that blue-haired figure and passed.
The instant the ball left Izuki's hand as Kuroko came up to receive, Mitsui suddenly attacked, pressuring aggressively!
"Smack!"
Though Kuroko touched the ball, it clearly deviated from the normal passing lane.
"Not good!" Manager Aida Riko's heart tightened from the sideline. She'd apparently underestimated Mitsui's defensive instincts and adaptation speed.
In less than two quarters, he'd already started catching the subtle rhythm of Kuroko's passes!
"I got it!" Sakuragi dove out of bounds, catching the ball just before it hit the floor with a nearly twisted posture!
The ball flew toward halfcourt. Rukawa immediately accelerated, controlling it before launching a counterattack.
Kagami reacted instantly, staying tight on his hip. The two charged toward Seirin's basket, one ahead, one behind.
Rukawa drove straight to the paint, ignoring Kagami's chase defense, determinedly rising for the layup. Kagami took off almost simultaneously. A massive shadow loomed overhead as his right hand swung toward the ball, forming a perfect blocking angle!
"So annoying."
Just before Kagami's hand reached the ball, Rukawa seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. His ball-holding right hand pulled back slightly in mid-air, then his wrist flicked, tossing the ball lightly toward the side and back.
Miyagi, following at full speed, caught the pass smoothly. With no one guarding him, he laid it in off the glass easily!
[Seirin 40 - Shohoku 42]
"We can't drag this out any longer." Aida Riko keenly sensed the situation slipping from control. She made a decisive substitution.
"Tweet!"
"Seirin High School requests a substitution."
"Number 6 Koganei Shinji in, number 11 Kuroko Tetsuya out."
Almost simultaneously, Coach Anzai made his counter-move.
"Shohoku High School requests a substitution."
"Number 5 Kogure Kiminobu in, number 7 Mitsui Hisashi out."
Mitsui had spent tremendous energy on defense. With Akagi and Rukawa both playing well offensively, they could let him rest temporarily, preserving his energy for any intense battles ahead.
---
Change of possession. Seirin's offense.
Without Kuroko's organization, Seirin's offensive focus clearly fell on their ace.
Kagami called for the ball on the wing. Against Rukawa's tight defense, he used superior explosiveness to force his way past, attacking the paint!
But Shohoku's restricted area was already set.
Akagi stood firmly in his path while Sakuragi rotated from the side.
"Why is Sakuragi here? Then Hyuga-senpai..."
From the corner of his eye, Kagami saw that Rukawa had already switched with Sakuragi, now defending Hyuga.
"Damn it!"
Kagami had no choice but to challenge the rim. Akagi simply raised both hands high while Sakuragi jumped from the side to intercept.
"No shooting angle..."
"Kagami!"
Mitobe ran out from the basket to receive. Kagami immediately passed. After catching it, Mitobe didn't hesitate, rising for the layup.
"Smack!"
But Akagi spun quickly, swatting the ball away viciously!
Koganei grabbed the first bounce. Kogure immediately defended.
To everyone's surprise, this substitute who'd just entered—standing only 170cm tall—pulled back a step after catching the ball and rose without hesitation for a fadeaway jumper!
"What?"
Shohoku's bench was shocked. Was this undersized player Seirin's true secret weapon?
"Clang!"
But the ball only hit the front rim and bounced away.
"Tch—" Shohoku collectively exhaled.
Akagi single-handedly boxed out both Mitobe and Kagami under the basket. Sakuragi easily grabbed the rebound.
After receiving the outlet pass, Miyagi exploded instantly, leaving Izuki far behind. He charged into Seirin's paint for an easy layup!
[Seirin 40 - Shohoku 44]
"The score... suddenly got stretched out."
Seirin's offense seemed stuck in quicksand. Every point became extraordinarily difficult.
---
Change of possession. Seirin's offense.
Hyuga moved on the wing, finally shaking free using Koganei's screen to find a brief window.
Izuki's pass arrived immediately.
Without hesitation, Hyuga rose for the jumper!
But after going so long without comfortable space, Hyuga's "touch" inevitably faded against the constant contact.
More critically, Sakuragi was already charging from behind. Though his contest came a moment late, the tremendous pressure didn't diminish at all.
"Clang!"
The ball hit hard off the front rim.
Kagami and Akagi jumped simultaneously, their hands reaching the falling ball almost simultaneously!
The ball bounced up again. Kagami went for the second jump, but Sakuragi charging to the basket was faster, tipping it out. Akagi secured the rebound.
"Get back!" Hyuga shouted. Seirin's players retreated quickly.
Seeing this, Shohoku chose not to fast break. Holding the lead, their more stable formation made mistakes less likely.
Miyagi controlled the tempo. After crossing halfcourt, he passed to Rukawa on the wing.
Rukawa caught it, rapidly changing direction with between-the-legs dribbles to manipulate Kagami's center of gravity. Then with a crossover, he drove hard left. After fully drawing Kagami's attention, Rukawa decisively fed the paint.
Akagi received it. Without effort, he backed down, his pure power pushing Mitobe back a full body width. Then he spun, rising to slam it through with one powerful hand!
[Seirin 40 - Shohoku 46]
The gap kept widening. Aida Riko clenched her fists nervously, waiting for a turning point on the court.
---
Change of possession. Seirin's offense.
"Give me the ball. I don't believe this rookie can keep defending me!" Hyuga's trash talk suddenly intensified.
Seeing this, Izuki lobbed it over.
Hyuga caught it, raising the ball as if to shoot. Sakuragi took the bait, jumping immediately.
Perfect opportunity!
Hyuga calmly pulled the ball down, blowing past Sakuragi in one step. Entering inside the three-point line, he rose smoothly, preparing for the mid-range finish.
"Watch out!" Seirin's bench erupted in warning.
Having been pump-faked, Sakuragi forcefully twisted his body in mid-air. After landing, he instantly jumped again, attacking from Hyuga's side and rear, his hand slicing down with a whoosh!
Hyuga gritted his teeth. Almost closing his eyes, relying purely on muscle memory, under the dual interference of physical contact and psychological pressure, he forced the shot up!
"Smack!"
A crisp sound—Sakuragi's hand landed solidly on Hyuga's hand.
But the ball had already spun toward the rim.
"Clang!"
The ball hit hard off the front rim, bouncing high—almost vertically—
Just as Akagi and Kagami jumped together to fight for the board, the ball fell straight down. "Swish!" It dropped through the net.
"Tweet!"
"Shohoku number 10, hand-check foul! Basket counts, one free throw!"
"Don't think you can really stop me, you red-haired punk!" Hyuga adjusted his glasses.
"What?! You four-eyes! Just because you scored once in front of me, you're getting cocky!" Sakuragi shot back without mercy.
The two kept trading "red-haired punk" and "four-eyes" insults. The parties involved didn't care, but Kagami and Kogure standing nearby both felt a subtle, inexplicable awkwardness.
Hyuga sank the free throw.
A difficult 2+1 finally stopped Seirin's slide.
[Seirin 43 - Shohoku 46]
---
But change of possession—Shohoku's offense.
Rukawa caught on the right wing beyond the arc, isolating against Kagami.
Their eyes met. Without words, Rukawa dribbled rapidly between his legs, his rhythm suddenly shifting as he stepped back to create space.
Now!
Rukawa didn't even fully escape Kagami's coverage before rising without hesitation.
"Swish!"
Three-pointer!
[Seirin 43 - Shohoku 49]
The gap stretched to six! This cold-blooded three was like a punch to the gut, crushing the morale Seirin had just lifted with their 2+1.
Three seconds remained.
Seirin inbounded from the baseline. After catching at halfcourt, Kagami had no time to adjust. He could only use all his strength to heave the ball toward the distant rim!
"Bang!"
The ball slammed hard off the backboard.
Halftime ended. Shohoku led by six points.