20 Chapter 19

Ichigo, sensing a piercing gaze, quickly scans his surroundings in an attempt to identify its source. To his surprise, he locks eyes with Aomine, whose stare resembles that of a predator fixated on its prey.

Aomine's intense aura is so tangible that Ichigo could almost feel it emanating from him. However, rather than being the least bit intimidated, Ichigo returns the gaze with a confident smile.

After that exchange, Ichigo didn't let it get to his mind as he checked his status.

[Status]

Name: Takai Ichigo

Template: Akira Sendoh (85%)

Assimilated: N/A

Height: 190.5cm

Weight: 185lbs

Wingspan: 198cm

"Wow, a 20% improvement! That's impressive!" Ichigo was shocked when he saw a 20% increase in his assimilation progress.

However, after the initial shock wore off, he realized that it made sense. Aomine was a much more challenging opponent for him compared to Kise.

Without the support of his teammates, Ichigo might not have been able to stop Aomine's signature shot, the formless shot. This was in contrast to Kise, who didn't possess the ability to copy the other Generation of Miracles players like in the anime.

"Only 15% left. I wonder what will happen if it goes to 100%? I wish I could have at least Akira Sendoh's face. That would be nice," Ichigo thinks to himself while comparing his face with Akira Sendoh.

You can't really say that Ichigo was ugly, but the problem with his face was that it was so bland. He had gorgeous light-red hair that, if he turned his back to you, you would think he was a Korean idol. Just don't let him face you, and you're good.

But maybe his face was bland, yet he possessed a tall and lean body that would undoubtedly attract gay guys.

Ichigo was daydreaming, completely unaware that he was being roasted. Poor guy.

Getting back to the story, the referee blew his whistle, signaling the continuation of the game. Teiko regained possession as Akashi surveyed the floor. Upon noticing that Aomine still exuded an intense aura, he passed the ball to him.

Aomine caught the ball and spoke with a determined gaze, "I admit, outside of my teammates, you're the best player I've ever played against, maybe even the best."

With a smirk, he added, "Thanks to you, you've awakened the sleeping beast inside me."

As Aomine prepared to attack, he looked at Ichigo with a beastly smile and said, "And as a parting gift for you, before the game ends, I'm going to crush you in these final 5 minutes."

Ichigo smiled as he replied to him, "I'd like to see you try."

After that, Aomine immediately burst past Ichigo's defense. Ichigo had no time to react as he turned around and saw Aomine already jumping for a dunk. My teammates didn't even know what had happened; they didn't have time to rotate for help defense.

Ogiwara didn't even see Aomine pass him; it was like a blur passing by, and all he saw was Aomine already at the rim.

Seeing that, Ichigo's eyes widened. "Did he get faster? I can't even react," he thought loudly.

With that basket, Aomine got back on defense and waited for Ichigo to come to him.

Seeing Aomine with laser-sharp focus, Ichigo's face became serious as he knew the game would get harder from that point onwards.

Seeing the shocked faces of his teammates, Ichigo shouted to them, "Don't mind that, guys. It's just one basket."

Upon hearing what Ichigo said, his teammates nodded, but you could still see the uncertainty on their faces. However, they put their trust in Ichigo because in this last two quarters, he didn't let them down.

Getting back on offense, Ichigo brought the ball up for his team, but Aomine intercepted him, impeding his path.

As Aomine gets close to him, Ichigo immediately uses his body to shield the ball from him. With Aomine pressuring him, he can't even survey the floor. He is forced to take on Aomine's gritty defense.

He attempts to burst to the left side of Aomine, but Aomine is persistent. Every time he makes a dribble move, Aomine persistently follows him without giving Ichigo any space to even jump.

Seeing the shot clock dwindling, Ichigo forces a shot from way outside the three-point line. Just as he rises for a jumpshot, he immediately feels the ball slip from his hands.

Aomine steals the ball from him and immediately rushes to the other side of the court.

Seeing this, Ichigo sprints in an attempt to follow Aomine, but he is too late. He sees Aomine dunk the ball into the basket.

The crowd goes wild after the two-way play by Aomine, ending with a ferocious dunk that reverberates throughout the stands and in the hearts of his opponents.

After that, it's all about Aomine. Both Ichigo and the Meiko players are trying to stop him, while Ichigo is attempting to breakthrough Aomine's defense. Although Ichigo occasionally manages to score, their main issue lies in stopping Aomine.

Even when they triple team him, he can still score, even from awkward positions, using his formless shot technique.

As time slowly dwindles, so does Meiko's hope of winning the game. Ichigo didn't expect Aomine to awaken, just like in the anime during their game against Seirin High in the Winter Cup.

With just two minutes left in the game, Meiko's coach calls their final timeout. The score was 65-110, with Teiko's lead widening once again.

As they return to their bench, it's evident that all the players on Meiko's bench have lost hope of winning the game. Even their coach is at a loss for words to uplift the spirits of his players.

In the midst of the silent despair on the bench, Ogiwara suddenly stands up with a smile on his face. "Cheer up, guys! It's not the end. We can still win. The game isn't over yet!" he tries to encourage his teammates, but one can see the doubt in his eyes. He knows deep down that they won't win this game.

"Don't give up, guys. If you give up now, it will only be more frustrating in the end," Ogiwara says, his voice tinged with desperation.

Unable to bear seeing Ogiwara in such a state, Ichigo hangs his head low and covers his face with a towel.

Just hearing Ogiwara's voice tinged with desperation hurt Ichigo more than seeing his team losing. Ogiwara, who had always been passionate about basketball, was begging his teammates not to give up on the game. That just didn't sit right with Ichigo, who had always seen Ogiwara as a positive, occasionally airheaded person.

Ichigo couldn't bear to see that Ogiwara's fate was still the same as in the show, despite all his efforts and with his cheat. It hit Ichigo harder than anything else - the realization that even with a system to help him, he was still just like his old life. He was so mediocre that his actions didn't affect the world as a whole.

He had been desperate to prove his worth in this life. When his system came to him, he immediately felt invincible, thinking that he could get anything he wanted just because he had a cheat, his system. But reality not only hit him, it slammed him hard.

Ichigo can only grit his teeth and clench his fist tightly, he wondered, "What more can I do? Am I really destined for mediocrity?" Tears threatened to well up in his eyes as he pondered these thoughts.

Just as he is about to succumb to his thoughts, he suddenly feels someone patting his head under the towel.

He looks up to see his coach smiling at him and says, "Don't be discouraged, Ichigo. This is just the beginning for you. Don't dwell too much on losses like this; that's just how basketball works. No matter how talented or gifted you are, there will always be a day when you lose."

The coach consoles Ichigo and adds, "At the end of the day, what's important is maintaining a positive attitude. Instead of thinking about what more you could have done, ask yourself if you gave it your best shot."

"Because if you can honestly say to yourself that you did your best, then it won't bother you as much that you lost. Maybe you'll feel sad after the game, but that feeling won't last long. You'll regret it more if you didn't give it your all and still lost. In the grand scheme of things, it's just a loss. We learn more from our losses than our victories."

"Cheer up, okay? There's a lot more waiting for you," the coach soothingly consoled Ichigo, a noticeable smile etched on his face.

As Ichigo observed his coach's bright expression, he realized that his coach was the one hurting the most deep inside.

Although we, the players, still had a chance to win in Senior High, it wasn't easy for the coach to find talented players, let alone assemble a championship-worthy team.

Perhaps this team possessed the most talent he had encountered in a long time. Building a team as skilled as ours was a daunting task, particularly considering that our school lacked the financial resources of Teiko, who could spend as much money as they pleased.