Chapter 123 : VS Yosen High XIV - Who Can Stop Murasakibara?
Right after Kagami scored, Masako requested a timeout for Yosen High, trying to stop Seirin's momentum once again. However, there is one person who doesn't look happy, either with her decision or with how the last play went.
"Damn!" Tatsuya stomped his foot angrily. "Damn! Damn! Damn! Damn!"
"Calm down, Himuro-kun!" Okumura scolded the shooting guard sternly. "I don't know why you suddenly lose control of your emotion like this, but you need to cool your head down or you will be sloppy."
Tatsuya nodded silently, knowing that what his senpai said is true. That doesn't mean he is no longer furious at Kagami though.
"Right now, all we need to do is to stabilize the game and give Seirin the blows so they can't get up again," Masako speaks. "We have already given them enough chance today. Usually, our opponent would be dead already in the third quarter. So, I hope I can get your full cooperation to kill this game before it could get more dangerous for us."
Even though she spoke in a general manner, all of the Yosen players knew that her words were directed at Murasakibara, the only one who could and would object to her order if he didn't like it.
"Haaaaaah….." The pink-haired center took a deep sigh, closing his eyes tightly. After spending a few seconds in silence, he finally opened his eyes, speaking slowly, "Fine, I will do it."
All of his teammates had their eyes opened wide, couldn't believe what they just heard. Honestly, Murasakibara acts very strangely today. First, he was willing to go for offense, and then, he didn't want to be replaced even for a single second, and now, he is willing to bear the offense responsibility once again, twice in a day. If it was not in the middle of the game, they would check if Murasakibara was sick or not.
"Are you sure, Murasakibara-kun?"
"Yeah, yeah…" Murasakibara waved his hand nonchalantly. "Just make sure the ball would go to me."
Masako nodded at that request. "Sure."
The other players also nodded in agreement, glad that Murasakibara was still willing to play. Usually, right when they entered the third quarter, he would ask for permission to go back first, saying that he was lazy enough to wait until the game was over. They don't know why this time is different, but they don't want to think about it too much.
However, there is one person who is not happy with this arrangement, and that is Tatsuya.
'Damn!' The shooting guard grumbled inwardly. 'I am still in a very good condition! If he joined the offense, I would never touch the ball again!'
It seems his dissatisfaction was noticed by the others, as Fukui patted his back.
"Be patient, Himuro-kun." Said the third-year point guard. "Personal issue doesn't have a place on the court. As long as we win, it doesn't matter who will shine. Remember that."
Tatsuya could only nod reluctantly. He knows out of all the players on the team, the ones who suffered the most with his and Murasakibara's presence are Okumura and Fukui. They both were the aces of the team before getting replaced by their kouhai, and now, they often act as side characters in the game. Yet never has he heard they both make a fuss about that.
'Is this the kind of humility that Japanese people have?'
Tatsuya could only ponder about that inwardly, as the sound of the horn rang aloud, the sign that their timeout was over.
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"Fuck!" Alex cursed out loud, startling all the players who were on the bench. "Why in the seven hell is he back on offense again?!"
It was no brainer for Furihata to guess who the 'he' that Alex meant, considering now, Murasakibara suddenly back inside Seirin's paint once again. Having gotten used by the pink-haired center steps aside on their offense, even though she had already thought of this scenario, that doesn't mean she had to like it.
"Furihata-kun!" She barked out loud. "Be ready to play again!"
Furihata nodded silently, rose up from the bench. Now that Murasakibara is back on the radar, Kagami has to back down to the paint again, as he is the only one who can hold his ground against Murasakibara. And that means it would be his responsibility to stop Tatsuya, even if he doubted that would be needed, as Murasakibara would take over every offense chance Yosen has from now on.
"SHIT!"
"Kagami-kun, back up!"
There, he saw Murasakibara bully Kiyoshi and Mitobe together, overpowering the double-team easily, and before Kagami could help them both, the pink-haired center jumped from his spot, slamming the ball through the hoop.
*BAAAAAM!!!*
"Oooh!"
"Nice one, Murasakibara!"
"He finally took action again!"
"Now, Seirin had no chance to chase the score!"
"Substitution for Seirin High. #12 in, #5 out."
The announcement from the referee could be heard echoed around the gym, as Furihata prepared to step into the court. There, he could see the frustration on Izuki's face, once again couldn't make any difference when he was on the court.
'It's pity. If only he has the ability to score, or at least to use his eyes better….'
His thoughts wandered around, and the scene when he played together with Takao flashed inside his mind. The ability to see the entire court from the hawk's perspective is really useful. However, Izuki wasted it by only having a passing ability to complement his eyes.
Furihata shook his head, giving the second-year point guard a high five before entering the game. As he saw the expectant gazes from his teammates, he started speaking, repeating Alex's instructions.
"Red, focus on Murasakibara. Kiyoshi-senpai, keep your eyes on him too and help whenever you see a chance to get the ball. Mitobe-senpai, drop back a little and play in the high post. But always make sure you will stand between the ball and Murasakibara. We will try to cut off his pass route. And Hyuga-senpai, you and I will keep our eyes on the backcourt, just in case they want to go with Himuro or Fukui-san. Do you understand?"
All he got was silent nods from everyone. It was not a good plan. Furihata basically told the others to abandon Okumura and Wei Liu in order to put their focus on Murasakibara and Tatsuya. But it was the best thing they could have done right now, considering how passive those two are today. And for now, they need to keep their head straight, as it is time for them to restart the game.
"Come on, Seirin!"
"Offense!"
"Furihata-kun, show them your shoot!"
Furihata dribbled slowly, setting the tempo for Seirin's offense. However, when he noticed his teammates' positions, he couldn't help but frown.
'What the hell is he doing there?'
And the 'he' that Furihata mentioned is Kagami, who is deep into Yosen's paint area. If this was their turn to defend, Furihata could understand why he is there, to stop Murasakibara. But this is their offense, and with Kiyoshi and Mitobe on the court too, Kagami needs to stay away from the paint if he wants a chance to score.
Furihata shook his head quickly, making a quick signal for Kagami to come forward for a screen. And right when Kagami arrived next to him, with a flawless pick-and-roll game, Furihata managed to send the ball to the red-haired power forward who was in a good position.
"Shoot it, Red!"
Kagami grinned as no one was close enough to stop him. Hell, he even had enough time to look around first, noticing that Murasakibara was far from his spot, before he jumped, ready to pull up the shoot.
However, to everyone's surprise, Murasakibara's figure who he saw a second ago still in the paint area suddenly vanished, just to pop up straight away in front of him with one of his hands extended through the air.
"WHAT?!"
Kagami widened his eyes in shock, a hint of panic could be seen on his face. This was the second time dashed out to the three-point area out of sudden just to stop Seirin's offense today, and Kagami was the lone victim of both of the plays. It was no wonder Kagami was a bit panicking when he saw the giant rush in his direction.
Fortunately for Kagami, right before he pulled up the shoot, he took a glance at everyone's position, so, when Murasakibara's hand is about to reach the ball, with his quick thinking, he sent the ball to the low-post area, where Mitobe is standing there without anyone guarding him.
"Nice pass, Kagami!"
"Come on, Mitobe! Shoot the ball!"
The quiet center took a dribble once before preparing to shoot the ball. However, just like Kagami, when he is about to shoot, Murasakibara appears once again, already recovered his position after his attempt to stop Kagami's shoot.
"Damn! His reflex is a fucking joke!"
Mitobe gritted his teeth, trying to think what to do. Seeing that all of his teammates were guarded pretty tightly, he turned his body around, and with a quick spin move, he threw the ball with a sweeping motion, creating a space for himself with a hook shot, hoping that it would be enough to score against Murasakibara.
However, his hope was chorused when he saw the tip of Murasakibara's fingers brush the ball, changing its route in the air, and a second later,
*Clank!*
The ball hits the board! And with Murasakibara under the paint, there is no way for any Seirin players to grab the rebound.
"Oooh!"
"Another good defense from Murasakibara!"
"Let's go, Yosen High!"
Fortunately for Seirin, right before their opponent could launch a quick fastbreak, the sound of the whistle getting blown by the referee rang loudly, stopping the game immediately.
"Defensive foul, Yosen High #9, goaltending violation. Two points for Seirin #8."
Silence settled over the gymnasium, just to be broken by the cheers that erupted from the audience seat.
"OOOOOOOHHH!!!!"
"Nice one, Mitobe!"
"That is sooo close!"
"Keep it up, Seirin!"
All the Seirin supporters in the audience seat cheered loudly, excited about the last play. However, the same sentiment couldn't be said for the players on the court. All of the Seirin players there just looked at each other grimly, knowing that it was just pure luck Murasakibara was a bit late to block the shoot.
"Come on!" Hyuga shouted, trying to cheer his teammates. "It is time for defense!"
The game restarted once again, and as usual, the ball went directly to Murasakibara's hand. Even though all of the Seirin players tried to cut off the ball supply to Murasakibara, it was impossible to do that completely, especially when it was a lob pass to force a post-up situation.
However, that doesn't mean Seirin couldn't do anything about that. Right after Murasakibara caught the ball, the pink-haired center was surrounded immediately by Kagami and Kiyoshi, limiting his movement in a tight position.
"Oooh!"
"Nice double team, Seirin!"
"Don't let him go further!"
From the outside, it looked like both Kiyoshi and Kagami managed to stop Murasakibara's movement. However, only those two Seirin players knew that it was the opposite. Instead of oppressing Murasakibara, it was they who found a hard time holding onto their ground, and it was only because the pink-haired center hadn't decided to attack yet that they could still maintain their position.
And it seems the other Seirin players noticed that too. Mitobe who was on the high post slid down a little, positioning himself between the rim and Murasakibara. Whenever he saw the pink-haired giant escape from the double team, he would plant himself on the ground, trying to aim for an offensive foul.
However, even with all of that preparation, it seems they still underestimated Murasakibara.
With a quick movement, the pink-haired center pushed down both Kiyoshi and Kagami in such a way that wouldn't result in a foul. And when he saw Mitobe in front of him, using Mitobe as a pivot, he spun his body around, avoiding the collision between those two, and in a second, he had already been under the basket.
*BAAAAAM!!!*
Another powerful dunk for Murasakibara! And this time, from getting rid of the double team to avoiding the collision by using his abnormal flexibility, he did achieve his goal of demoralizing his opponent.
As for the Seirin's side, all of their players looked gloomy at their situation. One thing crossed their minds, With that unmatched strength and abnormal agility, who can stop the serious Murasakibara?
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Author note :
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You can also read this fanfiction up to chapter 143 on that page. Thank you! :)
-Zeta Faes-