Chapter 137 : Final Confrontation
"Kise-kun, how do you cope with the situation on the court?"
"I am not sure," Kise admitted freely. "Aominecchi is getting stronger in every play, and my stamina is starting to catch up. I don't know how long I will be able to hold him down before he completely overwhelms me."
Kasamatsu and Takeuchi Genta looked at each other silently, their faces turned ugly. At this point, Kise is not only their ace, but he is also the spiritual pillar for the team, the one who carries all the hope of Kaijo players. That's why once he collapsed, the others would follow in a short time.
Kise himself also feels helpless. Although he wanted to insist that he could handle Aomine, he knows his limitations right now. Moreover, he wanted to win this game so badly that he decided to be honest with his condition so his coach could make the best arrangement for his team. Lying and showing a false bravado would only hurt the team in the long run.
'60 – 58, huh?' Kise took a glance at the scoreboard. 'Even though we are still on the lead, we were completely suppressed at the end of the quarter. If nothing changes, we will be eaten alive by Aominecchi.'
Takeuchi Genta also had the same thought, as he currently racked his brain hard to think of what is the best adjustment in the current situation. Don't just look at his overweight body. In terms of basketball knowledge, Takeuchi Genta is probably one of the best in Japan right now, with only several elites that could match his brain.
After pondering for another few seconds, he finally signaled for the others to gather, his mind had already decided the best action in the next quarter.
"Okay, since Kise-kun said he wasn't sure how long he could handle Aomine, I will free him from the task." He ignored the startled and uneasy expressions on his players' faces, knowing his decision was a big gamble. "For the replacement, Kasamatsu! Kobori! You both are the fastest and the most agile players here besides Kise. You both will double-team him for the rest of the game. You don't need to shut him down completely. Just wear him out to make it easier for Kise-kun later. Can you both do it?"
The two most senior members of the team looked at each other for a second before they both nodded solemnly. Even though it was an almost impossible task, someone must step up and take the responsibility to replace Kise. Who is better to handle that job than the two most experienced players here?
"Good." Takeuchi Genta nodded, satisfied with their attitude. "As for our offense, we will play a lone big man. Other than Hayakawa, I want all of you to go outside and stretch the floor. Kise-kun, you don't need to go toe-to-toe against Aomine all the time. Just organize the play slowly like you did before, and if you find out anyone had a chance to knock out a three, don't hesitate! I don't need a pretty or highlight-worthy play. What I need right now is for us to widen the gap. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Coach!"
Now, everyone had the slightest idea of their coach's strategy. It was abandoning the defense to get the better result in offense. Aomine scores with his usual crazy play? So what? At the end of the day, it was only for two or three points at most. As long as they could score more, they would win the game.
This was the gamble that Takeuchi Genta was willing to take, and only time would tell if it was paid off or not.
--------------------------
A minute later, the buzzer rang loudly, as the fourth quarter was about to begin. All the players had already gathered on the court, warming up again after the short break between the third and fourth quarters. And the most eye-catching players there of course still Kise and Aomine who were standing against each other casually.
"So, Kise, where is that cockiness and arrogance that I saw before? Did I finally wipe out that annoying smug smile in your pretty face?"
Kise snorted a little. "Don't be too hasty to judge, Aominecchi. You will never know how the game would go."
"Well, if you say so." Aomine shrugged, not taking Kise's words seriously. "I hope you still have some tricks on your sleeve, or the next quarter will be a little bit boring."
After everyone was ready, the referee gave the ball to Hayakawa who gave it directly to Kise. With the ball is on Kise's hand, the clock also starts to run again, indicating the beginning of the final quarter.
Kise dribbled the ball carefully, using his left arm to protect the ball from Aomine's steal attempt. Kobori came from the half-court line and set up a quick screen, helping him to release some pressure from Aomine. Kise was thankful for that, as it allowed him to observe the entire court. Even though he could only do that for a second, with his keen eyes, he could see someone was in a good position, waiting for the ball.
Before Aomine could pressure him again, Kise threw the ball without hesitation, and a second later, the ball went straight into Moriyama's hand in the corner area.
"Nice pass, Kise!"
Moriyama caught the ball comfortably, ready to take a shoot. However, Sakurai suddenly rushed in his direction, extending his arm forward to disturb his sight
"S-Sumimasen!"
Moriyama's mouth twitched, starting to get annoyed with this 'Sumimasen' freak. He pump-faked the shoot, avoiding Sakurai's defense and ready to break through from the baseline. However, before he could do that, he could hear Kise shout at him.
"SHOOT IT QUICK, SENPAI!"
At first, Moriyama was confused about why Kise sounded so anxious. However, a second later, a blue-haired boy suddenly flashed into his sight, snatched the ball from his hand, and before he could react, the ball suddenly hit his knee and went out of the court.
*Brugh!*
Silence befell on the court as the ball bounced slowly outside of the court. Moriyama stares at the tanned-skinned boy in disbelief, trying to process what just happened.
'What the hell?! Why the hell is he doing here?! Should he guard Kise-kun?!'
As the confusion grew on Kaijo players, a small smirk formed on Imayoshi's face, as the Too captain recalled the break before this quarter began.
'As expected of Momoi-san's intelligence. Nothing escaped her eyes.'
-A little flashback-
"Out of all the Generation of Miracles, Ki-chan is the most humble and low-key player there." Momoi began her pep talk. "Even though he has a huge ego, it is not as big as Dai-chan or the other. So, there would be about a 75% chance he would avoid confrontation and use his teammates to stretch out the floor. If that happens, Sakurai-san, you need to be careful."
"E-Eh? Me?!" Sakurai was surprised that his name was mentioned out of a sudden.
"Yes, Sakurai-san. You." Momoi nodded. "Out of all the Kaijo players, Koji Kobori and Mitsuhiro Hayakawa are the defensive core of the team. Even though they have decent offensive skills, Ki-chan would only use them as the final resort, as he has two better scorers alongside him; Yukio Kasamatsu and Yoshitaka Moriyama."
Imayoshi and Sakurai perked up at those two names that were their responsibility.
"Before Ki-chan joined Kaijo High, they both were the offensive core of the team. But in terms of scoring, Moriyama-san is slightly better. He could score from outside, had a decent mid-range accuracy, and was quite crafty under the paint. Out of those two, there is about a 60% chance Ki-chan would pass the ball to him, and the other 40% was reserved for Kasamatsu-san."
Seeing the tense Sakurai, Momoi smiles reassuringly. "Don't worry, Sakurai-san. Your job is just to prevent him from taking a shoot at least for two or three seconds after he received the ball. If you can do that, we could consider it successful."
"Eh?"
Sakurai looked at the manager confusedly. Even though he was glad his job was not as hard as he imagined, he couldn' understand what Momoi just said. In fact, the other players were also in the same state, looking at the pink-haired girl as if she just lost her mind.
Momoi just smiles a little at the confusion of the players.
"Well, we have Dai-chan here." She said as if it explained everything. And as a matter of fact, it did. "You know he is a very competitive player. There is no way he would let Ki-chan lie down quietly. If Ki-chan didn't hold the ball, the best way to force him is to beat his teammates, and Dai-chan knows about that too. He would go crazy, covering every inch of the court just to draw out Ki-chan's ego once again. And as long as it was not a catch-and-shoot play, I have no doubt Dai-chan would be able to stop everyone in Kaijo. So, just let Dai-chan do the dirty work for us, just like the usual."
Everyone was dumbfounded, looking at the girl as if she had just grown another head. The situation that Momoi just said indeed would be the best scenario here. However, there are still doubts that lingered through the players' hearts.
"How sure are you that Aomine-kun would do that?" Imayoshi decided to ask.
"I am 100% sure," Momoi replied firmly, surprising the captain. "Since Ki-chan decided to involve his teammates in his game, Dai-chan would see him beating all the Kaijo players as a way to defeat Ki-chan in his own game there is no way he would let that chance slide."
"Hmm…." Imayoshi hummed slightly, starting to get convinced by the idea. He just needs the final push to agree with her idea, and Momo knows what to say.
"We have a wild dog here, ready to be unleashed. Why not let him go wild and bite our opponent to death?"
-end of the flashback-
'Referring to your childhood friend as a wild dog? You are so cruel, Momoi-san. I like it' Like a common villain, Imayoshi tucked his glasses upward as the smirk on his face broadened. 'However, to read Kise and the entire Kaijo strategy like an open book and think of the counter-measurement in such a short time, she sure is a monster. No wonder the Generation of Miracles could dominate the entire nation for three years in a row.'
For Imayoshi, the most important thing about basketball is intelligence. No matter how powerful a player is, as long as he can think calmly, he has no doubt he can think of something to counter his opponent. That's why even though in the eyes of everyone else Aomine is Too's powerful ace, in his eyes, the tanned-skinned boy is just a wild dog ready to be unleashed to bite his opponent, just like what Momoi said.
That's also why he took great importance in smart people like Momoi or Akashi who played with his brain instead of muscle. In Imayoshi's eyes, that playing style is the best way to ensure a long career in sport, as it would avoid the risk of unnecessary injuries from a crazy highlight play.
'Let's see if her arrangement also works for the offense.'
Yeah. Momoi didn't just think about their defense. She also thought about how they should play their offense, or to be more exact, how they should exploit Aomine's craziness to score more efficiently.
"With Dai-chan's personality, there is no chance he would pass the ball." Everyone nodded, acknowledging her words. "So, like the defense, just let him go crazy, but be prepared for everything. Susa-san, Wakamatsu-kun, you both clear the way to make it easier for Dai-chan to drive. They will try to do a double-team, so be careful. Sakurai-san, stretches out the floor. Imayoshi-san, follow Dai-chan from behind. And this is for everyone, be ready for the second ball. If I knew anything about Ki-chan, he would never give up no matter what happened. I guessed there would be a surprise waiting for us."
'Well, it is good to be cautious. But it seems Momoi-san overestimated Kaijo High a bit.'
Yeah. At first, it was a double team from Kasamatsu and Kobori. Then, it was the strategy to drive Aomine into one specific ugly spot and force him to take a bad shot from there. In doing so, Hayakawa also got dragged from the paint area, and a triple team was formed just to stop the tanned skin power forward. However, no matter what they do, Aomone always gets faster and stronger, coming out as the absolute winner.
It happened for several minutes, and all of Kaijo's advantages suddenly vanished in a blink. But when all the hope started to move away from Kaijo High, their ace finally made a move.
"DAMN!"
"Stop him!"
"Even triple team couldn't hold him down?! What kind of freak is he?!"
"Shit! He is about to shot! Don't let him do that!"
Under the rim close to the baseline, Aomine is ready to pull up his signature formless shot, letting the ball fly from behind the board. However, right after the ball leaves his hand, Kise suddenly flashes in front of him, jumping straight into the ball, grabbing it in the air, and bouncing it through Aomine's body without hesitation.
*Slap!*
It happened so fast that Aomine couldn't dodge nor catch the ball that was thrown into his body. It bounced far out of the court, resulting in the change of possession for Kaijo. However, no one cares about it. All the eyes were locking into Kise who stared down at Aomine, looking at his former teammate coldly.
"I am still here, and I won't let you bury our hope that easy, Aominecchi."
-------------------------------------------
Author note :
If you want to support me more, you can visit my Patreon page on patreon(.)com/ZetaFaes
You can read this fanfiction up to chapter 157 on that page. Also, you can read my other fanfiction, Diamond no Ace: The Prince of Hitter up to chapter 18 too.
Thank you! :)
-Zeta Faes-