Chapter 79 : VS Toō Academy XI - Blowout! Seirin's First Defeat!
It was during the intermission before the fourth quarter when everything goes down badly. The gap suddenly widened back to 20 points for Too, but that is not the worst part. What worried Riko the most is her players' state. Not only their physique, their mentality also getting drawn out here, the first time they experienced something like this.
Oh, the senior players had experienced a similar disaster last year, when they all got humiliated on the same stage. But at that time, they all knew that they were just a new team and their hope was not that big. They actually went to the inter-high for the first time just to get the experience.
But now this time, when they are strong enough, facing a single opponent that they couldn't figure out how to stop Aomine, what else can they do?
There, Riko could see the state of her players, falling into their own thoughts. Kuroko was drenched with sweat all over his body, holding mineral water while looking like a zombie who was about to die. Tsuchida and Mitobe are almost in the same situation, and their mentality is also questionable right now. They were the players who got posterized the most by Aomine, after all.
But the worst among all of them is Furihata. With how much he ran in the offense and his effort in defense just to stop Aomine, he is definitely the player with the highest area coverage in this match. Coupled with the fact that he couldn't train for almost two weeks after the last game against Shutoku, Riko could only wonder how he didn't pass out now.
She could see how exhausted he is, panting heavily like a dog in the middle of a heat stroke in the summer. If not for the depressing situation, she would make a joke about him. But right now, a decision has to be made for this game.
"Okay, everyone! Listen up!" She spoke loudly, gaining her players' attention. "I know you all are exhausted right now, so I will make it fast. Koganei-kun, Izuki-kun, Kawahara-kun, Fukuda-kun, you are up!"
'WHAT?!" Her instruction startled all the Seirin players. "Does that mean you gave up this game?" Hyuga asked quietly. Riko sighed tiredly, knowing the question would come.
"Yes." She nodded firmly. "I know it leaves a bad taste in your feeling. But the fact is, we don't need to win this game. As long as we can win the other two games, we would be able to meet Too again in the future, and when that comes, it would be with our full team and us knowing Aomine's capability. I doubt he would reveal something more outrageous than his double outbreak today."
"Well, when you put it like that…." Even though unwilling, all the players, especially those who have played for the entire third quarter nodded their heads in agreement with what their coach just said. Riko could only sigh, hoping that they would get over this gloomy situation fast before they played the next game in a week.
She knows throwing a game like this leaves a sore spot in her players' heart, because it was what she did last year. And just like right now, that decision was taken carefully after seeing the poor physical condition of her players. But unlike last year when she benched her players to save them from passing out, this time, she put them off the court to save the energy for the next game. Their prospect to advance through the national tournament this time is way bigger than last year, so she has to make decisions on how to manage her players.
'I need to read about load management later after this game.' Riko muttered inwardly. But before that, she needs to finish this game first.
"Okay, so that we reached an agreement, Mitobe-kun, Tsuchida-kun, Kuroko-kun, and Furihata-kun, you are out. Yes, Furihata-kun?" Riko had to resist the urge to sigh as she saw the first-year point guard raise his hand from behind. Her kouhai sure knows where to push the right button so he could do anything he pleases.
"Senpai, instead of captain, do you think it is possible to let me stay on the court?"
Riko and Hyuga had a frown on their faces for his question.
"Any reason for that?"
"Well, even though Hyuga-senpai is way better than me in endurance, he had already played for the entire game today. It would be better for him to have some rest and avoid any unnecessary risk. And if you intend to throw this game, it would be better for me to be there. After all, your first intention for me is to lead the bench unit, right? This would give us time to know each other's style and experience the atmosphere in the real game at the same time. Is it what people said killing two birds with one stone?"
Riko narrowed her eyes slightly. The explanation was good and reasonable, and she would accept it if only the person who throw it was not Furihata. But when the player who voiced that is Furihata, she knows that he has a hidden intention behind his request.
"Well, Junpei, what do you think about it?" After a few seconds, she decided to ask the captain's opinion. No need to think about it too hard. If it is reasonable and the object of the request is also willing to accept, she had no problem granting Furihata's request.
"Sure." The captain only gave a single nod, his shoulder slumped over his seat. It showed how exhausted he is, and even though Hyuga has the best stamina, playing in a very high-intensity game like this of course would drain him to death.
"Well, that settled." Riko nodded her head. "Furihata-kun, I will play you for the time being. But you cannot deceive me. I know you are the most exhausted player here, so whenever I see something wrong, I will not hesitate to put you down. Do you understand?" She asked the last part with her eyes narrowed, daring Furihata to say something else. The point guard could only gulp nervously as he nodded his head rapidly, didn't want to get into more trouble with his coach.
"Good. And before the last quarter begins, I will speak the last thing for the bench unit." She turned her attention to the fresh bench unit who have already prepared to go to the court. "I know I said we threw this game. But I don't want you to slack off. I want you to treat this as your chance to impress me. Who knows, if you played well enough, your minutes playing would also be increasing? So, do your best out there, and show me your determination!"
"Yes, Coach!"
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A minute later, all the players who will play in the last quarter had already gathered on the court. No Aomine from Too, but the other main rosters are still on the court. Furihata could see a small smirk form on Imayoshi's mouth as he saw Seirin's players.
"As expected of Momoi-san. She even predicted that you will still be here even though your team had already given up this game."
"Oh?" Furihata raised his eyebrow slightly, showing interest.
"Yeah, she said you are the better and less unique version of the blue-haired boy. 'They are too stubborn and don't really know when to give up."
"Hoo.. Impressive.." Furihata praised Momoi, ignoring the insult from the captain. It seems he still underestimated the sheer amount of intelligence that the pink-haired girl possessed.
'Well, it doesn't matter.' Furihata shook his head.
There is one thing that Momoi guessed wrong. He knows when to give up, and he knows that this game is unsavable. It is just… This would be the first time he lost a game with Seirin. He wanted to be one of the players who stand last on the court and drill this sensation into his head, so he wouldn't forget this bitterness. It was illogical and a bit unusual for him. That's why he uses another reason to make his coach let him stay on the court.
However, no amount of will could make up for the loss of his stamina. For the first couple minutes of this quarter, he was getting targeted by Toō players, which plummeted his stamina more. Hell, he even gave Sakurai two free three points without contesting his shoot.
Everyone could see the exhaustion on his part as he panted heavily on the court, couldn't run as fast as he did last quarter anymore. When his eyes met Momoi's and he saw the innocent smile waved at him, he wanted to applaud this girl for her cunning mind.
'Even though she looks like an angel, her mind sure works like a devil.'
Realizing how bad his condition is, he knows Riko would put him off the bench sooner or later. And right to his predicament, he saw Hyuga stand up from the bench, preparing to enter the court again.
'So, this is it, huh?'
As his time is up, Furihata couldn't help but let out a small chuckle, a hint of bitterness could be seen in his eyes. He hates this feeling. He hates losing. And the worst part, he hates that his opponent is still looking down at him. Even though he knows he is no match for Aomine, receiving the bored eyes from the power forward as he couldn't stop him even once is the worst feeling ever.
He vows he would take revenge in the future.
He didn't notice that he has already walked off the court, being subbed off by his captain once again. But when he fell off to the bench, all his energy suddenly vanished from his body, leaving him laying like a corpse.
"Good job." Riko's voice snapped him from his thought. She handed him a towel. "You have done your best here. Just remember how it feels, and use it as your strength." Furihata could only nod, accepting her words. When he turned around, he could see the red-eyes of Kuroko, which kinda surprised him a bit. But after thinking for a moment, he realized something.
'Aaah.. This will also be his first loss. He had never experienced something like this in middle school. Having a ridiculously strong teammate sure is good, huh..'
He decided not to say anything to the blue-haired girl, because he knows, no amount of comfort words would make them feel better. As a player who also gives it all on the court and still loses, Furihata knows this feeling. So, he turned his eyes around to the court, observing back the game.
There, he could see his teammates getting bullied by Too's main players. Three after three are getting launched by Sakurai and Imayoshi, and Wakamatsu who didn't have a decent performance before suddenly turned into a monster, dominating everyone inside the paint.
Only silence accompanied Seirin's bench, as they got humiliated more by their opponent. Their eyes turned red and some of them are getting teary, but none of them are willing to turn around from this game. They have been working so hard until this part, and they still have a chance in the next game. Even though there is still a gloomy atmosphere, they are determined to be better in the future, and they wouldn't forget about this game. They would take revenge the next time they meet.
Seeing the determination in her players' eyes, a small smile formed on the corner of Riko's mouth. She is glad that unlike last year, her players handled the defeat better now, and she knows that they would work harder in the next training session.
"Kagami-kun and Teppei would also come back next week. I cannot wait for all the players to be healthy. Next winter tournament, we will make a big storm."
Ten minutes later, the game finally ended with a win for Too Academy, and the first loss for Seirin during this tournament.
60 – 104
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Author note :
Sorry for the short chapter :)
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-Zeta Faes-