Chapter 14

As the coach addressed us, he spoke with determination and a clear game plan in mind. "This is it, team. We need to maintain our momentum and stay focused. Ichigo, can you finish off this quarter strong?"

Gasping for air, I strained to hear what the coach was saying to me. The weight of his expectations was heavy on my shoulders, but I nodded to show that I understood. I wanted to conserve my energy for the important moments that were coming up.

I knew that despite my outstanding performance, Teiko didn't take our team seriously. It was clear that I needed to prove to them that even though we might not win the entire game, I was determined to come out on top in this specific quarter.

Winning this quarter was not only important for me, but also for my teammates. With only three minutes remaining on the clock, I was ready to give it my all.

When it came to the fourth quarter, I don't really care because I knew that even if I had endless energy, winning would be extremely tough.

For me, winning this quarter was sufficient for the Generation of Miracles to recognize me as someone capable of competing against them, someone who is on par with them in terms of skill and potential.

My goal in this game is to gain recognition from others and let them know that I am here to compete alongside them.

After the third quarter, regardless of the outcome, Teiko would undoubtedly strengthen their defense, making it very difficult for me to score. This would be particularly challenging with Akashi Seijuro on their team.

I anticipated that Aomine Daiki would be assigned as my defender, and if that were the case, scoring wouldn't come as easily as when Kise was guarding me.

(3rd person POV)

As the Teiko team called for a timeout, they all seemed relaxed and calm, except for Kise Ryota. Kise couldn't believe that he couldn't defend against Ichigo, their opponent. Filled with determination, Kise approached Akashi and made a heartfelt request.

"Akashi, please pass me the ball after the timeout. I need to defeat that guy," Kise said urgently, his voice filled with determination.

Upon hearing Kise's plea, Akashi locked eyes with him, showing a focused and intense expression. Kise felt a shiver down his spine as he encountered Akashi's cold and piercing gaze.

"Do you remember our team motto?" Akashi asked, his voice piercing through the air.

To Kise's surprise, he responded unsurely, "Winning is everything, right?" He couldn't understand why Akashi was bringing up the team motto at this particular moment.

Akashi's tone remained cold as he continued, "Are we really winning, Ryota?"

Confused, Kise replied, "Of course, we're still ahead by a wide margin. How is that not winning?"

Akashi gave him a stern look and explained, "Yes, we may be winning the overall game, but we're losing this third quarter."

Kise felt the weight of Akashi's words hit him, causing him to go quiet. Deep down, he knew that they were losing this quarter because he couldn't stop Ichigo.