Chapter 51 : VS Shutoku X - Before the End

Midorima executed all three free throws flawlessly, shortening the gap between both teams to five points while ending the third quarter at the same time. However, that is not what all Seirin players worried about the most.

No, it is the condition of their best player, Kagami, who had to be bought outside by the official tournament's medic team that makes them feel anxious. The clash between him and Midorima forced the red-hair to leave the court full of pain.

"If Kagami couldn't play anymore, we are done for this game," Koganei muttered with a depressed tone. As a result, he was hit in the back of his head by Hyuga.

*Slap!*

"Ouch! What the hell, Junpei!" He whined for a second. However, the glare he received from the captain silenced him.

"Don't be a jerk!" Hyuga scolded him. "This is not only about us winning the game anymore. Think about Kagami-kun for a little. What if his injury is bad and he has to go to the hospital? Who do you think will pay for him?"

Not only Koganei, but everyone also turned somber, realizing how serious this was for Kagami after hearing what Hyuga said.

"Don't worry about it." Riko finally spoke, easing the worries of her players. "If things go worse, we can ask a help from the principal. I am sure, he would help. Kagami-kun is getting hurt when he played for Seirin, after all."

What they don't know is that Kagami is coming from a well-off family in America, and he could get the best treatment in the world for his injury.

After five minutes filled with anxiety, Kagami finally came with one of the medics, his knee is getting compressed with an ice pack.

"He could still play." The medic delivered the good news, eliciting a relieved sigh from all the players. However, it didn't last long as the medic added immediately.

"But I wouldn't recommend for him to jump over and over again like crazy just like what he did earlier. When we checked him, he showed the sign of someone who sprained his knee. If he is stubborn enough to do the same, there is a chance his ligament would get hurt more which could possibly trigger an injury on his ACL. You know how much time he would need to recover from that kind of injury, right?"

Riko nodded slightly, a grim expression could be seen on her face.

ACL or Anterior Cruciate Ligament is a muscle that runs diagonally in the middle of the knee that prevents the shin bone from sliding out in front of the thigh bone and provides rotational stability for the knee. Because there is no blood supply running to the ligament, it cannot heal on its own when you over-stretch your ACL, and you will need surgery and rehabilitation time for about nine to twelve months before you could walk properly, let alone play any sport again.

Basically, ACL Injury is the worst nightmare for any athlete in the world.

"What is the recommendation for him?" Riko finally spoke, asking probably the most important question right now. The medic sighed for a while before replying,

"Honestly, he can only do his crazy jump probably for four or five more times before we have to send him to the hospital. But if I were you, I wouldn't push his luck. Take it easy. Winning this game is not worth the risk of his future."

Riko nodded at the answer before she bowed and says,

"Thank you very much, Sensei!"

Which was followed by her players.

After the medic left their bench, she turned around just to see the despair on her players.

"Okay, everyone." She began to speak. "You heard what the doctor said. I know this is one of the worst outcomes possible here, but we are still on the lead. We still have the chance to win the game. So, are we really gonna give up now?"

Hearing no answer from her players, Riko tries to emphasize her last words again.

"Are we really gonna give up now?!"

After a few seconds of silence, the first one who stand up and replied to the question is Kuroko.

"No, Coach!"

Riko nodded, satisfied with the passion that burn in his eyes. She turned around to the other players and said,

"You see Kuroko-kun here, probably the weakest among us, is still determined to win. What about you, guys? Can you say the same?!"

All her players are looking at each other, nodding with new determination rose from their hearts. Then, Hyuga took a step forward, voicing the thought of his teammates.

"No, Coach! We will never give up until the very end!"

"Yeah!"

"Now, that is the expression that I want to see." Riko nodded in satisfaction. Her expression shifted immediately as she has to address the huge problem they have to face in the final quarter.

"But as you know, even though we are on the lead, our problem is still here. Without Kagami-kun here, it is like a mission impossible to stop Midorima. So, we will use the same strategy as in the second quarter. If we cannot stop their offense, all we need is to score more than them. Do you understand?"

"Yes, coach!"

"Good." Riko nodded before she turned to her two best shooters on the team. "Junpei, Furihata-kun, our offense will have to go through you guys again. Can you last long enough until the end of the game?"

Hyuga nodded without any hesitation. However, Furihata just shrugged, didn't give any clear answer to her question.

"My stamina is not the worse, but it is still not at the same level as Hyuga-senpai yet. I don't know how long I would last, but I will try to preserve my energy as much as possible."

"That's good enough for me." Riko nodded at the answer. "Kuroko-kun, you will start from the bench. Replenish your stamina first, and when you are ready, I will put you back on the court."

Seeing the nod from Kuroko, Riko turned around to the others.

"Izuki, Mitobe, are you ready?" Both senior players nodded in heartbeats, no hesitation could be seen from their eyes. "Good! Izuki, you know your job. Mitobe, I need you to secure as many rebounds as you can. Clean the mess Junpei and Furihata-kun would create. Can you do that?"

"Yes, Coach!"

"As for you, Tsuchida, you will be the one who has the hardest task here. Don't give Midorima any room to breathe. And if you cannot stop him, forcing him to drive forward. It is better to let him score two points rather than three. We will force them to play inside and we will outrun them with three-point from Junpei and Furihata. Any question?"

"What about me?" Kagami who hasn't spoken anything since he came from the medical team suddenly asked a question. Riko sighed tiredly before she replied,

"I don't want to lie to you, Kagami-kun, but I don't have any plan to play you again except if it is a very close game until the end and we need your presence to close the game. You heard what the medic said before, and you know the risk of ACL injury. I will not risk you just for this win. Can you understand that?"

Kagami nodded slowly even though it is clear he doesn't like the idea of having to sit for the entire quarter once again.

"Good. Thank you for being mature and not creating a fuss, Kagami-kun."

Kagami just grumbled lowly as his teammates snickered at the last comment.

"Anyway," Riko clapped her hands, gaining the attention of her players once again. "Is there any more question?"

"No, Coach!"

"Good! Then, go!"

And a few seconds later, the buzzer rang, indicating the final quarter would begin. All the players are already on the court, ready for the game again.

"So, where is the red-hair?" Takao grinned with a mocking expression as he faced Furihata. He feels a bit dirty to take advantage of someone's injury to mock the other. But he wouldn't stop him to do that as he thinks Furihata would do the same in a heartbeat if their position is reserved.

Furihata just raised his eyebrows slightly before he replied,

"Why don't you worry about your team first? We are still on the lead, you know?"

Takao snorted a little.

"Ha! As if it would last long. Without your red-hair, nothing can stop Shin-chan from scoring."

After exchanging conversation for a few seconds, the game restarted again with the ball in Shutoku's position. Takao holds the ball while being guarded by Furihata. Furihata still does the same as the last quarter, opening his guard slightly, and inviting Takao to drive through the left side.

Takao who thought the last time Furihata did that was a fluke grinned a little.

'So he has the habit to open the left side, huh? Let's take care of it!'

He charged forward, trying to take advantage of Furihata's open defense. But Furihata who orchestrated the whole defense could just follow him without any problem. It is also easier for Furihata to defend him as Takao is a right-handed player. Now, the only thing left is to force him to take a shoot.

Takao still didn't know he went to the spot where Furihata wanted him to be. When he scanned around, he couldn't help but curse as he saw all the passing routes to his teammates were blocked.

"Damn!"

Usually, he would do a little trick like a crossover or hesitation move to get away from his guard. However, after facing Furihata for the entire game, Takao knows his cheap trick wouldn't work on him.

Furihata keeps forcing him to hold the ball for a while until Shutoku only has about four seconds before the referee declares this play as a 24-second violation turnover. Knowing this, Takao gritted his teeth, trying to bump his body into Furihata's in hope of drawing a foul. However, what he didn't expect is Furihata is already planted both his feet to the floor, ready for the confrontation. A second later,

*Brugh!*

"Shutoku #10 Offensive foul charging. Seirin ball."

After a few seconds in silence, all the Seirin players roared in celebration.

"LET'S GOO!!!"

----------------------

Author note :

Sorry, a short chapter, and not a lot of basketball is involved here. I think it would take two or three more chapters before this game ends. So, stay tuned!

If you want to support me more, you can visit my Patreon page on patreon(.)com/ZetaFaes

You can also read this fanfiction up to chapter 71 on that page. Thank you! :)