Chapter 13

As Kise headed towards our basket, I pushed myself to stop him. With determination, I positioned myself in front of him, hoping to slow him down. Yet, he effortlessly spun past me, effortlessly advancing towards our basket. Fortunately, one of my teammates intercepted him, trying to slow him down.

As I watched the scene unfold, Kise, with his incredible athleticism, leaped into the air, aiming to perform a powerful dunk. At the same time, my teammate also jumped in an attempt to block Kise's shot. However, Kise paid no attention to my teammate's efforts and fearlessly slammed the ball through the hoop with immense force.

The referee quickly blew the whistle, declaring the basket as valid and awarding a foul—a situation commonly known as "and-1"—in favor of Kise. The crowd erupted with excitement as the referee confirmed the successful score and signaled for the game to continue.

As Kise hung from the rim, he looked directly at me before releasing his grip. I could sense the intensity in his gaze - a blend of accomplishment and defiance - as he smirked at me without saying a word.

The game carried on as Kise successfully made another free throw, bolstering his team's score.

Now it was our turn to regain possession. After our point guard crossed the half court, he immediately passed me the ball and my teammates created space for me. I caught the ball and prepared myself for a one-on-one challenge against Kise.

As I faced Kise, I noticed his serious and determined expression. He was so close to me that I couldn't even start dribbling.

Seeing that he was trying to pressure me, I made the decision to back him down with my back towards the basket. With my size and weight advantage, I easily pushed him inside, just before reaching the paint.

As I brought Kise closer to the rim, I aggressively backed him down. He momentarily pushed back, giving me the opportunity to capitalize on it. I quickly took a step back, creating more space for a comfortable jump shot.

Seeing my move, Kise immediately got back on defense, attempting to block my shot. However, since I had stepped back, I created enough distance for him to not reach me, making the shot easily.

After that shot, the game continued in an intense fashion, with me and Kise exchanging shots one after another. The momentum was building, and the intensity of the game was palpable.

As the clock ticked down and only three minutes remained on the game clock, the Teiko's team decided to call a timeout. At that point, the score stood at 19-85 in favor of Teiko, but despite the seemingly insurmountable gap, our team was determined to make a comeback.

My teammates and I walked back to our bench, wanting to catch our breath after putting in all our energy on the court. We huddled together, excited to listen to our coach's motivating and instructive words.

"This is it, team. We need to maintain our momentum and stay focused. Ichigo, can you finish off this quarter strong?"