A/N: Thank you all for the reviews and faves and follows! It's much appreciated.

It is a fact that substitutions in street ball are only in 3X3 but for our fic, it's allowed for 5X5.

And Happy New Year even though it's late!

Enjoy!

Chapter 14

On Sunday, they continued to help Shige return to form, this time the boy was a little bit better than Saturday. He managed to stop Kotarou only twice, but the thing was, he wasn't using his lightning dribble. With Shouichi, he managed to block his threes twice as well, his double clutch...not so much. When he was with Yukio, he found it hard to stop his full drive as the older boy was fast. He had figured that since he couldn't stop him he may as well try to knock the ball from his hands in a back-tip. The moment Shige turned to execute this action, Yukio had swiftly switched the ball hand.

But, even though he was overpowered by these three, he still had fun. Tetsuya and Kazunari were off doing their thing but there were times when they cheered him on. But that same day, before they had even finished, Shouichi's phone rang. When he saw the caller I.D, he put it on speaker and had the others gather around. The moment Tanaka started speaking, the boys sparkled with joy.

Their uniforms were complete.

In addition to that, there will be a competition the coming weekend on Saturday. Kotarou looked like he was about to faint from the happiness, Yukio and Shige had to keep him standing. Kazunari seemed to be tearing up, putting a hand over his eyes, his shoulders shaking. Tetsuya moved off beside him, his face as well was brimming with joy. Then, Tanaka had requested Shige's measurements, this prompted the boys to abandon the street court immediately (after taking up their belongings) and head home so that Tanaka could measure the boy.

By the time they had reached home, the moment they saw the uniforms, they had seemed to be drunk with joy. Incoherent sentences and phrases escaped their lips, but one thing Tanaka could make out: "Thank you!". He then proceeded to measure Shige, while the others had dashed up in the room. Kazunari had quickly booted up his laptop, not caring that it is very early morning in America.

When Tatsuya's face came on the screen, they hooted, frightening the black-haired boy.

"What's with the racket?" Tatsuya had asked.

"This!" Kotarou held up his uniform, with a broad grin. "It's ready and waiting Tatsu!"

"Wha..." Tatsuya was at a loss for words. The uniform that Kotarou held had the number nine on it, the number that he had chosen to wear as a part of RimFire. He had then wiped an imaginary tear, and seeing this, made him even more eager to return to Japan.

It was then that Tanaka had brought in Shige, and he was introduced to the other boy. At that moment, Shige found out (through dual-telling from Kotarou and Tatsuya) how they had became friends and played street ball together in America.

The school week began, and throughout, Shige was practicing with RimFire minus Kotarou. On Monday, he had practiced with all of them, but when Tuesday came around, only Shouichi and Kazunari were available; proficiency tests were coming up, Tetsuya and Yukio were both helping their aces to study which, sad to say, was a losing battle. Neither boy had no idea that their ace would be that stupid, for Tetsuya, when he had seen Kagami's English grade, he was appalled. For someone who lived in America, failing English should have been inconceivable. For Yukio, upon seeing the blond's midterms, he was so shocked that he was frozen stiff. But then again, when Shouichi had told him about Aomine's, it sort of had improved his mood.

By the time Wednesday came around, Shige had gotten his uniform, he tried it on at their house, so that if needs be, Tanaka could take it back for adjustments. But, the uniform fit the boy perfectly. Tears had welled in his eyes, as it has been a while since he had worn a jersey for basketball. Shouichi had taken a picture of him and sent it off to Yukio and Tetsuya who were off again, helping their aces.

On Thursday, everyone rejoiced, being that proficiency tests were over, and they could resume their normal lives. Yukio and Tetsuya however, looked exhausted and when Kazunari had asked them about it, they replied:

"Kise was a hard nut to crack. It took me, Moriyama and Nakamura. Thank God we were able to whip him into shape quickly."

"Please, you shouldn't be complaining. It took six of us, including me to tame that tiger." Tetsuya had rolled his eyes. "Tell me, how is possible for someone who lived in America to fail English?"

"That's a question for the gods, Tetsu-chan." Kazunari chuckled. "You can't ask mere mortals like us."

"Damn right." Yukio chuckled.

It was now Friday, and RimFire was in high spirits. Saturday was the competition. Saturday would mark Shige's debut. By the time they reached home, they hadn't even bothered to take off their uniforms, they just sat in the living room and awaited Kotarou's arrival. The hyperactive blond had come in the late evening as usual, and thus, they headed out to the street court with Tanaka.

Shige was already there waiting, but they sprang a surprise on the unsuspecting boy.

"We're going to be playing three-on-three." Shouichi started. "It's me, Kotarou and Tetsuya on one team."

That only left Yukio, Kazunari and him on the other. He blanched. He found it strange, that he was excited for the competition, but was nervous to play a simple three-on-three against RimFire.

Tanaka had then walked up to the boys, and they assumed their positions. He then threw the ball in the air for tip-off.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The park was bustling with life, as teenagers and youths from all walks of life had assembled here. Tanaka had driven the boys to the venue, and swiftly, they had exited and went to sign up. They were dressed normally, jeans and t-shirt. They planned to drop that surprise for when they would start their matches. Once again, Kotarou and Kazunari were ecstatic, eager that they'll get to showcase their uniforms.

After signing up, Shige got a shock of his life. They were the first match. Apparently, after hearing the discussions of the others, he realized that this was the first time that they'll be match one. They then headed back to the car, after which, they went to the nearest bathroom to change.

"Don't worry Shige-chan," Kazunari had started. He was tucking his shirt into his shorts. "It'll go just fine."

"It's just a basketball match," Yukio joined in as he tied his shoe laces. "Remember that we're with you."

"So prepare yourself to have fun, Shige." Shouichi smiled.

"I will try my best."

When they were done changing, Tanaka decided to take a group picture, happy to see his boys in their uniforms. Yukio wore number four, Shouichi had five, Kazunari wore number six, Kotarou was seven, Tetsuya was eight, Shige was ten. After what seemed to be minutes of picture taking, Tanaka checked his time and sent them off to the street court.

The moment they made their way through, the crowd created an uproar upon seeing the six boys. Not only did they stick out, their uniform was quite the sight. Cameras flashed every second, Kotarou and Kazunari waving to the crowd like they were kings. They loved things like these. Yukio had a smile on his face, clearly he too was enjoying this, Shouichi having the pleasure to tease him about it later on. Shige looked a bit frightened but more so, nervous and it was Tetsuya who calmed him down.

"It's alright, Shige-kun." he had said. He had decided to call him that since the others were doing it. It would seem weird that everyone called him 'Shige' and his childhood friend called him 'Ogiwara'.

They then formed a circle facing each other. None of the boys were nervous, just Shige and so this pep talk was for him.

"Shige," Shouichi started. "As we have said before, you've got us. Don't panic or freak out. If you make a mistake, then so be it. We'll fix it later."

Shige nodded.

"And remember, even though you're a centre, you're still a small forward." Yukio started. "There are going to be times when it's okay if you play like a small forward instead of a centre. We all do it."

"Yep! I'm a small forward here, but I originally play point guard." Kazunari said. "Lots of times, I get the boys in order and coordinate with Yu-chan and Tetsu-chan. So what we're saying is that your play isn't restricted to that of a centre."

"You can say Kazu's a small guard." Kotarou joked.

"Alright, I feel much better now."

"Go burn up the court guys," Tetsuya smiled, making two fists in their direction. Everyone then made a fist bump with the blue-haired boy and headed out onto the court. Tetsuya then went to stand beside Tanaka, who had a camera in his hand, ready to video their match. RimFire's starters were everyone except Tetsuya, in his space was of course Shige. It was planned that he'd play for this entire match, to warm him up.

The opposing team came out, and instead of looking intimidating and oppressive, they were actually admiring them. This relieved Shige's mood as well. But then, he saw the others walk up to them and started exchanging words and laughing and such. The opposing team wore matching blue T-shirts and black pants.

"You've gotten a new player?" Shige turned his head in the direction of the one who spoke. He had a fair height, but his hair was hidden by a blue tam.

"Yeah, he's new." Kotarou answered. "You should feel lucky, Tetsu's not playing." he then smirked.

"Lucky? I think it's more like blessed. I can still remember the first time we encountered you guys." Shige saw the boy shudder with a pale look on his face.

They're that dangerous other teams are shivering just from remembering a match they had?!

It was then that the referee had blown his whistle, signalling that they should line up to bow. When the teams were in order, he then announced, "Let the first match between RimFire and Blue Danger begin!"

"Thank you very much!"

The players then got in positions for the tip-off, Shige and Fuse faced off. Even though Fuse was taller than him, there wasn't that much of a difference. The referee then threw the ball in the air for the tip-off, the two centres jumping for it.

The players watched with bated breaths as the two pair of hands touched the ball. However, Fuse still managed to get it to Yonebayashi. But, before he could even do anything more, Yukio was already blocking his path. Even though Tetsuya's not playing, Blue Danger was still at a disadvantage. They had made plans for the phantom in hopes that it would have worked, but since he isn't playing, each player has to be thinking up something different. And then there's Shige. The unknown element that none of them know.

Yonebayashi tsk'ed' at this, and then scanned around to see his available options. One thing he was glad for, at least he can see all the players of RimFire. But the sad part was, most of his players were heavily guarded. Shouichi, like before, was on Yamamoto, Kotarou was on Tachibana, Shige was by the net with Fuse. Kazunari and Moritaka were the only ones free for either team.

Yonebayashi had then thought of passing to Tachibana with the overhead throw, but he was too close to Shige and Fuse. With RimFire, anything could happen, and maybe Shige could intercept the ball and pass it to his teammate. Just then, he saw Kazunari move in his direction, and having a feeling of what would happen, he bounced the ball to Yamamoto. Instead of passing the ball to Moritaka who was closer, he knew that Kotarou was far too swift.

But Yonebayashi failed to see the smile on Yukio's face. The moment Yamamoto had shifted his position to receive the ball, he noticed something. Shouichi had switched markers with Shige, and it was now Shige blocking his path. However, Yamamoto still straightened for a shot, but when he released the ball, Shige slammed it down onto the ground, and as swiftly as possible, Kazunari snatched it and made for Blue Danger's net.

By the time Kazunari was at the centre circle, he then bounced it to Yukio, who dribbled twice before chest passing it to Shouichi. The bespectacled teen seemed to have had the intention to make a three and that's when Fuse went up to block. But in that moment, Kotarou had dashed past, and in doing so, Shouichi released the ball with a bounce to the blond. It bounced right into his palm, he then headed towards the net and made a layup.

"Nice pass, Shou-nii!" Kotarou teased.

"Don't call me that!" Shouichi retorted. "Only Tetsuya is allowed to!"

"Meh, don't be such a spoil-sport, Shou-nii." Yukio joined with a snicker.

Shige, on the other hand was amazed. Their teamwork was really solid, to him, it seemed as though they could read each other's minds or something. "That pass to Kotarou-san..." he trailed off. It was truly an amazing feat, the timing in which he had to get it right, and it had to meet Kotarou's palms with precision...Shige was awestruck.

"Oi, why do you look so spaced-out?" Kotarou said pat him on the shoulder. "It was a nice block you did back there."

"Oh, thanks." Shige replied. "But, I was just wondering how did Shouichi-san managed to get the ball to you like that?"

Kotarou laughed. "Well, Shouichi is originally a point guard, and well, Tetsu's on our team. Of course he'd pick up something from our beloved little brother."

"I see." Shige still found it a bit amusing that they all refer to each other as brothers.

"What are you two chatting about?!" Yukio barked at them. "Defense! They're coming!"

RimFire then got into their respective positions, as usual, Yukio was at the top of the circle facing off with Yonebayashi. At the left and right wings, there were Shouichi and Kotarou with Yamamoto and Tachibana, within the paint was Kazunari and by the net was Shige. Fuse and Moritaka were behind Yonebayashi.

But then, those two dashed off in both directions (left and right), seeming as though they wanted to go around Shouichi and Kotarou to end up on the inside with Kazunari and Shige. RimFire picked up on this act, so Shouichi and Kotarou tried to shift their positions, but Yamamoto and Tachibana kept them still. By the time Fuse reached in the paint area, Yonebayashi then made an overhead pass to him. Moritaka had blocked Kazunari so that he couldn't do anything that may help Shige.

However, the new recruit then moved closer to Fuse, who seemed to be stalling, glancing left and right. The moment Shige inched closer and tried to steal the ball, Fuse had to changed the ball hand to the one furthest away from Shige, but close to Moritaka's back. The Hawk-eyed player wanted to grin. But if he did, the opponents would know that something's up.

Shige then went for another steal which once more made Fuse switch the ball hand, but what no one seemed to noticed was that Kazunari was pressuring Moritaka, and in doing so, the two were actually inching closer to Fuse and Shige. Because Kazunari kept trying to go around Moritaka, the small forward has to constantly try to block him. But, that made him subconsciously step backwards, closer to the centres.

When the time was right, Shige then made another attempt at the steal, and timing it just right, when Fuse switched the ball hand, Kazunari made a dash pass Moritaka and knocked the ball from Fuse's hand and into Shige's. He then weaved around the cluster there, and made a dash down the court, Yukio being the closest to him since he wasn't in the bundle. He then bounced the ball to the point guard and continued for the net, and before he could realize, he heard the sounds of loud dribbling.

He then spun around to see Kotarou dribbling hard against Tachibana, and then within a flash, Kotarou broke past the taller youth. In that moment, Kazunari had set up a screen so that Tachibana couldn't follow immediately, Shouichi was busy with Fuse even though he was struggling a bit due to the youth's mass. Moritaka then took chase, but then, with a childish grin, Kotarou bounced the ball to Shige, surprising the centre.

"I don't need to tell you what you need to do, right?" he said with a wink.

And he didn't.

Shige spun on his right foot and made a dunk.

Once more, the crowd erupted into cheers and screams, the commentators playing a part in that. But Shige felt something surge within him. This feeling that he hadn't experienced since playing against Teikou felt so foreign to him that he almost tore up. This was joy...excitement. Just making that one basket made Shige the happiest boy right there. To think that he'd left basketball, swore to himself that he'd never play again, and develop some sort of hatred towards the sport...in that one instance, it all came back to him. He then looked across to where he'd last seen Tetsuya standing and mouthed a 'thank you' to him. Said boy couldn't understand the meaning for that, but smiled and gave him a thumbs up.

"Shige-chan!" he was then brought back to reality by Kazunari. He saw the raven run towards him with a hand up, indicating that he wanted a high-five. "Good job!"

"Thanks," Shige replied, giving the boy the high-five he wanted.

"Man, you should have ripped the hoop from the backboard." Shouichi joined in.

"This is the first match! He can't do something like that yet!" Yukio countered.

"Yet?" Shige asked in bewilderment. "You really want me to do something like that?"

"Maybe." they replied with a shrug of their shoulders.

"But anyway, you've gotten into your groove now, right?" Kotarou smirked and nudged him in his side. "So, you can finally let loose on the court, and destroy your opponents! Block those shots! Get those rebounds! Make them tremble in fear at RimFire's newest addition!"

"Yeah!" strangely, Shige was getting fired up by that speech.

The game then restarted, everyone assuming their rightful positions. Kotarou had the biggest grin one could find, his eyes were locked on Tachibana. Remembering their first match against Blue Danger, Kotarou was especially pissed when they got by with their overhead passes just because they were taller. He made a vow this time, that he'll snatch those balls away from him. He looked across to Kazunari and saw the same intensity in his eyes. Looking at Shouichi and Yukio, he shivered as they had some sort of evil glint in their eyes.

"You poor souls." He said aloud. "You're in for something."

"Really now? They say revenge is a dish best served cold, you know." Tachibana smirked.

"Oh? It's us who should be saying that. You thought we have forgotten how you took advantage of the height difference and made us watched helplessly at how you received the balls?" Kotarou chuckled. "It's payback time, fella."

The instance that Kotarou said that, the ball was passed to Tachibana, and with a smirk he tried to get around Kotarou by doing a right to left crossover. He managed to get around the power forward, but the moment he'd done so, Kazunari came up and blocked it. That time, Kotarou back-tipped the ball, Yukio then running up to them and catching it.

"What?!" Tachibana shouted. "Couldn't you have done a simple double-team?! What's wrong with you?!"

"Nope. Simple doesn't apply to RimFire." he grinned. "And there's nothing wrong with us." Tachibana sighed.

Yukio had then made it close enough to Blue Danger's net, but then Moritaka came to block him. He then looked to his left and right and saw that Yamamoto and Fuse were heading in his direction. But then, he spotted Shige heading towards the net and decided to make a gamble. If he catches it or doesn't, then so be it. The game is still young. Yukio thought as he got into shooting position. Everyone was shocked by this action, but then blew it off as an improvement by Yukio. Before Yukio shot the ball, he made eye-contact with Shige, hoping that the boy would understand his intentions.

When he shot the ball, he was silently praying that Shige would manage to get the rebound, after all, he went through training for situations like these. The ball then bounced off the rim of the net, Shige reaching for it. But, then, he noticed that Fuse had come up as well. The two centres caught the ball and for a moment, time seemed to have stopped. The centres both had the ball, pushing against it with great force. Then, due to the amount of pressure, the ball flew upwards into the air, landing in the crowd.

"O-Out of bounds!" the referee then said. "White ball!" White here, referring to Blue Danger.

"Nice rebound, Shige." Yukio praised. "In all honesty, I took a gamble right there."

"Thanks."

But then, Yukio chuckled darkly, "You know what this means, right boys?"

"Of course," they all replied, a dark aura emanating from their bodies as they looked at Shige. The centre could only look on in fear, fretting about what they had planned for him. He then looked in Tetsuya's direction, he and Tanaka only gave him a thumbs up.

"Umm, guys," Shige then mustered up the courage to ask. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Dear Shige," Kazunari started. "We're going to milk you like a cow. Rebounds, blocks, everything that a centre does it'll be all you."

"Fufufu," Kotarou crackled. "It feels so good to finally have a centre." he then rubbed his hands together looking a bit sinister. "Let the revenge begin."

But somehow, even though they looked like that, a part of Shige felt as though with them, he could actually do the impossible.

When Tachibana received the ball to throw in, the moment Yonebayashi got it, Shige saw that there was something different about RimFire. They were more intense, more focused, and strangely, even so, they were smiling. Even Blue Danger were. They seemed like they were having fun, it was almost as though they weren't on the losing end of this game.

He then snapped back to reality in time to see Yonebayashi trying to get past Yukio but kept failing. Seeing his point guard's plight, Yamamoto then ran up behind Yukio and created a screen so that Yonebayashi could pass. The youth then quickly passed the ball to Tachibana who faced off with Kotarou, and not only Shige but everyone else there could see the sparks flying between the two already.

"Since I can't pay you back for your obnoxious dribble, I'll do it for that back-tip steal earlier."

"Okay, let's see what you've got, Tachi." Kotarou teased.

Tachibana twitched with irritation at the name. However, he recovered himself and started to dribble...using the different heights. Kotarou tsk'ed' at this, he absolutely hated that dribble. Even though he can do it as well, when it is being used against him, pisses him off to no end. Tachibana then made a left to right crossover, but Kotarou still managed to block him. He once more did it, but in this instance, he bounced the ball through Kotarou's legs and using the momentum from the crossover, he dashed around the startled boy, catching the ball.

But, Kotarou was not to be underestimated. Even though he got by him, he was fast enough to catch him back. It was now Tachibana's time to be startled. However, Yamamoto got away from Shouichi, going to Tachibana's aid. Seeing that the other boy was coming, Tachibana then passed the ball aerially to Yamamoto, who ended up catching it with ease. After two dribbles, he then made his way back to the three-point line, his other teammates keeping RimFire at bay. He then made his three, effortlessly.

"Damn, your height is unreasonable, you know." Kotarou said.

"Your dribbling is unreasonable. That's what." Tachibana countered.

The two then sent glares at each other, as if trying to send out a message. Blue Danger then got ready for RimFire's offense as they knew that they'd be determined to take back their three points.

And so it was.

Shige got a taste firsthand at how they play once they got into their gear, which was something quite scary. The pace of the game picked up quite significantly, Kotarou and Kazunari's combination left him in shock. These two would often time create screens for each other, and pass around the ball like they were playing ping-pong. At one time, Shige managed to catch Kazunari dribbling with the ball and the moment he'd encounter Moritaka, he swiftly passed the ball behind through his legs to Kotarou and continued to dash forward. The blond would then use his lightning dribble to get around Moritaka and pass back the ball to Kazunari who easily made a layup.

What is more, Yukio and Shouichi were not to be forgotten. Since Yukio was a seasoned point guard and well, he's been playing basketball with Shouichi from they were eight, their teamwork was flawless. Shige saw many outrageous passes heading to Shouichi's direction which he sunk with great ease. But aside from that, whenever Yukio felt like making threes himself, he was just as good as Shouichi.

But, Shige himself realizes that he too, was getting it in strides. Even though Kazunari said that they'll 'milk him like a cow', he didn't feel as pressured as he thought he would. He's blocked Yamamoto's threes, and surprisingly, he's managed to get offensive rebounds against Fuse. During that time, he deduced that he was just getting caught up in the pace of the game. There were also other instances where he was tasked with making a shot, even when the others could. Once, Kotarou was at the net and was making a double clutch, instead, he passed the ball to him and told him to slam it in. Of course, with the amount of adrenaline accumulated within his body, Shige did as he was told with much vigor, but frowned the moment he didn't rip the hoop from the backboard.

Still, ever so often, Shige would glance at Tetsuya and Tanaka, and see them cheering their asses off. Even though he couldn't hear Tetsuya's soft voice amongst the roaring crowd, he still felt happy that his childhood friend was cheering. With the game continuing, Shige realized that he was getting into the flow of this quite well, and made many assists. Since Kotarou plays the position closest to him, there were times when he'd assist the boy by screening out Tachibana so that he could make a shot.

But, Blue Danger were no pushover. They gave RimFire one hell of a time, Tachibana especially with Kotarou. For a time, they seemed to be at war with each other; whenever Tachibana made a shot, the next time, Kotarou did. In addition, they would try everything in their power to block each other, but of course, Tachibana couldn't defeat Kotarou's lightning dribble. Moritaka and Kazunari faced off against each other, but with his hawk-eyes, whenever Kazunari had the ball, Moritaka could never steal it. But, there are moments when Moritaka got around Kazunari and passed the ball to Yamamoto. Yonebayashi and Yukio were always keeping their boys in check, pointing them in the right direction and making plays for the team. And lastly, Fuse and Shige were always pushing against each other under the net and fighting for rebounds.

The progressed speedily, baskets were made for each team, the defense was steadily trying to prevent baskets, which was often time successful. Soon, the match neared its closing, RimFire leading on twenty points with Blue Danger on nineteen.

The crowd roared shouting both teams' names, either team needing a basket to win, in this case, Blue Danger needed to make a three. But, things weren't in their favour. It was RimFire's possession, Kotarou had the ball and was up against Tachibana. However, seeing that things were like this, Fuse came up to double team the boy, preventing him from passing. Still, that didn't stop him. He dribbled the ball loudly, and neither boy could stop it. He then bounced it through Tachibana's legs towards Shige, who was startled. But, he quickly recovered and made a layup before anyone could stop him.

The referee then blew his whistle. "Game over!"

The players then assembled together after which the referee continued, "twenty-two to nineteen, RimFire!"

"Thank you very much!"

The rest of RimFire's matches went on without hitch, in Round two, Tetsuya played instead of Shige. During that time, he realized that with Tetsuya on the court, they were far more dangerous. His passes are unpredictable and amazing, and to Shige, the way how he steals the ball with such ease, it seems as though he marks the ball and not a player. In that round, RimFire demolished their opponents, however, Shige noticed that afterwards, they seem to be giving them advice. Shige's heart warmed at this, and loved the fact that they weren't savage monsters.

"If only Teikou was like that." He sighed.

Tanaka looked at him and smiled. "Not everyone is going to be what you wish, Shige-kun. That's the sad fact."

"Yeah, right."

After that match, it was the semi-finals, and Shige's turn to play. He was ecstatic, but then, wondered if he'd ever experience playing with Tetsuya. He was mesmerized by those passes, and found himself yearning to be on the receiving end of them at least once. But anyway, he stepped onto the court, ready to topple the opponents with the others. This time, they faced a team called SkyScraper, which once again, RimFire has beaten before. This team was normal, regular height for basketballers and somehow, Shige was glad for that. He remembered Blue Danger's Fuse and shivered, that guy was way too big for his (assumed) age.

The moment the match started, both teams got into their groove quite quickly, for Shige, he found it odd that throughout the match, there seem to be some friendly rivalry going on. He's seen Kotarou and Power Foward seem like they're having a glare-off every time they come in close contact with each other, but another time, they're exchanging high-fives and such. Another time, he's seeing Yukio seemingly reprimanding Point Guard for a mistake that 'he shouldn't have made'. Shouichi, too, was praising Shooting Guard's threes. Kazunari and Small Forward were conversing often times about their energetic power forwards and God knows what else.

But as the match progressed, Shige learned and realized that SkyScraper weren't so bad after all, even he sometimes, talks to their Centre. But, in the end, RimFire came out on top, both teams were laughing and chatting together at the end.

They were then given a break before the finals, Tanaka gave them some sports drink and some buns to eat. He couldn't give them anything heavy as they may end up throwing up on the court. After the break was over, they then returned to the court for the finals, once more, RimFire's starters was everyone except Tetsuya. The opposing team came out, and immediately Shige's eyes widened. The aura around them were menacing, and the smug looks on their faces made them seem like they were oozing with pride. Worst of all, no one cheered for them. They were RimFire's final opponents the Fiery Beasts.

"Ara, what do we have here?" the one in the front started as he looked at them. He had dyed red hair and a scary looking face. "The undefeated kings of street ball are even in uniforms. You sure take this seriously." he then chuckled. "Your so-called title will be taken by us today."

But, none of RimFire's players said anything. When Shige looked at their faces, he saw that they were blank and expressionless, seeming to resemble Tetsuya's usual deadpan look. But when he looked in the crowd at Tetsuya, he saw that he was seething with rage. Tanaka looked as though he wanted to rip them limb from limb.

How ironic it is that Tetsuya who's usually stoic in every situation is showing emotions and the others who are expressive are completely stoic right now. Shige thought. He almost wanted to chuckle, but with them before RimFire, he didn't want to seem as though he was acknowledging their presence.

"Whatever!" the redhead said as he walked away. He was pretty upset that neither boy had replied to him. He went back over to his team and RimFire (along with everyone else) were appalled at how the players looked.

"Oh my God, he's disgusting." Yukio spat, looking at the player that was beside the redhead. "How does his parents bear looking at him?" He had countless piercings in his face, about three on each sides of his nose bridge, about two on his lower lip, and from the top of both his ears down to the lobe had piercings.

"Now you know who listens to too much gothic rock." Kotarou joked. But even so, there was no such amusement in his face nor on his face. He looked dead serious.

"And look at that one. He's got tattoos all over." Kazunari pointed out. That one was one of the taller ones there.

"At least one looks tolerable. He only has red highlights in his hair." Shouichi said, looking at another. "But either way, they piss me off." he seethed. "Let's show them who's the fiery one on this court." he then grinned evilly.

"And why they shouldn't play with RimFire." Yukio said.

In the instance he said so, the referee blew his whistle indicating that the players should assemble. When they had all gathered at the centre circle, everyone could feel and see the threatening aura coming from RimFire. It was going to be a nasty match, and Tetsuya was just itching for when it was his time to be subbed on.

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