Friday again in Kanagawa, and that means practice time for the team of Shohoku High. After classes, they gathered in the gym, preparing themselves for another day of aching bones and strained muscles.
Kogure sighed as he watched the others start playing. He knew he would get his chance later, but he wished he could have played earlier. It will take my mind off waiting, at the very least.
He had recently received an email from his overseas pal Erin, who lived in New York. He had "met" her, so to speak, in an online chat-room, and after an exchange of email addresses, had grown to be good friends. Her most recent letters were about wanting to go to Japan on a senior trip with her friends, and had told him that they would be staying in Kanagawa.
However, she had said, in her very last letter, that she would be arriving TODAY. I wonder if she'll be standing around the airport, waiting for me to show up, and then I won't be able to make it… Kogure grimaced. Kuso!
"Hey, anyone in here? Can we come in?"
The voice was feminine, with a distinctly American accent. The moment the sound reached Kogure's ears, a large grin spread on his face, and turned around.
There were six girls standing near the door, dressed in casual clothes. Kogure didn't recognize all of them, but he DID know one of them. He stood up, and walked over. "We meet at last, Erin-san!"
* * *
Erin looked up, and smiled when she saw a tall boy with brown hair and brown eyes behind glasses coming towards her. "Kogure, right?"
The boy's smile widened. "Hai. And you're Erin?"
"In the flesh," Erin replied as she extended her hand for him to shake.
Kogure shook her hand, smiling all the while. "It's such a pleasure to finally meet you in person. I never thought it'd be possible for this to happen."
Erin laughed, and shrugged. "Well, I have my ways." She turned to her friends. "By the way, these are the friends I was telling you about: Ciel, Aleine, Jesse, Crisel or CJ, and Melina. Guys, this is my e-pal, Kogure."
CJ looked at Kogure from head to toe, brown eyes glimmering. After a while, she turned back to Erin, and grinned. "Erin, you never told us he was cute."
"CJ! Have you no shame?!" Jesse demanded in a half-serious manner.
"Oh, I have shame, but why should I be ashamed if I'm telling the truth?" CJ answered.
Erin simply rolled her eyes. Here they go again. She turned to a now-blushing Kogure. "Sorry about that. CJ's the kind of person who always speaks her mind; gets her in trouble a lot too."
Kogure shifted uncomfortably, then said, "Uh, I see. Anyway, I-"
"Oi, Megane-kun! What are you doing with all those girls?! Since when did you have a fan club, huh?!"
* * *
Kogure winced as Hanamichi came walking up to him. Oh gods, why NOW?!?! He turned around to face Hanamichi. "Oh, Hanamichi! Wha-what are you doing here?"
A stupid expression presented itself on the redhead's face. "I was just wondering about these girls. Why haven't you fan club come out into the open until now? Afraid they couldn't compete with the Rukawa Brigade?"
One of the girls, whom Erin had introduced as Aleine, eyed Hanamichi coldly, her blue eyes looking him up and down as she flipped her silver hair over her shoulder. "Excuse me, but you can't call us 'fan girls' yet. We just met Kogure today."
Hanamichi seemed taken aback by those words, which were spoken in Japanese laced with a clearly American twang. He twitched, and pointed a finger at the girl. "You're not from around here, are you?"
Kogure noticed Erin roll her eyes. "Well, duh. Did you figure THAT out just now?"
The girl named Melina shook her head, brown eyes sarcastic while her red-brown hair shimmered. "God, you're a little slow on the uptake, aren't you?"
Hanamichi was still twitching with surprise. "Then, where are you from?"
Ciel looked at him eye-to-eye, her deep amethyst eyes a contrast to her raven tresses. "The United States; New York City, to be precise."
* * *
Jesse nearly fell over laughing as she watched the shocked expression on the face of Kogure's redheaded companion grow into one that seemed to border on pure horror. Are New Yorkers really THAT bad?
Thinking that it would be good to put the poor boy at ease, she grinned as she walked past him. "Don't worry, we won't bite." She wandered over to the middle of the court, and picked up the ball that had been left lying around. She balanced it in her hand. "In fact, why don't you let us prove it to you in a game?"
"What makes you think you can just barge in here and challenge us to a game?"
Jesse turned to the source of the sound, and noticed another boy staring at her. He had short, wild black hair; icy blue eyes; and pale skin. "What's your name?"
The boy glared at her for a moment before replying. "Rukawa Kaede."
"Rukawa…Kaede," Jesse said slowly, trying to remember the name. In the end, she simply shrugged, and dribbled the ball. "If you don't want to play against us now, fine, I'd understand. You probably need some time to prepare. But either way, the challenge still stands."
Jesse noticed Kaede's eyes narrow slightly. Hmmm, so you don't like backing down once challenged? This is quite interesting. She turned to her friends. "You guys ready to play?"
She watched with growing satisfaction as her friends all began to grin. One by one, they started to make their preparations: trying their hair, or hiking their sleeves up to keep them out of the way.
Jesse was mildly surprised when Erin didn't step forward to play. "Erin?"
"Sorry, but I won't be playing," Erin replied. She lifted the hem of her elephant pants, revealing a pair of platform shoes. "And besides, I can't play in THESE, can I?"
Melina grinned teasingly. "Wanna try it out now? After all, wearing platforms will give you a definite height advantage."
Erin rolled her eyes. "You and your wisecracking are starting to get on my nerves, y'know?"
"Oh, I know, and that's why I love you," Melina replied.
Jesse just shook her head. They're both my friends, and extremely talented players to boot, but this is one of those times when I really feel like conking them out with a club or something. "Okay, quit it you two. We've got a game to win."
Aleine walked towards her, tying back her brilliant silver hair in a braid. "So what's our strategy, Cap'n?"
"Oh, the usual. We're playing these guys for the first time, so we don't know how to handle them yet. We'll just have to go with the usual 'Play Dead' tactic."
"In any case, do you want us to mark anyone in particular?" Ciel asked, her hair now hanging in a ponytail at the back of her head.
Jesse glanced at the group of boys they were going to play against. She had no qualms about facing them; after all, she HAD playing against a bunch of seven-footers before in New York. And their tallest was, what, six-four, six-five at the most? No problem.
She turned back to her teammates. "Okay, here are your assignments. Melina, you can take care of number 7, and CJ, you handle number 10. Ciel, number 4 is yours, and Aleine, you can take number 14. I'll handle number 11."
CJ glanced at Ciel, then at the guy in the number 4 jersey. "Uh, Jess, you sure that Ciel should mark him? I mean, he's tall-"
"Which makes Ciel perfect for defending against him," Jesse cut in. "And besides, Ciel can do fantastic rebounds in spite of the fact that she's loads shorter than number 4. She can jump him any day. Right, Ciel?"
Ciel smiled slightly. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Jesse."
Jesse nodded in acknowledgement, then grinned. "Let's go knock 'em dead, girls!"
* * *
Rukawa eyed the girls observantly, trying to read their every move. Though none of them were nearly as tall as he was, he got a funny feeling in his gut that told him height wouldn't intimidate them at all.
Especially not HER, he added to himself, fixing his glare on the girl who had challenged them a while ago. She had short black hair up to her shoulders, and deep brown eyes to match. She was wearing a tank top and a pair of shorts, showing off her athletic build. Their little group had gathered together, apparently discussing strategy, but after a moment, they broke up, and walked up to them.
The girl he had been observing smiled. "Who's the captain of this team?"
Akagi walked up to her. "What is it?"
"First of all, introductions. My name's Jesse, and I am the captain. The one with auburn hair is Melina; the chocolate-haired one is CJ; the girl with black hair is Ciel; and the one with silver hair is Aleine. Our friend who's with Kogure right now is Erin.
"Anyway, let's make a deal about scoring and time. First half will only be twenty minutes as opposed to the usual thirty, but the second half will be thirty minutes long. And as for scoring, it goes like this: first to make a hundred points automatically wins the game, whether the time is used up or not. If in the event that time runs out before either team has made it to a hundred, then the team with the highest score wins. Is this alright with you?"
Akagi stared down at her, his eyes and demeanor stern, as usual. "Alright, I agree to your terms."
"But what will we get in return?" Mitsui butted in.
Rukawa gave a sideways glance. "Do'aho."
The girl named Aleine smiled coldly back at Mitsui. "If you beat us, you get to remain some vestige of dignity. If you lose…well then, shame on you for losing to girls."
"Aleine…" Jesse began warningly, but it was too late. Most of the guys had already taken that blatant insult to heart, and were very ready to prove them wrong.
But something troubled Rukawa's mind. It hadn't escaped him that these girls were, how should he say, well endowed. Kuso! How are we going to play offense if they've got- And these are GIRLS, for crying out loud! They aren't supposed to play against boys! One wrong shift of the hand and they could be screaming "hentai" up and down the campus…
"Alright team, this is the plan," Akagi began. "As you can see, these girls mean business, and are very serious about winning. Just because they are girls doesn't mean you can relax. I want you to play as though the championship depended on it."
"But how do you expect us to play offense and defense against them?!" Sakuragi demanded. "If we push too hard or move the wrong way or something, we might get slapped and labeled perverts!"
A strange smile twisted on Akai's face. "And that's the challenge, isn't it? You have to try and play without getting too close. Once you learn that, then in a real game, the chances of us getting fouled will be reduced."
"Hey, are you guys ready?"
Rukawa turned to the girls. They had gathered in the middle of the court. Kogure was among them, holding the ball in his right hand. Apparently, he would be the referee of the game.
Akagi glanced at Rukawa, and the latter nodded. The entire Shohoku basketball team strode over to the New York girls, preparing themselves for the game that was to come.
* * *
Melina panted as she collapsed on the bench. Whoa, some game we had! She leaned against the wall, and slowly breathed in and out, trying to recuperate.
CJ sat down beside her. "They're leading us by the nose, they are."
Melina nodded, and glanced at the scoreboard. The score was 91-80; an eleven point lead. Hmm, we might have a chance. "Jess, what are we going to do?"
Jesse was quiet for a long time, watching their opponents gloat over their imminent victory. After a while, she said, "They're tough, tougher than anyone we've every played against. But they're good for practice." She turned to them. "Change of plans. We go into full offensive mode this next half. We've got to play catch-up. Have you memorized how your marks play yet? Do you have your strategy?"
Melina nodded in response, glancing at the boy in jersey number 7. He was an inch shorter than she was, with an earring in his left ear and curly hair. He was a very fast runner, and great at stealing too. If it weren't for his height, he would've made a formidable defensive player.
But Melina knew his weakness. He usually goes for the quick hit-and-run kind of steal. I have to either pass the ball, run REALLY fast, or let him steal the ball, then I'll steal it back.
Halftime finally over, Melina stood up, and stretched her arms and legs. She sauntered to the middle of the court, and kicked her leg up to her head, by way of limbering up her bones in preparation for the upcoming game. This feat was easy to accomplish, considering the fact that she was an amateur gymnast and ballet dancer in her spare time. She noticed number 7 looking at her, an inquiring glint in his gaze. She simply smiled, and shrugged her shoulders as she slowly pulled her left leg up so that her foot touched her forehead. Sorry bub, New Yorkers don't go down until the last minute.
Soon, the others joined her on the court, most of them looking relaxed and confident, expect for Jesse. Melina gazed worriedly at their captain. She looks so harassed.
Jesse's face was stiff and serious, quite unlike her usual cheerful demeanor. There was a hint of something that bordered on murder in her eyes, and it gave Melina the chills.
However, she quickly realized that Jesse reserved this particular look of hers for the boy in jersey number 11. And she knew why.
He's too good a player, Melina though as number 11 approached them, his face as impassive as an ice sculpture. Though Melina hadn't yet had the chance to play against him, she had watched him play out of the corner of her eye, and she immediately recognized his talent.
But Jesse was an equally good player; in fact, she was the best on their team. She could play any position in the game, but because of her high jumping and defense skills, she often played as the center.
But she's never played against a guy like HIM before, Melina thought to herself. She put aside all thoughts like that for the meantime, and returned her focus to the player she was supposed to mark.
The guy grinned slightly at her, and winked.
Melina felt her lips freeze into a straight line. So he's flirting, eh? She shook her head slightly, so that not even number 7 could see it. Poor guy. I wonder what he'd do if he found out that my other nickname is "Black Widow"?
* * *
Aleine raced after the boy in jersey number 14, trying to keep an eye on him. She had recognized early on in the game that he was the three-point shooter for the opposing team, and it was her job to keep him as far away from anyone holding the ball so that they won't pass it to him, and if he had gotten hold of the ball, to force him as close as possible towards Jesse, CJ, or Ciel for defense, or let Melina come and steal the ball.
Of course, I'd much rather SHOOT the ball myself than guard someone holding it, Aleine thought morosely as she blocked number 14 from the ball's path, catching it herself. She whirled around towards their goal, intending to shoot a three-pointer. After all, she was skilled at long-distance shooting, but was a failure at free throws and lay-ups. She just didn't have the touch for it, unlike Ciel and Erin. She paused at the three-point area, and threw the ball. It went up in a smooth arc, and passed through the hoop with a satisfying swish.
In the background, her teammates cheered. When Aleine glanced at the scoreboard, she understood why they seemed so happy. The score was 91-98, with their team in the lead.
At that moment, Kogure blew the whistle. Apparently, the captain of Shohoku had called for a timeout. Aleine smirked. Getting jittery, are we? And to think that only moments before, all of them were wearing these smirks on their faces that seemed to say they would win.
Jesse approached her, and grinned. "That was a great shot, Aleine. Do you think you can make one more?"
"Of course," Aleine replied. "Just make sure that number 11 and number 10 don't get the ball. I'll handle the rest from there."
Jesse gazed at her for a long moment, then nodded. "Okay, I'll tell the others."
* * *
Mitsui narrowed his eyes a little as he gazed at the girl with silver hair and sapphire eyes. Kuso!
This was his first time to play a serious game against girls, and he had to admit, he had never expected that they would eventually gain the lead.
They were tailing us by eleven points during the first half! How could they have recovered so quickly?
During the first half, the girls had been pushovers. Though they apparently had extraordinary skills and talents, they didn't seem to be playing them out too much. They DID score, of course, and Shohoku's lead never got any bigger than eleven, but it was STILL a lead.
And then during the second half, the girls' team suddenly got on a winning streak. They managed to constantly steal the ball and make three-point shots. They rarely went up close and personal, since they probably knew that Akagi would block their shots. The only time they ever went near the basket was when they saw the opportunity for a lay-up.
And the worst thing about this arrangement, Mitsui thought as he ran after the girl he had nicknamed "Silver Hair", is that she is faster and can shoot farther than I can.
Mitsui had always taken pride in the fact that he was one of the best three-point shooters in Kanagawa, but it seemed that this little slip of an onna was challenging him for that title. There's no way in HELL I'd let her beat me!
They were running side-by-side now, she waiting for the ball to be thrown at her, and he waiting for a chance to block. He glanced at her, and noticed a strange hint of cunning in her eyes. Huh? Is something going to happen?
Suddenly, someone from the front shouted, "Yo J!"
Before anyone of the Shohoku team could even react, the ball had been passed in a zigzag manner to Silver Hair. The moment the ball came into her hands, she halted, and shot. The ball sailed through the air, and bounced off the edge of the ring.
Mitsui grinned broadly as the ball fell into Riyota's hands. We might have a chance after all!
* * *
Miyagi grinned as he passed the ball to Mitsui, and followed the others towards the opposite court. Time to play offense!
The ball was passed down the line, from Mitsui to Sakuragi, and from Sakuragi to Akagi. So far, the only ones guarding the basket were that girl with the purple eyes, and the captain of the bunch, the one who called herself Jesse.
Miyagi stared at Akagi, who was busy dribbling the ball. Rukawa was already beneath the basket, in a perfect place to shoot. Come on Akagi! Pass it to Rukawa!
As if he had read his mind, Akagi quickly threw the ball to Rukawa, who caught it, and jumped in an attempt to shoot.
However, just a split-second later, the ball bounced onto the floor, right into the hands of the silver-haired girl.
Nani?! When Riyota looked, he noticed Rukawa glaring at the Jesse girl, who simply ignored him, and ran to the opposite court.
Riyota gasped. I don't believe it! Did she actually BLOCK Rukawa's shot?!
But it was too late for any more thoughts. The ball was in the other team's possession, and if they made another shot, they'd win.
He quickly spun around, and chased after the silver-haired girl. He noticed that Mitsui was already on her tail, and slowly gaining.
Soon, Mitsui was standing in front of Silver Hair, blocking her path. But there was only a smirk on her face as she looked back at him, She bent her knees, and jumped. As she threw the ball, she backed away slightly in the classic fade-away.
Riyota's jaw dropped. A fade-away?! She knows how to do a FADE-AWAY?!?!
The whistle blew, and cheering ensued, coming from the girls' team. Riyota looked at the scoreboard, and his heart sank slightly.
The scoreboard read 91-100. For the first time in a while, Shohoku lost. And the worst part of it was, they lost to girls.