Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Kuroko no Basket!
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1st year – Too Academy
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22 – 28 : 11 minutes played – 2nd quarter
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Wakamatsu stole the ball from Izuki and had a free way to the hoop and dunked the ball in. Mac could tell that they had now gotten control over the match and Seirin was rattled.
...
Seirin called another time-out. Mac looked at Daiki for a moment as he took his place on the bench and swallowed back her worry and questions. She knew that now wasn't the time to ask him about it, nor was it right. Technically, he had done nothing wrong.
"They will put Tetsu on the bench now," Mac said.
"I can understand why," Imayoshi said. "He won't be any use for them at the moment."
"He'll be back, though," Mac said.
"You sure about that?" Susa asked carefully. "He looked… rather upset."
"Tetsu doesn't know what it will say to give up," Mac said surely. "And Seirin won't allow him to wallow too long."
"So, what should we do now?" Sakurai asked.
Mac glanced at her notebook before looking back at them.
"We need to be ready for Taiga," she said. "He will step up now, and Teppei too. Do not forget that he's there as well."
Daiki huffed but didn't say anything.
...
"I said not to forget…" Mac muttered when Kiyoshi got past Wakamatsu and scored.
It had been a good move, though. Mac hadn't seen him doing that before.
...
Kagetora watched Taiga as he stepped in front of Daiki, and the tension between them was thick. He remembered telling Riko that Taiga, in some way, relied on Tetsuya and that it was why he hadn't been able to really challenge anyone from the Generation of Miracles.
Now they would get a chance to see Taiga against Daiki on his own. It was important for the match that they kept this up and that Taiga didn't lose against Daiki. By trying to step up and save Tetsuya instead of relying on Tetsuya to save him, it was unleashing something in Taiga that had so far been unseen.
Kagetora smiled, knowing that the game was about to change. He was curious to see how Too Academy would face this…
...
Mac felt her eyes widen as she took in Taiga's stance. It was… almost like Daiki's, but it wasn't forced in a way that made it look like Taiga was trying to copying Daiki's stance. No, it was natural.
What was going on?
Taiga almost stole the ball from Daiki, and only Daiki's quick reflexes and ability to change directions at a second's notice saved them from losing the ball.
Mac wasn't the only one stunned as she took in the change. Had losing Tetsuya on the court brought out that big of a change in Taiga?
"If so…" she muttered, ignoring the looks she got from the others. She would need to rework a lot of her analysis if that was the case…
Daiki jumped to shoot the ball and Taiga jumped up behind him and actually managed to get a hand on the ball, making Daiki miss his shot.
A stunned silence fell over the court. Both teams stared at Taiga in shock and Mac knew her eyes were wider as she took in her cousin… and then she felt a spark of hope. Was it really possible?
Her eyes fell on Daiki, and her breath caught because he smiled. Again. Well, still wasn't his normal smile, but it was more a smile than a smirk. She counted that as a win.
"Good," Daiki said, turning around to face Taiga. "You're finally getting excited. Honestly, I didn't expect much from you, but you've improved considerably. I might be able to play a little harder this time!"
Daiki bounced the ball, focusing on Taiga who was in front of him.
"Entertain me, Kagami!"
Daiki quickened his pace and dribbled the ball while twisting around, making others slightly awed by the speed he was showing. He had upped it even more now, and Daiki kept an eye on how Taiga responded.
Daiki bounced the ball between Taiga's legs and it went high toward the hoop where Wakamatsu was standing next to Kiyoshi.
"Oh! An alley-oop to Wakamatsu!" Someone cried.
Wakamatsu jumped ready to take it and Kiyoshi was quick to follow to block him from dunking the ball through the hoop.
"Of course it isn't!" Daiki yelled as he was already past Taiga and jumped up to catch the ball himself despite it being right in front of Wakamatsu. He ended up with his back to the hoop but still shot the ball without looking at the hoop and it went through stunning the others.
"He didn't even look!"
A rare feeling filled him as he made his way back and his mind was focusing on what was happening around him. How long had it been since he had felt anything like this? Well, without playing anyone from his old team… but still, even then he hadn't felt like this…
"You're so confusing, Aomine!" Wakamatsu cried coming up next to him looking annoyed.
Daiki barely paid him any attention. He couldn't. He had to keep holding on to this and…
"Don't interfere in my play," Daiki snapped out. "When I get the ball, give me some room!"
"What?" Wakamatsu cried.
"I finally have a real opponent," Daiki said. "Stay out of my way!"
Mac sighed as she watched Daiki and Wakamatsu. She could understand where Daiki was coming from, though. But she had hoped he would include his teammates a little more.
...
Alex looked pleased as she took in the one-on-one going on between Taiga and Daiki. It was as if the others weren't there at all and those two were the main focus of the match. She couldn't help but smile and feel proud as she watched them.
Her eyes found Mac on the bench and saw the pensive look on her face as she watched and wrote notes as she did so, and Alex wondered if maybe Seirin should be a little worried because it was clear that Mac was up to something.
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29 – 34 : 14 minutes played – 2nd quarter
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Mac stopped writing, and her eyes widened in shock. What?
Stunned silence filled the court as they all stared at Taiga and Daiki and even Daiki stood there looking shocked as he stared at Taiga who glared.
Taiga just stopped one of Daiki's full-throttle formless shoot and that was practically impossible. No-one stopped those!
Mac swallowed and looked at Taiga. How had he…? Could it be that he was…
"I don't mind entertaining you if you can afford to take it that easy," Taiga said referring to what Daiki had told him earlier.
Mac glanced over at Tetsuya and saw him staring at Taiga and Daiki. She couldn't get a clear look of his face because of the towel, but she knew he was probably shocked as well.
"Interesting," Mac said.
"Mac?" Abe asked. "Why do you think that?"
"Because Daiki will get a real challenge now," Mac said. "And we need to step up and be ready when Tetsuya comes back. I'm sure he's almost there now."
...
Seijuro arched a brow as he took in the match. That was interesting, he couldn't help but think. Daiki was actually showing some emotions now, and it was real. The note of mocking and arrogance that always followed him around on the court was pushed back and practically gone...
From just playing against Seirin, against Taiga and Tetsuya.
Seijuro looked at Tetsuya, who was on the bench still, and he wondered if he would find his way back from the depression that Daiki's earlier actions had caused him. If Seijuro knew Tetsuya, and he knew he did then he was sure that he would be back and probably stronger than before.
Not that Mac wouldn't expect that. Seijuro smiled a little, wondering how Mac would solve it, or if Tetsuya would manage to stun even her.
...
Kiyoshi couldn't help but stare. Just what kind of match was this turning into? The fighting between Taiga and Daiki was taking over the match, and from the looks of it Taiga was keeping up with Daiki. He glanced over at Mac, who looked thoughtful and a little shocked as she watched with keen eyes.
He wondered what she was thinking right now.
No, stop it. He had to focus on the match. He couldn't afford to get distracted.
Imayoshi had similar thoughts as he wondered what was going on. While Mac had said that this quarter would turn into a fight between Daiki and Taiga, he hadn't expected it to be something like this. He hadn't expected to see Daiki almost struggling to keep Taiga from catching up with him.
Tetsuya felt his heartbeat wildly in his chest as he took in the fight between Taiga and Daiki… how could he just sit here when Taiga, and the others, fought so hard? He had to get over this! He thought he had gotten over this!
But the way Daiki stopped two of his special moves without even trying… it was a hard reality check and he realised that he wasn't good enough. Not yet. He still had a way to go before he could match Daiki, but… just watching Taiga… he was doing his best and was keeping up with Daiki.
He couldn't just sit here doing nothing. He had worked too hard for that! He had to find himself again!
He had not shown everything he could do yet! He still had the training he had done with Alex and Taiga, and he could still think of something to do. He just had to focus! Come on, focus!
...
Taiga won the ball and passed it to Izuki, who rushed forward with the rest of the team and passed the ball back to Taiga. They were only two points behind now and if they made this shot, they would even the score going into the break!
Taiga caught the ball and Daiki was in front of him right away. Taiga jumped.
Mac blinked as she realised what Taiga was trying to do. A formless shoot!
"You're not ready for that yet!" Daiki yelled, jumping up to stop it.
The ball flew over Daiki but it hit the metal of the hoop and after rolling around it a couple of times it bounced off it and away from the hoop just as the buzzer sounded.
Daiki landed and stared down at his hand and the slightly red fingertip that had touched the ball.
"I can't believe you tried that," Hyuga said. "You're out of control in a lot of ways!"
"I felt like I could do it, so…" Taiga said rubbing the back of his head.
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46 – 48 : 20 minutes played – 2nd quarter – end
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Mac looked at Daiki, who stood still at the court. He hadn't moved since the signal for break had sounded. She sighed as she grabbed a sweater and walked over to him.
"Here," she said, handing it to him. "You shouldn't get cold."
He looked at her, and she was not sure how to read the emotions in his eyes. Guarded. Hopeful. Happiness. Fear. Distrust. Everything she could think of, and she could understand to some extent.
"Are you coming with us to the locker room?" she asked.
"No," he said.
Mac nodded, having expected that.
"Okay," she agreed.
He nodded and walked away and toward another door.
"Oi, where are you going?!" Wakamatsu demanded.
"I'll be back in time for the second half," Daiki said without looking at the other boy.
Wakamatsu growled, but Imayoshi told him to let Daiki go, so he did, even as he kept grumbling about Daiki the entire way toward the locker room.
"Don't worry about him," Imayoshi said.
"Eh?"
"Aomine was playing his best," Imayoshi said. "But he didn't show all of his cards."
"What do you mean?" Sakurai asked.
"He means that Daiki still has more to show," Mac said and opened the door. "Now, you need to focus on yourself and forget about Daiki."
"Forget about Aomine?" Abe asked.
"You will get nowhere by worrying about Daiki now," Mac said, "besides, he's not upset."
"He's not?" Wakamatsu asked.
"No, he's happy," Mac said glancing up from her notes and saw the incredulous looks from the others. Well, not Imayoshi, who seemed to know what she meant.
"Happy?"
"Yeah, he finally has someone he can play his hardest against," Mac said. "He hasn't had that in a long time and not someone who's not a part of our group. This is the first time he's been challenged like this and he likes it."
"Now, let's focus on the match and what we can expect," Mac said, and they looked at her. They took in the pages with notes and all inhaled deeply before nodding seriously and with a determination that made Mac smile.
...
Nakatani Masaaki frowned thoughtfully as he stared down at the empty court. To think Seirin had grown so much since last time they'd played against them in the preliminaries… It was astounding and he was sure he had never seen growth on that level before. Not for an entire team that was still developing.
He knew he would soon have to leave to prepare for their match against Rakuzan, but to walk away from this match felt wrong, somehow. He glanced over to where Shintaro and Takao were sitting watching the game. Both looked pensive as they did and made no move to leave, even knowing that they had a match of their own soon.
He didn't blame them, though. Maybe it wasn't too bad to watch parts of this match in order to warm up for their own. It might inspire them.
But… while Seirin had grown a lot, he was still amazed by the strength Too Academy showed as well. The precision they portrayed was something that impressed him, and he thought they looked more in sync than they had done before. He knew Harasawa quite well, after all, and knew he valued talent, pure talent and strength. Every player he had on his team had that, but earlier Nakatani thought they looked fragile in a way. They were separate and didn't really play together in a way that most teams wanted.
But that had changed now. They played together, well maybe not Daiki, but the rest of them had a nice balance between talent and teamwork. While their talents were being used and pushed forward, they didn't take over and it couldn't be used against them in a way to break the team.
He wondered if Mac was the one behind the change. He had noticed that Harasawa had talked to her often enough during the first two quarters and seemed to let her make decisions about their plays. It surprised him, and Nakatani wasn't afraid to admit to it. He wouldn't have thought Harasawa would do that.
He felt a flash of regret for not pushing more to get her to join Shutoku. That talent was something they could have needed, and he should have made more of an effort to make it happen. He had heard Shintaro talking about her with Takao a few times. To have a stoic teen like him talk about her with such warmth and admiration was something that Nakatani had come to understand was very rare.
He sighed. He would admit that he was interested in her as a player as well now, but back then he had mainly seen her as a manager. He still did, kind of. Just seeing how she was influencing the game from the bench had him really wishing that they had her on his team. But allowing her to be a player as well would have benefitted them in ways he hadn't thought of back when he had gone to Teiko to scout her and Shintaro. It was his loss, he supposed, and Harasawa's gain. He had clearly seen her talent better than he had, and now Nakatani was left wishing he had done things differently.
...
Tetsuya stood outside. The fresh air barely registered with him as he thought. He needed to figure this out, and he was getting an idea, but it would mean that he could never play against Too Academy again with the power he had now.
Should he risk it?
Was it worth it?
"You'll get cold, idiot," a familiar voice said before a jacket was thrown over his head and Tetsuya turned to see Taiga behind him.
"I forgot," Tetsuya deadpanned.
"Idiot," Taiga said again.
"What were you thinking right now?" Taiga asked.
Tetsuya looked at him before looking away, considering what to say.
"You don't look like you need cheering up," Taiga pressed, "and you didn't come out here just for the fresh air."
"I wasn't thinking about anything complicated," Tetsuya said. "I'd do anything to win this game. I have my promise to Mac, but the truth is, I just want to see it again."
He fell silent for a moment, remembering the past. He just couldn't stop remembering that time of his life during this match…
"Aomine-kun always played with a smile," Tetsuya said. "He truly loved basketball. I don't intend to reject who he is now. I just… I just want to see Aomine-kun play with a smile again. If we win this game, maybe…"
"Who knows," Taiga said. "People aren't that simple. I don't know if winning will change who he is, but losing will definitely not change anything. The only thing we can do is playing as hard as we can to win."
Taiga couldn't really understand everything about this, but he knew that Mac too wanted to see Daiki play with a smile again. He wondered why basketball had to be so complicated. Why did they have to make it so hard? It was a game, and he loved it! That was all.
But he would do everything he could to help Tetsuya… and Mac.
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46 – 48 : 20 minutes played – 3rd quarter – start
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"I know that Mac said that he would be put in again now, but…" Imayoshi said looking over at the side to see Tetsuya getting ready to enter the court.
"Should he even play?" Susa wondered.
"You're too kind," Imayoshi said. "Worrying about an opponent like that."
Susa rolled his eyes but didn't say anything.
...
He was different. Taiga realised with a start as Daiki got past him with more ease and speed than before. How was it that he could be even faster than before?!
Daiki suddenly stopped, though, and the referee blew his whistle.
"Charging, black no 5!"
Daiki looked down and saw Tetsuya sitting down on the floor, looking back up at him with one eye while the other was closed. Daiki frowned slightly. He hadn't seen him…
Imayoshi couldn't help but stare. Even if Tetsuya had gone to help with Aomine after he had passed Taiga he should have been too late… did he predict the course?
"If you can predict my movements isn't the opposite true as well?" Tetsuya asked as he started to get up. "We both spent that time together. We get along when it comes to basketball, Aomine-kun."
Daiki smiled slightly as he looked down at Tetsuya. He was unable to keep it back.
"You've done it now, Tetsu," he said.
Taiga got there and helped Tetsuya back to his feet, ignoring Daiki who gave them one more look before turning back. Huh, who would have thought…? That was Tetsuya for you, Daiki thought fondly.
...
"I do believe that the rest of Seirin can now catch Tetsu's ignite pass," Mac had told them during break. "So, be aware that he will use that pass more. While the new version is for Taiga, the others have improved enough to catch the original one."
Wakamatsu knew that but it was still a shock to see Tetsuya use the ignite pass to Hyuga, but luckily Imayoshi read through it and stole the ball and passed it to Sakurai who scored from the outside.
Seirin stared stunned at Imayoshi, who had stolen the ball and was now glancing down at his hand.
"That pass hurt," Imayoshi said looking over at Tetsuya.
Tetsuya frowned while Imayoshi smirked.
...
"Wow… did he really just catch one of Kuroko's ignite passes?" Takao asked shocked, staring down at the court.
"He did," Shintaro said, arching a brow. "It's not that surprising, I suppose."
"Eh?" Takao looked at him. "That got past even you, you know!"
Shintaro pushed his glasses up his nose, refusing to look over at Takao.
"Mac's training is hard," Shintaro said stoically. "She will have pushed them harder than you can believe and that results in that. To see them catching one of Kuroko's harder passes isn't that surprising if you take her training into account."
"Hm," Takao frowned.
"This will only be one of the steps Mac will take to stop Kuroko," Shintaro commented. "She will have other means as well to stop him."
"Too bad," Takao said and blinked when Shintaro got up. "Eh? Where are you going?"
Shintaro rolled his eyes, "we have a match today, you remember that?"
"Oh," Takao blinked. "I wish we could have stayed and watched more of this match."
Shintaro nodded, "me too."
Takao blinked at the admission before he grinned, "oh, I didn't know you cared, Shin-chan!"
Shintaro blushed, "I-I don't!"
"Sure you don't," Takao laughed, following his teammate from the stands and glanced down at the court one more time. "I wonder who will win…"
...
Imayoshi stole another one of Tetsuya's passes and faced Izuki, who kept his eyes on him. Imayoshi didn't doubt that he was reading the court right now with his special view and was trying to figure out how to steal the ball from him.
He smirked.
"It's not like it's enough to just do your best," Imayoshi said making Izuki's eyes widen as he took in the change in Imayoshi. He seemed… darker somehow. "It's not that easy."
"Things have gone mostly according to plan so far," Harasawa said and Mac glanced at him. "I can tell that Seirin is different with Kuroko-kun on the court, and it's a shame he came out now."
Mac frowned slightly but didn't say anything.
"We need to keep him under control." Harasawa finished.
Mac nodded, "I know."
It pained her a little, but she knew they had to stop Tetsuya from getting a chance to really affect the match. With him on the court, the rest of Seirin had new faith and was building on it, even if Imayoshi had managed to steal a couple of his passes.
Imayoshi stopped dribbling the ball and prepared to shoot making Izuki jump up to block it thinking that it was a sudden shot, but Imayoshi passed the ball to Wakamatsu instead who came up behind Izuki and in front of Kiyoshi before he shot the ball through the hoop.
...
Seijuro knew he had stayed longer than he should have so he turned to leave, but not without casting one more look at Mac who was watching the game with the same intense look on her face. She would not back down easily. He smirked.
He knew he would see the rest of the match later (he had someone film it) so he would be able to see how it turned out. It wasn't the same as seeing it live, though.
Would he be facing Seirin or Too Academy in the finals?
To think that he would question if Daiki and Mac would win… Seirin had come a long way, but he wasn't sure if it was enough.
To think that he might not make it to the finals never entered his mind. He knew his place there was set and already determined. He just had to face Shintaro, and Shutoku first, and he would win.
...
"What?" Ryota blinked, shocked when he saw just who had stepped up to guard Tetsuya. "He's on Kuroko-cchi?!"
"Huh," Kasamatsu said.
Imayoshi had just stepped in front of Tetsuya and it was clear that it was a shock to everyone on the court. Just a look told Ryota that this was not something Seirin had thought possible. And he couldn't blame them. Who would have thought to place Imayoshi to guard Tetsuya?
"Mac-cchi," Ryota said looking at Mac who looked serious as she watched the court, her pen tapping against her lips as she seemed to be considering something.
"You think she's the one who told Imayoshi to guard Kuroko?" Kasamatsu asked.
"It has to be," Ryota said, "I just don't see why."
"He's not the type of player Kuroko deals with very well," Kasamatsu said slowly. "But…"
Ryota sighed.
"I'm sure she's behind the last steals as well," Ryota said. "They seemed to know what Kuroko-cchi will do before he does it."
Kasamatsu nodded.
...
48 – 56 : 23 minutes played – 3rd quarter
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Riko frowned. They had shut down Tetsuya completely! They had never experienced this before… someone who could lock him down like this…
Just what was going on? How could they… Riko fisted her hands, thinking hard on how they should proceed and get out of this?
"Don't be too hard on me," Imayoshi drawled, his voice carrying over the court. "Let's be friends."
He smiled creepily and Tetsuya worked to keep his face blank. He could tell that the older teen didn't intend to step back or leave him alone.
Kiyoshi watched with a small frown before he looked over at the bench and at Mac. She looked serious and wasn't writing in her notebook even if it was opened on her lap.
"Mac," he said, and Hyuga glanced at him before looking over at Mac.
"You think she's the one behind this?" Hyuga asked.
"She has to be," Kiyoshi said, sighing slightly. "Haven't you picked up on her touch throughout the match?"
"Yeah, but…" Hyuga frowned.
"She's probably one of the few who knows Kuroko's misdirection almost as good as he does," Kiyoshi pointed out. "She has probably told the others how to stop him."
"Troublesome," Hyuga said.
"And I don't know what Aomine is doing," Kiyoshi said glancing over at Daiki who kept still and seemed to concentrate on his breathing… just what did he have planned?
"We need to get as many points we can before he does something again," Hyuga agreed.
"And deal with Imayoshi…" Taiga muttered. "Thanks, Mac…"
Kiyoshi smiled slightly, "well, she's proving to be a challenge. I'm sure we will detect her more and more as the match goes on."
"We shouldn't forget her, is what you really are saying," Hyuga said.
Kiyoshi shrugged.
...
Imayoshi stole the ball when Izuki tried to pass it to Tetsuya and made his way toward the opposite hoop and made a three-pointer himself.
Izuki passed the ball to Hyuga, who went for his barrier shot that had scored a lot of point for them during the first half when Sakurai came up in front of him. Sakurai kept his eyes on Hyuga and remembered what Mac had said:
"The secret to see through that quick step back into a jump shot is his centre of gravity. Instead of being fooled by his upper body when he gets the ball, look at the toes of his pivoting foot," Mac had said.
So Sakurai did that and when Hyuga stepped back, he followed closing the distance between them. So, like Mac had predicted, Hyuga passed the ball to Kiyoshi who had gotten free from his mark in order to help.
Wakamatsu was on him in an instant, making Kiyoshi realise that Mac had predicted this and told them to be ready for this move.
"Oi, oi," Daiki spoke up, "look at you guys having fun by yourself."
Taiga got the ball and was faced with Daiki who smirked, looking ready to go.
"Are you ready for round two?" Daiki asked. "Kagami!"
Tetsuya tried to move so he could help, but Imayoshi stopped him.
Taiga stood there with the ball, but he could quickly tell that the rest of his team was locked down by Too Academy and he had no choice but to challenge Daiki himself.
Daiki scoffed, "you lack focus!"
He shot out his hand and hit the ball, making Taiga lose control of it, and Daiki caught it and ran toward the hoop.
Hyuga caught up to block him but Daiki shot past him like he wasn't even there before Taiga had managed to get back to the hoop and jumped up to block Daiki who had already jumped to dunk the ball through the hoop.
"No, you won't!" Taiga yelled.
Daiki spun 360 degrees in the air, so he got past Taiga and dunked the ball through the hoop.
...
51 – 63 : 24 minutes played – 3rd quarter
...
Mac watched as they seemed to get control of the match again. She picked up on the shock over the latest move from Daiki and she couldn't help but remember all the times she'd seen him doing that move, but it had been a while since he had seen the need to show it off.
To spin 360 degrees while in the air was incredible and she couldn't help the feeling of excitement going through her as she saw it again. Daiki was really giving his all now… well, not yet, she corrected herself. She wondered if they would end up forcing Daiki to really give his all… she hoped so. Maybe he would see that basketball could still offer him something if he let himself really play. If he stopped holding back.
...
"The gaps getting bigger," Atsushi commented lazily.
Himuro nodded and looked at Taiga with worry. What would they do now? They needed to do something to catch up with Too Academy. He really hoped they managed to bring something more to the game…
"Mac-chin will not let Kuroko-chin get anything free," Atsushi continued, "even if she supports him."
"Of course she won't," Himuro said. "She's impressive even on the bench."
Atsushi nodded, "Mac-chin is the best."
Himuro smiled slightly and shook his head. It had surprised him when Atsushi had sought him out and told him he was going to this match. He had been sure that Atsushi would avoid him for a while now, but the other boy hadn't. Not really.
When asked why Atsushi had just looked at him before he said that Mac had told him to take a break from basketball if he wanted to but that he shouldn't stop seeing his friends because of it. Himuro realised that Atsushi really saw him as a friend and had agreed to come with him to the match.
...
56 – 73 : 26 minutes played – 3rd quarter
...
"Do you think she'll win, Remus?" Sirius asked, looking down at the court.
"It looks like it," Remus said.
"She's really good," Sirius grinned. "Even if she's on the bench."
Remus smiled, amused. Sirius always found a reason to brag about Mac, and with the new mood he was in… well, the bragging hadn't stopped.
"She is," Remus agreed.
"Too bad she couldn't play," Sirius said. "She looked really disappointed last night."
"Mm," Remus nodded. "I wish I could have done more to help her."
"The potion could have helped," Sirius said.
"I didn't have any," Remus said. "I have gotten some for her now so she'll have it when the match is over."
Sirius nodded. The pain potion would help her with the pain from the broken wrist, even if they couldn't heal it for her. Sometimes it complicated things by being such a part of the non-magical world. Remus felt bad for not having any of the pain potions at hand for her, but he had run out after the last full moon and hadn't been able to get any more until now.
He hadn't known that he would need it.
He would be more careful not to overlook a possible need again. Next time he would be prepared.
He had asked her to ask her professor, but she had said she didn't want to bother him with it. He didn't think he would think she was a bother, but Remus hadn't pushed her.
...
Mac frowned a little as she gave Imayoshi the sign to change their marks and Susa took over. They could all see Tetsuya now.
But why did she feel like something was off?
Her eyebrows furrowed together as she looked at Tetsuya. He wasn't acting any different from normal, so what was it…?
She just couldn't shake the feeling that they were walking into a trap of some kind and she had learned to listen to her instincts.
The third quarter was almost over now, and they had a solid lead. She could tell that Seirin had no intention to give up, though. And that only made her think that they were up to something even more, but what?
"What are they up to?" she murmured out loud.
"Potter-san?" Harasawa asked.
"They're up to something," Mac said. "I just… I can't figure it out!"
Harasawa glanced at her before he nodded. If she said they were up to something he believed her. He looked back at the match and frowned.
Mac watched as Tetsuya looked up and she blinked at the determination she saw in his eyes. That was the look he always got before he put a plan into life and she tensed.
"It's impressive," Imayoshi said. "You came this far with only first-years and second-years. You'll have a great chance next year!"
"We will win now!" Tetsuya declared. "I promised!"
Daiki's eyes widened slightly as he took in the sudden change in Tetsuya. He was not dejected at all, but his will burned inside of him.
Sakurai felt shocked at the fact that they hadn't given up yet. He had thought they would have realised that there was nothing more they could do! But… Mac's words hit him then, and he realised that this was what she meant. Seirin never gave up.
Susa wondered what they could possibly think they could do now. What move did they have left? But he remembered Mac's warning and eyed the others warily. What did they have in mind?
Wakamatsu had similar thoughts as he took in the will to fight in all of them. Just what did they have planned?
Imayoshi hummed as he looked at Tetsuya, "your misdirection trump card has run out of steam, too. Spirit alone won't change anything."
"That not quite right," Izuki spoke up.
Mac felt her eyes widen and her mouth popped open in surprise… no way!
"It didn't run out! We made it run out!"
Oh… shit, Mac thought as she realised just what that meant and suddenly started to curse at herself in her mind. How could she not have seen that coming? Seriously, what was she thinking to just watch… she should have known!
Izuki had the ball and Imayoshi wasn't sure how it happened, but he was suddenly he was gone.
Wide-eyed, he looked around and found that Izuki was behind him. Had he just..?
"What just happened?" Wakamatsu cried.
"I can't believe that Imayoshi couldn't move a muscle," Harasawa commented.
"That was Tetsu's vanishing drive," Mac said, still stunned from the shock. She looked at Tetsuya and wondered how he had come up with this, how far had he developed misdirection. But… she frowned. This would have a heavy cost.
...
Mac couldn't do anything but watch as they kept making mistakes and Seirin stole the ball in a way that was very much similar to how Tetsuya normally did it. By appearing without warning.
Misdirection overflow.
A fitting name, she thought.
She wished she could enter the court. She wished she could find a way to help, but right now she couldn't do anything but watch. Nothing she would say would help at the moment. They were too rattled and shocked by what was happening.
Not that she could entirely blame them for that. They hadn't prepared for Tetsuya's misdirection to spread to the rest of his team. She hadn't even thought that was possible…
A mistake, she had made a mistake. Had she underestimated Tetsuya? She looked at him and saw that he was breathing harder than before and sweating a lot, so this took a lot out of him.
...
65 – 75 : 28 minutes played – 3rd quarter
...
Ryota could barely believe what he was seeing.
To think this was possible! He looked at Tetsuya, who had once more proved that he was brilliant when it came to basketball. Only he would be able to think of something like this. To use his misdirection and turn it against his opponents in this way… brilliant.
...
Atsushi blinked shocked down at the court. Tetsuya could make his team disappear? Since when had he been able to do that?
"Huh," he said. "I didn't think Kuro-chin could do that..."
"That's… amazing," Himuro said.
"Yeah," Alex agreed. "And looks like Mac didn't see it coming."
Atsushi frowned worriedly as he looked at Mac. He didn't like it when she was upset, but she would figure it out. She always did, he knew that.
...
"They have really done it now," Mac said, impressed almost despite herself. "I didn't even think this would be possible…"
"How does he do it?" Namamura asked. "How can the entire team suddenly have misdirection like Kuroko?"
"Because he made it so," Mac said. "He made his misdirection run out, like they said, and by doing that made it easier for us to focus on him and he's been working to getting our attention. It's almost the same as how his vanishing drive works with the combination with Taiga, only that they are 'him' and he's Taiga in this situation."
Harasawa nodded slowly, "so what do we do?"
Mac glanced at the clock. Under two minutes left on the clock now. She bit her lower lip as she glanced at Daiki, who was watching Tetsuya with a strange look on his face. She couldn't quite read it.
"Right now… hold on until the end of the quarter," Mac said. "Nothing I would say at the moment will help, we have to keep holding on and Daiki will be ready for the next quarter."
Harasawa nodded slowly, "I don't like it, but I agree."
"But to think they would do this…" Abe said.
"They're risking everything," Mac whispered and frowned as she looked at Tetsuya. "They're putting everything they have on this game…"
"What do you mean?" Inoue asked.
"There are risks about this," Mac said. "For one, they can only use it in the final stages of the match. When Tetsu's misdirection has run out, but he can't keep doing it for long. It's only a matter of time before he has to stop and it runs out."
"So, that's why you said to hold on until the end of the quarter," Abe realised and Mac nodded.
"It's part of it, yeah," Mac said before frowning and her grip of the pen tightened slightly. "But that's not all… they're abandoning their future."
"Eh?"
"He's using it too much," Mac said. "With this… misdirection shouldn't be able to work on our team again. We'll be immune to it."
"But that's good, right?"
Mac didn't answer. Just… why did he have to go that far? Had she misjudged it? Was it possible for Tetsuya to keep his misdirection even after this? Was he going to lose it?
...
70 – 78 : 29 minutes played – 3rd quarter
...
Daiki couldn't help but feel shocked when Taiga disappeared and suddenly was behind him in a perfect vanishing drive. He turned to see Taiga shot the ball through the hoop.
How… exciting, Daiki thought. How long had it been since he had felt like this?
A glance to Tetsuya showed the shadow breathing hard and looking determined. He looked nothing like how he had been at the start of the match; it was like he had let go of something inside of him and was taking steps forward.
Suddenly it was like he could see Tetsuya standing tall in front of him with Taiga right behind him. They were glaring at him in a challenge, but they weren't alone. The rest of Seirin was behind them, lending support.
The image was gone as quickly as it had arrived, but he still could see it if he tried.
How fitting, Daiki mused. "Tetsu."
...
Imayoshi glanced over at Mac and then looked at Seirin who had caught up to them, well almost. The score was down to single digits and that was as close as they had gotten in a while.
He couldn't allow that. They were going to win. They had to win. For Mac. She had given her all for them, all the time, and now they had to prove to her that they had learned and that they had grown as well.
He caught the ball and smirked.
He would show them what it meant to be strong.
He got into position and enjoyed the tension that filled Seirin's players as they realised that he intended to shoot. He bet they didn't think he could make the shot from where he was standing… he wasn't Shintaro, after all.
They didn't know how long he had been working on this with Mac, how she had drilled him in long-distance shooting because they never knew when it would come handy to know. She had told him he was the best to do it (other than Sakurai, of course), so he had. Just because he was curious to see if he could and if she was right.
He jumped up and shot the ball.
It flew through the air and just as the buzzer sounded it went through the hoop.
...
70 – 81 : 30 minutes played – 3rd quarter – end
...
Imayoshi smirked, pleased as he took in the shock. He would not allow them to stop their victory without a fight.
"I will admit that you are strong," Imayoshi said making both Hyuga and Kiyoshi turn to him. "But… I will not let you win. We have too much to play for ourselves, too. This is for Mac. She has trained us too hard for us to mess it up now, so sorry, but we're not going to allow you to do as you please."
Kiyoshi glanced over at Mac who smiled slightly as she looked at Imayoshi and he realised that she had been the one behind that shot.
...
Mac got up and watched as her team sat down. They were breathing a little harder than normal, but a glance over at Seirin's bench showed her they were breathing even harder. The effort they had put in was exhausting, and she knew it would be a challenge for them in the last quarter.
"All right," she said. "You have realised that Tetsu has used his misdirection to make his team benefit from it."
"Yeah," Susa nodded. "It's troublesome."
"It won't last much longer," Mac said, and they looked at her. "Maybe a little more, but not much… just don't let them get closer than they did."
They nodded.
"And as for…" Mac continued to talk about what she wanted them to do and how to react to their plays. She waved her cast in front of her to make a point and it was easier for her to smile now that she felt like this was a real challenge. Maybe she had been a little affected by the easier wins as well, and not just Daiki…
"We'll do our best, Mac," Susa smiled at her and Imayoshi smirked.
"Of course," Imayoshi said. "We wouldn't want to make you punish us with more training, after all."
Mac snorted, "just go out there and do what I told you, and allow Daiki to get room when he needs it."
Mac turned to look at Daiki, who had been quiet and not said a word. He had put a towel over his head so she couldn't make out his expression. Was he upset? She frowned.
The signal for the match to start again sounded, but Daiki didn't move, and she sighed.
"Daiki," she called, but he still didn't react. "Daiki!"
"Daiki," she called, but he still didn't react. "Daiki!"
She nudged his shoulder and his head snapped up and she inhaled sharply as her eyes widened slightly as she took in his expression… it was… almost like before.
"Daiki?" her voice came out as a whisper, barely daring to believe it.
"What?" he asked, confused but also detached.
"Didn't you hear the signal? The game is about to start again," Mac said, proud that she kept her voice even. "Did you hear any of the directions?"
"Sorry," Daiki said getting to his feet and pulling the towel off his head and tossed it away. "Didn't hear anything."
Mac could only stare as he walked past her and back to the court. Another set of change in him now, something else that clicked into place and she could practically see it… He was lighter, and the way he ignored the directions was just like before…
"Sorry! I can't help myself against a strong opponent!"
The echo of his voice from a long time before rang in her ears and she felt tears build in her eyes, unable to stop the hope that was now forming inside of her.
...
70 – 81 : 30 minutes played – 4th quarter - start
...
Hyuga got the ball and was about to shoot. It was clear that he intended to take back the three-points they lost at the buzzer and get the score back to a single digit. She knew it was coming, but other than warning them she couldn't do anything.
Sakurai knew that they would still have something left of Tetsuya's misdirection overflow, but he was determined. He would stop Hyuga from making that shot!
A flash in the corner of his eye before suddenly Hyuga was further away. Shit. Sakurai glared as Hyuga jumped up and took the shot.
He couldn't do anything but watch as the ball flew through the hoop and they took back the three points.
Because he couldn't stop him! Sakurai gritted hit teeth as he glared at Hyuga. He was not going to let this go! He would prove that he was better!
...
Daiki stopped and was faced with Taiga, who did a double-take when he saw Daiki's face. And he wasn't the only one. Tetsuya (who was standing slightly behind Taiga) noticed it too and stared.
Daiki was smiling.
A real smile.
Not a smirk or a half-hearted one.
Mac felt her own smile break out and tears formed in her eyes again. She couldn't believe it.
Daiki was really, truly smiling out of joy and excitement.
It was… more than she had hoped for.
"Daiki…" she whispered, ignoring the glances she got.
...
Ryota gaped. He couldn't help it. Daiki was smiling!
"He's smiling," Ryota said, stunned.
"Eh?" Kasamatsu glanced at him before looking down at Daiki. "Okay… so?"
"He never smiles when he plays anymore," Ryota said. "He stopped smiling back in Middle School…I can't remember the last time I saw him smile like that…"
"Okay," Kasamatsu said again. "Then… good?"
"It's very good," Ryota said with a wide smile. "Mac-cchi and Kuroko-cchi have waited for a long time to see that smile again!"
Kasamatsu frowned slightly before he shrugged.
...
"Mine-chin is smiling," Atsushi commented lazily, grabbing more of his crisps.
"I've never seen him smile while playing before," Himuro realised.
"He stopped," Atsushi said.
"Why?" Alex asked curiously.
"Basketball wasn't fun anymore," Atsushi shrugged carelessly. "Mac-chin will be happy now. She has waited for his smile. I'll crush him if he stops again."
Alex frowned slightly as she thought about it.
...
"Huh," Sirius said.
"What?" Remus asked.
"He's smiling," Sirius commented. "He's got a pretty good smile."
Remus blinked. "Who's smiling?"
"Aomine," Sirius said. "Look! Can't you see it?"
Remus looked and his eyes widened. "Huh. I see. Mac looks happy too."
"Wonder why," Sirius said.
...
"Woah," Kagetora said, grinning. "This is exciting!"
Tarou glanced over at him.
"But they need to do something if they wish to catch up," Kagetora continued.
"Oh? I think they're doing pretty well," Tarou commented, glancing down at his son and his team. They kept scoring, but so did Daiki and the others.
"With Aomine there Seirin will never win a shootout," Kagetora said. "And with Potter-san ability to read the game I'm sure she has instructed how to stop Seirin. I had also expected that Harasawa would take more action when they fell into the misdirection overflow, but the fact that they didn't…"
"Yeah?"
"I think it's because Potter-san read through it and have concluded that they could keep up and stop Seirin from getting too close," Kagetora said. "It seems like Harasawa really is relying on Potter-san."
Tarou smiled as he looked down at his niece. She was watching with the same intense look she'd had for most of the game but there was something else there now too, some more emotions than before, but why?
"So, Seirin needs something else," Kagetora said. "Or they will lose."
...
Triple teaming him?
That wouldn't work, but Tetsuya should know that, Mac thought. So why do it? Taiga let Daiki get past him and Teppei forced Daiki to move to the left even in the air.
Her eyes widened, "ah."
So that was their plan. It was a good one, she would admit that. Taiga came jumping up to block Daiki's shot, making Daiki lower the ball to take the shot from a lower point. The ball flew through the air and hit the metal before bouncing off and over the sideline.
Daiki missed.
Stunned silence filled the court as they stared at the ball like they couldn't recognise it as the ball that had missed a shot from Daiki.
"Tetsu did it," Mac said.
"How?"
"He knew how Daiki would move if he was triple-teamed and acted accordingly," Mac said. "He moved so he could get Daiki's attention and used the misdirection overflow for Daiki to mess up his shot. It's a very well planned out move from Tetsu."
"Brilliant," Inoue admitted, and Mac nodded.
Daiki was glaring at Tetsuya, though. Annoyed. Mac smiled slightly. That was honest annoyance at being stopped and not just annoyance over someone not trying, but the fact that he was now getting annoyed because he was stopped… well, Mac took that as a good thing.
...
79 – 87: 33 minutes played – 4th quarter
...
Mac hummed and nodded thoughtfully. No matter the strategy she came up with would change the momentum of the match at the moment. She glanced at Daiki and knew he needed to really step up now if they were going to keep from falling behind.
She signalled to Sakurai to be prepared to stop Hyuga, and he nodded, looking determined.
He did but caused three free throws instead.
She sighed. This wasn't going as she had planned.
She stood up, unable to sit still anymore as she put the notebook down and folded her arms over her chest as she stared at the court and how Seirin was cheering for the free throws. She knew that they saw this as three easy points and it was true.
They would get closer to their score from this.
But she would not allow it to stick.
"We need to set Daiki up even more," she said. "He needs to find his next level."
She knew he could do it. He had done so before, but… would he manage to bring it out now? It was all up to just how close he had gotten to come back to himself again during this match.
...
Ryota noticed that Mac had gotten to her feet and felt his eyes widen.
"Oh," he said.
"What?" Kasamatsu asked, looking at him.
"Mac-cchi," Ryota said. "She's standing."
"Okay?" Kasamatsu looked confused.
"She only does that if she needs to really think," Ryota said. "When she's trying to come up with a solution that is complicated and almost impossible. It wasn't often she got up from the bench when she had a role as a manager rather than a player, but when she did… she would think out several scenarios for how the match could turn out and then how to counter it or press it to her advantage."
"So, she's trying to figure out how to stop Seirin," Kasamatsu said.
Ryota nodded, "and Seirin's chances just got lower."
...
Mac's eyes found Daiki, and she took in his body language and how he was breathing. He looked relaxed. He wasn't stressing over the free throws, and he looked to be centring himself.
Okay, so he was in route. She nodded to herself, feeling a spark of excitement at what was to come. She was sure she knew what was coming, and with that… well, that would strengthen their chances very well.
Then it was almost more about getting the others to stay out of his way.
Then there was the matter of how Seirin would react to that… and Mac had a feeling that they might actually have another surprise in store for them. After the misdirection overflow, she wasn't going to ignore it.
So, if they had… then they would need to allow it to play out and hopefully, it wouldn't get too bad.
Her mind was working hard as she thought through everything she could picture happening. It was a lot, but she kept her mind focused.
...
Tetsuya noticed Mac standing and frowned. That was not good.
"Things just got worse," he told Kiyoshi, who frowned at him. "Look at Mac."
Kiyoshi did and saw her standing up and blinked. He wasn't sure what Tetsuya meant, though.
"Okay, so what does that mean?" Kiyoshi asked.
"She's getting ready," Tetsuya said. "She's thinking."
Kiyoshi nodded, knowing what he meant now and knew that they had to get ready.
...
Daiki waited.
The free throws were going to be taken, and even if they made them, it would not matter. He was ready.
Thoughts, memories went through his mind.
Since when did he start to yawn when he left home on days he had games?
Since when did he stop feeling anything when he won?
He just wanted an opponent that he could face with everything he had.
He had been longing for one. He would admit that (at least to himself… now). He knew Mac had understood that and had tried to figure it out, but even for her, it had been practically impossible. Though the one-on-one against her had helped a little, but it hadn't been what he had hoped for. Not like that.
He had wanted a game that was so close that he didn't know if he would win or lose.
Like now.
He could feel it.
He didn't know if he would make it.
He felt them coming up from behind and they never stopped chasing them… him.
Taiga… Mac's cousin was actually closing in and he could feel the raw power in him, it was still growing… he could make it!
And it was all because of Tetsuya. Daiki knew that it was Tetsuya's doing, the way he had never given up and kept coming back.
And not only now… suddenly Daiki could see everything that Tetsuya had done over the years and given and sacrificed for him and for the team. How far would he go? Daiki felt… so many emotions at once that it threatened to overcome him, but he did his best to focus on what was at hand right now.
The match.
"Thank you… Tetsu," Daiki said out loud knowing Tetsuya would hear him.
Tetsuya did and gasped lightly as he heard the words and saw the smile on his face. A true smile from before.
He could finally play like he wanted to.
The way he longed to play…
...
...
AN: Part two of three...
Part three will be up tomorrow. I don't think I'll be able to get it up later tonight. So, tomorrow it is! XD Then you'll be able to see the results of the match! XD
Thank you for reading!