Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Kuroko no Basket!
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1st year – Too Academy
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Seirin won the semi-final with two points.
It had been another close match between Seirin and Shutoku and Alex knew that it was the new shoot from Tetsuya who had been the tipping point and had given Seirin the victory. She smiled as she watched Taiga cheer with his friends down at the court and listened as the crowd cheered for them as well.
"He's happy," Tatsuya said from beside her.
"Mm," Alex agreed. "It's good."
Tatsuya nodded and smiled. "I need to get stronger now. Next year I will beat him."
Alex laughed and smirked at him, "that's the spirit!"
"Don't know why you care," Atsushi yawned from beside them and Alex glanced over at Tatsuya's teammate. She had decided to sit with Tatsuya and his team while watching the semi-finals.
"Of course you don't," Tatsuya sighed but didn't seem to upset about it. "But you'll help me next year, won't you?"
Atsushi sighed and shrugged without saying anything. But he didn't protest either.
"Who do you think will win the final?" Tatsuya asked, looking back down at the court to where Too Academy just entered the court while Rakuzan yet had to enter. He saw Mac talking with their coach and nodding to whatever he was saying. Daiki was spinning a ball on his finger while looking at Tetsuya and Taiga, who was just about to leave the court now.
"… I don't know," Atsushi said.
"I would like it if Mac won," Alex said. "But I haven't seen Rakuzan play."
"They're… good," Tatsuya said, remembering playing them in the semi-finals for Inter-High. "I can't really see how Too Academy can beat them without Mac being able to play…"
"Mac-chin is strong even from the bench," Atsushi said through another yawn and then turned to open his bag of sweets. "You saw that in the game against Seirin."
"True," Tatsuya said. "It will be… interesting."
Okamura was smiling dreamingly as he stared down at the court and Tatsuya rolled his eyes, knowing who made their (soon to be former) captain look like that. Mac. He still went star-eyed when it came to her.
...
"Daiki-nii! Mac-nee!" Shiro said excitedly as he pointed down at the court. "They're there!"
He was bouncing in his seat as he stared at the court. Sayuri smiled too, but she was calmer about it.
"It's almost time for their match now," she said. "Do you think they'll win?"
"Of course!" Shiro said confidently. "Daiki-nii and Mac-nee are the best!"
"I hear Akashi-san is very good too," Sayuri said. "Mac-nee said he never loses at anything."
Shiro gave shot her a glare, "doesn't matter! You don't believe in them!"
"I do too!" Sayuri glared back at him. "I just said what Mac-nee told me!"
"You do not!"
"Do too!"
"Do not!"
"Enough," Ayano interrupted them calmly, making the twins fall silent but glare at each other. "We're here to see both Daiki and Mac's team play and support them any way we can, okay?"
Takehiro glanced at the twins and sighed softly. Shiro had always been quick to jump in to defend against any slight he perceived against Mac, even from one of them. He seemed to take it personally if it appeared like they didn't have faith in Mac or said something that was slightly critical (even if it wasn't meant that way).
"Fine," Shiro muttered, looking away from them and down at the court while Sayuri sniffed and looked away from them and focused on the court.
Takehiro and Ayano exchanged a look and sighed.
...
Tarou smiled slightly as he watched Mac down at the court. She was talking with Taiga now… he felt proud of them both. They were both wonderful kids. He was happy that Taiga and his team had managed third place in the tournament. The match he had just witnessed from Seirin was a good one and he was pleased to see that they had got over the loss against Too Academy and focus on this one and win.
"Hello," a voice said and Tarou looked up and saw Sato and his wife and son standing beside the row of seats he was sitting on.
"Hey," he smiled getting up and shook their hands. "Mac didn't say anything about you coming."
"I decided I wanted to see what this sport is really about," Sato said with a small smile. "She has talked about it a lot over the years, and when Daisuke said he was coming, we decided to join him."
"Too bad Mac can't play, though," Daisuke said.
Tarou nodded, "yeah. She's really disappointed about that."
Kaori looked worriedly down at the court but smiled slightly when she saw Mac talking with Daiki and Tetsuya and Taiga.
"Your son won his match?" Kaori asked. "Daisuke said he would play before Mac."
"Yes, they won," Tarou smiled. "It was a close match, but they won."
"Good," Kaori smiled. "Do you mind if we sit with you?"
"Of course not," Tarou smiled and moved so they could join him.
...
"You won," Mac smiled slightly as she looked at Taiga and Tetsuya. "Congratulations."
"Thanks," Taiga grinned.
"Thank you," Tetsuya said calmly.
"You ready for your match?" Taiga asked looking from her to Daiki.
"Yeah," Daiki smirked. "We'll win."
Taiga gave him a thoughtful look before he smiled and nodded.
"Akashi is strong, though," Tetsuya said.
"So am I," Daiki said. "And my team, and we have Mac."
Tetsuya smiled and nodded. "Good luck."
"Oi! Mac!" Wakamatsu called and Mac glanced over at him and saw him waving at her.
"Sorry, but I have to get back," she said. "See you later!"
"Okay," both Taiga and Tetsuya said as Mac jogged away from them and over to Wakamatsu.
...
Seijuro looked over at Mac who was just jogging away from Daiki, Taiga and Tetsuya. She looked focused as she joined Wakamatsu.
"You okay, Sei-chan?" Mibuchi asked.
"Fine," he said, looking away from Mac and focused on his own task.
"You're starting today, right?" Hayama asked, looking over at him while lifting a ball up to cover his face (who knew why?).
"Yes," Seijuro said. "They are strong."
"Too bad Mac won't play," Nebuya said. "It would have been fun to play against her!"
"Yes, I know," Hayama grinned. "I would love to play her!"
"She'll still make herself known," Seijuro said calmly.
Mibuchi nodded thoughtfully, "suppose she will. She was behind their win over Seirin, after all."
Seijuro nodded. "She was."
"Well, I'm up against Imayoshi today," Mibuchi said. "He's a little creepy and so not my type, but… I'll take care of him!"
"I'm against Wakamatsu," Nebuya grinned before letting out a loud burp.
"Ew! Gross!" Mibuchi protested disgusted. "It was too long!"
"I'm filled up now! Just like Kiyoshi said and against someone like Wakamatsu, I need to be filled up!" Nebuya declared with a smirk.
Mibuchi rolled his eyes and Seijuro sighed softly but didn't comment.
"I'm against Sakurai," Hayama said. "I'll stop his three-pointers."
"I'm worried," Mibuchi sighed.
"Oi, Mayuzumi," Hayama said while ignoring Mibuchi, "you're on Susa, right?"
Mayuzumi didn't answer, but that wasn't really something new.
"Meaning our captain is on Aomine," Mibuchi said, turning back to Seijuro. "Isn't that so?"
"In a way," Seijuro said. "We're not sticking to our mark as we normally do, we will rely more on switching it up more and making it harder for Mac to predict. And… Daiki is stronger than everyone here one-on-one, so we need to face him differently."
"Hm…" Hayama said. "I see…"
"Seijuro!"
Seijuro blinked and turned to see Mac standing a little away, and she waved at him when she saw that she got his attention. He huffed and smiled and she came over to them with a light jog and suddenly she was hugging him. He could tell that his team was watching them curiously, but he hugged her back because he never turned down one of her hugs.
"Sorry," she said when she backed away and grinned sheepishly at him. "Just had to do that before the match. Didn't mean to interrupt your preparations."
"Sure," Seijuro smiled. "You okay?"
"Fine," she smiled and rolled her eyes. "Annoyed that I can't play, but it's fine."
"Mm," Seijuro watched her for signs of unhappiness, but she seemed focused and ready. He smiled.
"Happy?" She asked knowingly, and he smiled at her.
"Of course," he said.
"Well, I had to see you before we started," she said. "Wish you luck because we will win today."
"Is that right?" he asked, amused while his team was staring wide-eyed at them. He knew they hadn't seen her with him a lot, but he guessed it surprised them he 'allowed' her to talk to him like that.
"Yup," she grinned. "Just thought you should know."
"Well, too bad that I always win," Seijuro smirked back. "I'm curious, though. As to how far you've come since last time."
"It's kind of déjà vu," Mac nodded. "But the results will be different."
"We'll see," Seijuro said.
Mac looked at him, suddenly more serious now, and the teasing from moments earlier was gone. He arched a brow at her.
"You'll see," she said quietly. "I hope you'll realise what I've been trying to tell you, Seijuro."
He frowned at her but she didn't say anything else and smiled again and waved at his stunned teammates before giving him a smile again and turned to walk back to her team for the last talk before line-up.
He watched her walk away wondering about her last remark and feeling something in deep in his chest tightened almost painfully.
"Wow…" Hayama breathed. "I'd forgotten how…"
He stopped talking when Mibuchi's hand connected to his head and shot him a look that clearly said to shut up.
...
Sirius and Remus were in the stands again, looking forward to watching another one of Mac's team's matches. This time it was against Rakuzan.
"To think we've been here long enough to say that this is the second time we've seen her team play Rakuzan," Remus said.
"Mm," Sirius nodded. "It's strange… it feels like forever but at the same time it feels like it was just yesterday."
"Looks like they're getting ready," Remus commented as he watched as the two teams gathered around their respective benches and coaches. He watched Mac standing between her coach and Daiki, her notebook in her hands and a slight smile on her lips. She didn't look nervous, exactly, but more determined.
"Before the game begins, allow us to introduce the teams!" a voice called out over the speakers. "In the black uniforms, we have Too Academy! Their coach is Harasawa Katsunori. Next is their starting line-up: Imayoshi Shoichi, Susa Yoshinori, Wakamatsu Kosuke, Sakurai Ryo and Aomine Daiki. Not to forget their manager, Potter Mackenzie."
Remus heard the cheering that grew louder as the speaker mentioned both Daiki and Mac and looking around he saw the smiles and hands waving excitedly around as they all stared down at the court.
"Our girl is popular," Sirius murmured and Remus smiled slightly as he nodded.
"Too Academy has made their way through the Winer Cup with convincing victories and great teamwork, and has proven themselves strong and determined," the speaker said. "We are all looking forward to seeing what they have to offer today!"
The crowd cheered again and Sirius cheered along with them almost jumping up from his seat making Remus roll his eyes but he said nothing as he applauded along with the rest even if he was calmer.
"In the white uniforms we have Rakuzan High," the speaker continued. "Their coach is Shirogane Eiji. Next is their starting line-up: Akashi Seijuro, Mibuchi Reo, Hayama Kotaro, Nebuya Eikichi and Mayuzumi Chihiro."
The crowd cheered again. Remus had seen Mac with Seijuro just a few moments ago and still wondered about their friendship. While he had seen the other boy a little more now compared to the last time they had played, Remus still wasn't sure he understood their friendship. It was clear that they were close, but how could Mac be close to him? He seemed so… distant.
Remus sighed. He knew that there must be sides to him that he couldn't see and that Mac could, but he just wished he understood.
"They have also shown impressive feats throughout the Winter Cup under the leadership of Akashi Seijuro," the speaker continued.
...
Too Academy vs Rakuzan High – 1st quarter – Start of the match
...
Mac was seated on the bench now and was tapping her pen against the notebook as she took in Seijuro and his teammates as they took their places on the court. They were strong. There were no doubts about that and Mac knew that this would not be an easy match at all…
"Okay," she murmured. "This will be tougher than I thought."
"Potter-san?" Harasawa asked.
She shook her head as she frowned, already scribbling down her analyses in her notebook. Harasawa looked at her for another moment before turning back to the court.
...
Wakamatsu won the tip-off and passed the ball to Imayoshi, who was immediately covered by Mibuchi.
"Oh," Imayoshi smiled pleasantly. "So it's you, huh? Well, please take care of me."
"I will," Mibuchi smiled back.
Imayoshi noticed the sharp look in the other boy's eyes but showed nothing as he dribbled the ball and barely avoided the hand that shot out to steal it (like Mac had told him would happen) and passed the ball to Sakurai who was ready for it.
"Be prepared, Sakurai," Mac had said, "you won't have a lot of time before they are on you."
Imayoshi could tell that it was true because Hayama was already just seconds away from covering Sakurai. Sakurai was already preparing for the shot, though, and was just about to jump and shoot when the ball was knocked out of his hands.
Mac frowned when she saw Seijuro knock the ball out of Sakurai's hands and steal it. He immediately passed the ball to Mayuzumi and Rakuzan was now the attacking team. She wasn't that surprised that Seijuro had interfered, even if she had predicted it to be Hayama. By the looks of it, so had Hayama.
Mayuzumi had already passed the ball to Hayama, who again passed it to Mibuchi.
Imayoshi backed away making Mibuchi blink but prepared to shoot before Susa suddenly was there and blocked him before he could do his special shot.
...
"Hm," Mac frowned as she watched the opening seconds of the match. "They are all a little too overeager. They're making mistakes."
"Seems like it," Harasawa agreed.
Mac knew it would change soon and they would calm down, both teams would.
...
Daiki caught the ball and made for the hoop. Seijuro came up in front of him and Daiki paused as he eyed his former captain. The heterochromatic eyes were cold and assessing, making Daiki almost wince as he felt like the other boy was reading him.
Daiki allowed his body to relax as he suddenly moved and reacted as Seijuro read his movement by taking a step back. Daiki kept control of the ball as he narrowed his eyes at Seijuro.
"You won't get past me, Daiki," Seijuro said.
"We'll see about that," Daiki said before he jumped and shot the ball through the air.
He watched as the ball flew through the hoop before looking back at Seijuro, who narrowed his eyes at him. Daiki bit back a smirk.
...
3 – 0 : 1 minute played – 1st quarter
...
"Hm," Seijuro said. "Seems like you're fighting hard, Daiki. But I will win."
"We'll see about that," Daiki said.
Seijuro smirked.
...
Daiki passed the ball to Susa who was immediately faced with Nebuya and arched a brow but didn't react, he only passed the ball to Imayoshi again who was marked by Mibuchi.
"I'll stop you now," Mibuchi promised.
Imayoshi smiled but said nothing as he moved to get past him but the other boy got a hand on the ball making it bounced away on the court.
Hayama was there to pick it up and started to run toward the hoop.
Imayoshi mentally cursed himself as he chased after the Rakuzan player.
Hayama paused when Susa came up in front of him. He tilted his head as he took in the taller Too Academy player before he smirked.
"You're good," Hayama said. "I know that. So… three fingers, I think should do it."
Susa stared at him blankly before the ball suddenly hit the floor harder than normal and… disappeared?
Susa blinked because suddenly the ball was behind him and Hayama had already moved to follow and before Susa could catch up to him had passed the ball to Mibuchi.
Mibuchi jumped up and performed a fade-away shot, getting past Susa's attempt to block it and flowing through the hoop.
...
3 – 3 : 1 minute played – 1st quarter
...
"I had forgotten he could do that," Abe commented.
Mac hummed and shook her head, "I reminded you he could."
"Yeah… but seeing it," Abe said. "It's different."
Mac could understand, in a way, but it was also a little annoying because she had prepared them for the skills Rakuzan had… and it wasn't like they hadn't played them before.
"He has gotten even better at it," Mac commented as she watched Mibuchi high-five Hayama as he ran back with his team.
...
Daiki was dribbling again and Hayama came up in front of him and matched the smirk on his face at the challenge. Daiki felt his eyes widen when a sudden wave of something washed over him and he realised it was coming from Hayama.
He felt… wild.
Almost like Taiga…
"Oh…" Daiki said. "Interesting."
Hayama smirked. "You won't get past me again!"
Daiki challenged him and was forced back as Hayama responded as he should but Daiki didn't mind as he felt the same rush he had felt last game come back and he smiled. He put more force into his movements and with a sharp twist changed direction a little too quickly for Hayama to follow and was past him and faced Nebuya.
Daiki jumped and when Nebuya jumped to match him he used his formless shot to get the ball past the tall Rakuzan centre.
Nebuya scowled as he landed and looked over his shoulder as the ball went through the hoop.
"This will be fun," Daiki said and looked over at Hayama. "You're good."
"Of course I am," Hayama scowled back at him before he smiled. "Well, it's better this way. It's no fun to play with someone who has given up!"
Daiki rolled his eyes but didn't comment.
...
Seijuro passed the ball to Nebuya, who dunked it through the hoop, making Wakamatsu fall to the court by the force of it.
Wakamatsu grumbled as he got up and felt frustrated. He should have stopped that. He knew Nebuya was strong, but so was he! He felt a rush of annoyance and anger as he stared at the large centre from Rakuzan.
Mac noticed how Wakamatsu seemed frustrated as Nebuya made the basket and frowned. She made a note in her notebook as she observed Nebuya closer and noticed that he too had grown stronger since last time they'd played.
She wasn't really surprised by that. She had expected it, really.
...
5 – 9 : 4 minutes played – 1st quarter
...
"Looks like Rakuzan is about to take charge of this match," Tatsuya commented as he looked down at the court.
"Yes," Alex agreed. "If Too Academy doesn't do anything soon they will lose the minor advantage, they gained at the start."
Tatsuya frowned. He knew who he hoped would win. Too Academy. Well, rather Mac. She deserved it, and he knew she was good enough. He was curious to see what she would do now…
"What do you think Mac will do now?" he asked.
"Don't know," Atsushi said lazily. "But she's observing them now. She'll come up with something."
"It will be interesting to see," Alex smiled expectantly.
...
Sakurai scowled as he was suddenly faced with Mibuchi.
"Ah, don't look like that, Ryo-chan," Mibuchi said. "I'm not that bad."
Ryo-chan? Sakurai scowled deeper and dribbled the ball a couple of times, watching Mibuchi and wondering if he could get a shot past the other boy.
"Don't call me that," Sakurai finally said and Mibuchi smirked.
"What? Ryo-chan?" he asked innocently.
Sakurai glared and jumped to shoot but Mibuchi was there and blocked it causing the ball to drop to the court and bounce away.
"Free ball!" Mac called from the bench. "Get it!"
Sakurai tried, but he was too slow because Mayuzumi (where did he get from?) was already there and had taken the ball and passed it to Hayama.
"Back again?" Daiki asked when Hayama was in front of him.
"You won't get the ball from me now," Hayama said.
Daiki hummed but kept alert. Hayama still felt wild, or maybe wilder now that he had control of the ball.
"I think… five fingers against you," Hayama said and Daiki arched a brow.
Hayama moved as if going for a drive, even if the ball is still lying still in his hands. Daiki narrowed his eyes because he knew that there had to be more to it than this.
Then Hayama dribbles the ball, and it's like sparks are coming from him as he does and his body is agile and fast making Daiki just a little too late to reach him as the ball seems to disappear from even his view for a moment.
Hayama got past Daiki and shoots.
...
Mac grimaced as she saw Hayama getting past Daiki.
It was a flaw in her plans. She heard the others whispering worriedly together, all concerned that someone got past Daiki that easily. She ignored them as she thought about what to do… okay, her original plans and analysis still counted. It wasn't that bad, she could still make it work.
They needed to shut down both Hayama and Mibuchi.
Seijuro was using them to get points, but if they were shut down, then he would need to step up more and that was when the actual problems would start.
Mac knew that, but she would allow them to have this quarter before she did anything. Right now it wasn't anything they couldn't get back from.
...
13 – 17 : 7 minutes played – 1st quarter
...
Seijuro glanced over at Mac and saw her thinking. He knew she was planning something, and he was curious to see what she would do in response to this.
He felt a little heavy. He wasn't sure why, but even as they played and they were gaining more and more control over the match he felt… heavy. Like a part of him was protesting this. He couldn't understand why.
"Focus," he said coldly to Nebuya, who was standing still.
Nebuya glanced at him before he nodded.
Susa had the ball now and Seijuro moved to block him and could hear the rush from the spectators. Probably because of the height distance. Fools… Seijuro had proved repeatedly that height didn't necessarily mean anything in basketball.
Susa looked at him warily, and Seijuro knew that Mac must have warned him and told him not to underestimate him.
Watching Susa with sharp eyes told Seijuro what he needed to know and when Susa moved to his left Seijuro already knew that it was a feint and was ready to intercept him on the other side and stole the ball.
"Shit," Susa muttered behind him and Seijuro almost smirked. A glance over at Too Academy's bench showed Mac looking pensive but not overly worried, and when she met his eyes, she allowed a small smile to cross her lips.
It somehow made Seijuro feel… worse. A longing deep inside of him that he hadn't been aware of seemed to burst through and he pushed it back because it had no place there now. He would win and show her he could keep them all together, that he was in control.
He needed to be in control.
He pushed past Sakurai who fell back because of the ankle break and went for the basket himself and made the shot.
...
Daiki moved and dodged both Mibuchi and Nebuya before he jumped and dunked the ball through the hoop and as he landed, he heard the cheers from the crowd but he didn't pay it any mind. He was too focused on the match.
This was a challenge, and he loved it.
He jogged back and was slapped on the back by Susa and even Imayoshi. Huh, who knew that it felt good to be included in the cheer after points made?
...
22 – 24 : 10 minutes played – 1st quarter – end
...
It was a small break, and Mac had gotten to her feet.
"Okay," she said as she watched them sit down and take a drink from their water bottles. "We need to stop Mibuchi and Hayama."
"We're trying," Wakamatsu grumbled.
"I know," Mac said calmly. "Look, we already knew they were good, and I told you they had gotten stronger since we last played them. Mibuchi's shots are even more precise and stronger, but you can still stop them. He's only used his heaven shot so far, but as we press him, he will start using his other two."
"And how do we stop it?" Susa asked calmly.
"His heaven shot is extremely well done," Sakurai said looking up from his hands and at Mac. "To make the shot he has to maintain his centre of gravity while mid-air, it's difficult."
"That's right," Mac nodded. "But have you noticed how he steps back as he jumps up?"
"Like Hyuga did?" Sakurai asked with a pensive frown.
"Kind of, yeah," Mac nodded. "He does that to get room and get away from the defender, so make sure you follow him when he goes to step back and he cannot avoid you like he has been until now. Also, for his other shots pay attention to his centre of gravity. It's a slight change in it and it will show you what kind of shot he will use if it's heaven, earth or the void."
They nodded, and Mac hoped they would get it.
"Now, about Hayama…" Mac said. "You remember that his dribbling is often referred to as lighting dribble."
"It looks like lightning," Wakamatsu said, making Mac nod.
"Yeah, well, he is agile and fast," Mac said. "I would say that his speed is almost as good as Daiki's, and he's one of the more agile players we've faced until now."
"Huh," Imayoshi said and looked at Daiki.
"He feels wild," Daiki commented. "Like Kagami."
Mac furrowed her brows as she nodded, "I picked up on that too. He probably has gotten control over his inner basic animal instincts."
"Animal instincts?" Abe repeated, but Mac didn't answer.
"The strength of his dribble is in how many fingers he uses," Mac said. "The more fingers, the stronger dribble. He likes to announce how many he uses, so be careful to pick it up and prepare for it. Okay? Daiki will stop his strongest dribble soon, it probably won't work on him more than once or twice. Anyone else faces him will back each other up, okay? Hayama will probably get past you one-on-one, but if you work together, you can force him into a position where he will lose the ball."
"Okay," Susa said.
"Good observations, Mac," Imayoshi smirked. "And what about Akashi?"
"He's content to stay in the background for now," Mac said with a frown. "He hasn't really stepped up yet, but you've seen glimpses of his eagle-eye when he read Susa's movements earlier."
"Annoying," Susa sighed, making Mac smile a little.
"Okay, we don't have time for much more talk now," Mac said. "Just remember what I've said, okay? And use each other, okay? Pass the ball if you can't get past on your own, and make sure you are free to help."
...
22 – 24 : 10 minutes played – 2nd quarter – start
...
"Interesting," Nijimura said as he leaned back in his seat.
"Eh?" Kubota Masaya asked, looking over at him. Nijimura had asked both Kubota and Sekiguchi Toru to join him to watch their former teammates play each other in the Winter-Cup final. Both of the other boys had stopped playing basketball and taken up other sports instead, but they still enjoyed the game enough to watch from time to time and had been willing to come with him to the match.
"So grown up," Sekiguchi had commented when he saw them before the match. "To think we've known them when they were young and innocent."
"Innocent?" Kubota snorted. "I doubt they ever have been innocent…"
Nijimura rolled his eyes but smiled.
"But what's interesting?" Kubota asked.
"How Mac seems to be directing them," Nijimura said. "I know our coaches allowed it, but I am a little surprised that her new coach does the same. But also that Imayoshi, you remember him, seems to listen."
"He does," Sekiguchi agreed. "I remember him, yeah. He was… creepy."
"He's a talented player, though," Kubota said. "He will be a third-year, right? He was a year over us, right?"
"Yes," Nijimura nodded. "So, this will probably be his last official match for Too Academy."
"What a way to go," Sekiguchi grinned and ignored the looks he got from the other two. Well, he found it funny.
"But Akashi seems to be even stronger than before," Kubota said looking at Seijuro.
"Yeah," Nijimura agreed. "Too bad Mac can't play. I think they could have needed her on the court. I am not sure Aomine is enough…"
...
"Ah," Mac straightened on the bench when Imayoshi suddenly lost the ball and it bounced free on the court for a moment before it suddenly shot speed and direction toward Nebuya who hit the ball toward Mibuchi who scored. "That's… bad."
"Potter-san?" Harasawa asked.
"Mayuzumi," Mac said. "You remember him, right? Well, he's a lot like Tetsu. A shadow and uses misdirection."
"Right," Harasawa said, frowning. "So that was what just happened…"
"Seijuro is stepping this up," Mac said with a light frown. "I had hoped that he wouldn't use Mayuzumi just yet… but…"
"So, how can we stop him?" Harasawa asked. "The same way as with Kuroko?"
"I doubt that it would work the same," Mac said. "He's different from Tetsu, but the same in some ways. While Tetsu is stronger in the use of misdirection and has other moves based on it, like the vanishing drive, Mayuzumi is stronger in the fundamental basketball skills. He isn't the best at them, but he has some talent for it."
"So…" Abe pressed when she trailed off.
"So, he's more effective," Mac said grimly. "Imayoshi will need to be the one covering him. He can stop him."
Harasawa nodded and signalled for Imayoshi to come over to the bench on the way forward.
"You need to mark Mayuzumi," Mac told him and he arched a brow. "Think of him as Tetsu, okay? You'll know what to do."
Imayoshi looked at her for a moment before he smirked, "you got it!"
...
25 – 33 : 13 minutes played – 2nd quarter
...
"I forgot they also had someone like Kuroko-cchi," Ryota whined as he watched Mibuchi score again.
"Right," Kasamatsu said. "I forgot that too… Huh."
"Typical of Akashi-cchi, though," Ryota said. "To have someone like Kuroko-cchi on the team. He enjoys having a phantom sixth man to balance the team out."
"Oh?" Moriyama asked.
"I wasn't there when Kuroko-cchi joined the regulars back at Teiko," Ryota said without looking away from the match going on down below. Too Academy was struggling to keep up, but they didn't allow Rakuzan to get a too large of a gap either, so they still had a chance. "But from what I was told Akashi-cchi was interested in him from the moment he met him. He saw the potential of someone invisible on the team, someone who could be hidden…"
"I see," Kasamatsu said. "So, he has found someone like that at Rakuzan as well."
Ryota frowned slightly as he nodded. "Seems like it."
...
Imayoshi cursed mentally as Mayuzumi slipped away again but he was getting better at seeing him now, but he differed slightly from Tetsuya so Imayoshi had missed him a few times already.
He knew that Mac trusted that he would figure it out. That he would see Mayuzumi eventually, and he would. He just had to figure out the difference between him and Tetsuya.
Sakurai was now staring intently at Mibuchi who just got the ball and suddenly Sakurai moved and followed Mibuchi as he stepped back to do his heaven shot and Imayoshi could see his eyes widen from where he was standing as Sakurai suddenly had blocked the shot and the ball bounced on the court for Daiki to pick up.
"Good job, Ryo!" Daiki called as he ran and dribbled past Nebuya and shot the ball through the hoop.
"He worked out to stop my shot," Mibuchi muttered staring at Sakurai who jumped when he noticed the stare and blinked.
"Sorry!" Sakurai squeaked and Mibuchi felt his left eye twitch.
"Don't apologize," Daiki rolled his eyes as he nudged Sakurai's shoulder.
"Um… sorry!" Sakurai said again.
Daiki sighed and shook his head.
Seijuro watched quietly before he looked over at Mac, who was smiling and nodded at something her coach was saying. She was scribbling in her notebook and he could tell she was thinking hard.
"Mac did," he said, and Mibuchi blinked before looking at him.
"Eh?" he said.
"Mac told them how to stop your shot," Seijuro said. "She is the one who worked it out."
Mibuchi frowned and looked over at Mac. "Hm."
...
30 – 38 : 15 minutes played – 2nd quarter
...
Daiki forced Mibuchi to pass the ball when his opportunity to shoot was shut down again, and he grumbled as he did so. Nebuya caught the ball only to face Susa and Wakamatsu and arched a brow.
"You will not stop me," Nebuya said.
"I'll stop you!" Wakamatsu swore with a glare.
He jumped at the same time Nebuya did and got a hand on the ball. Nebuya pushed harder but Wakamatsu pushed back and suddenly the ball slipped through both their hands and bounced off the metal of the hoop before back toward the court.
"Rebound!"
Susa was already there to pick it up, and Nebuya scowled. He had used a lot of his strength then, but it looked like he had to use even more.
Mayuzumi worked to keep his emotions under control, just as Seijuro had told him. It wasn't that hard. He wasn't one to display his emotions, anyway. But to not show the annoyance he felt as Imayoshi once more was close to him and this time got a finger on the ball making the ball slow down enough for Daiki to get it was harder than he imagined.
"Ah, sorry about that," Imayoshi said pleasantly.
Mayuzumi turned away, saying nothing. He felt angry as he ran back and ignored (or tried to) Seijuro's eyes on him as he did. He glared over at Mac, who was seated on the bench for Too Academy. Her eyes were on him and he blinked. She was looking at him?
No.
She was observing him.
He gritted his teeth as he looked away from her just as Daiki made another basket. Why was she observing him? Was she trying to figure him out? Had she done so already?
No. There was no way she had done that. Not yet. It didn't matter that she knew that other shadow kid, Kuroko Tetsuya. He was different than Tetsuya. He was better. Mac knowing Tetsuya make any difference to him. He would show that he was stronger.
He hated being compared to Tetsuya. He knew the only reason he was on this team was because Seijuro wanted someone like Tetsuya on the team. Until Seijuro had joined the team he hadn't been good enough, always stuck as a reserve. Barely that, really.
Suddenly he was being included, but not because of his skills, but because of Seijuro deciding that it was what he needed. What he needed on his team and Mayuzumi was just made to follow that. The rest of the team looked at him sometimes and wondered what he was doing there. Idiots…
He'd show them.
He was better. Stronger. Different.
...
How to stop Seijuro?
That was the question, really. So far he was supporting his team, giving them the ball and setting them up in favourable situations, but Mac knew that it would change soon. The more she thought up counters for the others on his team, the sooner he would step in himself.
That was when the real match began.
Her eyes drifted to Daiki. He was smiling slightly and was watching Seijuro with an almost eager look in his eyes. Good. He was looking forward to playing against Seijuro. She knew that without the help of anyone else Daiki was stronger, but Seijuro was not above using his team to win.
So, she hoped that Daiki was prepared to accept the help from their team and not go at it alone like he was prone to do. She knew that despite his newfound joy in basketball and seemingly acceptance of the team, he would be tempted or maybe instinctively challenge Seijuro on his own.
...
Sakurai shook a little as he suddenly found himself in front of Seijuro. But… how did that happen? His mark was Hayama now… or so he had thought.
"He looks a little… timid," Abe commented from the bench as he watched Sakurai in front of Seijuro.
"Mm," Mac frowned. "He keeps changing it up…"
"Eh?"
"The marks," Mac said, a little frustrated. "Rakuzan keeps changing it, and it's harder to predict how it will turn out when the marks keep changing like this."
"We will work it out," Harasawa said calmly. "We are keeping up all right."
"I know, but…" Mac felt frustration fill her because she didn't like the lack of control she felt over the sudden changes in marks. It was clearly a strategy from Seijuro's side to make her job harder. Instead of having to prepare one of her teammates about Hayama, she had to do so with all of them, and so on and so on.
She couldn't help the feeling of frustration and helplessness that filled her as she watched. Just what could she do to change this? She had to think of something or they would fall behind even further.
...
"Coach," Mac said, and Harasawa looked at her. "I think we might need to give Sakurai a brief break. He's getting tired and we will need him later."
Harasawa hummed thoughtfully as he was watching Sakurai before he nodded.
"Who would you suggest putting in?" Harasawa asked.
"Namamura," Mac said. "He's good at keeping control of the ball and we need someone who can do that."
Harasawa nodded in agreement and ordered Namamura to get ready. Mac saw the surprise in the other boy's eyes, but also the eagerness at getting the chance to play. She smiled a little as she gave her last thoughts about what she wanted him to do and Harasawa adding some things as well making him nod.
Sakurai was disappointed when he was pulled out of the match and sat down quietly on the bench beside Mac. Seijuro had gotten past him without much effort and Mac knew it would be a rough thing to accept.
"You'll be all right," Mac said without looking at him.
Sakurai sniffled a little but didn't say anything.
"You'll be back," Mac added and reached out to pat his shoulder and glanced at him quickly before turning her attention back to the game.
"It's frustrating," Sakurai cried, and a tear dripped down on his hands that were clenched together in his lap. "I couldn't do anything!"
...
37 – 49 : 18 minutes played – 2nd quarter
...
"Hm," Takeuchi frowned as he folded his arms over his chest. He followed the match going on down below with sharp eyes and he took in the way the new boy Too Academy had just put in keep control of the ball even against Mayuzumi who had sneaked up on him. "I wonder…"
"Wonder what?" Kagetora asked from his left.
Takeuchi huffed, "what Harasawa was thinking about when he pulled Sakurai out of the match and replaced him with the new boy."
"He probably had some help in doing so," Nakatani commented as he came up beside them and sat down on the free seat. "Hey."
"Too bad you lost," Araki smirked over at him.
"My girl won!" Kagetora grinned.
Nakatani rolled his eyes but just shrugged, "it was close."
"What do you mean when you said that Harasawa had help?" Takeuchi asked, bringing the subject back to what he had been talking about just as Nakatani joined them.
"It's obvious, isn't it?" Nakatani asked with an arched brow.
"Is it?" Kagetora asked.
"Potter Mackenzie," Nakatani sighed. "I wouldn't be surprised if she was the one behind it."
Araki frowned, "Harasawa leaves that much of the responsibility to her?"
"I am sure he does," Nakatani said.
"My daughter also believes Potter has a lot of say with her team," Kagetora commented. "And she did a lot from the bench when they played Seirin last match. And you can see how Too Academy has reacted to Rakuzan throughout the match so far, and I think Potter has a lot to do with that."
"I know she has a lot to do with the team," Araki frowned, "I saw that when we met them at the training camp, but still… Harasawa…"
"Is impressed with Potter and talks about how she can go far if she continues with the sport even after High School," Kagetora shrugged.
"It's not like she's not used to being involved in the inner workings of the team," Nakatani commented. "She was there when we went to talk to Midorima."
"She was there when we talked to Kise, too," Takeuchi said. "I thought it… strange that a third-year would join us instead of their coach."
"Yeah," Araki frowned. "She was there when we talked to Murasakibara too."
Kagetora chuckled, "she seems interesting."
"She is," Araki admitted. "I am curious about her, and I kind of wish I had got her to join Yosen. She could control Murasakibara, at least."
"I wanted her to join Shutoku," Nakatani added. "But she turned us down. She was very polite about it, actually."
"I know Riko wanted her to come to Seirin too," Aida said. "But she ended up at Too Academy."
"It seems Harasawa won out," Takeuchi said.
"So, how has the match been so far?" Nakatani asked curiously.
"Intense," Araki said. "Rakuzan has had a slight grip over the match and seemingly good control, but Too Academy is still in it. They haven't given up, and it's clear that they're working by some sort of plan. They are adjusting their game as Rakuzan does; it's almost as if they are feeling each other out in a way."
"That Akashi at Rakuzan is something," Kagetora whistled. "Eiji has lucked out too!"
"Be polite," Araki sighed but smiled a little. "But I agree… Akashi is something. Someone who knows little about basketball won't see it, but the way he's controlling the match… It's scary and amazing."
"He's pulling the strings," Takeuchi agreed. "To think he never has lost before. Kise kept telling us before we played them. That Akashi never lost, I thought he was exaggerating and so did most of the team. Because who hasn't lost before? But after playing him and Rakuzan… well, I kind of see what Kise meant."
"Midorima said something similar," Nakatani said. "He also said that Akashi was very good at shogi and chess. I think you can see that in the way he plays."
"It's really to analytical minds against each other," Kagetora said. "Potter against Akashi."
"Hm," Araki said. "I think Potter might win."
"Really?" Takeuchi asked, glancing over at her. "I know Kise believes in her a lot, but you think she can win even if she can't play? If all she can do is adding something from the bench… it's still the players on the court who has to do the work."
"And they will fight hard for Potter," Araki said. "You can see it, can't you? The way Too Academy is fighting? Just last year they looked very different, but now… they're a real team."
"I warned my daughter and her team about it," Aida agreed with a nod. "Seirin is all about teamwork and I like that kind of play, but I warned them that Too Academy was a stronger team and had better teamwork than they did."
"Well, we can just wait and see," Nakatani said.
...
Daiki got the ball and bounced it against the floor. He smirked as Nebuya came up against him and he would not allow the tall centre to stop him. He knew they were behind, and he hated that, but he couldn't help but feel the rush go through him.
He longed to let go. To push even harder, and he knew it was soon time for him to step up even more. He wished he could do that from the start, but so far he had only been able to do so much. But soon…
He dribbled the ball and shifted out of reach and jumped but felt the force hit him just as he was about to release the ball and tilt in the air knowing he would soon crash to the ground. He twisted his wrist so he could shoot the ball and watched as it went through the hoop as he collided with the ground.
That kind of hurt, but he was fine. He sat up as the referee blew the whistle, signalling a foul.
"Basket counts! One free throw, Too Academy!" The referee said.
"You okay?" Susa asked as he helped Daiki back to his feet.
"Yes," Daiki nodded.
"Good," Susa smiled. "You got this?"
"Of course," Daiki smiled and Susa nodded back and handed him the ball.
Daiki got into position as both teams got ready in case he missed. Like he would miss…
He shot the ball, and it went through the hoop. Good.
...
"Rakuzan is in the lead," Taiga said as he looked at the scoring board.
"Not too much, though," Tetsuya said thoughtfully.
"I wonder what kind of match it has been so far," Kiyoshi smiled. "I'm sure it's been fun."
"Yes," Riko agreed. "Come on. Let's find some free seats."
They found some free seats and sat down, still feeling excited about their win as they settled to watch Too Academy vs Rakuzan. The crowd was cheering for both teams, but cheers for Rakuzan seemed to be a little louder at the moment.
"I can't wait to see how this will turn out!" Koganei grinned. "Mitobe says so too!"
Mitobe nodded and smiled.
"Next year we will be down there for the final," Taiga said.
"Yes," Tetsuya agreed and smiled slightly as he watched Daiki dribble and smile as he did so. "He's still smiling…"
"Eh? Aomine?" Taiga blinked. "Oh. Good…"
"Mac looks focused," Izuki said.
"Mm," Kiyoshi smiled fondly.
...
45 – 54 : 20 minutes played – 2nd quarter – end / break
...
Mac observed the team quietly as Harasawa talked. She took in the way they all seemed to slump slightly in their seats in the locker room and was breathing a little heavier than normal. She wasn't surprised that they were tired. It was a rough match and just keeping up with Rakuzan was tough.
Though, Rakuzan still managed to keep a solid lead despite her efforts to counter it from the bench.
She felt frustrated because she didn't know what to do now… what could she do to help? She wanted to help them; she wanted to go out there and do something, but she could not do so.
Daiki looked at her, but she ignored him. He was still smiling slightly as he played and looked like he was having fun, despite Seijuro managing to limit him in some ways. She was happy that Daiki still felt the rush and joy in the game.
They all did their best. They all fought the best they could, but so far Seijuro and Rakuzan were stronger, better… and she did not understand how to change it. They looked to her for input but she wasn't sure what to say now… she could go over her data again, but they had already heard it.
They kept Rakuzan from getting too big of a lead, but that was mostly because of Daiki and the others. She felt… helpless on the bench. She had done her best to push it away and focus on what she could do, but as the game went on, it became clearer to her.
She swallowed as she felt her throat thicken and tears pressed behind her eyelids. She didn't want to cry. Not now, and not in front of them.
"I… need a moment," she said and turned and walked out of the locker room ignoring the concerned looks or calls behind her.
She just needed some air… she needed to think.
She walked until she was outside and leaned against the fence as she took a deep breath, trying to calm down. She couldn't lose it now. She had to focus. Think.
Her mind was blank.
"Idiot," she muttered. "Focus."
Her grip on the fence tightened as she tried to pull herself together.
If she was honest with herself it wasn't just her helplessness to help her team that was weighing on her, but also the gap she saw when she was watching Seijuro. He seemed so… far away. Farther away than he had ever been before.
Last time they'd played it hadn't seemed like he was that far away from her, but now… now it was like he was on a distant planet or something. He was strong; she knew that, but he seemed so lost as he played and directed the others.
She couldn't help him, and she couldn't help her team. What good was she?
"Are you all right?" a voice asked and Mac turned and blinked when she saw a man with shaggy brown hair and a pair of thin sunglasses watching her. He kind of looked like a gangster…
...
...
AN: What do you think? XD
I'm so sorry for the very late update! I really thought I would have this ready sooner, but life has been... tiring lately. I just haven't had the energy to sit and write and actually get something productive down. I will admit that I have struggled a little with this chapter because I felt that no matter what I tried it became too similar to the last match I wrote. I'm not totally happy with it now either, but I figured that if I didn't post anything now I would postpone it forever. There will be two parts more of this match and I have them mostly done, so I hope to have it up sometime during this week. XD
Hope you're all safe. Thank you for reading and for your patience! XD