Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Kuroko no Basket!

...

...

1st year - Too Academy

...

"I'm fine," she said, tensing as she looked away from him.

"Hm," he said. "Well, I must say that I'm impressed with your game."

Mac frowned and glanced over at the man again. He leaned against the fence and his arms were folded over his chest as he looked over at her. She wasn't sure what to think when he seemed to settle there and intend to start a conversation.

"I'm not playing," she said quietly.

"You're still important to your team," the man said without hesitation. "I see how you direct them and keep Rakuzan from getting to far ahead."

Mac frowned, "it's not enough."

The man hummed and shrugged, "that's too early to say, isn't it?"

Mac blinked and looked back at him, "eh?"

"Come on, Potter-san," the man smiled. "You know better than most that the game isn't over until the referee blows his whistle."

"Doesn't mean that I know how to counter Seijuro's plans," Mac muttered.

"Akashi is strong," the man admitted. "I know, but so are you. You've proven that, and I am looking forward to seeing what you can do now. Harasawa sure has lucked out with you as a part of his team."

Mac blinked. "You know…?"

"Harasawa? Of course I do," the man grinned playfully. "He's a former teammate. He is very proud of you, you know. Says you're one of the best he's worked with and let me tell you something. He isn't one to say that about a lot of people."

Mac wasn't sure what to think and knew she was blushing, so she looked away and tried to pretend that she hadn't seen the amused look on the man's face.

"Maybe you should stop worrying about everything and just focus on what you can do," the man suggested. "You know your stuff and second-guessing yourself will not help. Trust in yourself, Potter-san, and trust in your team. You have a strong team."

The man pushed away from the fence and smiled when she looked back at him.

"It's about time for the match to start again," he said. "You should get back."

"Right," Mac said. "Um… who are you?"

"Aida Kagetora," the man smirked. "Nice to meet you."

"Riko's dad?" Mac asked, surprised.

"Yes," Kagetora grinned. "She's talked about you, and I saw your last match. It was an excellent one."

"Thanks…" Mac said, bewildered. "It was… Seirin was strong, and it was fun."

He smiled again and nodded. "Go on, you should go."

Mac nodded and walked back inside and wondered about what had just happened.

...

Harasawa stepped out of the shadows as she passed him and looked over at Kagetora.

"Thanks," Harasawa said.

"No problem," Kagetora said. "I didn't do much, though."

"You calmed her down," Harasawa said. "I wasn't sure how to do it."

"She seems to put a lot of pressure on herself," Kagetora commented.

"She does," Harasawa agreed. "I don't always know how to make her realise that she's not expected to solve everything on her own."

Kagetora nodded and smiled. "Well, good luck."

Harasawa nodded and walked back to the court and saw Mac being scolded by Daiki who was scowling at her and she was rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly. Susa ruffled her hair as he walked past her, making her smile after him.

"You all right, Potter-san?" Harasawa asked when he came up to them.

"Yes, coach," Mac said. "Sorry for leaving like that."

He looked at her before he nodded. "You calmed down?"

"Yes," she said, and she seemed calmer.

"Good," he said. "Now, we have two quarters left and we are still in this game. Now's the time to show off the hard work you've put in. This is it. You're a team and we work together, okay?"

"Yes, coach," they all said.

Mac took a deep breath and gave Daiki a reassuring smile, knowing he was worried. She could do this. She wasn't going to let her doubts stop her.

...

45 – 54 : 20 minutes played – 3rd quarter – start

...

Seijuro glanced over at Mac and frowned slightly. She looked fine, but a little pale. Was she all right? He caught the ball and was faced with Daiki.

"Is she all right?" Seijuro asked.

Daiki arched a brow, "worried about your opponent in the middle of a game, Akashi?"

Seijuro glared at him. "Answer me."

Daiki huffed, "she's fine."

"We're taking care of her," Imayoshi spoke up from behind Daiki and Seijuro directed his cold eyes to him before looking back at Mac.

"Meaningless," he snapped. "You're not…"

Daiki frowned, "Akashi…."

Seijuro moved then and used his emperor eye to get past Daiki who cursed slightly behind him, but Seijuro ignored him. He pushed back the feeling of loss, of longing as he passed the ball to Mayuzumi who arched a brow but caught on just as Seijuro knew he would.

Seijuro jumped and caught the ball from Mayuzumi again and dunked it through the hoop.

"Eh?"

"An alley-oop?"

The crowd cheered loudly as Seijuro landed and noted the surprised looks on several faces.

"Did you think I couldn't do that?" he asked coldly. "Fools. I'll show you."

...

Mac grimaced but nodded to herself. Seijuro was stepping in now. He seemed different again, colder but at the same time not. It was strange.

"Okay," Mac said. "Sakurai, are you ready to get back in?"

Sakurai nodded and smiled.

"Yes!" He said.

Harasawa glanced at her and she nodded at him, making him smile slightly and ordered Sakurai to get ready.

"Your three-pointers are important now, okay?" Mac told Sakurai. "Get free and make the shots. They will probably put Mibuchi on you again and it will probably turn into a three-point-war, but I want you to use what I've taught you and win! You can do it, Sakurai. Get angry if you have to."

"Okay," Sakurai said.

"If Seijuro is covering, you have Susa or Daiki act as a screen, okay," Mac said and Sakurai nodded again.

...

49 – 58 : 22 minutes played – 3rd quarter

...

Sakurai got the ball and pushed back the fear when Seijuro was in front of him. He remembered what Mac had said and dribbled the ball to get away from Seijuro who moved to follow but was suddenly stopped by Susa who got between them despite Seijuro's emperor eye.

Sakurai stopped and jumped as he shot the ball and watched as it flew through the hoop.

"Yes!"

"A three-pointer!"

Sakurai smirked, not feeling the need to apologize.

Mac smiled on the bench as she scribbled in her notebook again. That was a good shot.

...

"They scored!" Shiro cheered.

"We saw," Sayuri said, but cheered as well. "He is good."

Ayano and Takehiro smiled as they watched and applauded like the rest of the crowd.

Tarou smiled as Too Academy scored again and glanced over at Mac, who smiled as she scribbled in her notebook. She looked a little better now than how she had looked when she had left before the break.

"She looks happy," Daisuke observed. "Good. I hope they can come back and win."

"It's an interesting game," Sato said. "I can see why she is so invested in it."

"They're all working hard, right," Kaori asked. "It looks like it. I don't really understand all the rules…"

...

"Rakuzan's number 5 scored!"

Mayuzumi smirked as he heard the cheers. They hadn't stopped him completely yet! That would show them! They shouldn't keep forgetting that he was there!

"Oh?" Imayoshi said, almost bored. "I see… Well, I guess we need to get the points back, then."

Mayuzumi blinked and then scowled. "What?"

Imayoshi just smirked as he passed the ball to Daiki, who again passed to Sakurai when Seijuro marked him before screening Seijuro himself.

What? Mayuzumi couldn't help but feel like he had just lost as Sakurai scored.

Did they let him score?

No… they couldn't have. Could they?

Seijuro was frowning as he looked at Mayuzumi and then looked over at Mac. She was tapping her pen against her lips as she watched the game. What had she planned now?

...

"We needed to let that happen," Mac said and Harasawa looked at her. He had been a little surprised when she had told Imayoshi to try to only allow Mayuzumi to get free to shoot. She hadn't been able to explain since she had told him as he ran past, but Imayoshi had nodded and accepted her words.

"Why did you say that?" Namamura asked. "Why let Mayuzumi score?"

"Only if they can't stop it," Mac said without looking away. "He's their weakest shooter, so he's more inclined to go for one or two points compared to Hayama and Mibuchi who will go for three points. So, if Sakurai scores three points for us and we limit them to one-points, we might catch up a little. At least for now."

"Huh," Abe said. "I hadn't thought about it like that…"

Mac shrugged, and Harasawa smiled. Looks like she was back again.

...

56 – 64 : 25 minutes played – 3rd quarter

...

"Good," Kagetora smiled as he saw the new strategy from Too Academy.

"What?" Takeuchi asked.

"She's thought up something new," Kagetora said. "To have Rakuzan's no 5 the only one to score by focusing on stopping the stronger ones is a good solution. She knows they can't stop Rakuzan from coming to scoring positions, but she can do something about who comes to the opportunities."

"You think Potter-san is behind it?" Nakatani asked.

"Yes," Kagetora said simply.

...

"They're getting closer," Remus said with a smile.

"Yes!" Sirius bounced in his seat. "Finally! Mac has to win!"

Remus shook his head but said nothing.

...

"Oh? Are they starting to catch up?" Takao asked speaking up and seemed to break out of his thoughts after their loss. They had all decided to go and watch the final, even if they were a little distracted by their loss against Seirin.

"Seems like it," Shintaro said as he pushed at his glasses.

Hayama got the ball and shot it but he didn't really notice that he had been pushed closer to the hoop and the ball hit the metal and Wakamatsu jumped up for the rebound beating Nebuya in the air.

"Huh," Otsubo said. "They missed."

"Too Academy has a good defence," Miyagi said. "Look at how aggressive they are… they're not allowing any of the Rakuzan players to get any room. Even Akashi seems to struggle a little."

Shintaro looked at Seijuro and saw that Daiki challenged him now and with his speed and agility got past Seijuro even with the emperor eye of his. Daiki did what he did best and scored.

Shintaro looked over at Mac who was looking really focused on the bench and wondered what she was thinking. She had gotten to her feet and her fingers (on her good hand) were tapping against her leg as her eyes focused on the court.

He could practically see her thinking, planning…

"By adding force and aggressiveness she's forcing Rakuzan to make mistakes," Shintaro said. "She's even managing to control how Rakuzan reacts at the moment by leaving one link open for them and making easier for Too Academy to respond to."

"Eh? Mac is?" Takao asked, surprised. "She can do that?"

"Her team must really trust her," Shintaro said a small smile on his lips startling the others slightly. It wasn't the normal smile but a kind, fond smile. A smile they hadn't seen before.

...

67 – 70 : 27 minutes played – 3rd quarter

...

Daiki looked over at Mac and met her eyes. She nodded at him and he knew it was time. They needed to keep the momentum they had worked up by adding more pressure in their defence. He knew they couldn't keep it up for the rest of the match and Seijuro would soon figure out how to break free from it.

So… they needed him.

He smirked and felt everything fall away as he relaxed.

Seijuro stole the pass between Imayoshi and Sakurai, who both cursed as Seijuro got past them.

Daiki reacted and suddenly was in front of Seijuro, who was forced to pause just outside the three-point line.

Seijuro knew it was only a matter of time. But that didn't mean that he had hoped to stop it before it happened. But Daiki was in the zone. He blinked when Daiki took a step back and didn't crowd Seijuro.

Seijuro used his eye to read the game and his options but knew that he couldn't shoot. He could go for the shot, but Daiki would stop it. He was tall enough and could jump so it was not a suitable option. Mibuchi, Hayama and Nebuya were covered and the only one free was Mayuzumi.

That was Mac's plan. He had wanted to shoot because they kept being forced to use Mayuzumi every time, and they had to break out of it.

Well, right now he didn't have any other choice… he passed the ball to Mayuzumi who looked a little surprised but caught the ball and prepared to shoot when Daiki suddenly had moved to cover him and knocked the ball away just as he shot.

Seijuro scowled.

Where was his control? He was… slipping…

No.

He couldn't!

He was an Akashi and Akashi's won.

It was as simple as that.

...

Rakuzan called for a time-out and Mac glanced over at Seijuro who was wearing a blank look on his face. She couldn't detect anything from him and it made her worried. Normally she could see something or read something from him, but now… he was blank.

She swallowed and pushed away the worry she felt. She couldn't worry about it now, she had to focus on what was happening.

"Good work," she said.

"Your strategy seems to be working," Imayoshi smirked. "And to think you came up with it so fast…"

"Not really," she said, "and you're the ones doing the work."

"So, what now?" Wakamatsu asked.

"Daiki will use the zone," Mac said and glanced at Daiki who was quiet and focused and she knew he would be for as long as he is in the zone. She smiled slightly. "And you'll work together to shut the others down like you have been, okay? Seijuro and Rakuzan will come up with something, but we will need to counter it."

"You think they'll pull Mayuzumi out?" Susa asked after taking a sip of his water.

Mac furrowed her brow and thought, "probably not."

"But… shouldn't they?" Sakurai asked.

"His misdirection isn't really working," Abe added.

Mac just frowned and shook her head. She had a feeling that Mayuzumi would be feeling Seijuro's more ruthless side soon.

"Just follow the plan," Harasawa said when Mac said nothing.

...

Seijuro knew that Mayuzumi was their weak link. He was being used by Too Academy, no Mac, to control the game. The logical thing would be to pull him out and put someone else in, but Seijuro wouldn't do that.

Mayuzumi had a use.

He could use him and turn it against Too Academy and gain control again. He would show them, would show Mac that he was the one in control. That he was strong enough to control this.

He ignored the complaining from the others as he went over to Mayuzumi who had sat down away from the others looking sullen. Seijuro smiled coldly and talked to him. He could be convincing when he had to be, and Mayuzumi nodded and agreed to continue.

Seijuro smirked.

He would win.

...

"I was right," Mac frowned when Seijuro got past Daiki in the zone and passed the ball to Mibuchi who scored.

"Was that misdirection overflow?" Harasawa asked, stunned.

"No, it was different," Mac said. "Mayuzumi didn't do anything. It was Seijuro who directed Daiki's attention over at Mayuzumi."

Mac looked at Mayuzumi and saw the realisation on his face. It had to be a hard blow to realise what had just happened.

...

"The way Akashi is using Mayuzumi is heartless," Kasamatsu said with his arms folded over his chest. "There's no other word for it."

Ryota winced. It was… normal, really. Seijuro would do everything he could to win, and this was why he so often did. He wasn't afraid to use his team in a way that others saw as harsh. While with them Seijuro was different and never had to go to this length because they all were on a level above this, Ryota knew that if Seijuro had had to, he would have done it.

"His job is to distract Aomine," Kasamatsu continued.

Ryota knew that was true. But would Mac allow this to continue? Could she do something from the bench to stop it? Or would they allow Rakuzan to gain more points and pull away from them again?

He really hoped that Mac could think about something. He watched Hayama score and some of the control Too Academy had gained over the game slipped away.

...

77 – 88 : 29 minutes played – 3rd quarter

...

They had fallen behind again. Mac frowned as she glanced at the scoreboard and knew that they soon only had ten minutes to change this.

Her plan had worked well until Seijuro had changed it up by turning the table on them. She should have known that he would do that. Well, she had expected him to do something, but she was not prepared for that even with Daiki in the zone that he would fail to really change anything.

It was as if it was too weak, and she glanced at Daiki and saw that he was out of the zone now. It was just as well, it took a lot of energy to remain in the zone and it was better to save it to later. She had a feeling that they would need it in the last quarter.

...

Daiki knew he couldn't keep up the zone. He was getting too tired, and a glance at Mac told him she agreed even if she didn't like it. He felt bad for letting her down, for letting the others down.

Was Seijuro better than him?

He had always believed that if he played against Seijuro one-on-one, he would win. That he was stronger than Seijuro, but was he really? Yes, he got past him. So, maybe he was stronger one-on-one, but the way Seijuro used his team… that was different.

What was really teamwork? Daiki mused as stopped Hayama's five fingers pass and passed the ball to Imayoshi, who smiled. Was it enough to just pass the ball more? Was it enough to do what he always did and challenge the opponents?

The questions whirled in his mind as he followed behind his team and watched how Imayoshi passed the ball to Sakurai when Mibuchi covered him. Hayama was there to block Sakurai and without really thinking about it Daiki followed and jumped and wasn't surprised when Sakurai tossed the ball behind him and Daiki could dunk it through the hoop.

"An alley-oop?" Seijuro watched with cold eyes.

Daiki looked over at him and Seijuro narrowed his eyes.

"You think you can beat me, Daiki?" Seijuro asked coldly.

"We have a chance," Daiki said.

"You have forgotten," Seijuro said. "You can't beat me. No one can."

"Sounds like a challenge," Daiki said but hid a wince as the cold eyes locked onto him.

"You keep forgetting what I can do," Seijuro said calmly. "Daiki."

"I know what you can do, Akashi," Daiki said.

"Do you really?" Seijuro challenged. "Because… you seem to really believe that you can beat me."

"Have you forgotten about Kenzie?" Daiki asked.

Seijuro narrowed his eyes again.

"She'll come up with something to stop you," Daiki said.

"She'll… try," Seijuro said. "Doesn't mean she'll succeed and I'll prove that she still needs me."

Daiki blinked as Seijuro turned and walked away.

...

82 – 92 : 30 minutes played – 3rd quarter – end

...

"Huh," Nijimura said. "Aomine has changed."

"He has passed more in this game, hasn't he?" Kubota asked wonderingly.

"Yeah… it's almost like how he was when he first started," Sekiguchi said. "I didn't think I would see that again."

"Mac must be happy," Kubota said, "though, with Akashi like that… I'm guessing she's worried too."

Nijimura nodded, "Akashi has grown colder as the match has developed."

"Do… do you think he will lose?" Sekiguchi asked.

"I don't know," Nijimura admitted. "I think Too Academy has a chance but I am not sure… Akashi still has more to give, I'm sure."

"I kind of hope he'll lose," Kubota said.

...

"Well, the gap isn't closing but isn't getting growing too much either," Takeuchi said.

"It seems like Akashi has countered some of Mac's moves," Nakatani commented. "Too bad because her strategy was excellent."

"They need to get Aomine more involved," Kagetora said.

"He still makes points," Araki said.

"Yes, but he's not dominating this as he should," Kagetora said. "Well, he does, and he doesn't, but he was forced out of the zone faster than normal. That Akashi kid sure is scary…"

...

They had ten minutes to catch up and turn this around. Mac knew that they had a chance, they were ten points behind and in basketball that wasn't too much. Yet… it was against Seijuro and Rakuzan. That meant that it was tougher than normal and she could feel Seijuro being pushed almost too much.

Mac knew this feeling. It was the same feeling she had when Atsushi had challenged Seijuro back at Teiko. When Atsushi almost had won and Seijuro had snapped and changed. That was what she was feeling when she looked at Seijuro now. He was close to snapping again, and she both feared and hoped for what that meant.

Would it mean that if he was pushed even more that he would change back? Like Daiki had? Or would he be even more ruthless and let go of everything he had built up again now?

It scared her.

But she couldn't let that stop her from doing what she had to do because she still wanted to win with this team. They had worked so hard and she had spent the last quarter thinking hard and trying to come up with ways to counter Seijuro's moves. She felt more clear-headed now and had a greater grasp of what to do now.

Seijuro needed predictability even more than she did. It was how he read the game and he predicted everything that they would do (or tried to). While she was frustrated because he had countered her moves until now she needed to turn it against him. That was what she had been trying to do this last quarter, and it worked all right, but it could be better.

She needed the team to push him even more and if they could then maybe he would make more mistakes… what she needed was to not plan. Plan, but not plan… that was not as easy as it sounded.

"Okay," she said when Harasawa stopped talking and she shook her thoughts about Seijuro away. "This is what I want you to do…"

...

Seijuro was staring at his team blankly. Shirogane, their coach, was talking and Seijuro ignored him. This wasn't good enough. They weren't good enough. Mac was better than them and had told her team how to stop them, but she couldn't stop him.

He would stop Too Academy.

He would prove to Mac that she needed him still. That he was in control.

Are you really?

He ignored the voice whispering in his mind.

That won't work, you know. You are losing control like this… is this what Mac really wants for you?

He fisted his hands as he pushed the voice away, but even as it got quiet he still felt rattled. He glanced over at Mac and saw her talking and waving a hand as if she was making a point. He watched her for a moment before he forced himself to look away.

Is that what Mac really wants for you?

...

82 – 92 : 30 minutes played – 4th quarter – start

...

Daiki got the ball and was immediately challenged by Mibuchi and Nebuya. Double team, huh? Well, it wasn't the first time he had been double-teamed and Daiki smiled as he dribbled the ball and twisted around to get past them and dodge the reaching hands with another twist and crossover and was faced with Hayama who was looking determined.

Daiki passed the ball to Sakurai, who immediately took the shot.

He smirked as the ball went in and saw the annoyed looks on the Rakuzan players' faces.

...

Mibuchi growled, annoyed as his void shot was stopped (again) by Sakurai this time. It was one thing when it was Daiki who stopped it, Daiki was one of the Generation of Miracles and it was expected, but Sakurai… It was annoying.

He gritted his teeth as he ran to stop the attack coming from Too Academy, who suddenly passed the ball easier and faster than before.

Hayama was frustrated as well, Mibuchi knew that by just glancing at him. His dribbles were almost useless by now, and that had never happened before. Hayama never dealt with things like this well and was riled up making mistakes that he shouldn't make.

Nebuya was the only one who seemed calm and not affected (of the three crownless kings) but he was still stopped most of the time by either Susa or Wakamatsu. Both of them were strong enough to stand up against Nebuya's strength.

Mayuzumi… well, he was a different case altogether. He was barely there anymore. He just acted, but it was clear that he wasn't really in the game anymore. Just the loyalty to the jersey was keeping him moving and a part of Mibuchi felt bad for him. Seijuro could be harsh.

Seijuro… something was off about him too. Mibuchi just couldn't put his finger on it. But the more they failed, the more clear it became. The darkness around Seijuro only increased as the seconds ticked by…

...

Seijuro felt the darkness around the edges and it pulled at him.

Give in… give in… you know you want to. You'll win… you'll prove you are the strongest… they will see it…

He had never thought about deliberately enter the zone before but watching Daiki doing it had him thinking and he knew he could do it. He had experienced the zone before, but never like that. He never had the need to, after all.

But now… if he didn't do it then…. He would lose.

He couldn't lose.

Not now.

Daiki was in the zone again. A look told him that and it was like blue sparks shot from his eye as he spun around and got free from Nebuya's defence and dunked the ball through the basket with force.

...

91 – 96 : 32 minutes played – 4th quarter

...

Seijuro looked at Mibuchi with a cold look.

Mibuchi flinched and paled as he took in the look and swallowed thickly.

"Mibuchi, the four of you will go during our next attack," Seijuro said.

"What…? Sei-chan…" Mibuchi trailed off.

...

Mac frowned.

Seijuro was just standing there. He had passed the ball but hadn't moved from his spot underneath the hoop. His team was attacking, but he wasn't moving… what was going on?

"What is he planning?" Mac wondered out loud.

"Why isn't he moving?" Inoue asked.

Why indeed… Mac wondered.

"Focus!" Mac called out when she noticed her team getting distracted. "Stop their attack!"

Harasawa was twirling a strand of hair as he watched the court, so Mac knew he was considering what was happening as well.

"Potter-san, do you have any ideas?" he asked.

"No," she admitted. "I don't know… but I have a feeling we won't like it."

She had a terrible feeling about this… That look in his eyes was so cold and harsh, she almost flinched just looking at him. That was not the Seijuro she knew… what was happening to him? What did he do now?

Her heart clenched painfully as she watched her best friend, her brother, and knowing he was struggling but feeling helpless… Why couldn't she do anything?!

Her eyes drifted over to Daiki, who again had entered the zone, and wondered if he was up to stop whatever was coming now. Would he be able to do it?

...

Seijuro let go.

He had to do it alone. He was the only one who could do it… he was foolish to think otherwise. Hadn't everything proven that? If he didn't do this, then everyone would drift away from him and he would be alone.

He didn't want to be alone.

To do this alone was better because then he could keep it the way it was. He could keep his promise to Mac and that he wasn't someone who was left behind. He would keep them together even if they were at different schools.

She would see that.

Would she? Or would she be disappointed in you?

The small voice was almost inaudible, but he stilled for a moment before he shook it off. No.

He had to do this.

...

Mibuchi was scared. He would admit it. At least to himself. That look in Seijuro's eyes… it scared him. He'd seen it once before and he knew what it meant. He was saying they weren't good enough for him. That he was throwing them away…

He swallowed and a look at the others told him they too had caught the change and realised what this meant. He looked over at Mac on the Too Academy bench and saw her watching Seijuro with narrowed green eyes. He could see the worry reflected in her eyes, and some part of him wished that she would know what to do to stop this from happening.

Because he was helpless.

...

Daiki stole the ball and was already running before they realised what had happened and was now challenging Seijuro.

Mac frowned as she watched. By all means that should mean that Daiki would score, but… Seijuro was different. Something was… different.

Daiki charge ahead and so sudden that it was hardly visibly Seijuro reached out and stole the ball so fast and efficient that Daiki was past him before he even noticed the ball was gone. He skidded to a stop and spun around, staring at Seijuro with wide, shocked eyes.

"I will demonstrate my superiority," Seijuro declared, "to everyone here."

His eyes sparked.

...

"Shit," Mac cursed silently. "He's in the zone."

Harasawa frowned, "that's unexpected."

"Mm," Mac said. "I knew he could, but…"

She should have realised that he was pushed far enough, but how had he entered the zone? What was his trigger?

...

Daiki cursed as he took off after Seijuro.

It was all flashes of people and colours as he speeds after his former captain and dodged around both his own and Seijuro's teammates. He hadn't expected Seijuro to enter the zone. He hadn't thought he would be able to now… that was his fault, but still…

"Stop him!" Wakamatsu yelled.

Both he and Susa prepared to stop Seijuro but Seijuro withdrew quickly and the fast change in direction caused both of them to fall back so they ended up sitting down on the court.

"You've both defied me," Seijuro said coldly.

He was fast.

He twisted past Imayoshi and Sakurai before jumping up and shooting the ball through the hoop and landed before the ball hit the floor.

"You should realise that your defeat is absolute," Seijuro said.

...

"He… he did that on his own?!" Abe gaped.

"That's…" Inoue looked pale.

"Monster…" Namamura whispered.

Mac was barely aware of their whispers (though she twitched, annoyed at the last part) as she stared at Seijuro.

"That must have been a hit for his team," Harasawa commented.

...

Shintaro couldn't help but stare and clutch his lucky item of the day harder as he did so. He never thought he would see Seijuro like this… to think he would go this far… what now?

"Whoa," Takao said. "That's seriously both amazing and horrifying!"

"Does he even need his team?" Miyagi gasped.

Shintaro ignored them, not wanting to say anything. He wasn't even sure what to say.

"Mac… do something… he's lost to us if you don't…" Shintaro whispered but no one heard him.

...

Atsushi's eyes were wide and his hand had stopped reaching for the sweets as he took in what happened.

"Aka-chin," he murmured.

"What was that?" Himuro asked, shocked.

"I didn't know he could enter the zone as well," Alex said. "That makes this even more difficult for Mac and Too Academy."

"Yeah," Himuro said. "What can they do to stop him now? He stopped Aomine while Aomine was in the zone."

Atsushi frowned and looked over at Mac, who had gotten back on her feet and was frowning. Even from where he sat, he could tell she was frowning. He hoped she would think of something because this was just like the time he had challenged Seijuro and he had changed… it was his fault last time and now he was being pushed even more and Atsushi wanted to see Seijuro back to himself again.

Mac could change this.

She had to.

...

Ryota winced.

That was bad. Really, really, really bad. Like worse than bad! Like… well, bad.

"Bad, bad, this is bad, bad," he muttered under his breath.

"Kise," Kasamatsu growled.

"What?" Ryota asked.

"I didn't know Akashi could enter the zone," Moriyama said shocked.

"It's not that surprising that he could," Ryota said. "I haven't seen him doing it before, but… he never has been pushed this far before either."

"Is he stronger without his team?" Kobori asked.

"Hm," Kasamatsu frowned as he looked down at the court. "It must be a shock for his teammates, either way, to see him so easily dismiss them and do it on his own. It's different from how Aomine and Kagami played in the last match. This was… deliberate and planned."

...

97 – 102 : 33 minutes played – 4th quarter

...

Harasawa called for a time-out and Mac stood silent as she watched her teammates sit down and accept the drinks and lemon slices that Mac had prepared for them. They didn't look rattled, and that was good. Daiki looked a little angry but there was still that slight smile on his lips and she nodded to herself.

"Do you have anything you want to say, Potter-san," Harasawa asked after a moment. He too had been silent as he watched them.

"Just… it will become harder now," Mac said. "He's in a different league right now and if we don't get him out of the zone fast, then our chances are not good."

"How can we…" Sakurai said but trailed off uncertainly.

"Leave it to me," Daiki interrupted. "I'll handle it."

Mac looked at him and saw none of the former arrogance that would have coloured his statement. Instead, he looked at them and had a calm, reassuring look in his eyes as if he tried to get them to trust him like he was carrying his team as a proper ace would.

"Okay," Imayoshi said. "We'll leave it to you."

"Eh? You agree just like that?" Inoue asked.

"Yeah, agreed," Susa said as he took another sip of water. "We'll leave it to you, Aomine."

"You too?!" Abe blinked.

"Why are you protesting?" Imayoshi asked. "We should all trust our Ace, you know. And that is Aomine. He's fighting for us now, you know."

Mac smiled a little and took in the, there were no other words for it, shocked look in Daiki's face as the others openly displayed trust in him.

"We'll do our best to back you up," Imayoshi smirked as he stood and looked at Daiki and held out his fist. Daiki arched a brow but returned the gesture, even if he felt a little bewildered by it. Then Susa did the same, then Sakurai with a timid smile and… then Wakamatsu, even if he scowled slightly.

"You got it," Mac said and Daiki returned her smile. "Please… we need to stop him, Daiki."

Daiki nodded and reached out to put his hand on her head and ruffled her hair lightly. "We got it."

...

Daiki understood the zone better than most.

He had experimented with it but never figured out all of its secrets. He was sure that even Mac hadn't figured everything out about it yet.

So he faced Seijuro in the zone.

"What?" Imayoshi gasped when he felt the presence of something. "We're inside Akashi's defence range?"

Susa, who had the ball, suddenly lost it and Seijuro made a fast break.

Daiki managed to get between Seijuro and the hoop but with a crossover and a twist got Daiki off balance and only his reflexes stopped him from falling down. Seijuro slipped past him and shot the ball through the hoop.

"You can't beat me, Daiki," Seijuro said coldly. "You should realise that."

Daiki narrowed his eyes as he looked at Seijuro.

"I will find a way to beat you, Akashi," Daiki said. "Because Kenzie hurts seeing you like this. I'll beat you for her."

Seijuro glared but Daiki was sure he saw something flicker in his eyes but it was gone before he could be sure. Without another word, Seijuro ran past Daiki and back toward his own hoop.

...

...

AN: What do you think? XD

The winner will be revealed next chapter! :)

Thank you for reading and hope you liked the chapter! XD