"Let the fourth quarter begin!" The female announcer said as the whistle was blown.
Aomine threw the ball in to Midorima who then passed it to Kamijou. But the moment the point guard received it, he began to run as fast as he could, outrunning Shpagin, who didn't have enough time to set up his defense. The moment Kamijou started running as he had the ball, the others started running to. Kamijou then moved further upwards as Midorima provided a screen to be able to get away from the Russians. The spiky haired boy then flung the ball towards Midorima, who didn't shoot and instead, he drove towards the basket, to the shock of some few people who haven't seen him take any other shots. But as he was about to lay the ball up, he saw Shpagin already blocking his way. Tsk. His wingspan is not that of an ordinary human.
Midorima then passes it to Kise, who didn't hesitate to take the jump shot from the perimeter. The ball rattled in.
The players and the audience were stunned.
"What's with Kami-yan's speed?!" Tsuchimikado asked. "Has he gone so reckless?"
"But his teammates acted as if they knew it was coming…" Himegami added.
"That…" Fukiyose replied. "Is what they call a run-and-gun."
"What's a run-and-gun again?" Aogami asked.
"Hnn." The girl with wide forehead sighed as she began to explain what she knew about that certain basketball tactic. "A run-and-gun attack is a fast, freewheeling style of play that features a high number of field goal attempts, resulting in high-scoring games. The offense typically relies on fast breaks while placing less emphasis on set plays. While it does helps in scoring higher, they say that defense is being sacrificed for the sake of rapid scoring."
"In some ways, what they are doing is similar to Nellie ball." Yomikawa joined the brief discussion.
"What's a Nellie ball, Yomikawa-chan?" Komoe asked as she drinks.
"A Nellie ball is a fast-paced run-and-gun offense relying on smaller, more athletic players who can create mismatches by outrunning their opponents." The Anti-Skill teacher explained. "If you notice, they only had one true center and that's the guy with the purple hair. So they're relying on speed and athleticism to compensate for their lack of ceiling."
"Makes sense, nya." Tsuchimikado replied.
They then refocused on the match to see Russia heading towards Japan's net while Stakhanov has the ball. He then passed it to Ivanov, who immediately got marked by Midorima and was forced to passed it to Shpagin, who was closest to the net. As soon as the brawny centre was about to land a dunk, a hand knocked the ball from his hands and sent the ball bouncing.
"Nice Murasakibara!" The Japanese players from the bench cheered as the tall Yosen big man swatted away the shot.
Kise was swift enough to catch the ball and then passed it to Kaamijou who used the cyclone pass to get the ball to Midorima who was already close to the three point line. Andropov chased him but it was too late. The lanky shooting guard had sunk the ball, earning a three-pointer for Japan and they have taken the lead at 77.
Japan's bench and their supporters cheered on as Kamijou exhaling a breath. Now, that we're back on equal terms, we had no reason to take it easy. He knows that what they just did has enraged Stakhanov even more, but Japan already knows that the storm is just starting.
Russia then went on the offense and once more, Stakhanov had the ball. He walked slowly towards Japan with the others behind him. Even though the brunette looked composed, Kamijou sensed that he was far from it. When Stakhanov reached the top of the circle, he saw that no one marked him. Murasakibara was struggling with Shpagin, Borodin was marked by Kise and near the net and Ivanov was on Midorima. Stakhanov didn't let this faze him. It did, however, made him realize that number 3 and the tanned power forward weren't in the picture.
He looked to the sides and saw the ganguro at the extreme left and Kamijou in the same position at the right. What the hell re these guys up to? Nevertheless, he pressed on anyway. By the time he neared the free-throw circle, he then passed to Andropov whose backing against the net and Kise. He then passed to Shpagin. With a thunderous roar, the bulky NBA player then slammed the ball into the net against Murasakibara's outstretched arms.
But the moment Russia made their way into Japan's half and began their assault, Kamijou and the Touou ace slowly made their way to Japan's half of the court. When Shpagin made the dunk, they suddenly dashed off as Murasakibara swiftly passes the ball to spiky haired boy who then flung it in the air as soon as he reached the fifteen feet distance from the net. Aomine had reached into position just in time and he caught the ball airborne and dunked it by alley-oop.
The Japanese crowd erupted with cheers.
Russia was stunned as well though this feeling of surprise turned into annoyance and irritation that they were being pestered by players far younger than them. Unlike other teams that they've ever faced, Japan was the most unexpected and yet the most unpredictable for the Slavs. There is no agreed way to stop them due to their ever-changing small ball tactics and their ability to score back when threatened. It irked Russia and Stakhanov kept wondering if the score would have been the same had Akashi played as well.
Russia quickly restarted and thus, the game went into a back and forth run-and-gun for both teams. Frankly speaking, Russia's offense was just brutal; Stakhanov's abilities always reminded people that their team reaching the finals wasn't a fluke. Shpagin's defense gave Murasakibara a hard time as the bulky NBA center was pushing hard against the smaller body frame of the Yosen ace. Often times, Shpagin has succeeded in getting him out of a good position. Now feeling it as well from the outside, Ivanov's shots kept Midorima in for a loop despite the atter's much more superior skills. Although Aomine didn't have a hard time, he couldn't prevent Borodin from scoring while Andropov seemed to be unfazed by Kise's copying skills.
But Japan was a fierce competitor. Kamijou proved to be a good floor general and his ball-handling skills left the crowd amazed right throughout as he doesn't seem to falter under pressure. Because of the spiky haired boy's good leadership, the others felt as if Akashi's absence didn't affected their play.
Even without taking volume shots, Kamijou had always set up good opportunity for them to score while using their shot clock wisely.
For a teenage center facing off against a professional player, Murasakibara's defense was not bad at all as he always seem to return the favour to Shpagin in their half. He kept the Russian out of reach of any rebounds so that Aomine or Kise can cut inside freely. Other times, he manages to sink threes as well in order to help Kamijou stretch thin Russian's defense.
"Sheesh, that idiot doesn't seem too afraid against foreigners." Misaka sighed as she eats popcorns. "But it's good to see him in this stage that honestly, I thought he made the best decision."
"Maybe someday, I'll ask Kamijou-san to teach me how to shoot for our games in school!" Shokuhou brightly smiled.
"Whatever…" Misakacan only sigh.
By the time the game clock had reached to five minutes, both teams were tied at 96 but one thing was for sure—Japan was pressuring Russia. The Akatsuki Five's formations and tactics constantly had the Russians thinking about what possible scenario happen next and what they usually think isn't what happens.
There was one instance when Kamijou was being blocked by Stakhanov when it was Japan's possession. But in the instance that Kamijou made a drive to the net, the Russians want to get mad at their captain as though he allowed his younger counterpart to pass. But the look on Stakhanov's face says otherwise. And it didn't just happen to Stakhanov—it happened to every one of them.
"Finally, your cousin is already playing, Kuroko." Misaka pointed out. "He must have been subbed in during the timeout before the five minutes struck in."
"But I don't see him." Saten said.
"That's the point."
Stakhanov thought it was just his eyes tricking him until Kuroko, who was subbed in place of Kise before the five-minute mark, had used it on him. He was blocking Kamijou's path but the moment that the latter got into shooting form, his eyes caught a mop of baby blue hair and in that moment, Kamijou had made a flawless three-pointer. He realized that whoever this guy is had used his presence to misdirect his gaze from Kamijou.
Another time, he had noticed that Japan had only 'four' players in the court but when he used his Vulture Eyes, he saw Japan's fifth player, albeit having a weak presence, lurking in the shadows behind Borodin. He tried to warn his teammate but it was too late; Kuroko had already stolen and tapped the ball to Aomine, who gets it before they go for a fast break.
And add to that, the other Japanese players seemed overly confident that they can steal this match from them.
Stakhanov is pissed.
Seeing that Japan is being an annoying pest that won't die, Stakhanov has had the last draw as he couldn't stay any calm. Plus, his teammates seem to be struggling with their players as well. He will not have any of this, even if it means having to do it all by himself.
Ivanov had the ball in Russia's court as Japan had just scored, courtesy of Aomine. The four were panting heavily, and were looking on ahead at the young beasts that were the Akatsuki Five.
"Ivanov, for the rest of the game, I'll take over..." Stakhanov suddenly said to him.
"Hold it, captain. What does that mean?" He broke off abruptly when he saw the look in Stakhanov's eyes.
"Are you questioning my decision?" He asked in a tone that says 'you better not be'. The moment Ivanov gave the ball to him, there was a light of gold line in the brunette's eyes, and everyone knew what that meant.
Zone.
"Shit…that's…" Kamijou was too stunned as his dark blue eyes grew wide.
Up in the crowd, some of those who played the Generation of Miracles before were shocked to see it. Hyuga raked a hand through his hair with a look of dread on his face. Izuki was the same, except he was more shocked than fearful. Everyone's eyes widened when they saw Stakhanov and started to worry for Kamijou and Japan.
Stakhanov then stormed into Japan's half, weaving through their defense as though it were nothing. The first two he slipped past were Aomine and Kuroko but when Kamijou had come up to block him, Stakhanov smirked. Seeing that the spiky haired boy been challenging him throughout the game, he decided to make him subservient. I'll make him pay.
With a swift dribble, Kamijou was now kneeling on the floor, and Stakhanov made his way towards their net. Midorima can only stand and watched as he knew he cannot be stopped while the Russian dunked it by force against Murasakibara, who tried to stop it.
"Everyone."
All the Japanese players then turned to Kuroko, who had a calm but alert demeanor. "I think let's do something."
"Do what, Tetsu?" Aomine raised his eyebrows.
"Next possession, Kamijou-kun, Aomine-kun and Midorima-kun would hurry down there before Stakhanov-san does. Murasakibara-kun and I will shield out Midorima-kun so that he can shoot freely."
"How? There are four of them down there." Kamijou asked as he wiped off his lips. "How will the two of us keep four players from Midorima, not to mention that Stakhanov's in the zone?"
"It's simple. Just like how you'd block a shooter, do the same to him but your back will be turned to Midorima-kun." Kuroko then turned to his Seirin teammate. "Kamijou-kun, the moment Stakhanov-san or Shpagin-san makes the shot, I'll inbound it immediately and do the cyclone pass to Midorima-kun or to you if you're free. We have to get the ball down there before Stakhanov-san can reach. I'm not sure if this plan can work though."
"We'll just have to make it work." Kamijou sighed. "After all, that guy gave this Kamijou-san quite the misfortunate and embarrassing fall."
The others nodded in agreement. They then restarted as Kamijou had the ball but as soon as they got into position and the spiky haired boy was about to pass the ball, Stakhanov was already upon the point guard and had swatted the leather ball from his hands.
Putting into action what Kuroko had just told them, Aomine and Midorima remained in Russia's court. Stakhanov was unopposed as he quickly makes short of his work and makes a quick double clutch shot over Murasakibara and Kamijou, who were already both giving their all just to stop him. But as soon as the ball hits the floor once, Kuroko immediately grabbed and by using his Cyclone Pass, he passes it in a laser-like speed to Kamijou who diverts it to Aomine, who had finally entered the zone as well in an effort to help his teammates.
"Aomine has finally entered it as well." Akashi nodded calmly from the bench. "This should be good."
Aomine was able to bring back the points that they somehow lost to Russia as Stakhanov continued to dominate. This plan of countering the brunette's offense worked for a moment but by the time Aomine, Midorima, and Kamijou had been waiting in Russia's goal, Stakhanov was already standing in the center circle as Kuroko was about to pass the ball. But by the angle of the where he stood, his path is exactly where the ball will blitz through.
Quickly, Kamijou and the others moved off, seeing that their plan now couldn't be used further. Kuroko shook his head in frustration, as the bluenette had no idea how to get around the brunette. In the zone, his defense was frightening, almost as close as Murasakibara or Akashi in his own version of zone and in offense, it was shockingly superior to Aomine who, by the moment, is still on the zone but was already feeling the large recoil resulting from the loss of his stamina.
And the score isn't even that far off. If only one of us could enter the zone that easily as Aomine. Midorima gritted his teeth as he knew thinking about entering the Zone would only decrease the chances. He was taken out of his thoughts when he heard the crowd roused up. Stakhanov had moved off and once more stolen the ball from Kamijou. The latter was now beginning to lose his cool at this but the speed that Stakhanov has right now, he couldn't catch him up.
Stakhanov continued to dominate the match and Japan trying hard to hold on but to no avail. Perhaps, because he was a veteran, Stakhanov in the zone was just too much of a monster. Kamijou and their passing specialist constantly thought of ways that could get around his area of defense but none came to fruition. Japan started to lose and even crowd began groaning aloud at their despair.
But then, Kuroko looked at his fellow Seirin player. He saw that the spiky haired boy was a mess; he kept shaking his head as if trying to get rid of certain thoughts. He even looked at his right hand which he somehow understood what he meant with it. He then stopped chasing the taller Borodin (not like he can stop him anyway) and headed into his direction. Kuroko didn't care what their coach would say to him afterwards. Just right now, it seemed that Kamijou Touma just needed someone to confide to.
He then signalled to Shirogane for a time out, and the coach, seeing what is happening right now, decided to comply with his former Teiko player, albeit reluctantly. When the five boys returned to their bench, Kuroko began to talk softly to Kamijou.
"What's wrong, Kamijou-kun?" He asked right away.
"Kuroko…dammit…no matter how hard I try, I can't think of a solution to this problem." He answered in a low voice. "I can't counter it. I've tried to change the plans so much in my head to make us able to score, but Stakhanov's is just…maybe I'm just a little fry to him after all."
He then followed his statements. "If only my right hand can do something about this."
Everyone who heard him was stunned, save for the talk about his right hand which they didn't even understand what he meant. Kuroko's eyes widened with shock in realization and mentally began to slap himself in the face. Since Akashi was down with an injury, Kamijou was thrust into a role he didn't even expect and even then, he worked hard to fill what their captain had left. Being the point guard and the floor general, his job was the hardest in a sense that he's tasked in setting up his teammates for easy scoring opportunities against a team that had a good shotblocker and taller guys.
"Kamijou-kun, I'm sorry…"
"Heh? What did you say?"
"I said I'm sorry, Kamijou-kun." Kuroko repeated as he raised his voice a little. "We should have realized earlier that we needed to help you more than we are currently giving right now. As a Seirin teammate, I shouldn't have left you on this."
"Hah? Kuroko, don't say sorry." Kamijou was dumbfounded. Suddenly, he felt a hand squeeze his black jersey in his back. Turning his head around, the spiky haired bot saw that it was none other than their captain and original starting point guard, Akashi Seijuro.
"Kamijou, you have done more than what we ask you. That's enough." Akashi assured his teammate as he stood up despite still aching from his foot injury. "Perhaps, let me say this. Let us all do this together. For once, don't think about being inferior to that Stakhanov. You're worth more than that. Just go out there and play your best. We'll work it out on how to stop Stakahnov and Shpagin."
"Idiot. Who said you're a little fry? You're as equally talented as the rest of us." Aomine added as he gave him a bottle of Gatorade. "We believe in you. You'll defeat that number 4 guy since it's you."
"Kamijoucchi, give that guy some dose of your own medicine!" Kise cheerfully said.
Kamijou was close to crying the moment all of his teammates were gathering in circle around him and encouraging him. You guys… The last time he remembered something similar like this, it was Misaka Mikoto who gave him that speech. But today, it was just different.
"Th-Thanks…" Kamijou now felt relief at the fact that he still had the support of his fellow players.
"Time out over!" The referee announced.
As the Black shirts reentered that court, it seemed that the crowd was silent for the moment due to the shock of seeing Stakhanov display his full strength but that only gave Fukiyose and the rest of her classmates a great chance to do something Komoe Tsukuyomi didn't expect. Quickly, she rose to her feet and inhaled deeply.
"Eh…Fukiyose-chan, what are you doing?" Komoe sweat dropped at seeing her bust student stand up so suddenly.
"I'm going to beat some sense into him." She answered with a genuine smile as she screamed. "You can do it, you Touma-idiot! You're my superstar!" Her classmates, especially Tsuchimikado, and Aogami, all looked at her with stunned faces as their mouth dropped open. Kumokawa was slightly twitching his eyes as Misaka was too surprised to even speak. She looked at them and said. "I don't anymore care about that annoying immunity to that disease. He needs some encouragement."
Ignoring the latter part of the sentence, Misaka decided to join in. "You idiot! What are you doing?! Hurry up and beat those Russians already! You have gone through more difficult challenges with me, right?! You're the one who beat me first. I don't care about you being in another school. If you lose, I'll zap some sense out of you."
The others began to get amused as they all joined in.
"Kamijou! As your senpai, it's time that you put that goddamned Stakhanov and Shpagin in their places. Show them the strength of all Japanese basketball players." Hyuga shouted at his kouhai, seemingly entering his clutch mode. "We didn't train you so hard for nothing!"
"Kami-yan, fight!" Tsuchimikado and Aogami cheered. "Or else, you know shit happens."
"Aren't you going to join in, asks Misaka as Misaka is hopeful." From afar, Last Order asks Accelerarot, who only grunts.
"No way that I'm cheering that preachy Level 0." The albino replied although he was thinking something else. If he loses this one, then I don't mind socking him in the jaw.
"Ja-pan! Ja-pan!" The crowd joined in by cheering them on, and the players were awestruck.
After hearing those cheers, the mood in the Japanese team seemed to take a drastic turn for the better. Murasakibara then vowed in his own boring way to get his defense stronger than ever so he can stops Shpagin once and for all. Aomine swore that he will put everything on the line and well, Midorima made small smile as he felt his hands shake with excitement. He's going to rain down firestorm of three-point shots. Kuroko can only smile as he pulls up his black wristbands once more. As for Kamijou, he was the calmest of them all. While he didn't say anything, his hair hid his face and followed behind them to the court. All five of them knew that something was up with the spiky haired boy but they didn't thought that he was just focusing and hiding a blush.
Damn, I think this is the first time I had this feeling. Well, this is the last moments. As someone who had played without break since tip-off, I can't just give up. I won't let them go home disappointed because I failed them. Thanks everyone, I promise I won't let you down. We're going to win together.
He focused his mind, tuning out the noise of the audience out of his mind. When he raised his head, they saw that his face was full of determination that unyielding and without any more helpless thoughts.
They were back on the court as the players were getting into position. It was Japan's possession as Kuroko gave the ball to Aomine. The tanned ace then passed to Midorima but in a flash, Stakhanov stole the ball and dashed into Japan's goal. Kamijou looked on with horror and tried to catch up to the fast-breaking guard. Sadly, his speed and Zone-enhanced speed are unequalled.
No, I can't let Japan lose this one. I made a promise to them before this game. He then heard the cheering of the crowd and his bench members.
I can't let them down. Everyone's cheering.
In a flash, he then remembered the times he's spent with Fukiyose, Tsuchimikado, Aogami and his former school…the time he's spent with Seirin even though it's not much but he didn't care...the time he spent with Index and Misaka…and the time he had first met Kuroko and Kagami… There's no way I can let that all go down the drain.
When Stakhanov was about to make the shot as soon as the ball left his fingers, he saw a hand knock the ball from the net. The ball bounced until hit reached it outside and none of the players even bothering to move due to them being in shock at what had just transpired.
Jumping down from the net was both Stakhanov and Kamijou as the latter's eyes were hidden by his sweat-drenched hair. For a while there was silence as if something spectacular had just happened. But as soon as Kamijou had raised his head in the crowd, Fukiyose can only cover her mouth while her brown eyes widened and Misaka's eyes widened and her jaws opened ajar.
"Oh my goodness…" Izuki can't believe it.
"Kami-Kamijou's in the zone!" Hyuga shouted. "This is totally unexpected!"
"What? How's that possible?" Komoe asked in shock. "That's why he was able to block him. But how? What is the zone anyway?"
"The Zone refers to the player's state when they reach their maximum potential. It is a superlative of regular concentration and focus. The conditions to enter this state vary from each person." Koganei explained.
"But there are some fundamental requirements in order to enter the zone." Hyuga recovered from his initial shock. "One is that you should have an extreme amount of love and passion towards the game that you're willing to throw everything else away in order to win. Furthermore, the player must be highly talented. If I'm not mistaken, only prodigies or those who have practiced countless hours since they were younger can use the zone."
"But Kamijou-chan…I haven't seen him play basketball since he was young." Komoe argued. "There could have been some other explanations in it."
"Well…it might have been an Esper ability?" Misaka offered.
Hyuga only looked at the Tokiwadai ace with raised eyebrows. "What? Academy City had nothing to do with it. If you were watching it carefully, Aomine had entered his earlier. And he didn't even play in that city of yours."
"Okay. I get it. Just stop treating me like an idiot." Misaka sighed as she sulked in the chair.
"Or maybe because my cute kouhai had a tough mental grit." Kumokawa offered a more plausible explanation. "I don't completely know much about Zone I sports but I can tell something. Sports aren't just about physical prowess; it's also more of a mind game. For a game like basketball, you need to have both the skill and the instincts. We see that my cute kouhai had the skill and well—I've interacted with him a few times to know that he's not just a guy who will give up so easily."
"Well, there's that but what is his trigger to enter it anyway?" Tsuchida asked.
"Maybe…" Tsuchimikado took advantage of the momentary sullenness in their location to say something stupid again. "He can't just bear seeing Fukiyose-sama crying! Of course, it would be the end of the world of she does."
"Tsu-Tsuchimikado…" The girl in question was slightly offended.
"Well, they say that love is the strongest power-up boost!" Aogami wasn't any help at all as he joins the blonde.
Everything stopped after that moment. They refocused their eyes to the court to see Kuroko with the ball. He then chest passed to Kamijou. Without even a hitch, dribbled towards Stakhanov and when the brunette was about to steal the ball, he dribbled between his legs before redirecting the ball one-handed to Moriyama, who upon getting it was in a daze. Looking at where Kamijou is and where he's positioned, that was an extremely difficult pass. Both Ivanov and Borodin were in the path of the passing course and Kamijou still managed to get it to their shooting guard by bouncing it off the floor.
And more so, it arrived at Midorima's hand with such precision that it frightened him a bit. That pass right now…is the same as how Akashi passes to us. The location. The timing. Even the angle to where he passed. Everything was perfect.
Getting out of his blankness quickly, he made the shot quickly as the ball swished smoothly in the ring. Everyone on their bench was left in awe, but thanks to the spike haired boy, the end may swing again in their favour.
Stakhanov had the ball, and once more made his way to Japan's court. However, by the time he reached the top of the circle, there Kamijou was, looking like a dragon who's about to rip apart anything that casually enters his territory.
Stakahnov proceeded with caution but the moment he stopped at the top of the circle, Midorima came to block him. Brushing him off as hardly a threat, Stakhanov dribbled around the Shutoku shooting guard but the moment he'd done so, Kamijou had come up to him, his hand reaching for the ball. Stakhanov drew back quickly. If he was a second too late on his reaction, Kamijou would have knocked it out of bounds.s
But then, Kuroko came from behind the shadows and knocked the ball from his hands the instant the brunette had switched. Kamijou had caught the ball and passing it to Aomine. The power forward quickly got into shooting position as he was about to dunk but Stakhanov had already come up on him for the block.
"Shit!" Aomine cursed as he saw the shadow loom over him but then, his eyes caught a flash of duck blue lightning-like line coming from a pair of eyes and the next thing he knew, Aomine saw that the boy asked for the ball as he leaped in the air. You're going to dunk it?! But seeing that he's in the zone after all, he flung the orange ball towards the hands of Kamijou.
But Stakhanov was there as well, and when they saw this, Kise let out a horrified gasp as he fretted in the bench. But no matter how high Stakhanov had jumped, Kamijou was furiously determined.
And a determined Kamijou in the zone was not someone to be joked with.
He slammed the ball into net with such force that it blew away the brunette and the latter ended up crashing in the floor, leaving everyone stunned. Even Stakhanov himself looked up at boy who isn't even in his twenties with disbelief.
Murasakibara walked closed to him and he ruffled his spiky hair, Midorima gave him a pat in his shoulder and the pair of Kuroko and Aomine raised their hands for high-fives which he gladly gave them.
"The fuck?! Kami-yan wasn't even that tall and he managed to dunk it, much less against someone taller than him!" Tsuchimikado didn't know how he should react. "Is this the benefit of being in the Zone?!"
"I wished Kami-yan ripped down the backboard, nya!" Aogami replied.
The match progressed but even after Stakhanov had gotten up off the floor, the look on his face could tell everyone that he was far from alright. He didn't even move like he'd used to before as he had stopped his one-man play and all the Russian players were all beginning to get worried for their captain and as the match went on, Stakhanov's play become sloppy and predictable. And of course, Japan made use of this. Stakahnov's passes to his teammates were just plain awful, and this gave the spiky haired boy sufficient chances to steal the ball.
On one instance, Stakhanov had made a pass to Ivanov but it had never reached. Instead, Kamijou swooped in from where he is lurking and quickly dashed away, his speed so blinding. Shpagin, Borodin, and Andropov tried to stop him but once he stopped like a slow motion, he then cut in between the small space of the three and passed them like they were nothing before he made the layup.
Another time, he made a bad pass to Ivanov and luckily, the shooting guard caught it. However, as he shot it, it bounced off the rim of the net, and doing what he had to do, Murasakibara got the rebound. The ball was then passed to Kuroko who used the cyclone pass to get the ball to Kamijou who then threw up a version of his Formless Shot.
It was only through the efforts of Shpagin that Russia hasn't completely fallen apart. But even in his case, he had to contend with a young but strong center in Murasakibara, who was fiercely competing against him for position under the net.
"I can't believe this is Kami-yan." Tsuchimikado was impressed with what he is seeing. "It's like we're seeing a his true and final form."
"I don't know about that. But to put it more accurately, he is now in his current best of state to play for the game."
"I see…" Fukiyose blinked as soon as she heard that familiar voice. After blinking, he then turned around to see a familiar blonde who is wearing his white t-shirt although his shorts is that of Team USA's jersey.
"Eh? Nash Gold Jr.?"
"Oh, so you remember me?" The smirk in the face of Gold didn't disappear as he took a seat just behind Misaka, who raised her eyebrows upon seeing the blonde point guard interact with the 'idiot's' former classmate. "Hmmm…so that punk has entered the zone, huh? Well, although I supposed to expect it, I still can't say I'm not surprised he had overwhelmed Stakhanov this much."
Misaka, who can understand English quite well, then replied. "I don't know who the hell are you but I'm positive that you're the only person that is not surprise by this outcome."
Everyone who is present can only gape at Misaka's direct way of asking as Gold only looked at her dubiously. "Since I don't know who the hell you are as well, I'm positive you don't know the one-on-one match between me and that punk. Not like I'm in the mood to talk about it but after that game, I was told of his potential by Alex Garcia of his ability to possibly enter the Zone." The Jabberwocks captain replied gruffly.
Hyuga then gathered all his courage to ask the once violent (and still violent, albeit much nicer) American. "So you already knew of it beforehand?"
"More like, I expected that he'll enter it sooner although not in a fashion like this." Gold was surprisingly calm. "That's why I'm here so I can witness it."
They all refocused on the match to see Stakhanov already committing error-prone passes. People in the crowd just can't believe this was the same guy who was just dominating the court a while back. It seemed that right now, he had spent all of his energy. He was the last to get back on defense, and the last to attack on offense. The Russian players wanted to have a say on their captain's decision making but they didn't say anything to the brunette.
On the other hand, Japan got the crowd jumping and screaming. Kamijou seemed to be on a roll, be it on scoring, stealing, or passing spree. He was a dark blur on the court, always on the lie in waiting for the ball. He dashed here and there, timing it just right. The moment the Russians passed the ball to their teammate, he pops up and makes a swat for it before passing it to his teammates.
Many people in the crowd had their jaws hung. Kamijou Touma was a beast on court. He didn't ease up one bit and the rest of Japan was all working in sync with the spiky haired boy. Kuroko assisted in getting the ball around, Midorima and Aomine were always in a position to shoot the ball. Murasakibara lived underneath the net and he had his equal share of the rebounds as he crashed down the boards.
Being unable to tolerate this mess, Russian coach Dmitry Lavrov was forced to call a full timeout.
Unbelievable. I never knew that Stakhanov is this brittle a player. Lavrov thought as he watched his captain and point guard bow his head in shame as he kept quiet. Because Japan managed to defeat his trump card, he's wavering this much. That immense mental damage creates a discord within the team…At this rate…
"It's time for a substitution, Stakhanov." The coach grimly announced.
"I…I see, coach." The captain's head was covered in a white towel as he hung his head. "I'm sorry…"
Suddenly, he felt a hand squeezed his shoulder. Looking up, he saw that it was none other than their center, Aleksandr Shpagin.
"Captain, for once, leave this to me." He said in a deep voice. "If you're going to sit here, than at the very least, let me have the ball. Japan is strong. We'll compete until the very end."
"I see…" Stakhanov decided at that point to put their faith on their big man. "Then play until the very end. Make your captain proud."
Up in the crowd, Gold leaned back on his seat as he sipped a cold soda he bought immediately after their game.
"The best course of action right now is to sub him out." The Jabberwocks guard huffed. "If he stays longer, it would only create damage in their mental capacity."
"But to think, just because Kamijou dunked against him, he's all shaken up?" Izuki started. "And this is the guy who led you Russia to the finals? Even South Korea's Shin Dong-il is much more resilient even if they lost in the end."
"As a matter of fact, the fact that Kamijou reached all the way here means..." Koganei said then stopped. "Well…you all know what I mean…"
"You mean he's now the best point guard for the whole tournament? Don't jump to conclusions yet." Hyuga smacked his head. "You do know that Akashi is there as well?"
"But he's injured today. Who knows? He might even be able to make it to the All-Star Team of the Tokyo Olympics." Izuki argued against their captain. "Anything is possible."
"Well, that's if they manage to hold on for the win." Hyuag shrugged and then added. "To teel you honestly, when I looked into Kamijou's eyes, there is this possibility that he is going deeper into the zone. His performance is proof of it. The passes that Kiyoshi and the rest of them receive are just so precise and smooth that if Japan could've gone into quasi-zone because of it, then it would be possible. While on the other hand, Stakhanov's heart is in disarray. A disturbance will lead to idle thoughts, and with idle thoughts, you'll fall out of the zone. And that's what exactly happened."
"I see." Izuki said. "But you said deeper in the zone. What does that even mean? Do you mean the same thing against our game against Rakuzan last Winter Cup?"
"If he succeeds in opening the second door to the gate, then it would be safe to say that the game would be put away in favor of Japan." Hyuga said. "But like Kuroko always say, we won't know until the final buzzer had been sounded."
Just then, crowd roused up once more, prompting them to look at the court. The time out was over and the two teams had returned to the court. It seems that in place of Stakhanov, Russia had decided to put an inexperienced point guard as the game then resumed.
It was Russia's ball as the newly-inserted guard had the ball. He then saw Shpagin asking for the ball as his back was against Murasakibara, who was throwing his weight. Despite the tight defense, Shpagin decided to hop step as he then fades away for the shock. Murasakibara was initially taken by surprised but je recovers just in time to jump as well and try to stop the shot. But the Russian center had already released it as the ball found its target.
Shpagin raised up his right hand as a form of celebration.
Shpagin is still playing well. Is he putting it all in the line? Akashi thought as he noticed that his movements had no wasted motions.
However, the Rakuzan captain was taken out of his thoughts when he saw the ball crash into their net. Everyone froze up but then they turned around to see Japan, the same position that they'd just left them, but the Midorima was in his shooting form. Both his hands were above his head, his left hand stretched upwards with his palm facing the ceiling, his right hand slightly bent. He had just shot one of his infamous shots.
"Midorima's limitless range. It still gives me a heart attack." Hyuga muttered to himself.
Russia quickly restarted but the moment that number 33 received the ball, the players all saw that Shpagin was once again asking for the ball. Almost instinctively, they looked to Kamijou who was still in his zone. He was the closest to net, and even though Russia was passing around the ball, he didn't move an inch. Japan didn't move an inch—they knew that Kamijou knew what he was doing.
Shpagin had then passed the ball to Borodin in such a way that it had them stunned. Borodin then stormed towards Kamijou, hoping to get around him due to him receiving such a good pass. But as soon as the forward made a crossover, the weight of the ball left his hands and Kamijou was seen dashing down the court. Russia quickly went into chase as number 33 was catching up to the blond. But with his vision gradually widening, the spiky haired boy knew what to do.
Kamijou bounced the ball to the left and then swiftly catching it back and flung it to the right where Kuroko had run pass. The passing specialist then redirected it to Aomine who then dribbles it once before dunking the ball.
Japan then retreated to their half as Shpagin was giving the ball to their point guard.
As the match progressed, both teams seemed to have gone into a battle of passing. Shpagin's one-man attempts to bring their team within striking distance were nothing short of amazing, but Kamijou Touma were otherworldly. For both teams, there seemed to have been some sorts of rhythm being created. It was even evident to the audience. Kamijou's passes could go through even the tightest of spaces and it always landed firmly in the hands of his target that even the players who received it were always left in a state of shock.
It was then that Kamijou Touma's former classmates and adversaries began to look at him with newfound admiration. They knew that the boy basically an idealistic guy was but this was something else. The zone brought out his highest skills, which in their eyes, made him seem like a demon.
"That motherfucker!" One Japanese fan took them out of their thoughts. "Shpagin had just dunked on both Murasakibara and Aomine!"
Back in the court, Midorima was seen panting for oxygen as they were all shaken up by the fact that Shpagin managed to slam the ball against both Aomine (the strongest offensive player and their ace) and Murasakibara (their strongest defender and shot blocker).
"We're not going down that easily!" Shpagin roared.
Kamijou was sweating profusely as he watches the whole Russian team now determined to slug it out until the last buzzer. "Damn, this is pretty hard…"
"It looks like Shpagin-san had brought them to pseudo-zone…" Kuroko said as he notes the small red lightning in their eyes.
If this was their first time seeing it, it would have frighten them to their bottom of their hearts. But instead, they remained calm as they simply watched the Russians wait for them.
"Damn, just when there was already a light at the end of the tunnel..." Kiyoshi said as he almost hugged Mibuchi by instinct. "And what's worst, it's down to two minutes."
"And look at Kamijou, he looks exhausted but he's still in the zone. If he should fall out now, Japan's efforts would only fall in vain." Izuki said.
"The only way they can beat them is if Kamijou opens the second door." Kagami said. "But can he even force the gatekeeper out of his way…"
They then refocused on the match to see Midorima with the ball and was about to shoot when Ivanov came up to with such a speed that the Shutoku ace got actually distracted and stumbled backwards. But luck was on their side as Kamijou quickly came in and stole the ball from Moriyama and redirected it to Kuroko, who shot the ball with is signature Phantom Shot. It landed on the rim of the net as it swished before hitting the bottom.
"Guys, just do what you have to." Kamijou was dribbling the ball as they made their way to defend. "I'll come up with something. I'll probably steal the ball if someone comes to block."
And so, in those last 119 seconds, the match became nasty.
With all five but one of Russia's players in a quasi-zone, the other four Japanese players had a hard time dealing with them. Midorima and Aomine, who was the first to exit the zone earlier, found it difficult to get the ball through the hoop, Murasakibara was beginning to succumb to pressure and fatigue as he is beginning to lose some rebounds to Shpagin. Kuroko didn't really do much as he was mostly coordinating with Kamijou. Things were looking bleak once again as the spiky haired boy was the only one in the zone and yet, it was clear that even he was becoming tired and drained.
But even so, Japan managed to get some shots in, thanks to Kuroko's quick thinking and his compatibility with Kamijou's zone. With the two combining their attacks by passing back-and-forth and cutting inside, the players were somehow able to make layups and outside shots to remain afloat.
Once more, it was Japan's possession and Kamijou was storming down the court with the ball. Kuroko had just passed to him, and told him to score so that they can somehow regain their spirits. The other players cheered as well, giving him some sort of push. He easily passed Number 33 as he weaved through the defense but due to the sweat on the court by the time he reached into the paint area, he accidentally slipped. Seeing that at least, he still has space, Kamijou decided to hurl the ball upwards, knowing that he wouldn't have been able to jump.
It landed on the top of the backboard, but then, it seemed that the basketball gods decided to smile upon Japan so the ball then tilted to the left, falling into the basket, leaving the Japanese audience scrambling to find words to describe what they saw. Kamijou exhaled a breath and motioned to get up. Reaching on his hands, they started to become wobbly as his legs feeling heavy. When Japan saw the spike haired raven frantically trying to get up, panic began to rise as their bench attempted to stand up and aid the boy. Dashing towards the net, the rest of the playing five fretted for the worst.
Kuroko was the closest to arrive so he quickly assisted his Seirin teammate. "Are you tired, Kamijou-kun?" he asked.
"Alight but I can keep going on." Kamijou took he hand as he slowly stood up.
"What happened?" Midorima asked when he reached the boys.
"I slipped on sweat. My speed added to it as well." Kamijou replied. "
"Oi, do you want to be subbed off?" Aomine asked, showing concern in his own gruff way. "You look like you're about to collapse!"
"But―"
"Kamijou-kun, I understand what you want but right now, we can't think of winning or losing right now. We can't have you dying on us." Kuroko gently said. "We're a team. We've went to the finals together. That alone is already a big accomplishment. We all wanted to win but right now, you're more important than the gold medal."
Kamijou felt it. In the tealnette's words and seeing the look on their faces, it only made his desire to win for them burn more fervently. Bur then, he looked at the clock. It was a minute remaining and they were behind by a couple of baskets. He then stood up like nothing happened.
I'll manage. I can hold out.
"I can last till the end. " Kamijou smiled.
"What?!"
"Just trust me."
"Idiot. That's what we've been doing ever since." Midorima pushes up his glasses.
In a few seconds, the match resumed as all Japanese supporters knew that if they fail from here, then they would have no chance to win at all.
It was Russia's ball and number 33 was at the top of the circle while facing off against Kamijou. The former can't help but notice that there was something strange about the way Japan is defending. Are they becoming desperate? He thought as he noticed that they were in an all court man-toman, but something seemed off. Kamijou had reverted back to normal but even so, Shpagin immediately sensed the danger. Number 33 then quickly passed to Borodin who then passed to Anropov who had Aomine. Not being able to do anything, he then passed to Ivanov when Midorima closed in against him.
Ivanov then chest passed the ball to Number 33 who still had Kamijou to face off with. Shpagin then got free from Murasakibara as he run up to their floor general and called out to him. But instead, he passed to Andropov who quickly weaved around Kuroko. He was about to make a layup when Midorima closed in fast and jumped for the block. However, he quickly went into the double clutch form but then, Aomine saw it coming and jumped to block him. The tanned ace then knocked the ball away from his hands.
Shpagin was left dumbfounded at this. Their actions to him seem like they were all instinct, but still, it seemed that they were matching Kamijou's movements as they looked like they were moving as one. But as the game seemed to have gone to a halt, something had caught the attention of the Russian center.
Kamijou Touma had entered Zone once again.
How did that happen?! He can't believe it as Kuroko quickly retrieved the ball and passed it to Kamijou, who began to run. The latter and the Phantom Sixth Man then went into a series of fast passes and this gave Russia had a hard time keeping up with the ball. The two looked like blurs on the court as their synchronization was flawless. The other members fell into place as though this was planned, and as soon as they neared Number 33, Kuroko sent the ball past the redhead, and into Aomine's hand who was running towards the net.
He didn't shoot however as he passed the ball behind him and Kuroko had come up and sent it flying to Moriyama who made a perfect three. And throughout all this, they held eye-contact with each other. But for Kamijou who had amazingly re-entered the zone for the second time in this game, the second door had swung wide open in his image.
Hyuga noticed this and smiled warmingly. "Goodness, Kamijou still had a lot to offer to our team."
"What do you mean?" Fukiyose heard him and she didn't understood it.
"With the help of Kuroko, he was able to open the second gate towards the second zone—a powerful zone within a zone." Izuki explained. "It only opens to those prodigies who understood real teamwork and for him to open it almost by will alone is amazing in itself."
The Japanese supporters cheered once again, and when they looked at scoreboard, they saw that Russia was sitting on 120 while Japan was on 119 with ten seconds left on the clock. Tsuchimikado covered his face with both his hands but left an opening in between his index and middle fingers so that he could still watch.
"What the hell is wrong with you, Tsuchimikado?" Fukiyose asked.
"Eh…I can't watch Kami-yan lose, nya…"
"But you can peek…" Himegami sighed.
Aomine had the ball and then he passed to Kuroko. Shpagin shouted to get them into place as they needed to put some stops to their offense in order to secure their win. Kuroko then looked across to Midorima and Kamijou, and due to the zone, they were able to understand each other.
Kuroko then made the decision to pass the rock to their point guard, who asked for it. Kamijou then realized that Midorima was not being double teamed but the moment the green-headed shooter looked at him, Kamijou merely nodded as if they are going to execute one last play. Midorima gave a small smile before he entered his shooting form, causing his defenders to think that he must have gone insane as he doesn't have the ball with him. But to those who know, they knew this is one move Midorima hasn't done in the whole tournament and yet, it's one of his staple signature attacks.
"That's…" Koganei was stunned.
"Midorima and Takao's…" Tsuchida was surprised as well.
"Sky Direct Three Point Shot!" Hyuga finished it as Misaka didn't anticipate this one. "Eh? That guy just made his shooting form even without having the ball?!"
Before anyone from the Russians can even react towards the strange sight, Kamijou flung the ball to his right side as he knew Midorima is left-handed. In just five second, the ball landed perfectly in Midorima's hands as he was airborne and as the four second struck, he immediately released the ball before he leaves it up to fate.
Both Japan and Russia held their breaths as the crowd began to shake in nervousness as the ball tavelled in a perfect arc towards. When the remaining one second finally counted down to zero, the ball then was heard swishing in the soft nylon net before it reached the bottom and onto the hardwood floor.
All of their supporters were wide-eyed at the sequence as the score board then moved.
Japan - 122
Russia - 120
The match was over.
Japan was victorious.
The crowd erupted into frenzy as they were all screaming and blowing and honking. The match officials had to look at the crowd as the noise was enough to make anyone go deaf. Japan's bench players dashed onto the court, jumping and cheering as they were now Tokyo Summer Olympics Men's Basketball Tournament champions. Kamijou had already collapsed onto his butt, unable to move due to lactic acid build-up and the fatigue he had experienced. Kuroko and Kagami walked over to the blond and helped him up, but soon everyone reached where he was. Kise then gestured to Aomine and Midorima and with a laugh, they then hoisted the unsteady spiky haired boy onto the Murasakibara's shoulders.
Amidst the laughter and celebration that ran out at this, no one paying attention to the sulking Russian team. It might have been unbelievable but they've been defeated, by the hands of a young team composed of entirely teenagers that doesn't seem to know the word defeat. Stakhanov and Shpagin stood and watched them cheer, the pain in their chests unbearable. Shpagin can only tap the shoulders of their captain as he himself wanted to cry.
I thought we might be able to win all the way… Stakhanov thought as tears began to escape his eyes. But I was wrong. These teenagers wanted it more for their nation. I don't blame them. They're here to win too. I guess it's not our time yet. He then walked over and went to where Kamijou was standing.
"Congratulations for the game you gave us." He said at the surprised Kamijou although the latter did take his hand to shake.
"Thanks. But you veterans were formidable." Kamijou spoke. "We had to wring out everything our bodies could. If this game went to overtime, I don't think we would have won."
"Enjoy it while it lasts. We'll win next time." Stakhanov genuinely smiled.
"Sure, let's play again the next time we meet."
As Stakhanov was about to talk to Akashi, the right captain, a rumbling could be heard coming from the tunnel. Bouncers were seen running from it in a state of shock. What—or rather who―emerged made the whole Japanese team laugh. It was the entire Seirin team, Kamijou's former classmates, Index, Misaka, Shirai (who wanted to congratulate his cousin), and his parents.
And that's when the noise got even louder. Yomikawa and Komoe were present as well to try and restore order in their students, Tsuchimikado trying to speak with their friends but he was back on top of Murasakiabar's shoulder so he couldn't reach. Once the spiky haired boy was down, Fukiyose came towards him and hugged him as they were shielded from the camera through Murasakibara.
"You idiot! I knew you can pull off." Fukiyose reprimanded the boy. "But you should rest now after this. We'll see each other after summer break in school."
"Yeah—hah, what did you say?" Kamijou didn't understand it perfectly due to the noise threatening to make them deaf. But as the boy began to undress his black jersey that revealed a white sleeveless undershirt, someone else butted in their conversation.
"You idiot! Do you know what kind of stunt you pulled off?!" For some reason, Misaka was livid as hell as she threatened to zap the boy.
"Hah? What's with you and you're getting angry?" Kamijou was dumbfounded.
"Idiot! You made us all worried when you slipped in the floor." Misaka angrily explained although she was deeply concerned about his safety. "We thought you were running out of your mind when you insisted to keep on playing. Actually, we were already shocked the moment we realized you're never even going to get a break or a sub off."
"Misaka-san, don't worry. I'm fine. This Kamijou-san had faced more dangers before like in England. Slipping is no problem to me." The boy replied confidently.
"Touma!"
"I-Index?"
"Touma, congratulations!" The silver-haired nun threw himself into Kamijou and Fukiyose. "This means we should go and celebrate!"
As they all watch this happen, Kamijou Shiina and Kamijou Touma can only smile. This game had made our boy turn into a man among his peers. We're proud of you, Touma.
But before Himegami can say something as well, the announcer spoke.
"Attention. Please, vacate the court, all those who aren't players so we can proceed to the awarding ceremony."
"Shit! We never lined-up, did we?" Hayama said as he was busy playing with the confetti that was popped above the ceiling of the gymnasium. Quickly, after much shuffling, Index, Misaka, Fukiyose, Kamijou's parents and company retreated off the court and Japan went to the center circle to line up. Russia came back onto the court with a look of sadness on their faces.
As for the crowd, they never stopped laughing, as the antics the Japanese team was beyond hilarious. The officials foreign referees sighed a relief and were actually glad that the next major basketball tournament was in Greece in four years. At least, they will be able to get a break from the unruly crowd.
"122 to 120, Japan wins the whole tournament!"
"Thank you very much!"
After the last ritual of the game, the ceremony was held as the teams in the final four then gathered in the court as the All-Star Lineup for the whole tournament. When the best point guard was called, Komoe cried in tears of joy when her former student's name was called. Kamijou then proudly took the plaque although by some kind of misfortune, the plaque seemed to have lose screws as it suddenly fell apart in his hands and the glass shattered.
"Seems my luck had finally run out. Such misfortune…" He muttered to himself as all the officials scrambled to clean the mess and to give him a new plaque which was unmarked.
For the shooting guard, Midorima's name was called upon and the Shutoku ace began to ramble about his Oha-Asa horoscope and how he attributed his victory to his fate. For the small forward, Kise was somehow expecting that he'll get it but instead, it landed to Oleg Borodin, who was somehow elated to receive the award.
"The hell…" Kise muttered to himself as Momoi, who helped in managing their team, simply tapped his shoulder as sigh of sympathy.
Aomine then began to celebrate the moment he won the best Power Forward. "Ghad, this would boost Ahomine's already-big ego…" Kagami whispered to himself. Finally, Shpagin won the Best Center although Murasakibara didn't mind. He was too busy munching his sweets as Shpagin accepted his award.
After the All-Star Awardings, the distribution of medals then proceeded as United States of America was the first to accept their bronze medals. Being the captain, Nash Gold Jr. accepted the third place plaque on behalf of his teammates. After that, Russia took their silver medals as their coach took the second place plaque for them.
Finally, the champions were announced and once again, the crowd was cheering wildly as Japan took the podium and began to receive their medals. After receiving his medal, Kise then said, "Hey, guys! I have an idea. Why don't we take a photo with us biting into our medals?"
Midorima had expected that Akashi, being the captain, would disapprove of it. But to his disappointment, their redheaded captain didn't disagree and he even said that they'll do it after the official photo taking. "Never expected in my whole life to even win something like this…" Kamijou said, looking at his heavy gold medal.
"So I take it that this is your first lucky event?" Kuroko asked.
"Hmmm…you can say that could be the case."
After the official picture-taking, they all headed in the dugout where they were met with fans and their teammates and relatives. Kamijou then spotted Fukiyose immediately as well as Misaka, Index, and Shokuhou, who seemed to be a bit reluctant to go with them.
"Hey, wanna take pics? They said we'll take one in a few minutes." Kamijou called out to the four as he goes nearer to them. "And…oh…uh….honey-scent girl, let's take a photo with them."
"Re-Really?!" The Mental Out's starry eyes shone further as the team began to have a groufie picture.
"One…two…three…"
"You idiot, why am I kneeling in front of you…"
"Neh, Short Hair, you're squishing me!"
Flash!
The flash of the camera went off and after some processing in the machine, they were able to take the photos.
"So chaotic…" Aida Riko said as she was holding a picture of the whole Japanese Men's National Basketball Team together with Seirin, Kamijou's former classmates, Misaka, Index, Shokuhou, Shirai, Kamijou's parents, Komoe, and Yomikawa as they all compressed in one tiny space.
"What a small world…"