Chapter 14: The final game
"Ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the final match of the National Tournament between the teams Shohoku of Kanagawa and Meihou Kogyou of Aichi. Before we begin, let us introduce the starters of each team."
"The red team, Shohoku High School. Number 4, Miyagi Ryota."
"Go for it, Miyagi-sempai!"
"I'm counting on you, Miyagi."
Ayako smiled at him and raised her hand for a high-five. "Remember what I told you, Ryota. You're the number 1 point guard in Kanagawa. So don't let us down."
Miyagi raised his hand to meet hers. "I won't, Aya-chan."
"Number 7, Rukawa Kaede."
"AAAAAAAHHHHHH! RUKAWA! RUKAWA! L-O-V-E RUKAWA!"
Sakuragi cringed at the screams. "Man, kitsune, you have to do something about those fans of yours. One day, our team is going to be known not as Shohoku the Great, but Shohoku the Deaf."
"Do'aho, it's not my fault that they like to scream."
"Whatever, kitsune. Now get on the court so that they can announce my name."
Rukawa ignored him and stopped in front of Hanayuki. At first, they just looked at each other without saying a word. Both were wondering if they should tell the other about their encounter with Mr Rukawa the night before.
"Er, Rukawa-san? Hanayuki-san?" came Ichiro's voice.
Hanayuki curved her lips into a smile. "This is it, Kaede."
Rukawa kept a straight face. "We will win. I promise." He pulled her in for a hug, and before pulling away, he whispered into her ear, "Everything's going to be alright."
Hanayuki nodded her head, and he finally entered the court.
"Number 8, Sakuragi Hanamichi."
"Nyahahahahaha! All you mere mortals make way for the Tensai!"
"Sakuragi-kun, ganbatte!"
"Haruko-san, I will lead the team to victory!"
"Don't do anything stupid, Sakuragi," said Ayako smilingly.
"Ayako-san, how can you say that to the Tensai?"
"Oniichan, they're waiting for the Tensai to walk onto the court," Hanayuki intervened before Sakuragi could complain further.
After Tendo and Mikage were introduced, the umpire went on to the white team, Meihou Kogyou, which consisted of the captain Koyasu Takehito, small guard Seki Tomokazu, his twin brother, small forward Seki Tomomichi, power forward Nishimura Toshihiko, and last but not least, center Morishige Hiroshi.
Sakuragi watched as Morishige entered the court. Finally, I have the chance to meet you in a match.
"Oi."
Sakuragi looked to this right. "What is it, Rukawa?"
"You do realise that we will have to work together from the start."
"Che. Of course I do, you stupid kitsune," Sakuragi snorted. "Don't forget that I'm the Tensai."
"You do realise that proclaiming yourself as the Tensai isn't going to get you or the team anywhere."
Sakuragi gave him a sharp glance. "Just what do you mean by that Rukawa?"
"You do realise that pouncing on me like a cat on a mouse is going to get you kicked off from the game, thus causing the team to lose its chance at victory and the title of the National Champions."
This time, Sakuragi gave him a weird look. "What's with you today, Rukawa? You're talking much more than usual. It's giving me the creeps."
Rukawa looked away, before saying, "I promised Yuki that we're going to win this game and be crowned the National Champions. I don't want to break that promise, and I will not let anything stand in my way, even if it's Yuki's do'aho of a brother."
Sakuragi considered the answer for a moment, surprisingly letting the remark about him being a do'aho pass before nodding his head. "Ok. I guess you're right." With a sudden burst of energy, he shouted, "Yosh! Let's do it Shohoku!"
And the rest of the players shouted their agreement.
The game began, and Shohoku won the tip-off. Tendo got the ball and passed to Miyagi, who stopped in front of Koyasu. Before Miyagi could strategize his next move, the ball was stolen by Tomokazu. Fortunately, Miyagi managed to steal the ball back, and after giving Sakuragi a brief nod of the head, he threw the ball high across the air towards Meihou's basket.
Sakuragi jumped up, his right hand stretched out to catch the ball, but suddenly, out of nowhere, another hand appeared in front of Sakuragi's and intercepted the ball.
It was Miroshige.
Sakuragi quickly responded by bringing his hand down and swatting the ball away, much to Miroshige's amazement and Shohoku's relief.
Mikage caught the ball before it went out of the court and did a fake, before passing it backwards to Rukawa, who immediately jumped up and shot. Thus Shohoku took the first lead with the score of 2-0.
Meihou's ball, Koyasu passed to Tomomichi, who immediately passed to his brother. Tomokazu dribbled the ball slowly, careful not to let Mikage have any opportunity to steal the ball. He back-passed to Nishimura, who was marked by Tendo.
"Good work guys! Keep it up!" Ayako shouted from the bench.
The words were barely out of her mouth when Nishimura fooled Tendo with a fake and got past quickly, passing out the ball in the process. "Morishige!"
Morishige caught the ball turned around to find Sakuragi guarding him tightly. He saw the challenge being issued to him from Sakuragi's eyes, and with a small smile, acknowledged it. Then, he literally forced his way through, doing it with such subtlety that he actually didn't foul Sakuragi.
Kuso! This guy is good! Sakuragi thought grudgingly, as he tried to hold his position and stop Morishige from going any further.
Suddenly, Morishige stopped in his tracks and jumped up, his hands poised to make a shot. Sakuragi jumped up to block the shot, only to find the ball disappear. Morishige had passed the ball to Tomomichi, who scored.
Sakuragi watched as Morishige and Tomomichi exchanged a high-five. "Che," he snorted, before turning away.
The score was 2-2, and the game had only just begun.
---
10 minutes later...
"I can't believe this is happening!" Sendoh exclaimed.
Next to him, Mitsui cringed when Morishige scored yet another basket for his team. He looked at the scoreboard.
"32-50. 18 points apart," said Kogure.
"What the heck is going on? This can't be happening!" Mitsui burst out.
"Calm down, Mitsui. They are playing against Meihou Kogyou, last year's National Champion. There're bound to be some, er... complications," Kogure tried to reason.
"Che! Kogure, they only became the champions because we beat Sannoh. Do you really think that if Sannoh had stayed around, they would be able to beat them?" Mitsui demanded. "Do you, huh?"
Akagi bonked him on the head. "Shut up Mitsui! You sound like a gangster," he growled.
"Man, Akagi, you've got to stop hitting people on their heads. Do you have any idea what kind of damage you could be doing to them?" Mitsui groaned, rubbing his head.
"Shush, people! I'm trying to concentrate on the game here," said Fujima, looking annoyed.
"Hai! Shush!" said Aoi-chan, her lips pouting and her hands on her hips.
Everybody burst out laughing at the little girl's antics, and for a second, the game and Shohoku's grave situation was promptly forgotten.
---
Half-time break...
"I can't believe this is happening! I can't believe this is happening! I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS IS HAPPENING!"
THWACK!
"Keep quiet, Sakuragi Hanamichi!"
"Yeah. Nobody asked whether or not you believe this is happening," Miyagi added gravely.
"Teme Ryochin! How dare you-"
"Hush, oniichan!" said Hanayuki, silencing her brother with a warning look on her face before clapping her hands together and said, "Alright guys. Otousan and I have been talking, and this is what we want you guys to do, so listen up if you wanna win this game."
Not a sound could be heard after that, except for Hanayuki's rather hushed-up voice.
"Hohoho!"
And Anzai-sensei's oh-so-familiar laughs.
---
10 minutes later...
"I can't believe this is happening!" Sendoh exclaimed.
Next to him, Mitsui jolted with excitement when Sakuragi slammed the ball into the basket. He looked at the scoreboard.
"65-53. 12 points apart," said Kogure.
"This is unbelievable! 30 points, 15 baskets in a row. It would've been 33, if not for that lucky three-point shot made by one of the Seki brothers. We're totally invisible!" Mitsui burst out happily.
"You mean Miyagi and the players are invisible. Anyway, calm down Mitsui. Regardless of what things may look like now, they are still playing against Meihou Kogyou, last year's National Champion. We can't be too sure or happy just yet," Kogure reasoned.
"Che! Kogure, they only became the champions because we beat Sannoh. Do you really think that if Sannoh had stayed around, they would be able to beat them? And what do you mean by, regardless of what things may look like now? Are you saying that Shohoku's going to lose, even though they're currently leading by 12 points?" Mitsui demanded. "Is that what you're saying, huh?"
Akagi bonked him on the head. "Shut up Mitsui! You're sounding like a gangster again," he growled.
"Man, Akagi, for the umpteenth time, you have got to stop hitting people on their heads. Do you have any idea what kind of damage you could be doing to them?" Mitsui groaned, rubbing his head.
"Shush, people! I'm trying to concentrate on the game here," said Fujima, looking annoyed.
"Hai! Shush!" said Aoi-chan, her lips pouting and her hands on her hips.
Everybody burst out laughing at the little girl's antics, and for another second, the game and Shohoku's favourable situation was promptly forgotten.
---
Everyone gathered around for one last prep talk from Anzai-sensei, making use of the timeout that Meihou Kogyou had requested.
It hadn't been an easy game, and it took a lot of effort on the players' part to get things going their way, not to mention a lot of thinking and strategizing on Anzai-sensei and Hanayuki's part. Meihou Kogyou wasn't Sannoh, but nevertheless, they were a force to be reckoned with.
"Sensei, do you have anything you wish to say to them?" Ayako asked, after a moment of silence.
"No," came the short reply.
The whole team sweatdropped. Turning to Hanayuki, Ayako asked the same thing. "Yuki-chan, don't you have anything to say to the team?"
"Nope," Hanayuki replied cheerily.
"But... but this is the final game! Don't you like, want to say something and lift up their spirits a little?" Ayako asked.
"Hohoho! Ayako-san, having come this far, do you think that spirit-lifting is still necessary?" asked Anzai-sensei.
Ayako was rendered speechless, as were the rest of the team.
Hanayuki smiled. "Just remember everything that we've ever said to you, from the very first game you played for Shohoku to the most recent one. I think that's more than enough, don't you?"
Less than 5 seconds later, all members of the Shohoku basketball team could be seen with the fire of determination and confidence burning in their eyes. In their heads, every single word that had ever been said to them by Hanayuki or Anzai-sensei was playing in their heads.
"Kimitachi wa tsuyoi."
"The Kainan game is over. Like it or not, we lost. Let that be the end of it. Why do you have to dwell on it and carry it with you to the next game you play?"
"The real opponent in today's game, is not Ryokufu. It's yourselves. If you cannot win against yourselves, then you have truly suffered the worst defeat of your lives."
"We'll show them tomorrow what Shohoku is really made of."
"I told them that they and their fucking team can go to hell."
"I'm not going to tell you that it'll be easy, even if it's just to make you feel better, because the truth is, it'll be very hard. Even so, you must not allow anything to shake your desire to win. No matter what happens, you must never give up, or lose hope."
"Everything's going to be fine, as long as you believe in yourself and the team. We have our advantages too."
"We shouldn't be afraid or intimidated by them. If you are, then you will not be able to release your full potential. Just relax, and play like normal."
"I don't give up. I never give up. Especially not when the game isn't over yet."
"All of you are what Shohoku is today."
The rest, as they say, is history.
---
Outside the stadium, in a black limousine parked across the street... (A/n: Is it just me, or does this sound oddly familiar? Hmm...)
Mr Rukawa watched as the whole Shohoku team came out of the stadium, laughing and cheering like there's no tomorrow.
The scowl on his face intensified ten-fold when he saw Rukawa and Hanayuki coming out together, with Aoi-chan in her arms. Hanayuki had a big smile on her face, and while Rukawa didn't, his face looked visibly radiant.
Mr Rukawa watched as his son reached out to take Aoi-chan from Hanayuki, pulling Hanayuki in for a quick hug and a peck on the forehead as he did so. He clenched his fists so tightly that the knuckles were turning white. "That idiotic son of mine has no idea what he's walking into," he said through gritted teeth.
Turning to the limo driver, he barked, "Take me to the airport. Now!"
---
Hanayuki was receiving a peck on the forehead from Rukawa when out of the corner of her eye she saw a black limo pulling out onto the road from across the street and drive away. She recognised the limo immediately, and watched as it disappeared from her sight.
Rukawa noticed the slight change of expression on her face and turned to see what she was looking at. He too recognised the limo, even though he only saw the back of it. He frowned, and looked at Hanayuki, who was looking back at him.
Only when Sakuragi broke them out of their reverie did they look away from each other.
"Hana-chan, what should we do celebrate our victorious victory?" he asked excitedly.
Hanayuki couldn't help but smile at the excitement clearly shown on her brother's face. And the faces of everyone else. "Anything you want oniichan. We can party all night long, hopping from one pub to another if that's what you want. It's your call. It's everybody's call. Just say it, and we'll do it."
This was followed by a loud chorus of cheers, and Hanayuki smiled again. They have every reason to be that excited and happy. After all, they've just won the National Championships. What could be more important than that?
Rukawa's father... thought Hanayuki wearily.
She looked at Rukawa again, and he looked at her. Pulling her in for another hug, he said softly, "It's going be alright."
She tilted her head to look up at him, her eyes clearly telling him that she's not convinced, and he pressed his lips against her forehead again, this time longer. "It's going to be alright," he repeated.
Hanayuki managed a strained smile, before nodding her head. "Hai."
Deep down inside, however, she was still unconvinced. She very much wanted to believe what Rukawa had said, that everything was going to be alright, but she couldn't help but think that even Rukawa himself wasn't sure if things were going to be alright after all.
And if gut feelings were anything to go by, hers was telling her that something was going to happen soon. Something she wasn't sure she looked forward to.
---
At the airport...
Mr Rukawa was brooding silently in the vicinity of his limo when the door suddenly opened from the outside.
"Sir, they're here," said the chauffeur.
Mr Rukawa nodded curtly and got out of the car, straightening his suit in the process. He watched with a small smile as the small group of people slowly approached him.
Enjoy yourself while you can, Tsukino Hanayuki...
---
Author's notes: Phew finally... oh well, I hope this chapter isn't too bad. Took me long enough to finish it off. I know I downplayed Shohoku's win over Meihou Kogyou, but... I really don't know how to continue any further. I was afraid that, if I had tried to continue, this chapter would end up like the Sannoh chapters in the first part. And I don't want that to happen. Please read and review.