CHAPTER 11 – Match One: END
Kise turned to look at the timer, and he gritted his teeth. Crap, I messed up… and he felt his anger rising due to his own blunder. The time now was 6 minutes and 30 seconds, which meant that he had about two and a half minutes worth of Perfect Copy left, especially after making that full court shot which took away precious seconds off his stamina. Still, he had to save his remaining time for the last two minutes of the game, no exceptions. He had done it now, even with his Perfect Copy, he had let Team Black catch up to them from a twenty point gap, to a ten point gap. How could he have let Kagami and Murasakibara scored then? What an idiot… However, a hand tapped his shoulder, and as his anger somewhat subsided upon seeing Fiyaz.
"Save your energy for the last two minutes… We can still score, you know," he said smiling, causing Kise's eyes to widen in surprise. That's right… they still have a 16 point gap, why is he getting so worked up for… you can't change the past…
"Thanks," Kise said, and he meant it. At this point, he would have to use his Perfect Copy in bursts now. Previously he could not since he was facing Murasakibara and Kagami, and deactivating and activating again would take far too long to react to them in exchange for saving energy. This was one of the few weaknesses that he realized as he trained. Team Black restarted. At this time, Team Black would be making their comeback, and it was up to Team Gold to defend however they could. Li started and passed the ball to Bryan, who dribbled and passed the ball to Kagami, still in the ZONE, who met Kise.
"You can't defeat me without the Perfect Copy, can you? Especially now that I'm in the ZONE…" Kagami smirked, giving off an air of arrogance strikingly similar to Aomine.
"Tch…" Kise muttered. Even if he could not use any of the Generation of Miracle's power, he still could copy moves that were less skillful, and he had to rely on that along with his own physical ability. Kagami, however, easily shifted to the right by making a crossover, to which Kise attempted to follow, and with an extreme burst of speed, easily cut to the front and cross Kise, along with flickers of sweat brushing past him.
"…!" He had seen this speed before in Aomine, Murasakibara, Akashi, and Kagami himself, but it had never failed to shock him when it is used right in front him. Kise turned his head desperately but Kagami had already made his way to the wing of Team Gold's court. Michael attempted to guard him, but likewise, it was completely futile; the raw power of the ZONE was simply too formidable for an average player to stand up against. Kagami effortlessly slowed down his speed and then took a step forward to dribble, to which Michael shifted back to avoid knocking into him, although his arms were still wide open. All of a sudden, Kagami cut back and made a behind-the-back crossover out of Michael's range to his right, which left an open space that Kagami easily rushed through to the hoop, leaving a mist of his outline and traces of red lightning in his wake. Isn't Yosen's Hirumo's fakes?! Kise thought, but Kagami had already scored another two points, upping the score to 67-53.
"Has Kagami improved this much?" Akashi pondered loudly, to which Kuroko replied, "Yes, believe it or not, Kagami-kun has been practicing really hard. In fact, he might be going overboard…" Akashi turned back onto the court as he observed Kagami run back into position. More than I thought…
Team Gold restarted. Luckily for them, players like Kise, Michael and Fiyaz could still chance a three pointer, whereas Don and Bruno were more of Kagami's type. Hence, they had to make use of their three players to keep the point gap up, and simply last till the timer reached ten minutes. First, get past Murasakibara, then Kagami. Next, score. That was all there is to it. Michael started and passed to Kise who dribbled forward. Seeing how Murasakibara-cchi and Kagami-cchi is there, we probably have to go with alley-oops and run-and-guns, Kise thought as he dribbled. After all, a head on approach would never work.
"Kise-chin…" Murasakiabara breathed loudly, his voice menacingly low. Kise's eyes widened. Wait… how the hell did I not notice him—?!
Murasakibara instantly reached out for the ball in Kise's right hand in a fraction of a second, without any warning, causing Kise to gasp and quickly pull back, barely missing him by making a behind-the-back crossover. No good… I can't do anything with him around, Kise thought as he observed Murasakibara's blood shot eyes. Without really thinking, he thrust the ball to the side to Fiyaz at the half court line, who made his way to the three point line, and attempted a three pointer.
"No—!" But it was too late, for Kagami had already burst forward and jumped, the impact blowing all the dust away, as he easily reached the ball and rejected it. The basketball flew out of the court, causing the referee to blow his whistle.
"Out of bounds, Gold Team's ball," the referee announced. As Kise moved into position, he took note of the timer now, 7 minutes 15 seconds. Alright… just three more minutes…
Fiyaz restarted at the side-lines, and the referee blew his whistle, signaling the start of the game. He passed to Don, who stood rooted at this position as he observed the other players: Kagami, in the paint, Murasakibara near the half-court line, Don and Bruno being guarded, so Kise then. He thrust the ball to Kise, at the three point line; however, it was no use. With someone in the ZONE, the player's speed is multiplied two or threefold, and Kagami appeared out of nowhere and intercepted the ball only seconds after the game had restarted.
"Eh—?!" Kise snapped; he had expected this, but still…
The audiences cheered as Kagami dribbled to half-court line and made a diagonal horizontal full court pass to Murasakibara, who was near the wing on the opposite side of the court. Murasakibara dribbled with extreme vigor to the hoop that was unguarded and jumped, making a dunk. However, Kise somehow managed to sprint his way to the hoop just as Murasakibara was about to jump.
"Not so fast, Murasakibara-cchi!" and he jumped with his hands out wide to block Murasakibara.
Kise, Midorima thought as he observed, Murasakibara is considered the most physically strongest out of the Miracles, of course you…
"Kise-chin…" Murasakibara's eyes were covered by the shadows. "You…" Kise's eyes widened. Eh?
…Don't stand a chance, Midorima concluded.
"…DON'T HAVE ANY CHANCE!" Murasakibara shouted as he slammed down both of his hands. W-what the hell is this strength?! Kise thought desperately as he felt his arms forcefully knocked away. Murasakibara jammed the basketball down into the hoop with overwhelming force and power, and without a doubt, completely destroyed Kise's defense. The sound of the hoop being forcefully slammed resonated throughout the court and the audience fell silent, and Murasakibara loosened his grip on the hoop, causing the creak dangerously. Kise fell down on his back with a loud thud while Murasakibara landed instead with a loud stomp, and they both glared at each other. Indeed, in terms of physical strength, Kise, without the Perfect Copy, would obviously lose to Murasakibara. The audience cheered, and Murasakibara turned back, and Kise quickly got back up on his feet, and clicked his tongue audibly. Dammit, can't I match the other Miracles without Perfect Copy at all? Kise frowned.
"Kise-chin… If you really want to defend me next time…" Murasakibara said in his lazy voice. "Please use your Perfect Copy…" causing Kise to raise his eyebrows. "Or else, it wouldn't be… fun…" he finished and walked back to his side of the court. Kise couldn't believe his ears; did Murasakibara just… recognize him? Without thinking, he grinned stupidly to himself, and felt his heart melt. Kise started swing his arms and stretched on the spot quickly before looking back up again, and all the Generation of Miracles in the spectators could see something change in Kise's eyes. Alright, since he accepts me now, let's not disappoint him…
The points now were 67-55, and the timer was at 7 minutes 38 seconds. Kagami noticed the time, and took a deep breath. In the last two minutes, Kise will be making his counterattack, and he needed to save his ZONE stamina for then. With that, Kagami deactivated his ZONE and the reddish lightning stopped oozing out of his pupils, causing his teammates to note how his aura diminished rather drastically. Alright, we'll keep scoring, with me and Murasakibara… Kagami thought.
"Eh… no ZONE already…?" Kise called out in a mocking tone, and Kagami frowned irritably.
"It's saved up for later…" and Kise grinned. Team Gold seemed rather more relaxed now as well, for the ZONE really kicks up the pressure in the court.
The game restarted with Team Gold, and for the next two and a half minutes, Team Black made their comeback. They capitalized on the fact that Team Gold's ace could not score as much, and instant grabbed this opportunity. Team Gold's Michael managed to make his way to the paint through passes and attempted to score, but was blocked by Murasakibara who passed to Kagami and he made his way to the other court. He passed upon meeting Fiyaz to Li, who managed to successfully make a layup, increasing the points to 67-57. Team Gold once again restarted, and through passes, managed to score 2 points with Kise bypassing Kagami, hence changing the points to 69-57. Team Black started once again and Kagami passed the ball to Leon who managed a three pointer, thus shifting the scales of the points to 69-60. Team Gold started again, and Kise attempted to get pass Murasakibara's defenses but it failed due to Murasakibara's pure defensive power, and it ended up with Team Black scoring another 2 points from Kagami's dunks, hence the points changed to 69-62. It amazed the audience how during the first half, Team Gold could literally score over six consecutive three pointers, and now, Team Black has managed to score consecutively for over five to six times to get back onto track. Team Gold scored another three pointer from Fiyaz through Kise's use of Kuroko's passes, but Team Black instantly caught back when Murasakibara made a half court pass to Bryan who made a three pointer, hence tipping the points to 72-65. However by the 9th minute, Team Black managed to score another three points leading to 72-68, a mere four point difference.
At this point, the players were all rather exhausted already, despite there being three minutes left. Team Gold restarted, and they made their way to the Team Black's court, with Kise making his way to near the three point line and met Murasakibara. The large center simply stood there, readying himself against Kise. Kise made a crossover to his left, and quickly turned around attempted to drive past against him, but Murasakibara was too quick for him; his long slender arms had already reached Kise before he could turn fully and in a second of hesitation, Kagami came long and managed to tip the ball, acquiring it and made a fast break to the Team Gold's court and scored two points, finally dropping the point difference to only two, with Kise lacking behind him. Right now, unlike nine minutes before, Team Black sure stood a chance of winning.
The timer reached 9 minutes and 10 seconds, and points were at 72-70. Team Gold restarted, but Kagami noticed that was something was strange about Kise; he seemed to be in a happier mood than usual? Before the match restarted, he seemed to be telling Fiyaz something important, judging from his serious nods. Nevertheless, the basketball made its way into Kise's possession that made his way to the three point line, and without thinking, jumped for a three pointer. However, Murasakibara appeared and too jumped.
"Kise-chin… you're not using Perfect Copy yet…" he uttered lazily, but Kise did not seem to bother with his opponent's comment, but on the other hand, was using all his efforts to aim. This was rather odd considering Kise would usually reply with a smug expression or comment. Murasakibara sighed, and just as Kise was about to release the ball, and he slammed the ball out of Kise's palms, but his eyes instantly widened when he saw Kise smirking.
Miraculously, the ball flew out of Kise's palms backwards as they both landed, and Fiyaz was there, who instantly caught the ball in surprise. When Kise told him to stay close behind him, he thought this order was rather weird, but how did Kise know that the ball would –? "Murasakibara has a penchant for slamming his hands down and knocking the ball away, in fact, I've observed that the ball often gets flicked out straight down, not sideways or diagonal, but in his direction… so let's try this…" Kise instructed a few minutes before. Once Kise landed, he sprinted to the other side of the three point line, catching the ball while running, and quickly stopped on the spot, his feet just on the line itself. Kagami, on the paint easily followed this and caught up to him.
"Oi oi Kise… you aren't seriously trying the same thing again, are you?" Kagami muttered and he got higher and higher, the red lightning intensified.
"No, Kagami-cchi… I'll be making a gamble here…" Kise smirked, and bluish aura rose from his body and his golden eyes started to glow.
No way, he wasn't supposed to start using it until the ten minute mark, Kagami thought, but in one swift motion, he pulled the ball down and passed it to his left hand in mid-air. Kagami's eyes traced the movement of his hands, but he could not do anything to stop it, especially with his hands raised out. Then, in a manner similar to Aomine, Kise shifted slightly to the left in the space beside Kagami, and flicked the basketball up into the air as they both landed, and miraculously, the ball fell into the hoop. However, since he had moved into the paint, the shot only counts as two points, but nevertheless the points shifted to 74-70. When Kagami landed, he noticed that the timer was only at 9 minutes 30 seconds, but quickly turned to face Kise as soon as he felt a violent and potent golden aura rising from Kise. The audiences and players alike could feel it, as though the ground itself was trembling.
"I know I'm supposed to use my Perfect Copy at the 10 minutes mark, but if I had to sacrifice my body for the extra 30 seconds needed to win… Why not?"
Team Black restarted and Kagami dribbled the ball forward, and met Kise, whose eyes were now glowing more intensely than before. The man before was clearly different from the one from two minutes ago. Crap, without my ZONE I can't take him one-on-one! Kagami thought, and attempted to thrust the ball to his side to Li, who could receive it. In that instant, time stopped and the entire scene became magenta and black, and Kagami's pupils shifted to observe Kise, who was free to move in this dimension. He could a silhouette of Akashi rising in the form of a black mist, and then… Kise's fingers touched the ball, and ripples appeared as though he was touching a vertical pool of water. Kagami blinked. The air started flowing; the noise from the crowd is coming back… Then – Kise intercepted and slammed the ball down onto the ground. Kagami and Li gasped, but Kise had already caught the ball and was prepared to drive forward.
"No—!" Kagami exclaimed as he reached out his hand to attempt a back tip, but a tinge of blue appeared as Kise suddenly slowed his movements drastically, and expertly made a between-the-legs crossover while walking with no breaks in his movements. He turned his head as time slowed and the background seemed to shine in bright light as they both made eye contact. Then, Kise smirked, and time once again flowed to normal, and Kise racked up his speed and avoided Bryan with an ankle break, and then spun around. With no form at all, Kise simply threw the ball upwards in a high arc, and the ball simply… entered the hoop, scoring them two points and shifting the points 76-70. The audience cheered as some of them could recognize Aomine's famous formless shots. Team Black restarted once again and Kagami noticed Kise stationed near the half court line, ready to spring upon them. Okay… time to go into the ZONE… Kagami thought, as his eyes met with Murasakibara for a moment. Yeah… let me handle Kise-Chin…
The ball made its way to Li at the half court, but he managed to pass before Michael could get to him, all the way to Murasakibara, who caught the ball near the paint. Kise rushed in from the sides, as smoke rose from Murasakibara's feet.
"Kise-chin… you said just now then you won't pull your punches with the Generation of Miracles, right…" Murasakibara growled, his voice dangerously low. Kise raised his eyebrows as he ran to the hoop. This aggressive way of talking can only mean Murasakibara-cchi is serious.
The force of Murasakibara's soles acting on the ground skyrocketed and the smoke cleared in one burst as he jumped, his back facing the hoop. The sheer power of his calves was tremendous, and he leaped into the sky as his body shifted and twisted 180 degrees. However, Kise did not let up, for his irises glowed in an instant and he leaped, channeling Murasakibara's monstrous strength, with traces of purple rising off his slender body. A second passed, Murasakibara was already facing the hoop, and he was facing face-to-face with Kise, whose jump height matched the large center, with his hands out. However, both of Murasakibara's hands were also on the basketball, at a ninety degrees arc, ready to slam down. "In that case… I won't…" Murasakibara whispered softly to Kise, his purple hair flowing smoothly in the wind.
"—HOLD BACK!" Murasakibara slammed down the ball with full force down onto the hoop, meeting Kise's palms along the way. Kise gritted his teeth, the purplish aura now violently radiating from his body. This wasn't as bad as compared to before, in fact this dunk was much more bearable, despite the monstrous amount of force crushing him. No… I won't lose… I REFUSE…! Kise thought desperately. Both players were in mid-air, one going for a full dunk with all his strength, and the other blocking with all his might, as the audience watched silently. Veins popped out, joints cracked, and muscles flexed completely, as both players were unrelenting, but then Kise gasped. No—His strength is increasing further?! In one go, Murasakibara growled and pulled his arms with the strength of two normal basketball players, and instantly broke Kise, slamming the ball right into hoop, causing it to resonate louder than ever. Kise fell on his back, Murasakibara landed and the audience cheered. Unlike before, the stress and pressure had already got to Kise, and he was hardly smiling, while Murasakibara quickly shifted back to position without saying a word. Clearly, the intensity of the match heightened as the points shifted back 76-72.
"Wow… Mukkun actually beat Ki-Chan in strength…" Momoi wondered aloud in surprise.
"Why are you surprise?" Aomine said, causing her to look at him. "If you're talking about pure strength, Murasakibara is unquestionably the strongest, period," he explained as he observed Kise. "But, Kise's strength lies in copying the rest of us…"
"That's right, in fact…" Midorima commented beside Momoi, "Kise's true power is his versatility… he can literally use any of our moves, which none of us can do…" causing Aomine to mumble "Where the hell did you come from?"
"So does that mean Kise can't beat any of the Generation of Miracles in a one-on-one if he copies their skills?" Momoi asked, after all having never seen Kise using the Perfect Copy against the other Generation of Miracles. At this, Aomine smirked stupidly, while Midorima adjusted his glasses.
"I don't mean to brag but, probably not," Aomine said. "An imitation of our styles and moves can't be better the originals, not in our cases anyway…"
"That's why Kise could not truly match Murasakibara in strength. He simply doesn't have it no matter how he tries to imitate it by jumping higher or hitting with more force, in fact," Midorima explained as the match restarted.
"However…" Midorima spoke up, "Kise can use four other styles and skillsets, no?" causing Aomine to smile and Momoi's eyes to widen. The audience roared and the trio looked back onto the court. Kise faked a jumpshot just as Murasakibara jumped to block him, and he easily drove past him, traces of blue and red mixed in his aura. That's right… Kise can't use Midorima's three if Murasakibara's there… he's too tall I guess… Momoi thought, but Aomine interjected her thoughts.
"Hey now… Kise isn't just playing against Murasakibara now…" Aomine said.
"Ooh!" the audience, for Kagami had appeared in front of Kise, surprising him. Red lightning was flowing out of his eyes as he stood there, just like a wild tiger waiting to pounce on his prey. The reddish aura he was giving off rivaled that of Kise's own golden aura, although Kagami's was more wild and cackled fiercely, compared Kise's slightly milder but yet potent one.
"Perfect Copy vs ZONE, huh?" Aomine wondered audibly, remembering his own practice match with Kise, who was definitely not to be trifled with. In fact, the only thing that actually put Kise down, were Murasakibara's height and strength, traits of his own body and factors he could not control. Apart from that, with the Perfect Copy, Kise was easily dominating just before the end of the first half and beginning of the second half. Kise's eyes darted towards the timer. 10 minutes 37 seconds… Alright, enough time to play with you then… He thought, and Kagami was thinking exactly the same. We never really did get to compete like this during the Winter Cup…
The glow on Kise's eyes instantly intensified as he activated Akashi's Emperor Eye. Time stopped, and he saw an outline of his Kagami's movements… a step in front with his left leg, and his weight shifts that way too… Time flashed back in an instant, and in a swift motion, Kise made a behind-the-back crossover to his right to which Kagami did step forward with his left leg, and the resultant weight cause him to lose his balance and fall to his left. No… not yet! With a huge amount of effort, Kagami managed to hold on, and quickly stepped forward and attempted to block Kise, who was still in the middle of his crossover. Not bad, Kagami-cchi… your reaction in the ZONE sure is fast… but not as fast as that man… And with that, the moment Kise received the ball with his right hand, he instantly made a between-the-legs crossover to his left hand, causing Kagami who following him closely to actually fall forward and land of his knees beside Kise. Their eyes met, and Kise whispered softly, "Too bad…"
"KAGAMI! FORWARD!" Murasakibara suddenly exclaimed as a large shadow passed by Kise. Kagami instantly took note of this, got up and sprinted forward; his sweat brushing off his face, for Murasakibara had managed to thrust the ball out of Kise's hands from behind just as he was aiming for a three-pointer. "?!" Kise's expression was nothing but surprise as his eyes widened, but yet oddly his mind was calm, as he watched the ball left his hand. "Murasakibara…" Was it surprise, his usual cheerful tone? No… this felt different, as Murasakibara noticed that Kise was smiling, despite frowning. His voice was that of pure anger. Blue aura instantly burst forth from Kise's body, and he turned and sprinted, just as Murasakibara made a full court pass to Kagami who had just reached the wing, and caught the ball.
Now's my chance! Kagami panted, as the red lightning gushed out. His feet reached the free throw line, before he noticed something blue at the corner of his eye.
"Hey, Kagami-cchi… What makes you think you're faster than me with the ball?" Kise said aggressively, still smiling.
"Kise?" Kagami gasped, but it was no use; all he had to do was just make a layup, and he would score…! But reddish aura radiated from Kise's body as he observed Kagami's arm, and Kagami's own eyes widened. Akashi—?! But it was no use, for Kise had already leaped and flicked the ball out of Kagami's own hands. However, out of pure luck, the ball flew out of bounds, to which the referee blew his whistle, and luckily for Kagami, it was their ball. The other players quickly gathered, although it was obvious they could hardly do anything in this situation. Kagami started from the sidelines, and Kise stationed himself near the free throw line, although it was noticeable that he was panting heavily; the stress of facing two Generation of Miracles players simultaneously was simply too much.
Kise… he's feeling it in his body… Akashi thought as he observed him closely, for it was painfully obvious that Kise was going to reach his limit. The referee blew his whistle, and Kagami threw the ball to Murasakibara, who caught it and drove forward to Team Gold's hoop. However, Kise interjected easily, and with his perfect imitation of the Emperor Eye, he stole the ball while Murasakibara was in the middle of dribbling, causing him to utter "tsk".
"Fast break!" someone in the audience yelled, as Kise sprinted forward whilst dribbling towards Team Black's hoop and channeling Aomine's speed, which was left unguarded. Kise smirked arrogantly as he passed the half court line, and was about to reach the hoop, before noticing a ferocious animalistic feeling on his left.
"Hey, Kise… then let me ask you…" Kagami growled softly, mist rising from his mouth like a wild beast. "What makes YOU think you're faster than me?!"
Kise gasped, and instantly stopped at this position just after the three point line, causing Kagami to overstep him. Without wasting any movement, his hands reached out and he aimed for the basket. At this point, even two points would be enough, and he released the ball without even looking down, for he was sure Kagami would not be able to catch up to him. However, to his shock, a hand reached out and caught the ball, for Kagami jumped and with his monstrous jumping power, he could easily reach the basketball in the air despite being about two meters away from Kise himself. The reddish lightning cackled, and whilst in mid-air, he palmed the ball and threw the ball with all his might to the other side of the court. Kise turned his head desperately as the ball flew through the air like a bullet and prepared to run, but stopped as Kagami landed behind him.
"Oi… surely you can't copy Aomine's speed for that long right? Even I noticed that…" Kagami commented as the lightning's intensity diminished a little, causing Kise's eyes to widen. He was right, and even if he sprinted, he definitely could not reach the ball, which meant… Murasakibara caught the ball and easily dunked, scoring Team Black another two points, causing the audience to cheer once more. The score shifted to 76-74 Gold to Black, and Kise sighed disappointedly.
"Oh man… they are catching up…" he mumbled, his tone slowly returning to his usual cheery and pouty manner. He noticed the timer: 11 minutes 12 seconds.
Heh, if Kise's gonna win, Aomine thought, He's gonna need a three pointer, and it wasn't just Aomine thinking that, in fact all of the players there were all thinking the same thing. To truly tip the scales in their favor, something drastic is needed, and both teams knew it. There will definitely be a three within this last minute and 45 seconds.
The match continued. It was an all-out battle, for the next thirty seconds, it was non-stop dunks, rejection of shots, ankle breaks. The heat in the court intensified even further, but neither team would give in. It was amazing how the first match of the day could be this intense, but nevertheless nobody was complaining. It was extremely intense and exciting to watch such a match. Team Gold restarted, and through multiple passes, Kise managed to score a layup, by initiating one of Aomine's formless shot by surprise that caught Murasakibara off guard, although Team Black miraculously returned the favor with another three pointer from Li, increasing the points to 78-77.
Team Gold restarted and Don passed to Kise. At this instant, Kagami instantly sprinted forward towards him. He was not going to let Kise score that three no matter what, not at this point in time. Kise caught the ball and dribbled forward, and quickly made a pass to Fiyaz who made a bounce pass to Don near the half-court line. Kise darted forward as he observed Murasakibara near the paint. Crap… right now the only person who can probably get around Murasakibara-cchi is me… A one-on-two sure is a pain…
However, he was followed closely Kagami, akin to wild tiger stalking its prey. With this, he'll have to chance an ankle break to shake Kagami off first, and then he can get around Murasakibara with passes. As he reached the near the wing, he called out to Don who was on the other side of the half-court line, who passed to him instantly, and Kise easily caught it with his right hand. Murasakibara-cchi's defensive area is pretty wide… easily spanning the entire paint… Kise thought as he dribbled, but he knew Kagami was hot on his tails. He closed his eyes for a second, and then flashed it open, revealing his golden hue. Here it comes! Kagami thought. Time slowed down, and the Kise suddenly slowed his movements down drastically despite still dribbling, clearly Aomine's deceleration. However, Kagami managed to keep his distance and not pass him to which Kise made a between-the-leg crossover, which caused Kagami to accidently overstep and fall forward, but despite this he still managed to hold on. As Kise caught the ball with his left hand, Kagami attempted a steal, but Kise instantly cut back, causing Kagami to fall on his back while turning around.
…!
Kise's eyes lay on the timer for a second. 11 minute 58 seconds. With that, he instantly passed the ball to his left, but his eyes widened in shock when a huge shadow intercepted the ball. It was only then he realized that he himself overstepped his own boundaries, for he was somehow near the three point line already, and all it took was Murasakibara to shift a few steps to rule over that area. Easily, Murasakibara intercepted the ball, and sprinted forward with the ball. Both Kagami and Kise instantly took off chasing the ball, their eyes flashing lightning and golden spots respectively. Heh… Murasakibara-cchi's full court am not that fast either… And with that, Kise caught up to Murasakibara right at the three point line. If I can't block you… I'll steal the ball…!
Kise's eyes once flashed again and he channeled Akashi's Emperor Eye. The basketball bounced up and down, as though in frames. Slowly, but surely, Kise effortlessly saw a moment into the future where the basketball was going to land, and concluded that he would be making a dunk. However, as long as he could hit the ball out of Murasakibara's hands before he slammed it, it would be enough. Murasakibara jumped, his eyes aiming for the hoop as he took off the ground. Kise sprinted beside Murasakibara on his right and jumped as well, his right arm reaching out. Murasakibara was dunking with his left hand, which meant it could be rejected in mid-air. It was a matter of timing.
"No…" Kise uttered.
All of a sudden, Murasakibara pulled his hand down to avoid Kise, and threw ball to the back. Murasakibara-cchi passed?! Kise thought wildly, and he was not the only one who thought this, for all of the Generation of Miracles' eyes widened when they all saw Murasakibara passing, especially when he was dunking. In fact, they could not remember a time where Murasakibara would pass the ball at the last minute; he would usually follow through with his movements.
"Annoying… but I don't want to lose to you…" Murasakibara uttered as his smooth flowing purple hair flowed in the wind, and his eyes turned to Kise. "Kise-chin…"
Kise turned his head in mid-air as both of them started to descend to see who Murasakibara had passed to and as expected, Kagami busted forward from the three point line and full speed and caught the ball.
"Only this once… DUNK IT KAGAMI!" Murasakibara shouted as he landed.
"YEAH!" Kagami roared as his right foot stepped on the free throw line and he jumped, clearing the dust off the ground while the red lightning flashing from his eyes intensified. As he approached Kise, who could do nothing but fall in mid-air, whereas Kagami himself was getting higher and higher, but he was intentionally not reaching the hoop, for once he reached his maximum height, his entire upper body above the hoop, he slammed down his hand so fast, that all he could hear was the sound of the hoop resonating after the basketball had perfectly shot into the hoop like a bullet, leaving a trail of red as he dunked over Kise. So this is… the Meteor Jam… He had seen it before of course, but had never experience it like this up close before. However, the points had reached 78-79, and the timer was already reaching 12 minutes 5 seconds. There was only twenty precious seconds left.
Team Gold restarted and Kise caught the ball, and dribbled forward instead, meeting Kagami just barely beyond the three point line. Another matchup, eh? Kise mused, and he dribbled on the spot, as he observed Kagami. His defensive range was that of a large circle, which in the ZONE, stretched all the way to the half court line, and without Akashi's Emperor Eye, it would not have been possible to win all this while. However, not now… To Kagami and most of the player's surprise, Kise took the ball in his right, and passed it over his body to his left similar to Kuroko, to Fiyaz, who too looked surprise. What's Kise doing? Kagami thought as his eyes darted between Kise and Fiyaz who dribbled to the Team Black's side of the court, the lightning cackling audibly.
Fiyaz dribbled quickly as the clock ticked, then passed to Michael upon meeting Team Black's Leon, although it was hardly a good decision, considering Murasakibara's defensive area was the entire region beyond the three point line to hoop. Easily, Murasakibara rejected a jumpshot, and dribbled back towards the Gold's side of the court. But oddly, Kise had not moved at all, with Kagami shifting near the half court line. The timer ticked.
What… am I doing? Why… did I pass that ball just now? Have I lost my will to play?
Kise found himself surrounded in blackness. He was panting heavily, frowning, but his mind was blank. Murasakibara-cchi… Kagami-cchi, this match is really great… to be able to fight and match against two players of this caliber at once… But… Am I not playing seriously? Despite saying that, his heart was thumping loudly, and time felt frozen. The time was 12 minutes 10 seconds, so just twenty seconds left. All he had to do was sink in one three pointer and he would win, no? But this feeling… what is it? Excitement? Perhaps… no if I think this through… I want to fight Kagami and Murasakibara right? Yes… that was it… but no… not like this… He knew he was competitive and hated to lose, but yet right in his mind, this crazy thought was on the verge of overthrowing his rational thoughts. Then again, there wouldn't be any more chances for a match like this to happen right?
"I'm not mature enough to play basketball logically or while suppressing my instincts."
Murasakibara passed the half court line, with Kagami following closely when all of a sudden, Kise looked up. His eyes were still glowing, but differently from before. The timer was at 12 minutes 13 seconds. In an instant, time froze, and the scene was overlaid with golden hue. Both Murasakibara and Kagami felt this before: Emperor Eye. But this was different; it was much stronger than before. Kise's imitation, is on a different level than before? Kise walked forward in that dimension, no, Akashi, no what's this? Aomine? What's this?
Time flowed back to normal, but unlike the forced and rushed feeling from before, this time it felt more natural. Murasakibara and Kagami blinked, but and Kise rushed in, a clear sign of a two-on-one battle. It was painfully obvious Aomine's speed was in use, but they could too feel Akashi's Emperor Eye?!
No, this was different from just combining like in the Winter Cup, Kagami thought.
Kise-chin… feels like an actual Mine-chin and Aka-chin… not just a copy… Murasakibara voiced.
Kise burst forward, and his hand perfectly flicked the ball out of Murasakibara's palms and in a swift motion, easily caught the ball and met Kagami along the way. Red lightning flashed from his eyes and he spread out his arms wide to block Kise, whose eyes glowed more intensely now.
What am I fighting for…? The scene where he lost against Aomine-cchi flashed in his mind, then the scene at the Winter Cup where he lost against Kagami-cchi and Kuroko-cchi. Did he become soft? Was he not competitive enough? No… all he wanted to is to have fun… but…
I cannot lose…
Something cackled. The timer was 12 minutes 16 seconds.
No… ZONE?!
Kagami could not see it clearly, for Kise had just brushed past him, with him somehow falling down on his back. In a few seconds, Kise scored a dunk, shifting the points to 80-79 Team Gold to Team Black, at the 12 minutes 20 second mark. There was only ten seconds left. Team Black's last chance to score. Kagami got up, and observed Kise, who seemed rather quiet now. He didn't know happened to Kise earlier, but he was sure that his enhanced movements had not subsided one bit. Despite this, he was yet unsure if he saw a glimpse of Kise in the ZONE, as for that fraction of a second he could feel it. But now, that feeling was gone. Was he imagining things?
At this juncture, Kagami offered to start the ball as he could feel that he had already approached his limit. His insides were already burning, and he had to save energy till the next match. He had already conveyed his plan to Murasakibara and though he did not say much, he agreed. There was no other choice to win. The referee blew his whistle.
Time seemed to stop. Every single eye was on the court. The countdown begins.
Ten. Kagami had only one shot before his ZONE was depleted. He pulled back his hand. In one full swing made a half court pass all the way to Murasakibara. In an instant, the reddish lightning in his eyes vanished.
Nine. In one full swing made a half court pass all the way to Murasakibara. In an instant, the reddish lightning in his eyes vanished.
Eight. Murasakibara caught it and his right foot left the ground. Kise's left feet left the ground as well.
Seven. Murasakibara caught it and his right foot left the ground. Kise's left feet left the ground as well. At this point, Kagami could only watch, as his knees hit the ground.
Six. Murasakibara's feet reached the three point line. Kise was right on the left side of the hoop.
Five. Murasakibara's feet reached the three point line. Kise was right on the left side of the hoop.
Four. Murasakibara reached the paint, and he jumped. Kise dashed in to in between the hoop and Murasakibara and too jumped. Kise was clearly different, at this point, despite Murasakibara defeating Kise in strength, everybody could not question the outcome.
Three. "Murasakibara-cchi… stop it…" Kise muttered and the shadows covered his eyes. "I won't…" And he looked up, revealing his golden glowing eyes. "Let you win…" and purplish aura radiated out more intensely from his body, like an explosion. Murasakibara however kept silent.
Two. This was point where the distance was perfect. All Murasakibara had to do was slam the ball in.
"Kise-chin… I don't… wanna…"
Kise's eyes widened. No… He had seen this before, but now of all time…?
One. Purple lightning flashed out of Murasakibara's eyes, causing Kise to gasp. In a fraction of a second, the entire situation changed. Murasakibara hammered his hand down, and hoop resonated louder than ever.
Zero. Murasakibara and Kise landed, and the entire court was silent. The game had ended for the time is up. They all stared at the scoreboard; the points were 80-81, Team Gold to Team Black. The silence was louder than ever, the announcer put the microphone to his lips. Then –
"MATCH ONE HAS ENDED! TEAM BLACK HAS WON THE FIRST ROUND!"
The audience roared and applauded for that wonderful match. The glow in Kise's eyes faded, and instantly he felt his calves weakening, but yet the pain could not compare to his loss. It was only the first match, and to just lose like that? His face was burning, and he could feel tears welling up his eyes, but more importantly, he quickly lost balance for his knees gave way; he had really used up too much energy. However, a hand reached out for him and he landed in Murasakibara's arms.
"Murasakibara-cchi…" The tall center look rather disconcerted, but nevertheless there was some feelings of concern in his eyes.
"Kise-chin… you need to me to help you…?"
"… thanks," Kise muttered as Murasakibara wrapped Kise's shoulder around his neck and lifted him up effortlessly.
"Hmm…" Murasakibara voiced causing Kise to turn his head as they trotted back to the sidelines. "That was a good match… I hadn't felt that pressured since Kuro-chin…" causing Kise's eyes to widen, but then tear up even more.
"Haha… indeed…" Kise smiled, his usual manner of speaking gradually returning. "It was... a good... match..." and tears started flowing down.
The players all went to the sides of the courts to their resting corners to rehydrate themselves, and then quickly dispersed to their own friends after shaking hands. Naturally, the players of the Team Black and Gold could not be more grateful and honored for the Generation of Miracles and Kagami having played such a wonderful match. Murasakibara released Kise beside Kagami who sat down with his head down clearly exhausted and drenched in sweat, and then proceeded to sit beside Kise and took out his favourite Maiubo to snack on.
"Yo, Kise… That was… good…" Kagami panted, but smiling. He had really enjoyed that match despite how tough it was. Naturally, with Kise's strength, he would be quite the pickle during the Summer Interhigh if he had to face any of them.
"Hahaha… Kagami-cchi, you sure… improved a lot~" Kise panted heavily. The toll of Perfect Copy and ZONE had really drained them. At this point, the rest of the Generation of Miracles came to greet them and congratulate them.
"Kagami-kun, Kise-kun, Murasakibara-kun, that was fantastic," Kuroko said, smiling sincerely.
"Yeah, that was intense as hell…" Aomine agreed, and Midorima nodded.
"Good job, guys," Akashi complemented.
"Really, really good though!" Momoi said.
"Man… but Kise-chin sure is annoying… why have you gotten so strong…" Murasakibara complained as he crunched his snack, causing the rest to laugh.
"Anyway, I expected a three from you at the end, Kise, to get an instant upper hand," Aomine said. But before Kise could reply, Midorima interjected.
"Are you an idiot? My shots are that simple. If Kise were to make a three from the half-court or more, he would have completely drained all his energy, in fact." Kise nodded, and looked down.
"Oh well~ it's over anyway…"
However, on a more serious note, it was a one-on-two battle, and the players there knew that Kise would be a major threat if he was able to keep up and maintain an edge throughout the twenty five minutes.
"Anyway… our next match will be in the evening right…?" Kagami asked.
"Yes," Akashi explained, "After this 3 matches, there will be three teams remaining, so in the evening we will be playing again, or more specifically at night. We'll have enough time to rest by then."
"Then, wouldn't there be one team leftover?" Aomine asked.
"Well, the final match will be tomorrow. I heard there will be a rather big crowd, in fact," Midorima replied.
"Huhh~ Ain't that a little unfair..." Murasakibara sighed. "One team will be playing less…"
"Ah well, we can't do much about it either," Akashi concluded. "Anyway, the next match's about to start."
"Okay guys… the lottery machine have just chosen it numbers!" The announcer announced loudly, causing the crowd to turn to him.
"TEAM BLUE VS TEAM GREEN!"
Midorima vs Aomine. And of course, following that, Kuroko vs Akashi.
Hey guys, the conclusion for Match One, at 7.5k words, longest chapter by far hahaha. So yea... Murasakibara and Kagami won, which was kind of an obvious match kind of thing since it was 2 GOM vs one, although i tried to make Kise stronger and all. I get that for this chapter the continuity may be a little screwed, like Kagami's ZONE time limit and all, and the strength of Kise, but i'd like to delve into that more during the actual Interhigh. I'd also like to delve into the motivations of each character, which for this chapter was Kise: What's he fighting for? He did enter the ZONE in EXTRA GAME after all, so I want to explore that, which is why I made him enter for a fraction of a second and all. I also understand the battle between ZONE Kagami and Perfect Copy Kise is not that clear, but it's hard to say which is stronger ya know. I would like to think of Kagami having more raw potential and Kise having a more refined one, and him having the edge as he can copy 4 other skills. Sadly, because of Kise's loss, we don't get to see much of him copying other skills (apart from Aomine and Akashi), but i promise there will be more in the Interhigh.
Also, hahaha this is a little bad of me, but ill try to equalise the wins of the GOM and Kagami and Kuroko by the end of the Interhigh in order not to cause too much controversy. After all, they all do have the talent. And next chapter will be Midorima vs Aomine! After that Kuroko vs Akashi. For these two matches, some of yall might say stuff like duhh akashi will obviously win, but I think its intersting to see how people like Kuroko capitalise on their strengths to match stronger opponents and stuff like that. Hahaha, i'll try to make thing as intersting as possible with my writing!
Comment, rate and review!