"Do you all want to shoot for the ball or…" Kamina inquired.
Kensuke Fukui shook his head. "No need, you all can have it."
Okamura and Wei Liu seemed to be in agreement as the two of them nodded. Kamina, Himuro, and Takeshi positioned themselves on the outside of the three-point line with ample space between each other.
Before checking the ball up, Kamina pounded the ball to get a feel for it.
That's when it happened.
A jolt shooting down from his mind all the way into his arms. It was a feeling unlike he had ever felt before. Why?
Was it because it was his first time holding a basketball in this body? Was there something special about his body?
It was as if the ball was an extension of a limb. Attached to his body, his mind, his whole entire being.
"Getting cold feet?" Okamura stared him down, his stance widened, and arms spread. His large shirt did very little to hide the power excluding from his body. "Hurry up, we don't have all day."
Himuro inched closer to Kamina when the latter finished checking the ball. The ball directly came to him, and he faced off with the older Wei Liu.
'First, let's test his reaction.'
Himuro jabbed to the right in his triple threat. A very simple jab yet executed perfectly. Wei's body opened up immediately.
Sweeping the ball underneath, Himuro dribbled the ball and went right into a pull up.
At least, that's how it seemed.
'What an elite fake.' Kamina appreciated the move. There weren't many that could pull off a fake that efficient and perfect.
And he was one of them.
It took continuous practice of the basics.
For a moment, even he believed that Himuro was going to shoot the ball.
As for Wei, he was still suspended in the air when Himuro drove past him. Okamura had seen this and moved to the low post to go challenge Himuro's layup.
Himuro kicked the ball out to the free throw line extended. Takeshi caught the ball not knowing what to do with it and was intimidated by Fukui, so he directly routed the ball back to Kamina.
With Okamura guarding the paint, that left Wei to pick up on Kamina.
Kamina flicked the ball behind his back to his left hand. He sold the illusion that he was going to drive, and then he suddenly pulled right into a shot.
'What timing...!'
Wei was an elite defender, which meant he was already in the air when he observed the freshman's movements. Though that meant nothing with the shot being so quick and having a dangerously high arc. Wei couldn't even graze the ball despite his long wingspan.
Being a smaller guard playing in a sport with giants, Kamina had tweaked his jump shot so that his release point was near impossible to block.
'There's no way that is going in.'
Okamura was sure of it. So he boxed out and got ready to rebound. Only his time to shine never came as the ball dropped into the net soundlessly.
"Wow, that felt good," Kamina said looking at both his palms.
Perfect even.
His finger placement on the ball, the texture of the ball, down to the very last flick of his finger. It all flowed perfectly; he had known the shot would go in before he even released the ball.
Fukui was shocked for only a moment and Okamura just treated it as a lucky shot. They wouldn't get another one like it.
Since the game was make it take it, Kamina's team would keep the ball until the other team scored.
This time around, Himuro was the one to check up with Wei.
Kamina caught the pass, sizing up Okamura with a between the legs dribble. As if dancing, he crossed over slowly throwing off Okamura's timing and drove to the basket.
He was half a foot ahead but that meant nothing.
Okamura was tight on his side, and with his larger build it was a sure deal that Kamina would get the ball blocked if he continued and tried to lay it up.
Only he didn't.
'Got him.'
Carried by his momentum, Okamura couldn't stop himself in time when Kamina switched directions, pounding the ball through his leg, and floated it with his left hand.
"Kenichi, get your head in the game." Fukui shook his head in disapproval, striking the bigger man behind the knee.
"Ouch, ouch, ouch. Just relax, I got this."
"You better."
With the ball in hand, Himuro backed away from Wei Liu. He wasn't looking for a pass. No. This time he would take it up himself.
He charged to the right.
No, it was the left.
Wei was slow to react.
And as Himuro pulled up, Wei didn't know if he should challenge it or not. He was rooted to the ground. Was it another fake?
By the time his inner monologue finished, Himuro splashed the mid-range jumper.
Kamina chuckled as he could tell what Wei was going through. When a player's skill was out of a person's league, it was impossible to determine what they were going to do. Hence why he was slow to react or not react at all.
It wasn't that he didn't try, he just couldn't.
"You don't think… they will actually win this game?" Okamura spoke to Fukui with a nervous laugh.
He didn't want to confront this thought at first but now it seemed like a legitimate possibility.
Fukui shrugged. "Beats me. If you two can't guard them, then I definitely don't have a chance. That means we can only target their weak link."
'Weak link.' Takeshi could almost cry. 'I'm trying my best here!'
Himuro threw the ball behind his back and went to screen for Kamina at the wing. Kamina went over the screen and met Wei on the opposite side. He brought the ball up into a shooting motion and Wei's body lifted off the ground for contest.
'Shit! Thou can perform it too!?'
Wei found himself in a familiar situation. Why did it seem he was being specifically targeted by the dangerous freshmen duo?
Wei cursed in his mind. Himuro furrowed his brow. It was the first time he saw another player do a hesitation dribble as well as he did.
Wei covered ground quickly and was there for the contest. He was right behind Kamina and geared up ready to block the shot.
Right as he was going to jump, Kamina leaped first to throw off Wei's timing and pushed his torso into Wei's chest. Putting Wei in a position that he couldn't jump or do anything except watch as the shot go in.
"Crafty little bastard," Fukui murmured.
Another two points.
9-0.
Masako Araki paced back and forth with the bokken sitting on her neck observing each and every court. "Aya-Chan, go ahead and write the name of those two boys over there playing Fukui and the others."
"Already did, mama." Ayako said.
She wore her signature blue biker shorts and oversized pink shirt with a whistle hanging down her neck.
Some boys couldn't help but take a glance every once in a while. Though, they were quickly scared off by their coach's glare.
"On top of it like always."
"Of course."
Masako grinned. After this was all over, she would make sure to have the trio of regulars run laps around the gym. Their performance was less than stellar.
After another three points by Kamina and a layup by Himuro, the regulars finally got the ball back when Takashi made a blunder on offense and got the ball stolen from him.
Okamura grumbled as he positioned himself in the lane, Kamina trying to guard his big body, having zero success. "Can't believe we're losing to some pretty boy freshmen."
Now having the ball, Fukui bounce passed the ball to Okamura who caught it without a hindrance. Kamina was backed down in the paint, doing nothing to slow down the big man.
"Huuu!" Okamura jumped right from underneath the rim and smashed the ball through the net. "Hehe."
"Well, guess this game was over once we turned it over." Kamina let his thoughts spill.
"You got that right freshman," Okamura smiled.
Throughout the rest of the game the regulars abused their size on the offensive end. Their long limbs coupled with large bodies made them impossible to guard inside the paint or even contest a shot.
Wei Liu would blow past Himuro every single time making the latter a bit irritated. Takeshi couldn't guard Fukui as the experience gap between the two was wide. And as for Kamina…
"Huuuu!"
Well, he reserved his fate to getting overpowered in the post by Okamura throughout the short course of the game.
It was 19-14 and Kamina decided to pull Himuro and Takeshi to talk about a game plan.
"Anyone have any ideas how to stop them?"
Himuro nodded whilst Takeshi and Kamina listened. "The only chance we have is to block all passing routes that Fukui-San has as soon as the ball is checked. We'll have to take the risk."
"I was thinking along the same lines," Kamina said. "Himuro you check the ball up with Fukui while me and Yamamoto-San will close out from the sides."
"Alright."
"Sounds good to me."
Okamura was grinning. In his mind the game was already over. It was only a matter time. There was nothing the freshmen could do.
And Himuro passed the ball back to Fukui he was ready to finish it with a bam. However…
Fukui hadn't expected the sudden rush from the other team. He looked to get rid of it under slight panic, and as Takeshi was already in the air, he managed to tip the ball upwards.
Okamura and Wei finally realized what was going on. But it was too late. Himuro picked up the loose ball and passed it out to Kamina who ran to the wing.
Fukui tried to intercept the pass, though he was unsuccessful in his endeavor.
Okamura, like an angry giant, he stormed at Kamina who was looking to follow through with his shot.
-Swish-
Right in his face. Okamura was a moment too late.
"Yes!" Kamina almost celebrated. He cockily gazed at Okamura. "It's never over until it's over."
"Shut up," Okamura was annoyed and it was shown by the twitches of his face.
However, at this moment in time no one was more frustrated than Fukui. When the ball hit the ground, he launched it up into the air and almost into the lights. "Dammit."
It was common for him to do this once in a while in order for him to relieve anger and go back to his calm state. Though the loud boom spooked some freshmen who had never seen this side of him.
"Thou shall calm down," Wei said.
"I am calm. Very calm."
Kamina rubbed the back of his neck and shook his body to get loose. He was starting to ache, which was never a good thing.
His chest heaved up and down, sweat raining from the sides of his face. His stamina was running on zero. He figured he would be able to last the rest of the game, however.
For their next play, Kamina took Okamura with him all the way to the other corner of the three-point line, so Himuro had more than enough space to get off his shot and that Okamura wouldn't catch him off guard with a double team.
Oddly enough, it didn't seem as if Himuro was looking to score. He signaled for Kamina to come take the ball from a hand off at the top of the key.
Kamina did just that as Himuro screened for him.
Dribbling towards Takeshi, Kamina pointed at the ground and made sure that Wei was still on his heel. "Yamamoto-San, screen me!"
He was looking for a mismatch.
Kamina wasted no time once he passed around Takeshi's body. He bolted to the baseline. Fukui cursed but was still on his heel
Kamina bounced the ball between his legs going right into a half-spin move. But that wasn't all as he hesitated between the motion of the move for only half a second, and then completed the spin going right into a beautiful fadeaway jumper.
Fukui was left frozen by the move, half a step too late.
19-19.
They were tied.
There was no talking between the two teams. It was a tense moment and whoever scored next would win.
Ayako was enjoying the game just as much as Masako. It seems they weren't the only ones with nearly half the gym staring at the two teams, ready to see who would come out on top.
Who would have thought a game between freshmen and seniors would be this close?
Takeshi moved down to the right-side corner. Once he checked the ball, Himuro passed to Kamina. Similar to before, Kamina drove to the basket, this time without any moves to lull his defender.
'Shit.' Kamina's legs nearly gave out on him down low in the post. He quickly kicked the ball back out to Himuro who went to his favorite spot to shoot a midrange jumper after completely fooling Wei on another fake.
As if he had expected it, Fukui was in the air the same time Himuro set his shot. And Wei had also recovered to swat the ball from the back.
'Should I do it? I still haven't perfected it. It's a risk. Tsk.'
Himuro dished it out to the corner. Takeshi was on an island all by himself at the three. He hadn't expected to touch the ball once more the rest of the game.
Okamura wasn't slow on the defensive, scaring Takeshi shitless making him launch the ball prematurely.
Was it going to go in?
Everyone was unsure. But that question would be answered soon enough.