Ch.5_ One point behind

The tension had been growing in Teikou's bench, and it only got worse at the end of the first quarter. The players reunited in silence, unable to absorb the fact that they were losing. Riko wanted to say something, but she didn't know what; after all, she barely knew three of them.

"Maybe we should think of a strategy against them." In the end, she felt that it was her job to help the players, even if she wasn't acting as "coach" this time.

"Excuse me, but we don't need one. One point behind is something I can handle just fine. Besides, I have my lucky item with me."

Midorima's speech just made Aomine and Kagami start their arguing again.

"No, you should leave it to me. We just have to break through like I did in the first jump."

"You haven't done anything for the last five minutes, so stop with the cocky act."

"I'm not the one who got stopped by a shorty."

The audience was whispering, as shocked as the players were. If it had been any other match, such a small difference wouldn't have had any meaning; but to think that there was a team who could actually play equally against four members of the generation. And on top of that, it was an unknown team; where had they been hiding until that moment?

Back on the bench, Riko stopped Kuroko as he headed for the court.

"How much time do we have left?"

"I can play the whole match." He rectified when he saw Riko's face. "I think I can manage this quarter."

"Then please, I need you to do something for me. Try to wake those idiots up, will you?"

Both teams prepared for the second quarter. The audience murmurs started to disappear.

The second quarter began.

And things only got worse. No matter what the miracles tried, it was completely useless. It's not that they couldn't score; every one of the Teikou players was more than capable to score two or three points here and there. But the difference only got more accused as the minutes passed.

The ball would invariably fly from Igarashi and his team to Danny back and forth, at an incredible speed. Danny had been right; a normal team would have been completely obliterated by then.

Of course, Igarashi and the rest were not measuring with a normal team. It was the miracles' team, and it was taking all they had just to keep them in check.

But Endo High's resolve was stronger. Their pace accelerated even more.

Four minutes of the second quarter: Teikou 29 – Endo 37.

Kasamatsu would have loved to hit Kise in that moment. Ever since their first match against Seirin, Kise seemed to have gotten better at teamwork. Furthermore, among the miracles, he probably was the one who took everyone else into account the most. But he was completely unaware of the fact that Kuroko had been panting heavily for a while.

The match was being fierce. The ball flew from one side to the court to the other so fast that the referee was having problems to follow it. Yet the real clash was developing in the middle of the court, where the two experts had been maintaining a silent battle ever since the second quarter began.

Their passes were fast and precise. Their counters were unexpected and unbreakable. None of the other players could block them, or maybe they didn't bother to. There was no time to be distracted, even for one second.

Even when there were no flashy moves or any kind of praise, those two people were directing the match, and everyone was beginning to realize it.

Seven minutes of the second quarter: Teikou 34 – Endo 46.

Danny moved a few steps towards Kuroko, who moved to his right to regain his field of vision. There were just three minutes left, and Kuroko had to find a way to turn the flow back to his team before he had to leave. It was just as Riko had said; his teammates were too caught up in the count, and their play was suffering. At that rate, even if he kept going, they wouldn't even rely on his help anymore. Danny grinned.

"Do you see now? Let me tell you this: I am better than you. You are a superb player, I'll give you that. But in order to be the best on court we, the supportive characters, have to be more than everybody else. We are the masterminds. I'm more than just a shadow, you see? I'm the cornerstone of this team. So, what are you to them?"

Kuroko was starting to feel really annoyed. He hadn't felt that way ever since Teikou's third consecutive victory. His style was the only one among his partners that relayed on a team, but it was because of this that it could be easily overlooked.

Of course he had said he wanted to become the number one in Japan; but he knew it wasn't something that could be accomplished by one person alone. And surrounded by self-centered players, there was no way for him to use his abilities to his fullest.

Maybe that was his last chance. It was do or die, anyway.

"I am a shadow. I want to climb to the top being what I am."

Kuroko dashed forwards again, stealing the ball midway one more time. He barely advanced when he got blocked; the blue haired threw it high above, towards the other side, but it wouldn't reach the basket. The time seemed to stretch and slow down.

"It's not I want!"

Kagami freed from Fukuhara's block, and catched up to the ball's course. He jumped with all his might, and dunked!

"How many times do I have to repeat myself?"

Riko closed her eyes, a bit more relieved. Her number 10 really was a big idiot, always getting carried away by his emotions. But she had noticed Kuroko's message, she had seen both of the players working together before, and she knew that this shot hadn't been a fluke. Now that Kagami had cooled down a little, and seemed ready for some cooperation, they had a chance.

But the coach wasn't the only one surprised by Kagami's unexpected outburst. Everyone turned to look at him. Then, as if a switch had been pulled, Kise started to grin.

"Don't go acting all cool on your own, Kagamicchi!"

The game continued, and Teikou had found a new strength. Kuroko's moves changed, since now he could support his team when they attacked.

"He is such an idiot." Midorima tucked his glasses in place, and received the ball back from Kise. Even from the far edge of the court, his shot went right through.

Ten minutes of the second quarter: Teikou 38 – Endo 46

"End of the second quarter!"

The voice of the referee caught everyone by surprise, and each team went back to their benches again. Momoi put her laptop away as the players approached.

"Tetsu, you should stay back for now."

"That's right, Kuroko. You have pushed yourself too much already." Riko agreed with her.

Kuroko leaned against the wall, trying to recover his breath. This was not the moment to be doing this, not when there finally was a chance to catch up to the other team. They couldn't afford to lose control of the match anymore.

"Do as they say, Kuroko." Kagami seemed a bit embarrassed by his attitude earlier, and was trying to make up for it. "We'll hold them off until you can come back."

"Easier said than done." Kise said. "I don't like to admit it, but no one else has been able to break through their style."

Kuroko observed them. He seemed to be contempt with what he saw, and he agreed to rest for the next quarter.

"It is not difficult to do. In fact, we all have already started to break through." It was indeed a simple technique, similar to his own. "The reason Danny can keep his trick longer than I do is because his team makes sure that the point difference keeps growing or, at least, remains unchanged."

"I see." Riko continued his train of thought. "No matter how determined they may be, all people are susceptible to pressure. The fancy way in which they made the challenge, and even the number of curious –though I don't think that was planned – made our team all the more susceptible to it. As I thought, is all about maintaining the flow of the game, and playing with your opponent's mind."

"It's not only that" concluded Momoi. "They are also good players. As things are now, we will have to get serious or we'll be in trouble."

Back in the grades, Hyuuga smiled to himself. Twenty minutes left, and barely eight points behind? It was more than enough time to make their comeback.

However, he was not the only one smiling. One person had arrived while the second quarter was still midway, and had been watching silently since then. Knowing his former team as well as he did, it was clear that the battle was far from over.

Chapter 6: The key of victory is teamwork! But time is running out and both teams are unyielding. Which team will be the winner? And who is the new character?