Rebirth in KurokoNoBasket

He cruised through the court with the ball. Shun dribbled the ball near the left sideline of the court.     

As he approached the three-point arc, Akashi closed on him.     

Shun scouted the court with his court vision and saw a pass-routine. Just before Akashi entered his range, Shun passed the ball with both his hands towards the right to Mibuchi.     

Akashi narrowed his eyes as he saw the future of Shun passing the ball to Mibuchi, but because he wasn't in the range, he couldn't stop the pass.     

Akashi returned his sight to Shun and saw him closing in on him.     

-*-*-*-     

Mibuchi got the ball and turned his eyes to the basket for scoring, but Midorima also entered his vision. He decided not to score and pass the ball.     

He dribbled the ball and made a little space between them and then passed the ball to Aone on the inside.     

-*-*-*-     

Akashi saw Shun close in on him, and then moved past him towards the basket.     

He searched the court for the ball and players and guessed Tokiwadai's plan.     

Akashi: 'The ball will move back to Kageyama.'     

Akashi turned back and chased after Shun.     

Shun raised his hand for a pass. Aone looked at him and passed the ball to him.     

Shun got the ball but didn't stop for a second to attack the basket.     

Shun: 'Akashi is behind me.'     

And, he was right, Akashi was right behind Shun, with rings glowing in his eyes.     

Shun knew that Akashi was behind him, but he couldn't see him, and that bound God-Speed Impulse from working.     

Shun: 'I need to move to a place where I can see him.'     

-*-*-*-     

Yuki saw Shun get the ball and Akashi on his tail.     

He decided to help him by setting up a screen. He moved in Akashi's path to hinder him.     

Shun passed Yuki, and Akashi approached him.     

-*-*-*-     

Shun saw Yuki setting up a screen and thought.     

Shun: 'It won't work. He will evade it, but I can work with it.'     

Shun approached Yuki from the right and passed him from the left. As soon as he passed Yuki, he stopped and faced the basket and opened up his court vision.     

Shun saw Akashi passing Yuki from the right, to approach him from behind.     

Shun smiled as his plan work. He once again moved and moved ahead of Yuki.     

Akashi was a surprised Shun move and turned to go back to Yuki's front to block Shun, but then narrowed his eyes as he saw Shun pulling up for a jump shot.     

Yuki's intended screen might have failed, but when Shun moved back to Yuki's front, Akashi, who was behind Yuki, served as a screen for Akashi, and even if Akashi could run around the screen, he wouldn't have been able to reach Shun on time.     

-*-*-*-*-*-*-     

Akashi faced Shun as Akashi held the ball with both his hands.     

Akashi began by passing the ball between his legs. He moved the ball to his left hand.     

Shun kept his eyes peeled to look for any vulnerable moments between the dribbles.     

Akashi had already decided how to score, now he just needed a way to make the play successful.     

Akashi glanced at Shun and made a move.     

He moved the ball from his left hand to his right hand.     

Akashi: 'He will move now.'     

Akashi remembered from the previous exchanges that Shun moved when he the ball between hands. So, this time he was ready.     

Shun moved his hand to tip the ball, but Akashi, who was ready for it, moved the ball back to his left hand in a back-change.     

Akashi didn't stop there and did a sidestep to the left and got into the shooting motion.     

Shun's eyes locked on to Akashi and his body snapped into action. He raised his body and jumped for a block.     

Akashi had positioned himself for the shoot. Shun felt that he wouldn't be able to reach the ball, so he moved his hand in front of Akashi's face to block his vision of the basket.     

Akashi smiled as he had no problem with that. Akashi released the ball towards the basket.     

Akashi: "I wasn't going to shoot anyways."     

Shun frowned when he heard that and looked back.     

He clicked his tongue as he saw Murasakibara jumping and grabbing the ball.     

Shun: "Alley-oop."     

-*-*-*-     

Commentator A: "That was quite a play by Teiko. I am surprised that Akashi-kun was able to get the ball to Murasakibara-kun from that distance."     

Commentator B: "True, I too thought that after his vision hindered, he won't be able to get the ball to his teammate."     

-*-*-*-*-*-*-     

Shirogane nodded and gave his opinion.     

Shirogane: "That was a risky gamble, but it paid off. Kageyama was extremely close to making that shot miss its mark."     

Satsuki nodded as she made a guess.     

Satsuki: "I think Akashi-kun is going to pass the ball to others to close the point-gap."     

Shirogane hummed and spoke.     

Shirogane: "They need to keep the ball away from Kageyama, farther the better."     

-*-*-*-*-*-*-     

Shun dribbled the ball right through the center of the court.     

He was moving forward, where Akashi stood in his path.     

As soon as Shun stepped into range, Akashi moved his hands towards Shun's right hand, which had the ball.     

Shun saw that and reacted. He put extra force on the ball than he usually put and dribbled it to his right hand.     

Akashi had moved correctly, but he didn't account for Shun changing the speed of the dribble and missed the ball.     

He didn't dawdle on the miss and moved to the next steal opportunity.     

Shun knew that driving past Akashi won't work, and he needed to make some space.     

Shun: 'I will go with...'     

Akashi saw the future of Shun's next move.     

Akashi: '... In-and-out dribble.'     

Shun moved his left hand towards the right as if to pass the ball to his right hand, and he also saw Akashi moving his hand towards the return course of the dribble.     

A jolt traveled to Shun's ball hand, and instead of bringing the ball back to the left side, he released the ball and let it fall towards the right.     

Akashi was once again baffled by the future changing.     

Akashi: 'How?!'     

Shun caught the ball in his right hand, and as Akashi was leaning to the left side, he decided to cut him from the right.     

He sidestepped to the right and exploded from there past Akashi.     

Shun ran around the court, avoiding Aomine and Kise, and arrived at another spot on the three-point arc.     

From there, he pulled up for a three-pointer. The ball hit the inner left side of the rim and dropped into the net.     

Shun exhaled all the air in his lungs, and then took a deep breath of fresh air to provide his lungs with oxygen-rich air.     

And, then Immediately moved back to Tokiwadai's side of the court, for their defense.     

-*-*-*-*-*-*-     

Temari looked at the three boys quietly sitting in their seats as they kept their eyes on Shun, which was unusual as Inuzuka would cheer every time Tokiwadai scored, and Hikigaya and Shikamaru would also speak from time to time.     

But, they had been quiet for a while now.     

Temari addressed the boys.     

Temari: "Why are you three so quiet? Did something happen?"     

All three of them glanced at Temari and then turned back to the court.     

Shikamaru opened his mouth to speak for the group.     

Shikamaru: "The four of us became friends in the first year, so we have known each other for one and a half years, but this is the first time we have this side of Kageyama."     

Temari was confused and asked.     

Temari: "Which side?"     

Hikigaya was the one to answer that.     

Hikigaya: "Kageyama is usually the happy-go-lucky and carefree kind of guy. When we hang out in the class or outside, he would always be the mood setter. If you turn to him at any point of time in school, you would most probably see him with a relaxed expression on his face.     

To see him this serious, is a first for us."     

Inuzuka sighed, scratched the back of his head, and continued.     

Inuzuka: "We knew that he was working hard at his club, he did refuse to hang out after school a lot of times.     

It's just seeing him play so seriously at an official game is a first."     

-*-*-*-*-*-*-     

Akashi crossed the half-court line and decided the play for this possession.     

He looked at Shun in standing neat the free-throw line in front of the basket.     

Akashi: 'First, let's move him from there.'     

Akashi changed direction and moved towards the left side of the court. Shun, who was Akashi's defender, and the only one capable of stopping him also moved towards the left, but still stayed inside the three-point arc.     

Shun, was now on the left side of the court, making the right side a weak spot for Tokiwadai.     

Akashi: 'Step one, complete.'     

Akashi scanned the court and found the optimal way of scoring. He signaled for the play, and his teammates understood.     

He looked at Shun and sprinted towards him.     

Shun too move forward for a three-pointer possibility.     

As the distance closed, Akashi suddenly stopped and threw the ball in an overhead pass.     

Shun's eyes widened, and his reflexes came to life.     

Shun: 'I can't reach the ball. Follow the pass to block the receiver.'     

Shun's court vision scanned the court, and he found Murasakibara behind him.     

Shun: 'A screen.'     

Shun turned back, sidestepped and passed Murasakibara, and thus totally evaded the screen.     

Muraskibara grunted in annoyance at the evade, but Akashi was totally fine with Shun evading the screen.     

Akashi: "That is precious time he lost."     

Shun immediately looked for the ball and the receiver. He saw Aomine moving to the basket.     

The second he saw Aomine, he felt the jolt travel through him, and he made a sharp direction change.     

Akashi's face once again covered with surprise when he saw Shun turn the second he saw Aomine.     

Akashi: "How did he know?!"     

Shun sprinted full-force towards Aomine. Aomine saw him approaching him and immediately stopped on the spot to stop the distance from reducing any further and proceeded to throw the ball into the basket.     

Shun grinned with excitement as he jumped and blocked the shot with no doubt of it going inside the basket.     

Kise and Yuki tried to follow the ball, but it went out of bounds.     

Shun and Aomine stood there, catching their breaths. Aomine turned to Shun and said.     

Aomine: "How in the world did you catch up to me?"     

Shun had both of his hands on his waist. He turned to Aomine replied.     

Shun: "That is for me to know, and you to find out."     

That was all they spoke and moved into positions for the inbounded ball.     

-*-*-*-*-*-*-     

Akashi was using every spare second of his time to find a pattern in Shun's plays, and around halfway into the third quarter, he found the answer.     

Akashi stopped in the middle of the court and said to himself.     

Akashi: "Reaction Time. Yes, that is it. His reflexes provide him with the reaction time."     

Akashi finally understood how Shun was able to escape him every single time.     

Akashi: 'I can see the future, but he can change the future that I see.'     

Akashi locked his eyes on Shun and stared at him intently. Many thoughts went through his minds, and then he smiled.     

Akashi: "Let's see to what limit you can react to."     

A plan formed in Akashi's mind as he schemed to trap Shun and grasp victory.