Black Basketball: A false start

Chapter 258 Heavenly Chasm
As time went on, Yangquan High School successfully narrowed the score gap to single digits thanks to the counterattacks of Murasakibara Atsushi and Himuro Tatsuya, and there were only four minutes left in the game.

"What an intense match..." Aomine Daiki exclaimed as he looked at the scoreboard on the sidelines, "104 to 96, Kaneki's matches have never had such a low score..."

"It's better to say that the effect of evolution is immediate..." Konji Shoichi said in shock, "To be honest, before this game, I never thought that Kaneki Ken would be blocked on the court..."

"Being blocked is a small matter..." Wakamatsu Kosuke smacked his lips and said, "Kaneki Ken... won't lose this game, right?"

"It's hard to say." Aomine Daiki frowned and said, "The current competition has exceeded my understanding... It's really exciting, the world after evolution!"

"boom!"

Just as everyone from Tonghuang High School was talking on the sidelines, a loud noise suddenly attracted everyone's attention.

"Nice block!" the commentator on the sidelines roared excitedly, "Murasara-san blocked Kaneki-san's layup! Murasakihara-san got the rebound!"

"Atsushi, here!" Himuro Tatsuya took the lead and ran to the front court, stretching out his hand and shouting to Murasakibara Atsushi for the ball.

"Muro! Catch the ball!" Murasakibara Atsushi threw the ball to the front court with a shot put action.

"The deciding goal is right here!" Akashi Seijuro's pupils shrank slightly, and he said with a firm tone, "As long as the score difference is within five points, Yangquan High School is fully capable of turning the tables within four minutes!"

"Strange..." Hayama Kotaro frowned and muttered, "It seems that Kaneki Ken and Shigen Atsushi have not entered the zone..."

"The current game is no longer something that can be influenced by the zones..." Akashi Seijuro said in a complicated tone, "Kaneki and Murasakihara are competing now... to see which team is more resilient!"

"Good pass, Adun!" Himuro Tatsuya came to the front court and jumped up, grabbing the flying basketball from the air.

"I can't let you pass!" Rukawa stood in front of Himuro Tatsuya like a leech, staring at Himuro Tatsuya with a pair of cold eyes and growled.

"I never need you to let me through!" Himuro Tatsuya roared, "I will break through by myself!"

"boom!"

Under Rukawa's vigilant gaze, Himuro Tatsuya used a large crossover and a quick turn to get rid of Rukawa's entanglement, then raised the ball high with both hands and threw it out with a gentle touch.

"Throw it in, Himuro!"

"go in!"

As the basketball flew towards the basket, the Yangquan University players on the sidelines stood up and cheered, as if the louder they shouted, the easier it would be for the basketball to go into the basket.

"Don't even think about scoring a goal, Poker Face!"

Just when everyone thought that the shot was a sure thing, Sakuragi Hanamichi's excited voice suddenly rang in Himuro Tatsuya's ears.

"Oh no, I forgot about this guy!" Himuro Tatsuya's eyes narrowed and he looked at Sakuragi Hanamichi who was flying in the air with despair, his mind going blank.

"boom"!
As Sakuragi Hanamichi's long arms fell, the basketball thrown by Himuro Tatsuya was nailed hard on the backboard by Sakuragi Hanamichi. The basketball hit Himuro Tatsuya's face and bounced out, and the ball possession returned to Shonan High School.

"Well done, Sakuragi!" Miyagi Ryouta on the sidelines waved his fist excitedly, as if he had blocked half of the ball.

"Uhhhhhhhhh!!!" After completing the block, Sakuragi Hanamichi excitedly tore off his jersey and roared like an angry lion.

"It's really adding insult to injury!" Aomine Daiki said with a hint of regret in his eyes, "Not only did we fail to score, but we also lost the ball..."

"But don't you think the situation just now is a bit strange?" Wakamatsu Kosuke scratched the back of his head uncertainly and said, "I don't know why, but I always feel that the situation just now is a bit strange..."

"Strange? What's strange about it?" Aomine Daiki looked at Wakamatsu Kosuke in confusion, and then he suddenly realized as if he remembered something, "I remember, the ball just now... Murasakibara didn't catch up!"

As Aomine Daiki finished his words, the players of Toou High School all turned their attention to the backcourt, only to see Murasakibara Atsushi bending over and retching, with his hands on his knees, looking exhausted.

"Murasara..." Masako Araki couldn't help but feel distressed when she saw Murasaki Atsushi's tired appearance. After thinking it over again and again, Masako Araki walked to the workbench on the sidelines and used the last timeout of Yangquan High School.

"Beep~~" The referee's whistle attracted the attention of the players on the field, "Yangquan High School, requesting a timeout!"

"Pause? Why?" Murasakihara Atsushi's confused eyes suddenly regained clarity, and he looked at Araki Masako with a puzzled look. Araki Masako looked into Murasaki Atsushi's eyes, sighed softly, and waved at Murasaki Atsushi.

"What are you thinking about, Masako-chan?" Murasakibara Atsushi sat on the bench, gulping down water while complaining, "Shouldn't this timeout be saved for the decisive moment?"

"I think... why don't we give up for the time being, Murasaki." After a long silence, Masako Araki looked up at Murasaki Atsushi and said.

"What? Give up!" Murasakibara Atsushi stood up with an unhappy look on his face, kicked over the bench and yelled, "If you wanted to give up, what were you doing earlier? Why didn't you give up in the summer? This game was arranged by Yanzi and I! The score was about to be tied, and you told me to give up?"

"I don't want to either!" Araki Masako closed her eyes in pain, then opened them and looked at Murasakihara Atsushi and said, "But your body is already burned out! You can't even run!"

"..." Murasakihara Atsushi was suddenly stuck when his heart was touched. He looked at Araki Masako blankly. After a long silence, he said, "So? It's burned out, so what?"

"We may not win this game, but if you can maintain your health and improve first, you will at least have a chance to compete with Kaneki Ken next year. But if you get injured, you will have nothing!" Araki Masako felt that Murasakihara Atsushi seemed to be interested, so she quickly persuaded him, "We just lost this game, we can win it back later!"

"You can win the game back if you lose it, but if you lose confidence, you'll have nothing." Murasakihara Atsushi raised his head and said to Araki Masako word by word, "I don't want to be like Inoue, who walked off the court in disgrace after being beaten by his opponent! Even if I can't be Yabuki Joe or Jose, I want to be a boxer who burns everything out!"

"Murasara..." Masako Araki was shocked by Murasakihara Atsushi's sudden outburst of emotions. She stared blankly into Murasakihara Atsushi's eyes, not knowing what to say.

"Coach, listen to A-Dun." Himuro Tatsuya on the side suddenly said, "After all, A-Dun is the trump card of our Yangquan High School, isn't he?"

"Yes, coach." Kenichi Okamura also stood up and said, "I have fought with Kaneki Ken to this extent. If I give up just like that, I won't be willing even if I go to college!" "Let Adun go!" Mike Okita stepped forward and pleaded.

"... a bunch of idiots." Araki Masako looked at the players who had already made up their minds, her eyes gradually turned red, and she said with a choked voice, "But it is my honor to be the coach of you idiots..."

"Coach, let's arrange the tactics." Himuro Tatsuya stared at the scoreboard on the sidelines and said, "There are still three and a half minutes left. The eight-point difference can be caught up..."

"I understand." Araki wiped the tears from her eyes, picked up the tactical board on the ground, walked in front of everyone and said, "In the next game, we will use the Box 1 tactic..."

……

"Ken-kun, we can win, right?" On the bench of Shonan High School, Momoi Satsuki was so nervous for the first time that her palms were sweating. Unable to suppress her nervousness, she could only look at her backbone, Kaneki Ken, to confirm continuously.

"Don't worry, May." Kaneki Ken's expression was more serious than ever before, "On this earth, people my age who can beat me have not yet been born."

"Kaneki-san..." Anton Mitsuyoshi suddenly said, "In the next game, would you mind letting Mitsui-san control the ball for a while?"

"Ah?" Kaneki Ken was stunned at first, then he understood the intention behind Anton Mitsuyoshi's deep eyes, nodded solemnly and said, "Coach, I will obey your tactical arrangements."

"Very good..." Anton Mitsuyoshi waved to the players of Shonan High School and said, "In the next game, Mitsui will be the tactical core..."

"Buzz~~"

As the coaches of both teams gave instructions, the short timeout came to an end. As the timer rang, the players of both teams stood up and walked toward the center of the court.

"I feel like I can't breathe..." Hinata Shunping looked at the scene solemnly and said softly, "This is the first time I've seen someone push Kaneki Ken to this extent..."

"Yes..." Aida Reiko frowned and said, "Whether it's the evolved Murasakibara Atsushi or Kaneki Ken who has been invincible since his debut... No matter who enters the finals, they are too strong for us..."

"Kaguya, look at them!" Muji Tieping teased Kagami Daiwo with a smile on his face, "When will you be as strong as them? I really want to feel the feeling of hugging someone's thighs..."

"Senior, I'm afraid now is not the time to talk about this..." Kuroko Tetsuya complained speechlessly, "In my opinion, whether it is Kaneki-san or..."

"We can't beat them no matter who they are." Muji Tieping said with a smile, "But basketball is not just about winning or losing. As long as we try our best, it's fine... I think Zi Yuandun thinks the same now."

"Look! Yangquan High School's lineup is so weird!"

While the players of Seirin High School were still discussing, the exclamations of the audience on the sidelines attracted their attention. Following the audience's line of sight, they saw that at this time, on the field, except for Murasakibara Atsushi, the other four players of Yangquan High School surrounded Kaneki Ken tightly, leaving him no room to connect with the ball.

"You guys are really well prepared..." Kaneki Ken smiled bitterly and shook his head, "Should I thank you for thinking so highly of me?"

"You are Kaneki Ken, so no matter how careful you are, it's never too much." Himuro Tatsuya had cold sweat on his forehead and smiled while trying to suppress the trembling in his voice.

"Okay..." Kaneki Ken shook his head helplessly and said, "But I'm afraid you guessed wrong. In the next game... I may not interfere too much."

"What!" Himuro Tatsuya looked at Kaneki Ken's inexplicable smile, his heart suddenly skipped a beat, and an ominous premonition came to his mind.

"Xiao San! Catch the ball!"

Under the horrified eyes of Himuro Tatsuya, Sakuragi Hanamichi threw the ball to the front court with a long pass.

"Idiot, that's too much force!" Mitsui Hisashi predicted where the basketball would land, jogged a few steps, jumped up, gritted his teeth and barely caught the ball.

"call!"

As soon as Mitsui Hisashi stood still, Murasakibara Atsushi rushed in front of Mitsui Hisashi with a strong wind pressure.

"The momentum is so strong that it's terrifying..." Mitsuimon felt as if he was being stared at by a giant dragon, and he muttered to himself with a tingling scalp.

"Xiao San, here!" Sakuragi Hanamichi, who came from the backcourt, took advantage of Murasakibara Atsushi being brought to the outside by Mitsui Hisashi, and quickly cut inside to ask for the ball.

"Next, Sakuragi!" Mitsui looked at Sakuragi Hanamichi and threw the ball high with both hands, but the destination of the basketball was not Sakuragi Hanamichi, but Rukawa Kaede.

"Good pass!" Rukawa sighed after receiving the ball. After dribbling the ball briefly, he took off. After stepping his right foot into the paint area, he exerted a little force and took off into the air.

"Get down here!"

Rukawa only felt a flash before his eyes, and the huge figure of Murasakibara Atsushi appeared beside him again, and the huge palm clamped the basketball in Rukawa's hand like an iron clamp.

"This guy... has such great strength!" Rukawa's eyelids twitched wildly, and his whole body gradually lost balance in the air and fell heavily to the ground.

"Bang!" After Murasakibara Atsushi completed the block, he held the basketball tightly in his arms. Under Murasakibara Atsushi's concentrated force, the basketball was visibly deformed.

"Don't try to steal the ball from me again, Ken-chan!" Murasakihara Atsushi said angrily as he looked at Kaneki Ken who had sneaked up on him at some point. "After blocking a shot, you must hold the ball with both hands. I'll remember that!"

"Haha, well done~" Kaneki Ken pointed at Murasakihara Atsushi and smiled awkwardly, then turned around and ran to the backcourt.

"Atsushi, well done." Himuro Tatsuya came to Murasakibara Atsushi, took the basketball, and began to organize a new round of attack.

In the next few minutes, both sides increased their defensive efforts at the same time. Neither team scored a goal. The eight-point difference was like a chasm that isolated Yangquan University from the finals.

As time passed, the players of Yangquan University became more and more impatient.

(End of this chapter)