Kuroko's Basketball: I'm not the boss?

Ohara recalled the scene when Murasakibara fought against him right after the pause ended.

Just as he landed, he twisted his right ankle due to his unstable body. He hadn't felt anything while playing on the field, but now that his body had cooled down, he could clearly feel the swelling in his ankle.

[It's quite swollen, what should I do? Should I tell Senior Xiangyang?]

Ohara frowned slightly. He tentatively lifted his right foot and stomped it on the ground. Instantly, a piercing pain shot through him.

Ohara couldn't help but let out a muffled groan, a rare hint of pain flashing across his usually calm face.

Xiangyang noticed that something was wrong with Dayuan, turned around to look at him, and asked, "What's wrong, Dayuan?"

Ohara: "No, it's nothing. There was just a mosquito."

Chapter 243 Taking on a Mission Amidst a Defeated Army

"No, it's nothing, there was just a mosquito."

Xiang Yang glanced at Da Yuan but didn't ask any further questions. Instead, he focused his attention on the scoreboard.

"A seven-point lead in the final quarter..."

"That's enough."

……

……

beep—

A long, drawn-out whistle rang out, signaling the start of the final battle between Yangquan and Haichang.

After a brief pause, Murasakibara's aura showed no signs of abating, and crackling purple lightning still flashed in his eyes, making him look truly frightening.

However, Xiang Yang could tell at a glance that Murasakibara's current physical condition was not as fierce as he appeared on the surface.

The high-paced game lasted for three quarters, and with his body weighing over 200 pounds, he was playing a back-and-forth game with them. If nothing unexpected happens, Murasakibara will not be able to consistently cause damage on the offensive end in the short term.

However, in contrast, Haichang, who had been employing the "bombardment tactic" for more than a full quarter, was also running out of energy.

Even with the "pulling up your pants defense" technique to recover a small amount of stamina, Xiang Yang was finding it somewhat difficult to cope, let alone the others from Haichang.

"So, in the end, you'll have to rely on me."

Xiang Yang chuckled softly, activated the "King of the Final Round," and quietly observed Yang Quan's offensive.

Yangquan, who won the kickoff, still had the right to attack first in the fourth quarter. After a brief communication with Murasakibara, Himuro asked his teammates for possession of the ball and then made a gesture to spread out on the wing.

An open space immediately appeared on the court, where only Himuro and Yuki stood facing each other.

"call--"

Himuro let out a long sigh of relief. He looked at Yuki in front of him, a hint of admiration in his eyes.

"It's really impressive that a second-year player can reach this level."

"Xiangyang must be grooming you to be Haichang's next ace, right? I heard you used to play point guard?"

Yuki was taken aback for a moment, then politely replied, "Thank you. I did play position one before. I don't know what Xiangyang-senpai was thinking, but he has always helped me in various ways."

As he spoke, Yuki adjusted his defensive position, not letting his guard down despite talking to Himuro. Himuro noticed his actions.

"Honestly, these younger generations are all so strong, like monsters. It's really a headache."

Himuro lowered his center of gravity, his eyes sweeping over Yuki's feet. He feinted and turned, then lunged at Yuki's front foot. Just as Yuki turned to defend, Himuro suddenly stopped, pulled up for a jump shot, and successfully made the basket.

Yangquan two points effective

As the referee blew his whistle, Himuro waved at Yuki with a provocative look on his face.

Actually, Himuro's current condition isn't too good either, but he knows very well that Murasakibara's stamina reserves are almost depleted. In order for the team to achieve the final victory, he must step up and hold the line, allowing Murasakibara to save his precious stamina for the end.

On the basketball court, provocative actions and trash talk are very useful weapons. They can often provoke more than 90% of the players to get carried away and try to prove themselves to silence the doubters.

Unfortunately…

Yuki happens to be one of the remaining ten percent.

Returning to Haichang's offensive possession, considering the team's overall lack of stamina, Xiang Yang abandoned the idea of ​​continuing the "bombardment" and instead dribbled the ball across half-court as usual, looking for Yangquan's weaknesses.

He glanced at everyone present, paying particular attention to Yuki. After noticing that the latter did not react to Himuro's provocation, he nodded in satisfaction.

"As expected, an obedient ace is good."

Xiang Yang withdrew his gaze and focused his attention on the defender in front of him. With a fake shot, he immediately fooled the defender. Seeing this, Xiang Yang quickly broke through and rushed towards Yangquan's inside line.

Something's not right... This breakthrough was too easy.

Xiang Yang charged toward the inside line without making a sound, but his eyes kept scanning the surrounding situation. Sure enough, Murasakibara immediately surrounded him, and Chang Zhe, who had been easily beaten by Xiang Yang with a feint earlier, also arrived behind Xiang Yang.

"As expected, it was bait?"

Xiang Yang smiled. Faced with this two-on-one situation, he did not panic at all. Instead, he took the initiative to jump towards Murasakibara, holding the ball with both hands and reaching forward, as if he was eager to block Murasakibara's shot.

However, this scene, which resembled a gift, caused Murasakibara's pupils to shrink, and he quickly withdrew his arm. He knew well how capable Hiyori was of committing fouls and did not intend to give him this opportunity.

However, what Murasakibara didn't expect was that Xiangyang's choice was actually two-way. If Murasakibara played aggressive defense, Xiangyang would use his superb acting skills to draw fouls. If Murasakibara deliberately avoided the fouls, Xiangyang would naturally not be polite to him.

In mid-air, Xiangyang, who was holding the ball with both hands, immediately changed his move, hooked the basketball with one hand, circled it under Murasakibara's arm, and threw it towards the basket.

The basketball bounced off the rim and, after several jolts, finally landed in the bag.

"Are you no good, Murasakibara?"

Xiang Yang smirked and wagged his finger at Murasakibara in a provocative manner.

Moreover, it is clear that Murasakibara is not one of the ten percent who are unaffected by provocation.

Veins bulged on his face, and the lightning in his eyes seemed to be throbbing wildly as if stimulated by something.

"Pass me the ball!"

With a roar, Murasakibara charged towards Kaijo's paint as he gained possession of the ball, his body moving like a truck.

However, this time, in Xiangyang's eyes, Murasakibara's speed and impact were visibly reduced, and he no longer had that unstoppable feeling from the third quarter.

【Chance!】

Xiang Yang's eyes sharpened, and he stealthily ran behind Murasakibara. He glanced at Ohara standing under the basket and felt somewhat reassured.

If Ohara simply slows Murasakibara down slightly, as he did before, he can get behind Murasakibara and slice the basketball out of his hands.

The situation was unfolding exactly as Xiangyang had envisioned, with Murasakibara also engaging Ohara in a contest with the ball, however…

To Xiangyang's surprise, Ohara, who was originally able to hold his own against Murasakibara for a while, was now showing great fragility. Faced with Murasakibara's impact, Ohara not only failed to withstand it, but also sat down on the ground, exposing the Kaijo family's basketball hoop directly in front of Murasakibara.

Seeing this, Murasakibara was overjoyed and, without any hesitation, continued to pull up the green onion on the spot.

He jumped and slammed the ball down with both hands to score two more points!

In this way, the point difference between Haichang and Yangquan was reduced to five points.

"I'm sorry... I couldn't stop him..."

Ohara's voice, devoid of any emotional fluctuation, rang out, but everyone could hear the helplessness and guilt in his words.

Xiangyang stood there, his brows slightly furrowed as he looked at Ohara. Beside him, Yuki was about to step forward and help Ohara up when Xiangyang stopped her.

"Senior Xiangyang?"

Yuki was a little confused, but before he could ask, he saw Xiangyang squat down in front of Ohara and say, "Stretch out your right foot."

Ohara's expression froze for a moment, then he changed the subject, saying, "Sorry, Hikaru-senpai, I'll definitely defend Murasakibara on the next ball..."

"Stretch out your right foot."

Xiangyang interrupted Dayuan directly, squinting at Dayuan's right leg.

After a two-second silence, Ohara finally stretched out his right foot in front of Xiangyang.

When were you injured?

Xiangyang frowned and pressed on Dayuan's ankle. Sure enough, there was a swelling, and it was quite large.

Ohara honestly replied, "During the third quarter."

Xiangyang: "Why didn't you say so earlier?"

Ohara fell silent. He looked at Xiangyang, who had no expression, and his lips moved slightly: "Senior Xiangyang, I can play until the end of the match."

No, you can't.

Xiang Yang shook his head, ignoring Da Yuan's shouts, and got up to walk in front of the referee.

Haichang applied for suspension

Ohara is injured

Everyone at Kaijo fell silent. Takeuchi's expression was extremely grim. Everyone knew very well what the price of Ohara's injury would be at this critical juncture.

This could very well cost them the championship this year.

"Let me go! Coach! Senior Xiangyang! I can still compete!"

Ohara continued shouting, but Xiangyang waved and ordered, "Two people, carry him into the changing room."

Takeuchi also said, "The doctor is in the locker room right now, let's carry him over there."

As Takeuchi and Xiangyang spoke at the same time, two players from the Kaijo atmosphere team immediately stepped forward, put their arms around Ohara's shoulders, and carried him out.

As Ohara's shouts faded into the distance, the Kaijo bench fell into an unusual moment of silence.

Takeuchi took a deep breath and turned to Xiangyang, asking, "What should we do now?"

With Ohara injured, Kaijo's already weak interior strength has dropped another level. Most importantly, their lead has gradually disappeared under Yangquan's relentless encroachment.

Even in this critical moment, Xiangyang could still laugh. He put his arm around Tanaka's neck and whispered, "Now, it's your turn."

Tanaka blinked, then pointed to himself with his thumb: "Me?"

"Of course it's you, who else can play center?"

Xiang Yang rubbed his eyes and said in a deep voice, "Tanaka, have you ever heard a saying?"

"You were entrusted with this task amidst defeat and ordered to act in a time of crisis. Whether you anticipated this situation before the competition or not, you are now the only choice."

Talent: Chicken soup for the soul has been activated.