Teiko Vs Nambara Part III

Teiko's side of the court was filled with cheers and laughter. Everyone was proud that the first years were able to hold on their own against the Nambara Junior High. Although they were younger and more inexperienced, they had proved to everyone that they were not to be trifled with.

Sanada, the coach of Teiko, even had his stoic look lessened. Now I know how strong the basketball club will be in the future. This generation is about to shift the basketball world. The seniors and some of the rookies encircled the players of the first game.

"You guys were great!"

"We knew you could do it!"

"Shinoda! That was awesome!"

"You made our school proud!"

As the Teiko students were in a high, the Nambara team was the opposite. They were all silent and gloomy as if there was a black cloud above their heads ready to pour water. Not only were they humiliated, but they had also eaten their words earlier. They couldn't bear to raise their heads and look at the scores.

Nambara's coach had turned his back against Teiko and was facing his students in a serious look. The fact that they weren't even able to get ½ of Teiko's score made it even worse. Taking a deep breath, the coach shook his head to dispel the depressing thoughts.

"That's enough. The mental state is more than 50% percent of the game. You guys should keep your heads up. It's still not over." Even though there was a slim chance they could get back up again, a chance was still a chance.

While the two teams waited for the half-time to end, the coaches were preparing the line-up for the second match. "We'll continue with this lineup in the second game." No one voiced out their objections as they believed continuing with the players would be beneficial for Teiko. Plus, they could see more of the first year's skills.

"I know that it might be tiring, as you all will be playing straight… But this will be a great experience for all of you." His eyes looked at each one of them. "Continue to give it your all and play."

Shinoda and the others nodded their heads. When the buzzer sounded, they were once again lined up at the centerline. When they faced the Nambara students once again, they realized that the air around their opponents was different. It felt like they were more conditioned and serious now.

The blond glanced at where Nambara's coach stood. He must have given them a pep talk for this change to occur. Shinoda narrowed his eyes as he observed every one of the players. I need to play harder for our team to win. I'm sure that all of us are exhausted, and we lack more experience than the other team.

He knew that sooner or later, their team's performance would decrease. Shinoda would bet that their coach knew that as well. But he understood that this would be a learning curve for them.

"Let's have a good game!"

When the ball was tossed, Murasakibara was once again able to tap the ball and send it to Akashi. The redhead immediately began to drive it towards Nambara's court but was shocked when the ball in his hand disappeared.

"What?" A breathless question escaped his mouth as he saw the opponent's captain running past him while dribbling the orange ball. Akashi gritted his teeth as he realized the ball was stolen. He got careless.

Everyone adjusted to the events and ran towards Teiko's court, but before they could block the captain, the ball had already entered the hoop, giving Nambara 3 points to their score. "Alright! Continue playing like this!" Nambara's coach shouted. Shinoda glanced at his other teammates and knew that they had to keep their heads in the game.

As minutes passed, it became clear to everyone that the first years from Teiko were losing their energy fast. Their speed, except for Shinoda, wasn't as fast as they had been in the first game. But despite the clear exhaustion, they were still able to block, steal, and score points for Teiko Junior.

The team from Nambara Junior High was getting fired up. They were scoring more in this match compared to the first one. But as soon as they saw a ray of hope that they could win, Shinoda would then steal the ball and remind them that they had to face him in order to defeat Teiko.

Aomine was doing crossovers to pass the opponent, but when he realized that he couldn't he threw it towards Shinoda on his right. When the blond caught the ball in his hands, he saw Midorima in the corner of his eyes. "Head's up!" Shinoda tossed it towards the green-haired teen. He didn't hesitate and immediately shot the ball.

Midorima had shot a ball from that distance multiple times already, during practice or in a match. But at this moment, because of the lack of stamina, the ball bounced off the hoop and was stolen by the opponent. "Go! Move!" The one who caught yelled at his team and threw the ball as far as he could.

The captain was quick to run, and without the students from Teiko to block him, he gave a stunning dunk for everyone to see. 60-48, that was the score for of first half, and it was already good for the Nambara students. It was now Teiko's turn to be troubled. "Darn it!" Aomine gritted his teeth as his shot was blocked by an opponent.

It was a battle between stamina, accuracy, and precision. Akashi, Aomine, Midorima, and Murasakibara were all skilled players, but they were still inexperienced. They were still able to score against Nambara, but they knew that it was getting harder as the game continues.

Teiko was lucky that Shinoda was there in the game. He was the one who was able to score most of the points in the game for Teiko. If it weren't for him, Teiko would've lost. The blond team was the only reason why there was still a gap between the two schools. Nambara was getting frustrated with Shinoda, while Teiko was thanking their lucky stars that Shinoda was enrolled in their school.

Only a few minutes were left and the game was about to end. "Why are you so annoying!" A student from Nambara clenched his teeth as he blocked Shinoda. "Why do you have this much stamina?!"

They were getting annoyed at Shinoda's energy that seemed to be limitless. The blond shrugged while holding on to the ball. "I practice until I don't feel exhausted anymore." His answer confused everyone who heard him.

Now's the time. Taking advantage of the fact that the opponents were slightly distracted, Shinoda decided to use his technique before the buzzer would sound. "Thunder Breathing first form, Thunderclap and Flash: Four-Fold."

Whispering those words, Shinoda was once again able to feel a surge of energy rising in him. His golden eyes were taking in the four Nambara students who were in his way. With an excited grin on his face, yellow lightning was once again appearing on the corner of his eyes. Let's finish this.

Everyone was holding their breath when they realized Shinoda was about to perform his technique once again. "W-Wait! This seems to be different!" A student rubbed his eyes but then continued to stare at Shinoda.  It wasn't only him that noticed this.

"I-I can't believe it!" Dark lines appeared at the forehead of Nambara's coach as soon as Shinoda took the first step.

Left

Right

Doing a 360 turn to turn left

Right

There was no pause or hesitation in Shinoda's movements. His body glided in the court when he changed his directions 4 times when passing through the opponents. Reaching the inside of the three-point line, the blond jumped and threw the ball just before the buzzer sounded, ending the game between Teiko and Nambara.

Teiko had won with a huge gap in the score. 81 – 50. And it was all because of Shinoda. Everyone was in disbelief, that was their main reaction. Even the referees were shocked. Nambara wasn't even mad that they lost. Seeing Shinoda's talent made them accept their defeat.

Even though they lost, they were able to meet a powerful opponent and had the opportunity to learn. "Great job, Shinoda." The coach nodded his head at the teenager. "Thanks, coach." The blond bowed in respect. It was a great day for Teiko, they had seen the potential of Shinoda. And although the others weren't as strong, they still had promise.

Midorima, Murasakibara, Akashi, Aomine, and Shinoda left the school together. They were all silent as they were tired after that game. All of them didn't have the energy to hold a conversation. But even if they were quiet, the atmosphere was comfortable.

Everyone except Shinoda was contemplating their performance in the game. Even if Teiko won, they were feeling down as the fact that they had only won because of Shinoda. But they didn't let this fact ruin their friendship.

This served as a reminder that they had to practice more. No worries, we'll catch up to Shinoda in the future. Their hearts were lifted as they glanced at their blond friend who looked happy walking home beside them.