Rantipole - Kuroko no Basket x Fem!Reader x Haikyuu!!

Chapter 34 - Atrocious

Just as it had during our first game with Shutoku, rain pounds heavily against the roof of the gym outside.

And as both teams amble onto the court from the locker rooms, the crowd buzzes with chatter. It's safe to say everyone's excited for the awaited rematch of two of the most eye-catching teams in Tokyo's preliminaries. However, for the two teams actually participating in the match, it's so much more than that. The tension in the air is thick, boiling over both sides of the court.

[Name] glances to her left as Shutoku moves to take their bench before tip off. Takao doesn't even spare her a glance, too focused on the game ahead, it seems. She feels the excitement bubble up within her chest at the thought. And similarly, Midorima's in a world of his own. It's difficult to exhibit such concentration that he currently is right now. Turning back to her own team, she finds Seirin to be taking this time just as seriously, stretching and silently preparing for the game ahead, as well. The sight alone makes [Name]'s heart soar, her enthusiasm continuing to fester.

She isn't the only one who can identify the chilling motivation sifting through the atmosphere. Kuroko hums. "Did you see Midorima-kun's expression when we walked in?"

Kagami nods. "Yeah. I don't know how to explain it, but he seems like a completely different person than before."

"Every single member of the Generation of Miracles that we played up to this point has been undefeated and intelligent," Kiyoshi reminds them as he reties his shoes. "They say some defeats are meaningful and experiencing them makes you stronger. For living creatures, victory means life, and defeat means death. While such an example is rather extreme, the same inherent trait lies within humans. Those who know the terror of defeat hunger for victory."

[Name] grins wildly at Kiyoshi's explanation, nodding along in agreement. Hands on her hips, she steals another glance at the Shutoku bench, eyes narrowing at Midorima. Takao continues to mind his own business, for even he is too scared of the wrath he'd receive for bothering him in such a state. His aura can be felt from opposite sides of the gym, and it ought not to be taken lightly.

She's snapped back to her own team's tenacity when Hyuga stands from the bench, determination seeping from his pores. "They're not the only ones who've suffered a terrible loss."

Amused, Kiyoshi stands too. "You're right."

"One defeat is enough for me," Kagami agrees. "They aren't the only ones hungry for victory."

Neither team wastes anymore time getting started. And anyone and their mother can detect the sparks flying between each of the players, born from the tension and enthusiasm to win. Midorima and Kagami's intense auras clash from the very beginning, glaring from across one another. Neither one pays attention to any of the other players on the opposing team.

Takao greets Kuroko with a nod before gesturing to Midorima. "Sorry, but he has no time to spare for you this time around. Unlike last time, he's completely accepted Kagami as his rival. And the rest of us feel the same way."

Kuroko only smiles gently. "That's good to hear. All the more reason we cannot lost."

Riko hunches over on the bench with a sigh. "Just as we expected, they aren't showing any signs of carelessness. If Shutoku's strategy is the same, then we'll need to shut down Midorima in order to win."

[Name] nods, standing beside her, clipboard in hand. "There's most likely a limit to his three-pointers before he can no longer make them accurately or efficiently."

"What do you mean?" Furihata asks from farther down the bench.

"You've seen those sexy shots of his, haven't you?" she continues, folding her arms. "Just making the ball reach the net from the distances Mido-kun shoots at requires his entire body strength, let alone the accuracy he exhibits to actually make the shots count; he's putting incredible strain on his muscles, though it isn't noticeable because he does it so naturally. Furthermore, after reviewing the footage of our last game against Shutoku, I logged the amount of time it took him to set up shots as the game went on, and with each one, the wind up became slower and slower, proving he does suffer from fatigue after a certain point. Therefore, even if we can't deny all of his three-pointers, as long as we run him to his limit, we'll reduce his success-rate drastically."