➪ Rᴇɪɴᴄᴀʀɴᴀᴛᴇᴅ ɪɴ KNB ✔︎

Winter Cup Finals (1)

In a large auditorium, a group of teens lay on the stage completely puffed out. With their chests rising up and down, and their breaths coming out in shallow puffs, the adrenaline from a few minutes earlier slowly faded away.

"I can't believe we're actually doing this," Kagami breathed. The boy was less puffed out than the rest of the group which was to be expected considering his athleticism. 

Yui stretched her body and sat up wiping the sweat from her brow.

"It's going to be insane,"

Rio chuckled and muttered, "Insane is too little. It'll be spectacular!"

Rolling her eyes, Haruka said, "I'm pretty sure that's the same thing."

"As long as everything goes well, this'll be the Winter Cup finals that will go down in history," Akito rolled his shoulders and sat up from the ground.

Yui glanced over at him and asked, "So, were you able to round them up?"

Akito gave her a smirk and replied, "Of course I did. You're lucky we've got a lot of crazy friends."

'Crazy is putting it lightly' thought Kagami. Honestly, he wondered if something was wrong with his mouth when he agreed. Blackmail shouldn't get to him that easily.

But when his eyes caught Yui's green ones, he scowled bitterly.

Ah, that's why he gave in. What guy could resist her puppy dog eyes?

Damn her and her eyes. Damn his overly soft heart.

Tonight was going to go well...right?

-----

In the stadium, the lights in the audience dimmed as the two Winter Cup finalists made their way onto the court.

In the stands, players from all the different teams came to watch the match. Each and every seat had a person in it and there was not one available seat for those who came in a little later. It was to be expected though.

Seirin was a team that many had underestimated. It was possible that not a single person (aside from Yui) expected them to beat all the powerful schools and reach the final destination. 

These players came to watch for two reasons. Firstly, they came to support Seirin who were no longer considered underdogs, and secondly, they wanted to see if Seirin could go further. Would they be able to beat the captain of the miracles himself?

Yui came with her usual camera and readily took pictures of the court. 

This was the final match. The end of the main plotline. 

Realizing this, Yui couldn't help but tear up.

'Holy crap. I can't believe I actually made it to this point. Who would've thought I would enter an anime world and live a second life here?' 

She, much like the Seirin team, had come a long way.

And now, it was the finale.

-----

Kagami secures the tip-off and scores the first basket with a meteor jam. He had already entered the zone much to the team's surprise. He uses another meteor jam to score over Akashi and eventually takes the position of both the defense and offense near the net.

Kagami, who is in the zone, takes control of the match and Seirin is able to steadily build up points. However, Akashi soon switches marks with Hayama so that he can guard Kagami.

Earlier than this, Kuroko was subbed out with Mitobe in order to allow Kagami to go on the offense with Mitobe backing up the defense.

As Akashi marks Kagami, he leads the latter into a trap and makes him miss two baskets. Kagami then falls for the smaller boy's ankle break.

This scene made Yui clench her fists and glared angrily at the Rakuzan captain. 

"That little shit," she muttered to herself.

(Yui is a little overprotective of her sweetheart)

Sometime later, Rakuzan was in control of the match, and seeing this, Riko subbed in their phantom. Unfortunately, it was realized that Kuroko's 'invisible' presence was fading as he was noticed by the spectators and the team members.

As the game progresses, it is clear that Seirin is struggling with the momentum. And while others may not notice, Yui could see that Akashi's words to Kuroko were having an effect on the boy.

Kuroko's vanishing drive is stopped by the phantom man of Rakuzan - Mayuzumi. Later on, his phantom shot is also stopped leaving the poor boy in a difficult position.

The scores stay close with neither team taking the lead and the first quarter ends in a tie.

-----

The second quarter begins and it is revealed that Mayuzumi is Akashi's 'newly improved phantom sixth man.'

Everyone is shocked when the player uses Kuroko's famous misdirection techniques and Seirin is placed in an even tougher spot. 

From Yui's point of view, the audience was slowly showing signs of having no hope for Seirin. This made the girl click her tongue in indignation.

'Geez, it's only the second quarter.'

She made sure to take pictures but not as many as she'd usually take given Seirin's not-so-great position.

Later on, Seirin once again takes everyone by surprise and a lot of confusion when Riko subs in Furihata. The poor boy, as Aomine had said, was like a chihuahua in front of a lion.

A. Completey. Different. Status.

Even with Yui's support for Seirin, she could help but giggle when the poor first-year collapsed face-first on the court tripping over air. Right in front of Akashi who seemed utterly lost.

Furihata puts everything on the line to stop Akashi and in doing so, he quickly tires himself out.

In the rest of the quarter, each of Rakuzan's players - the uncrowned kings specifically - begin to show their true strengths.

The first half ends with Rakuzan nearly doubling Seirin's score at 62 - 37.

-----

"Eh, it looks like Rakuzan's going to win this," muttered a spectator. 

"I was hoping for more from Seirin but this is pretty disappointing,"

"What a drag. Should've known this match was decided,"

Hearing these comments, Yui grit her teeth and stopped herself from snapping at them. 

'Making comments like that...maybe you guys should try stopping Rakuzan and see how easy it is.'

In the third quarter of the match, Seirin loses its will as Rakuzan continues scoring and pressuring them. However, Kuroko arrives back on the court and gives the team a renewed spirit to which Kagami re-enters the zone and decides that not all hope is lost.

Kagami's fired-up defense leaves Rakuzan to score mainly from the outside as the teen would almost definitely block them from the inside.

Kuroko and Mayuzumi compete which ends in Kuroko overwriting the latter and hardening his position as the original and proper sixth man.

Seirin slowly closes the gap between the two teams and in doing so, they are finally able to strategize further unlike before.

However, in the audience, the generation of miracles was aware that Akashi was still not giving it his all.

After all, the 'other' Akashi still had yet to make an entrance.