That Manager - Kuroko no Basuke (Book 1)

第18Q

Aomine had the ball with Kagami guarding him. While dribbling the ball, he got past his defence and made it all the way to the corner of the court, shooting the ball from there despite the angle. 'He can't get past me!' thought Kagami as he jumped up to block. 'There isn't a shot you can make from that position!' But he was proven wrong when Aomine turned around and hurled the ball at the hoop, scoring a basket.

"What was that shot?" asked Kawahara, who also couldn't believe that formless shot.

"Not a jump shot, but a hook?" questioned Furihata.

'In all sports, including basketball, fundamental movements and the ideal form have been polished through the sport's history.' thought Yasu. 'Because they have been refined to perfection, their options are limited and can be predicted. This gives rise to a strategic battle between the offense and the defense. That is the game.'

Hyuga retrieved the ball and passed it to Izuki as the former went ahead. Izuki passed the ball back to him and dribbled towards the basket with Sakurai on defense, thought was screened by Mitobe, allowing Hyuga to get past him. When Hyuga tried to make a shot, Wakamatsu smacked it away, blocking the shot.

'But he...' thought Giichi, with his gaze focused on Aomine. 'He's been handling a basketball since he was a wee lad. He has always played on the street among adults. His ball handling plus his natural speed; a free-spirited style.'

'There is no form to Aomine's dribbling or shooting.' noted Midorima. 'He is limitless, impossible to defend against. He is the unstoppable scorer. The ace of the Generation of Miracles - Aomine Daiki.'

The said boy caught the ball and began bouncing it while walking towards his team's basket. He glanced at the unguarded Hyuga and let the ball bounce towards him. 'What's with this guy?' he questioned while reaching out to the ball. 'His play is full of gaps.' But Aomine suddenly grabbed the ball and dribbled around him, catching him off guard. 'Crap! It's an irregular change of pace!'

"You bastard..." growled Kagami when Aomine jumped to make a shot, prompting him to jump up with his hand held up high to block.

"He's jumping even..." noted Midorima, trailing off.

"...higher!" said Kise, completing the sentence.

"You can do it, Kagami!" cheered Furihata, Fukuda and Kawahara.

"Yeah, yeah." said the bored Aomine as he started to fall backwards with the ball still in his hands. "You can jump high. Good for you. But I'm tired of this." Once he got the right angle, Aomine launched the ball and made the shot.

'Wh-What was that?' asked Izuki, who was shocked at the formless shot. 'He scored with his body almost parallel to the ground!'

'Usually the best players shoot at a consistent height, but he's all over the place.' noted Hyuga. 'And he doesn't miss!'

'Damn it, I can't predict what he's going to do next!' thought Kagami as he caught the ball passed by Hyuga. 'I'll just have to score more than him! If I can't beat him with speed, I'll beat him with height!' As soon as Aomine guarded him, he started to jump to make a shot. 'If he can't reach me, he can't stop me!' But Aomine brought his hand down and stole the ball before Kagami could raise his arms.

"Sorry." he mocked. "You're so slow I took the ball."

He dribbled past Kagami, who immediately sprinted after him. "Get back here!" he shouted, but he realised he was slowing down.

'I know he's fast, but how can he be faster than Kagami while dribbling?' asked Hyuga.

'I'm not giving up!' thought Kagami determinedly as he jumped up to block the ball, but accidentally bumped into Aomine, causing the referee the blow his whistle. But that didn't stop the Touou player from making the shot by twisting his arm before throwing the ball from behind.