Black Basketball: A false start

Chapter 12 What kind of monster are you (Part )

The score was 5:0 at the start. Not to mention a training match for new players, even a match against a strong team from another school was something Teiko Junior High School had never encountered before. Seeing that the situation was not good, Okazaki Jun quickly called a timeout.

"Kaneki-san, you're so awesome!" Shotaichi Sae ran to Kaneki Ken and was as excited as if he had met his idol's stalker fan.

"Haha, don't be too surprised. Just train hard and you can do it." Kaneki Kenichi changed his expression that looked like he was going to eat someone and said gently, "Actually, you don't have to be too scared. I'll support you. Just play with confidence and play your own style."

"Yes! Kaneki Ken, we will do our best!" Izawa Shuji, who was standing by, took the opportunity to interrupt when he saw Kaneki Ken was so approachable.

"Actually, you can introduce yourselves to me and the positions you are good at, so that we can cooperate better on the court!" Kaneki Ken suggested.

"My name is Zuo Xiangtai, I am good at breaking through and play as a small forward."

"My name is Izawa Shuji. I'm good at shooting and I play shooting guard."

"My name is Ichiro Hasegawa, and I play as a power forward in Mini basket."

"My name is Sugimoto Daichi, and I play center." A sturdy young man who is about the same height as Kaneki Ken said with a simple smile.

"Okay, then I'll play point guard. From now on, you can play the position you are good at, and leave the rest to me." Kaneki Ken said with a smile, "You have to believe in yourselves. On the offensive end, if you can shoot, shoot immediately. If you can't shoot, pass it to me. On the defensive end, don't worry too much, just try to stick to your own people and delay them as much as possible. Let these seniors see that we are not easy to bully!"

"Yes!" Kaneki Ken brought the rookie team together. With Kaneki Ken as their backing, the morale of the team soared. In contrast, the senior team seemed a little miserable.

"Damn it! This brat actually said we were rude!" Sugitani Taro angrily slammed the bench. "He is the rude one! Look at his cocky face!"

"There's no point in getting angry now." Okazaki Jun rubbed his face vigorously. "He can shoot three-pointers, grab rebounds and dunk. This guy is so strong that he looks like a supermodel."

"Why, you can't play basketball when you meet a real master?" Nijimura Shuzo's voice sounded at the side, "You have brought shame to the Teikou Army!"

"I'm sorry, Captain." Everyone in the army lowered their heads and lay down to be scolded. There was nothing they could do about it; they really fought badly.

"Then remember one thing. On offense, pull Kaneki Ken away. Whoever is far away from him should play. On defense, double-team him. If two people are not enough, use three people. If three people are not enough, use four people to double-team Kaneki Ken from the midline so that he can't even catch the ball. As for the rest of the newcomers, I don't think you will have any more problems, right?" Nijimura Shuzo's cold voice made the people on the court feel nervous. "If you lose, you will all be sent to the three armies."

"Yes, Captain!" all the seniors responded in unison.

When the timeout ended and everyone returned to the court, the senior team began to pass the ball non-stop, deliberately avoiding Kaneki Ken's coverage. Finally, the basketball came to Okazaki Jun who was stuck under the basket.

"Hmph, kid, you want to stop me?" Okazaki Jun glanced at Hasegawa Ichiro who looked nervous behind him.

Hasegawa Ichiro swallowed his saliva, said nothing, and just stared at Okazaki Jun. Okazaki Jun first made a half turn with his left shoulder as the axis to shake Hasegawa Ichiro's center of gravity, and then made another turn with his right shoulder as the core, with a fake shot, Hasegawa Ichiro flew away when he rushed over to block the shot, and then made a backward jump shot and threw the ball into the basket.

"Your reflexes are good, but you're still too young, junior." Okazaki Jun commented in the air with the attitude of a senior, as if he was determined to score this goal.

"It's too early for you to say that, senior!" Kaneki Ken, who was just at the three-point line, had already come in front of Okazaki Jun. He jumped up like a rocket and slammed the ball out of the court. The basketball hit the scoreboard with a loud noise.

"This... this block is too foul, isn't it?" Although everyone had seen Kaneki Ken's block just now, they were still shocked by Kaneki Ken's reflexes and jumping ability. "So, mediocre is mediocre." Murasakihara Atsushi on the sidelines yawned and said unconvincedly, "But if it's just that kind of block, I can do it too."

Back on the court, the senior team, which had suffered a great loss, finally dared not to be arrogant anymore and played their tactics honestly. In the end, Yukiji Nishida, who had finally run into an open position, made a three-pointer.

"Sorry, mine." Izawa Shuji raised his hand with a guilty look on his face to indicate that he had missed someone.

"It's okay, just hit it back." Kaneki Ken patted the back of Izawa Shuji's head, then looked at Hasegawa Ichiro and said, "Go serve quickly."

Just as Kaneki Ken was about to receive the ball, the formation of the seniors changed. Taro Sugitani and Koji Nishida stuck to Kaneki Ken and prevented him from receiving the ball. The rest of the players also pressed forward desperately, trying to interfere with Hasegawa Ichiro's serve. Kaneki Ken also wanted to let the new players play and didn't interfere. Fortunately, this time, Hasegawa Ichiro successfully solved the world's difficult problem of serving and sent the ball to Shotaichi Sae.

"Kaneki is entangled..." Aomine Daiki exclaimed in surprise, "This shouldn't be the case. Logically speaking, Kaneki's strength shouldn't be able to break this level of double-teaming."

"He is letting the water go." Akashi Seijuro said firmly.

"This is a game that determines whether he can join the first team, and he dares to let his opponent win? Moreover, he has to win even the physical test. I don't believe he will let his opponent win." Aomine Daiki retorted.

"He seems to be testing something. I can't tell, but he seems to be testing and getting familiar with something." Akashi Seijuro said hesitantly, "But I'm sure that he's not letting us go because he despises his opponent."

The first half of the game came to an end amid the whispers of the crowd off the court. Apart from the first few balls, Kaneki Ken did not play much and occasionally passed the ball immediately after receiving it. At the end of the first half, the freshman team was 45 points behind with a score of 25 to 20.

"What?" Sugitani Taro said with some pride, "I admit that the new guy is very good, but his teammates are too bad. We are sure to win this game!"

"Don't be careless, Taro." Okazaki Jun looked at Sugitani Taro with some dissatisfaction and said, "As seniors, it's already shameful that we have to bypass that Kaneki Ken. But as long as we can win, it's fine."

While the senior team was celebrating their lead, Taoi Satsuki quietly walked over to Kaneki Ken and consoled him, "Kaneki-san, are you okay? They are all seniors from the first team, so it's normal for them to play better."

"Huh? What?" Kaneki Ken, who was in a daze, came back to his senses and said, "I'm fine, it's no big deal. Victory and defeat are common in the military."

"I'm sorry, Kaneki-san, we are just too weak." The other first-year students apologized.

"It's okay, I now fully understand the situation. The second half is the time for counterattack." Kaneki Ken revealed a mysterious smile.

After a 20-minute break, the second half of the game began. Unlike the slacking style in the first half, Kaneki Ken used his speed to shake off the defender who was double-teaming him and received the pass at the beginning of the second half.

"Come on, kid!" Taro Sugitani slapped the floor angrily.

Looking at Nishida Koji and Sugitani Taro who were double-teaming him from the front and back, Kaneki Ken showed a strange smile, and the aura around him slowly rose. In an instant, Taro Sugitani felt that the surrounding environment had undergone drastic changes, and the whole person was as if he was in a huge data stream like in The Matrix. Nishida Koji also had the same feeling. It seemed that Kaneki Ken in front of him was no longer a physical entity. No matter how the two men moved, Kaneki Ken could avoid them one step in advance. When the two men came to their senses, Kaneki Ken was nowhere to be seen.

"Welcome to my domain." Kaneki Ken leisurely shot a three-pointer, "Shura Shinto. Domain. The Matrix."

(End of this chapter)