Listen up, squirt! You're not on anybody's radar!
The only winner here is me!
Senpai...
Huh?
Basketball isn't some merciful sport that you can just crawl back to...
...after you made the choice to drop out.
Shit, was he always this good?!
Nice pass, Koney!
Just watch me, you damn pipsqueak!
I'm DEFINITELY going to leave you in the dust!
Acceleration Mode....on!
Taro?!
Huh?!
That shot is off!
It's going to come down near you, Momoharu!
Rebound!
I know already!
We've been at this for more than 20 minutes straight now... so how?!
All right, Kato! Gimme that ball!
I'm out?
This is... a direct order from your coach.
Goddammit...
Goddammit!
I can keep going!
I know I can still run!
I'm the top scorer here.
Just try and stop me if you can!
They've switched over to full-court D!
Hey Nanao.
Let's make a substitution.
Taro! Behind you! It's a screen!
Weak sauce. That won't work on me!
He just straight-up ignored my brilliant screen!
You're nothing but a crazy nutjob!
Huh?!
Goddamn! Could you have made that pass any harder to catch?!
Go ask Chiaki to give you some passing lessons, dumbass!
The pass went through!
This brat is nearly dead on his feet!
There's no way I'm letting him score one on us!
I will.
Rebound!
Ugh, that damn idiot!
Momoharu!
Show me one more time, what it looks like to fly!
Having a 9-point lead is total chump change!
We're gonna tie it right back up!
Whoa!
What a jump!
HELL YEAH!
I have a proposition.
Do you think you can commit to being our point guard for a bit?
Huh?
I'm going... to score us some points.
Huh? Wait...
Are you up for it?
I'll do whatever it takes.
No matter what... I'm not letting us lose this game!
Kagami ni senaka mukete ayumu hodo ni toozakaru yume yo
Massugu kimi to mukiaitai
Dekinai jibun e to "never mind"
Ahiru no Sora
Nagare sagyou de waketeyuku yume
Muki? Fumuki? Iwaba rongai?
Koe mo naku kietetta koe
Tameiki sura denai
Hito no sei ni shitatte owarenai
Me no mae ni kiritatta ima
"Koetai" to kokoro ga sakenderu
Dekinai wake o sagasu nara daredemo dekiru sa
Agaki hashitta sono saki mada shiranai jibun to deau
Kabe ni kizamikonda rakugaki to "never mind"
Ima asu e to hazume
You want me... as point guard?
Last Play
Yeah.
I don't expect you to start doing it right away, though.
But, wait, then what's Chiaki going to do?
Well, I've been thinking about the balance of our team,
Hey Kite!
Huh?
and I came to the conclusion that it's a waste to have Chiaki as point guard with all his height.
Come on! Let's do some Dribbling Sumo!
No way!
Sumo?
Given that our team is lacking players, it's important to have the right person in the right position.
It's possible that Chiaki might be able to go on the offensive instead.
Meanwhile, that means you can take control of the game,
and use your skills to dominate from outside the three-point line.
I think that arrangement would make our team a lot stronger than it is now!
Let's get back in the lead, one basket at a time!
Hm? #15 switched over to taking possession of the ball.
Kurumatani...
Their #7 is heading for low-post!
Katori! Change your man!
Watch out above you!
I get it! Because Chiaki is so tall, we can net some easy points if he's close to the basket!
The situation isn't as simple as you think.
We're not going to be able to pass through their defense as easily as we did before.
Good passing requires high precision and height lends itself to that.
Being able to play basketball and being able to play as point guard are two totally different things.
Going off the cuff like this might end poorly.
On top of that, there's one thing I never explained to Kurumatani.
When a player like him switches over to being point guard, they lose something important.
And what's that?
The ability to be assertive.
Switch!
Don't leave him open!
Chiaki!
Dammit!
Crap! He got himself trapped!
Don't you think Tinytown could've just gone for a three there instead?
There's a whole 24 seconds on the shot clock.
The common approach for everybody on offense is to use that time to its fullest and not rush.
Kite...
Missing a three in the first few seconds that results in a turnover is absolutely something to avoid.
Plus...
The more focused you are on how to move the ball around, the less inclined you are to try and score.
That's especially true for a shooter like him.
And now...
...he can't shoot three-pointers the same way anymore.
Bad pass!
You pushed it way too far inside!
Nabe! Get on #5! Don't let him run free!
Crap! I screwed that up!
Defensive foul on #8!
Sorry, guys.
Forget it.
Their fouls have started to pile up!
Just one more and they'll have five team fouls!
Don't cower away from them.
They'll steal chickenshit passes like that every time.
You can't help being small...
...so make bold moves instead.
Right!
Ms. Yuka Kurumatani...?!
I take it you must be Madoka.
Uh, yes!
My mother had a lot to say about you.
Oh, that lady...
I was surprised to learn you were Ms. Yabuuchi's little sister. Such a small world!
I wouldn't have agreed to come here otherwise!
I hear that you've been doing a lot for my little Sora. Thank you.
Not at all.
Wow... she's really beautiful!
That's the sound of Sora running.
You can tell?! That's amazing!
There's a distinctive tempo in how he slides.
He's got a number of quirks like that.
I guess he hasn't developed much as an athlete yet.
Um, how about we go take a look inside?
There's not much time left in the fourth quarte-
No. I'm content with staying here.
Huh? Um, but...
I just wanted to feel the excitement of the game in the air.
I didn't come here intending to do anything more.
Ms. Yabuuchi, I think that my 10 minutes are up. Are we okay on time?
Your 10 minutes were up before we even left the hospital!
But, um, maybe you could just...
...take a quick look from afar?
Madoka.
I'm afraid we can't take the time.
Since we snuck out of the hospital without permission.
Um, then...
Is there anything that you would like me to do?
Perhaps deliver a message?
Oh! I could send you some pictures of him during practice from my phone!
I appreciate the thought, but that's not necessary.
But...
Actually... there is one thing that you could do for me.
Will you... make sure that Sora gets this?
A handmade charm...
Are you sure that's all you want me to do?
Yes. Oh, but please don't tell Sora that this bracelet came from me.
Huh?
Would you be willing to just let him think it's a gift from you?
I mean, as far as Sora knows, I'm still in the dark about him coming to school here.
After that, he took the entrance exams for schools out here.
And eventually came stumbling into my house.
His dad thought this would be the best thing for him.
Even though his mom told him not to come here?
Yeah.
He's keeping it all a big secret from her.
So that he can go visit her the instant he wins that tournament.
Um, okay, but I really don't think he'll accept a gift from me...
Don't worry, you're totally Sora's type. I'm sure he'd be overjoyed!
Um, no way, I'm sure you're just exaggerating.
So you won't do it?
Uh, well, I think I can handle it.
Thank you.
Well then, please take good care of it.
Yes, of course.
I'll make sure that Sora gets it!
I'm so sorry for making you put up with my selfishness, Ms. Yabuuchi.
Uh-huh, sure. It's fine, just forget about it.
See you later then, Madoka.
Oh, sure.
Tell me something, Madoka.
Yes?
Is my son...
...having a good time playing basketball?
Yes.
A steal!
He cut Taro off!
Unbelievable!
This brat... I thought he had run out of steam!
Switch back to defense! Don't let them into the center!
My body feels so light.
I thought I was too tapped out to run anymore.
But now I feel like... I have the wind at my back!
Look at that! He's totally free!
I see. This must be what having peace of mind is like.
I can feel Chiaki behind me... he's encouraging me to fight on!
A two-handed shot?!
It's a three-pointer!
It's going to miss!
It'll bounce off!
An alley-oop?!
He intended for it to be a pass from the get-go.
Amazing! I've never seen one in person!
Your timing was a little off.
Right!
Only three minutes left.
We WILL turn this around.
There was a foul!
Oh crap!
Defensive foul! The basket counts!
All right!
Sick move.
Thanks!
No way...
That's the third basket #7 has made since going on the offensive!
Kuzuryu Kitasumiyoshi
Yeah, and we haven't gotten any rebounds since their #4 started to pull himself together.
But wait, if their #7 could score like this, then why did he wait so long to actually shoot any baskets?!
The answer is simple, it's because he wasn't capable of doing so.
Huh?
His passes and leadership are quite impressive, but unfortunately, he's not fast on his feet.
I assume it's too difficult for him to drive to the basket alone.
And of course, he probably can't shoot long-range.
Katori realized this early on and adjusted his defense to assure #7 didn't make it into the paint.
For real?
Oh crap! I can't believe I screwed that up!
Rebound!
Damn, he stole the prime position!
Here we go!
Holy cow!
I threw my entire body weight at him and he didn't even budge!
I can't believe he's powerful enough to do that!
Tachibana, get under the basket!
Don't let him shoot freely!
A pass?!
Somebody get on #15! Taro, what the hell are you doing?!
I let my guard down!
Their #7 wasn't even looking this way when he passed! How the hell?!
Shit!
And right in front of Nao, that bastard!
It's a three!
Go in!
It... it went in...
Hell yeah!
Kuzuryu Kitasumiyoshi
Only a 4-point difference!
We've nearly turned this around!
Th-this is insane...
I can't believe they caught up with us in such a short amount of time!
That kid should be well beyond the peak of his fatigue by now!
What is he made out of?!
Out of bounds!
Throw-in with Kitasumi in possession!
Oh man, Nabe! That was so close!
Player substitution for Kuzuryu High!
Hey, Nanao.
Where did you learn to do athletic taping like this?
Uh, why do you ask? You know how my family runs a sports shop.
We have a lot of customers who are professional trainers,
so I learned some from them and then I studied the rest myself.
I'm sorry. Did I put it on too tight or something?
No. Thank you, you saved my ass.
Now I can keep running without holding myself back.
Defense! Defense! Defense!
There's hardly any time left in the game!
Do whatever you can to keep them from scoring!
Shore up under the basket! And don't let #7 get free no matter what!
I'm so stupid!
Did I forget what I came here to do?!
Did I forget what drove me to join this team?!
I did it... to make sure these guys win, dammit!
It got knocked away!
Loose ball!
Whatever you do, don't let go!
Yasu!
Listen, shitheads... you'll have to kill me before I let this ball go!
Held ball!
Throw-in with Kuzu High in possession!
All right!
Nice work, Yasuhara.
That whistle freaked me out, I thought I'd fouled again.
We gotta make this possession count.
If we can't score, then kiss our chances of winning goodbye!
Hey, Yasuhara, if you get the ball, then feel free to go for the shot.
Right!
Guys... we're gonna win this. No matter what!
That ball is going in the basket! Watch out for fouls, guys!
Okay!
Shoot it in! Let's win! Shoot it in! Let's win!
Do your best out there... Sora!
Defense! Defense! Defense! Defense!
Shoot it in! Let's win! Shoot it in! Let's win!
Here they come! Keep them out of the paint!
Right!
Shoot it in! Let's win!
That low?!
Konishi! They're coming from both sides!
Don't let them get into position!
You're not getting anything past me! I'm holding you off right here!
Konishi!
Through the legs?!
Sweet! Yeah!
Damn, I'm good.
No dude, that was all me.
It was MY pass that did it!
Kuzuryu Kitasumiyoshi
Only a 2-point lead now?!
No way... after all we did...!
What the hell are you blockheads doing?!
Listen here! Don't you dare let this game go down to the wire!
Shut your face, stupid geezer!
We don't need you to tell us the obvious!
C'mon, Kuzu High! Fight!
The next basket is mine, no matter what it takes!
Like hell I'm letting that pipsqueak show me up again!
Kato! Pass it here!
Damn! They went for an easy pass over my head!
Don't panic, Sora!
Just let up your guard on him!
He's telling me to pull back and defend the inside!
Don't let anybody get past you!
This is it! We have to keep them from scoring!
Hey, is that the right call? Aren't we short on time?
Shouldn't they be going after the ball?
No, this is good.
If we want to win, we have to stop their shot and then go sink our own.
We absolutely cannot afford anything else.
There's 30 seconds left with a 2-point difference.
This is a really tough situation, even for Kitasumi.
They should do whatever it takes to assure they score on this possession.
They won't risk a shot from long-range!
If we have our defense focused on keeping them out of the paint, our chance will come eventually.
A three-pointer?!
Miss! Miss, dammit! Miss!
It hit the rim!
Rebound!
Dammit!
It came up short!
That prick, he didn't even hesitate!
Momoharu! Screen them out!
Shit! He beat me to it!
I fucked up!
Yes!
We got the offensive rebound!
Konishi pass it back out! We need to regroup!
This is bad.
We're finished if they keep hold of the ball.
Huh? But why?
What about the 24-second violation?
The shot clock gets reset to 14 seconds after a rebound on a shot that hits the rim.
Seriously?!
Yasu!
I'm done... my legs just can't keep going anymore...
I hadn't considered this.
They're going for an even bigger lead, no matter how risky!
I got this!
Shit, he's better than I thought...
Go in!
Miss!
It fell!
Get the rebound!
Please! We really need this!
Come on!
Shit! I couldn't get a hold!
You're such a waste of space!
It's headed out of bounds!
I'm not giving up!
I can't help but wonder why I'm sticking with this team.
Oh, there he is.
Yo, Kite! Teach me some more about how to dribble!
Not everybody plays the game just to support somebody else.
Hey! You bums!
Get ready to train your asses off!
We may not be able to actually score any points, but...
...we'll do all the other stuff that only we can accomplish!
It would be great if you guys went to the inter-high.
I want to know what it feels like to share the joy of victory with a team.
Until the very last second... none of us are giving up!
THIS ONE IS MINE!
Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!
Nice dive, bro!
Defend the basket!
Everybody go back!
Chiaki!
He kept it in!
Live ball!
Kite is totally open.
We can score 2 points for sure.
Do I pass?
No.
Our whole team is already running on empty!
If this goes into overtime, then we'll lose for sure!
The only way to win this...
...is by going all in... from here!
I couldn't reach it!
Son of a bitch!
A three!
GO IN!
Hitori ja umaku ikanaku temo
Kikkake nante tanjun sa
Mienai deguchi ni hikaru ga sashite
Asu wa soko ni arunda
Hitori nanka ja nakatta
Kono me ni utsuru keshiki no naka ni
Kimi ga ireba doko made datte ikeru sa
Kitto genkai nante nainda
Kimi to ireba tsuyoku narunda
Nando demo tachiagatte susunde ikou
Oh oh oh, oh oh oh, oh oh oh,
Saigo no ichibyou made
Akiramenaide busukatte
Kono michi no saki wa kanarazu kagayaiteru kara
Ahiru no Sora Next Time: Tears
Next episode: "Tears."