Looks like the seniors are gonna win it all this year.
Maybe not, there are some freshman teams left.
I hear class 1-3 is pretty tough to beat. They've got that one kid with the cornrows.
We wouldn't have lost if you'd made solid passes like that to me during OUR game.
There's no doubt, the biggest mistake you made in that last play...
...was not looking at the basket the instant you got your hands on the ball.
Crud...
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
Good job out there!
Oh, hi, Nanao.
The Last Piece
Hey! You put on your basketball shoes! That's unfair!
Uh, well, my next match against Kite's class is going to be rough.
I know I can't keep up with him in the school's gym shoes...
In that last game, you didn't even try for a single three-pointer.
Why is that?
Well, to be honest...
I'm sure that wasn't just by choice. You can't shoot properly now, right?
Ouch!
Hello, Chiaki.
Sup?
Ow...
You've gotten too afraid of missing to make any shots.
It's a mental block that newbies often have to deal with.
Screwing up during practice is totally different from doing it during a game.
There are many situations where a single mistake can cost the whole game.
It's a traumatic experience for anybody.
But it's my lack of experience in actual games that's the problem. Is that right?
No. My conclusion is that...
...I'm to blame for all of this.
Huh?
This all proves that you're not capable of being a good point guard.
Directing the team's offense while simultaneously trying to score yourself,
is something far easier said than done.
Not to mention, you're a three-point shooter.
What I should have done, is just let you play to your strengths.
But instead I've pretty much killed your ability to shoot anymore threes. Sorry, dude.
That was the least convincing apology I've ever heard...
You really shouldn't think too hard about it.
You should just keep playing in the same way that you have been.
But if I just stay the way I am...
...doesn't that doom me to fail again in any similar situation?
I don't wanna let that happen no matter what!
Seriously?
He sounds like a kid having a fit!
It's not just an issue of skill, but also personality!
She's right. Dummies like you just can't handle being the point guard.
Fine then! I'll go out there and play point guard while also shooting a bunch of threes!
I can handle that! I'll show all of you!
Nice! Looks like the semi-finals are going to be match between Kite and lil' Sora's classes!
That means we're in for a real show!
I'm guessing everybody else on these teams are amateurs.
That basically makes this a one-on-one game between Kite and Sora.
You're so cool, Natsume!
You can do it!
Show them your moves!
Why are there so many girls here?!
None of them were watching the softball matches!
I'm gonna play, too!
Everybody knows you're not a freshman!
I am, I just turned back time.
Hey, shrimp.
Tell me something...
At the end of the Kitasumi match...
...why didn't you pass me the ball?
That's because...
...our team didn't have any stamina left,
so I thought we would lose if it went into overtime.
The only one who didn't have any stamina left was you.
Who gave you the right to throw away our last chance?
I could have kept playing!
Sweet, it's our ball! Pass it here!
He's gonna blow right past him.
Like he always does.
I'm NOT letting him get by me!
Dumbass.
Let's take it nice and slow, guys!
Right!
He's all over me.
Here, Kida!
He's not playing offensively.
I know he's outside of shooting range, but this is far from his usual play style...
Move in! Head for the basket!
Dammit! It missed!
Whoa! What a lucky grab!
The basket is straight ahead!
I can sink one! Time for a three!
But Tobita is open in low-post!
Too slow.
That idiot.
Guess he's no match for Kite.
Wow, 4 points in the blink of an eye.
They're way too good!
Class 1-3 is winning for sure.
Natsume is just way too cool!
I can't remember, have I always been this bad at point guard?
I think even mom told me...
Listen, you're an attacker, which makes you a bad fit for point guard.
I'd really... like to shoot a three.
It's a three!
Stupid fool! You haven't even shaken off your defender!
You should just keep playing in the same way that you have been.
That was slick.
He passed it!
Just playing the same way... isn't an option for me!
Shoot it again!
Over here! Pass it back!
Let's back off and regroup!
That was a real surprise.
I never thought he'd go for a pass there.
Let's take our time and not rush!
I wanna win! I'm sick of losing over and over!
Kurumatani, over here! Pass it to me!
This damn shrimp... is he actually going to shoot a three now?
He got distracted!
Dammit!
He's off his game.
Both his timing and his form are sloppy.
Nah, he's got the right idea.
Huh?
Whether he's playing point guard or some other position,
it doesn't change the fact he needs to focus on scoring.
I'm curious, Chiaki.
Do you really believe that Kurumatani has no potential...
...in becoming a good point guard?
At the end of the day, he's just a baby bird.
The moment he learns how to really fly... is still in the future.
Don't worry about dribbling, let's move the ball with passes!
Right!
A point guard who doubles as a shooter isn't actually all that hard to find.
But guys who go straight for a three from the front without a second thought
are just brainless fools with no sense for the game.
This shrimp is no different.
I know better than to panic when a totally ordinary player shoots an open three.
The fact remains that overall accuracy of three-pointers is relatively low.
But he's another story...
Whoa!
He scored from so far away!
You can tell Natsume has started to hesitate while playing defense.
That's only natural.
Passes are usually the biggest thing you have to worry about when defending a point guard.
And pulling up tight to prevent shots only increases the risk of getting shaken off by a drive.
The squirt's height actually works in his favor in times like these.
Quit standing around like an idiot!
Hurry and pass the ball in!
Uh, right.
That stupid twerp! I'll show him how to really-
Game over!
All right! Yahoo!
The winner is class 1-3!
What?! But why?!
The answer to that should be obvious. It's because you boys didn't score enough points.
Why the hell are you celebrating over a single three pointer?
You know that's hardly enough to beat me, little monkey.
I lost again...
You've got it wrong, passing and shooting aren't important.
Scoring points is.
You couldn't score enough points by the end, and that's why you lost.
Fool.
The real problem is that 6 minutes aren't enough to play a decent game!
Tell me something, Nanao.
Yes?
If you're planning on making Sora our point guard,
does that mean you want Chiaki to switch to shooting guard?
That's definitely one possible arrangement.
In terms of enhancing our offensive capabilities,
it's absolutely fundamental for Kurumatani to be the one who serves as the point guard.
If we find a way to make my ideal plan a reality, then Kuzu High will become even stronger.
I gotta admit, this little lady is really something else.
We don't have a lot of time until the prelims start up.
We'll just have to do what we can.
But to put us in the most ideal position possible,
we're going to need one more player to join the team.
Huh?
Of course, the fact remains that we only have 7 players on the team right now.
So I'm trying to keep my expectations realistic.
Okay, so, give me an example. What kind of guy are we talking about?
Do we need another forward?
Well, I think...
Holy shit, that dude's a giant!
The sloping shoulders champ, for sure.
I'm pretty sure that guy has at least 5 centimeters on you, Chiaki!
Nah, I'd win if I squished my afro to give it more height.
Time for the semi-finals of B block!
Students from class 1-7 and 3-6, line up!
That kid is like skyscraper.
And so thin...
Whoa! What the hell? What kind of bean did that stalk sprout from?!
Think he's got any experience shooting hoops?
Or maybe he was on a volleyball team?
His class managed to survive up to the semi-finals, so he's gotta have some skills.
S-so huge!
Who is that?! How tall is he?! What's he been eating?!
He's a freshman from class 7, uh, I think they called him Mokichi?
Mokichi! He sounds like a samurai!
I bet he's nothing more than a giant oaf.
We're counting on you, Mokichi!
You're gonna be our wall that defends the basket, okay?
He fell down again!
I hear he's anemic or something.
That's like the fifth time he's hit the floor today.
The hell was that?
What did he even get on the court for?
I bet he'd make a good lackey.
For just a second, I envisioned having the perfect team...
Scram!
Get out the way!
Prepare to get wasted!
Oh jeez, this is hopeless. You gotta go defend the basket!
Don't be stupid, the seniors are way too scary!
Man, and we made it all the way to the semi-finals...
Hey, hurry and pass the ball in!
Oh, he woke up.
Is the match over?
Far from it! We actually just got started a minute ago!
Hurry up and sub in! All you gotta do is stand around!
Player substitution!
That dude is so huge!
His reach is unbelievable.
With height like that, even guarding in high-post must be a piece of cake.
How the hell are you so tall?!
24 second violation! Senior's ball!
C'mon, man...
He's saying that you only told him to "stand around."
Just speak normally!
How awesome! I wonder if he would consider joining the basketball team?
Dumbass! Adding someone like him to the team is pointless.
What good is having another rank amateur going to do?
But having height like his is a weapon of its own.
I despise teams that play by relying on height.
Because I believe in using speed and technique to win.
I thought that made us two birds of a feather,
but I guess I had you pegged wrong.
He's not wrong, that's exactly how I forged my path in basketball.
But the important thing isn't how I play as an individual,
but how we play together as a team.
C'mon, freak! Hand over the damn ball!
The bigger they are, the harder they fall when you push 'em!
Huh?
A hook shot!
What was that?!
He just chucked it and somehow scored a basket...
I've never seen anyone make a hook shot as clean as that one before!
So, his name's "Mokichi"?
The dude just made a lucky shot, even I can do that sometimes.
You've never even come close, dude.
That's what we call a hook shot.
Huh?
Unlike the standard basketball shot,
you shoot it with your body turned perpendicular to the basket.
Standard
It puts the ball father from the defender,
Hook
so it's hard for them to block even with a height advantage.
Oh yeah? So if a tall guy like him shoots it, then it's basically unstoppable.
That's right!
They shoved him off balance before he even tried to shoot,
but it still sailed right into the hoop, which means he's damn good.
I have my doubts about that.
It's not exactly rare for any type of shot, hook shots included, to go in just by chance.
Chucky could be right, it might have been pure luck.
That's true.
A single hook shot is only halfway towards proving his potential skill.
"Halfway"? Whaddya mean?
Well...
Mokichi! Score another one!
Stupid lanky bastard!
I'm not gonna let you pull that weird move again!
His defender came at the ball this time.
He can't shoot a hook like that.
Amazing...
His arm was raised even higher than the rim on that shot!
Whoa, he shot it with his left hand this time!
So he's ambidextrous? That's badass!
He's not ambidextrous.
Any good hook shooter trains to do it with both hands.
There's no point to the move if they can't shoot from either side.
But now, we know it wasn't just a fluke.
Yep.
He's the real deal.
Good to know the finals won't be a complete bore for me.
At 8 points to 6, the winner is class 1-7!
Sweet! We made it to the finals!
Nice, Mokichi!
Keep it up, dude!
C'mon! C'mon! C'mon! Down here! Down here! High-five! High-five!
Yay!
Awesome! You're so cool! Nice moves!
Thanks...
Wait. Who are you?
I'm Sora Kurumatani from class 1-4! Nice to meet you guys!
So hey, Mokichi. Did you used to play basketball?
A little.
I knew it!
Mind if I ask how tall you are?
198 centimeters...
A-are you kidding me?!
I'm barely 165 centimeters myself!
Sorry, that was a bit of a lie. I'm actually just 160...
Actually 149 centimeters tall
It must be hard... to play on the basketball team at your height.
Uh, well, it can be.
But it's no problem! I don't consider it a handicap at all!
I can play just fine, shortness be damned!
That's impressive.
Although, to be perfectly honest...
there are times I kinda wish I had grown at least 10 more centimeters.
When I see tall people like you, I can't help but feel jealous.
Well, I am... jealous of you.
Huh?
WHAAAAAT?!
While his technique seems solid, Crap! Mokichi went down again!
Agh! We're about to play in the finals!
I'm not really sure he'd be very useful to our team.
Yo! Somebody get a stretcher! Hurry!
Yeah.
Class 1 - 7
Oh, Mokichi?
Yeah. I wanted to make sure he recovered after that nasty fall.
He's fine, don't worry. He falls like that all the time.
It's why he's always staying home sick.
That explains why I've never seen him around before.
If you want to talk to him, you should check the chemistry lab.
Team practice should be starting about now, so I need to make this quick.
Chemistry Club
YEOWCH!
Ow, ow, ow...
Watch where you're... ah!
Mokichi!
Are you okay?!
Yeah. I'm all right.
You don't look all right!
It's dissolving! Your coat is dissolving!
Chemistry Lab
He was carrying sulfuric acid...?
Holy crap, I nearly got soaked in that stuff!
What can I do for you?
Uh, nothing, I just...
...was curious what the chemistry club does.
We do experiments and stuff.
And you enjoy doing that?
Yeah.
Pencil lead is made from a solid carbon.
It conducts electricity, so a charge sent through will make it heat up and glow.
Oh yeah?
Hey Kurumatani! Basketball practice started a while ago, you're late!
Sorry, I got absorbed and lost track of time...
Jeez! We need to practice as much as we can before the prelims start!
Uh, I'm so sorry for butting in on your club everyone!
Your name was... Mokichi, right?
Do you have any interest in joining the basketball team?
I'm already in the chemistry club.
Yeah, that much was obvious to me.
It's totally fine with me if you split your time between both.
I just don't want you to miss the opportunity, since you seem like you can play well.
Of course, it all comes down to how you feel about it personally.
But I know a hook shot isn't a skill that players learn very easily,
so I figure you probably have some experience playing back in middle school.
I'm just guessing, but I think you must share our passion for the game.
The truth is... I don't have much physical strength or stamina.
I wanted to find at least one skill that I could use to my advantage.
So, I just focused on practicing hook shots ever since I was in grade school.
Well, you don't have to give me an answer right now.
Please just take some time to consider it.
Okay then.
See you later, Mokichi! Bye-bye!
My name isn't Mokichi.
It's Shigeyoshi. Kaname Shigeyoshi.
I think he has a ton of potential, you guys!
We should do whatever we can to get him to join the basketball team!
I'm against that idea. He seemed like a big waste of space to me.
Having him would cut our chances of playing, too.
Totally.
Oh please, don't give me that!
This is the perfect chance to boost our player pool and bench strength!
Don't you think so, Kurumatani?
So, I just focused on practicing hook shots...
The three-pointer?
That's right.
Master that, and then even you can fly!
I honestly don't care if he makes us stronger or better,
I just really want to play some basketball with Mokichi!
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: The Moon and the Hoop
Next time: "The Moon and the Hoop."