CROSS ZERO
Chapter 11: Before the Storm
Part 1: The Quiet Moments
The celebration had died down hours ago.
Now, Room 13 was quiet. Peaceful, almost.
Taiga was asleep in his bed, snoring softly. Kaoru was sprawled across his mattress, drooling, one arm hanging off the side. Suno had retreated to the far corner, sitting alone, staring at the wall.
Akira sat on the edge of his bed, staring at his hands.
The Prototype.
He could still feel it—the sensation of copying Kurasi's interception, of using Garachi's center-of-gravity shift. It was like his body had become a mirror, reflecting the movements of others.
But it wasn't perfect.
99%, he thought. Always 99%. Never 100%.
He clenched his fists.
But maybe… that's enough.
"Hey."
Akira looked up.
Mitsuki stood beside him, hands in his pockets, long blue hair falling over his shoulders.
"You can't sleep either?" Akira asked.
Mitsuki shook his head. "Mind if I sit?"
"Go ahead."
Mitsuki sat down on the bed across from Akira, leaning back against the wall. For a long moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Mitsuki broke the silence.
"I have a brother," he said quietly. "And two sisters."
Akira blinked, surprised. "Really?"
Mitsuki nodded, a faint smile crossing his face. "Yeah. My brother's older—nineteen. He used to play basketball too. That's how I got into it, actually. I'd watch him practice for hours, trying to keep up."
He looked down at his hands.
"My sisters are younger. Twins. They're thirteen now. Always full of energy, always running around." He chuckled softly. "They used to come to all my games. Every single one."
Akira listened, saying nothing.
"When I tore my ACL," Mitsuki continued, voice quieter now, "I thought it was over. Not just basketball—everything. I was terrified I'd never run again. Never play again."
He paused.
"My brother told me I was being an idiot. Said I was stronger than that. My sisters… they wrote me letters every day while I was recovering. Stupid stuff, mostly. Drawings. Jokes. But it helped."
He looked up, meeting Akira's eyes.
"That's why I came to Cross Zero," Mitsuki said. "I thought… maybe if I could prove to myself that I could still run, still play, then I could go back home and face them again. Without shame."
Akira nodded slowly. "And now?"
Mitsuki smiled—a real, genuine smile.
"Now… I think I'm starting to remember why I loved this game in the first place."
Akira smiled back. "Good."
They sat in comfortable silence for a while.
Then Akira spoke.
"I don't have siblings," he said. "It's just me and my parents. They've always supported me, even when I kept failing. Even when I got rejected from every academy, every team."
He looked down.
"I think… that's why losing hurts so much. Because I feel like I'm letting them down."
Mitsuki shook his head. "You're not letting anyone down, Akira. You won today. You survived."
Akira's jaw tightened. "Yeah. But for how long?"
Mitsuki stood up, stretching. "As long as it takes."
He walked toward his bed, then paused and looked back.
"Get some sleep, Akira. We've got another war to fight tomorrow."
Akira nodded. "Yeah. You too, Missy."
Mitsuki smirked. "Call me that again and I'll make you run laps."
Akira grinned. "I'd like to see you try."
Part 2: Preparation
The next morning, the screen in Room 13 flickered on.
Vox's mask filled the display.
"Good morning, survivors," he said, voice calm and cold. "Congratulations on advancing to the next round. You have earned a brief reprieve."
The screen shifted, displaying a countdown timer:
NEXT MATCH: 18 HOURS
"Use this time wisely," Vox continued. "Rest. Train. Reflect. Your next opponent is Team Gamma. Do not underestimate them."
The screen went dark.
Taiga cracked his knuckles. "Alright. Let's use this time to get stronger."
Kaoru stretched, yawning. "I'm gonna take a nap first."
Mitsuki was already lacing up his shoes. "I'm going to the training court."
Akira stood up. "I'll come with you."
The Training Court
The training facility was massive—filled with hoops, weights, agility courses, and practice dummies.
Akira and Mitsuki weren't the only ones there.
Scattered across the court were other candidates—some running drills, some shooting, some just sitting and staring into space.
Akira noticed a few familiar faces.
Garachi Asahi stood near the far end of the court, practicing alone. His skeleton aura flickered faintly around him as he moved, each shot precise and deadly.
Akira's chest tightened.
I still can't beat him.
Not yet.
Mitsuki nudged him. "Come on. Let's warm up."
They started with basic drills—dribbling, passing, footwork.
Akira focused on the fundamentals, but his mind kept drifting back to the Prototype.
I need to understand it better. I need to push it further.
"Akira."
He looked up.
Mitsuki was staring at him, eyes serious.
"Don't overthink it," Mitsuki said. "Your Core… it's instinct. The more you try to force it, the less it'll work."
Akira frowned. "How do you know?"
Mitsuki smirked. "Because that's how mine works too."
He turned and sprinted down the court, blue lightning trailing behind him.
Akira watched, mesmerized.
Instinct, huh?
He closed his eyes.
Then I need to trust it.
Suno's Betrayal, Part Two
Later that afternoon, Suno slipped out of Room 13 while the others were training.
He walked through the sterile hallways, hands in his pockets, jaw tight.
They think they're so much better than me.
They think they won because of teamwork.
Idiots.
He stopped in front of a door labeled TEAM GAMMA.
He knocked.
The door slid open.
Yuma Haruto stood there, smiling politely. "Can I help you?"
Suno straightened up, putting on his most charming smile. "Hey. Name's Suno Kisibe. I'm from Team Omega."
Yuma's expression didn't change. "I know who you are."
Suno blinked. "Oh. Good. Listen, I wanted to talk to you about—"
"No."
Suno froze. "What?"
Yuma's smile didn't waver, but his eyes were ice-cold.
"We know what you did to Team Beta," Yuma said calmly. "We know you sold out your own team."
Suno's jaw tightened. "That's—"
"And we're not interested," Yuma continued. "We don't need your information. We don't need your help. And frankly, we don't want anything to do with you."
He stepped back, hand on the door.
"Good luck in the match," Yuma said. "You'll need it."
The door slid shut.
Suno stood there, fists clenched, breathing hard.
Bastards.
He turned and stormed down the hallway—
—and froze.
Akira, Mitsuki, and Kaoru were standing at the end of the hall, watching him.
They didn't say anything.
They didn't have to.
Akira's eyes were cold. Mitsuki's expression was unreadable. Kaoru just grinned, slow and predatory.
Suno's stomach dropped.
They know.
He walked past them without a word, head down.
Akira watched him go, then turned to the others.
"Let's get back to training," he said quietly.
Part 3: The Final Game Begins
18 HOURS LATER
The doors to the main court slid open.
Team Omega walked out onto the polished hardwood, adrenaline surging.
Across from them stood Team Gamma.
Yuichi Haku stood at the front, hands in his pockets, white hair messy, eyes half-lidded. He looked like he'd just woken up from a nap.
Beside him, Yuma Haruto stood calm and composed, orange hair neatly styled, eyes sharp and calculating.
And behind them, Zuchi Tamuera bounced on the balls of his feet, grinning, energy radiating off him like electricity.
The referee's voice echoed from the speakers:
"MATCH BEGINS IN 10 SECONDS."
Akira's heart pounded.
Here we go.
"3… 2… 1… BEGIN."
Tip-Off
Taiga and Yuma stepped forward for the tip-off.
The ball was thrown into the air.
Taiga launched himself upward—
—but Yuma barely jumped.
Instead, he tapped the ball sideways, sending it directly to Yuichi.
Yuichi caught it lazily, yawning.
"Man," he muttered. "This is such a hassle…"
He dribbled slowly, almost carelessly.
Akira darted in to steal—
—and Yuichi didn't even react.
Akira swiped the ball cleanly, turned, and sprinted toward the hoop.
Too easy.
He leapt and scored.
TEAM OMEGA: 2 | TEAM GAMMA: 0
TIME REMAINING: 19:48
Akira landed, breathing hard.
What the hell? He didn't even try.
Kaoru laughed. "Yo, is this guy serious?!"
Taiga frowned. "Stay focused. Something's off."
Yuichi Locks In
Yuma walked over to Yuichi, smiling.
"Yuichi," he said calmly. "If we win this match, you can play video games all day."
Yuichi's eyes snapped open.
"…All day?"
Yuma nodded. "All day."
Yuichi straightened up.
And his entire presence changed.
The lazy, half-asleep demeanor vanished.
His eyes sharpened. His posture shifted. His hands moved with sudden, terrifying precision.
He caught the inbound pass, and the moment the ball touched his fingers—
—the game exploded.
Yuichi blitzed past Akira so fast it was like he wasn't even there.
Mitsuki tried to cut him off—
—and Yuichi spun past him without breaking stride.
Taiga lunged—
—and Yuichi slipped through his guard like water.
He leapt at the hoop, effortless, and dunked it with one hand.
TEAM OMEGA: 2 | TEAM GAMMA: 2
TIME REMAINING: 19:32
Yuichi landed, yawning again.
"Alright," he muttered. "Let's get this over with."
Akira stood frozen, staring.
What… the hell… was that?
Yuma smiled.
And Zuchi grinned.
"Welcome to Team Gamma," Zuchi said. "Hope you're ready."
END OF CHAPTER 11