CROSS ZERO
Chapter 12: The Prodigy Awakens
The Gap
TEAM OMEGA: 2 | TEAM GAMMA: 2
TIME REMAINING: 19:32
Akira stood frozen, staring at Yuichi.
That was instantaneous.
One moment, Yuichi had looked like he was barely awake. The next, he'd blown past the entire team like they were statues.
Akira clenched his fists and turned to his teammates.
"We're tied," he said, voice tight. "Let's try and win this."
Yuma Haruto smiled calmly from across the court, hands behind his back.
"Oh dear," he said lightly. "Just accept loss."
Akira's jaw tightened. "Shut up."
He grabbed the inbound and passed immediately to Taiga.
Taiga caught it, turned, and sent a powerful throw to Mitsuki.
Mitsuki's eyes flashed blue. He took off, legs blurring with speed, determined to score another basket—
—and Zuchi Tamuera appeared beside him.
"Gotcha!" Zuchi shouted, grinning wildly.
He intercepted the ball mid-stride, matching Mitsuki's speed perfectly.
Mitsuki's eyes widened. What?!
Zuchi didn't slow down. He sent a sharp pass to Yuma, who caught it cleanly and immediately launched a clinical through ball to Yuichi.
Yuichi caught it mid-air, leapt effortlessly, and dunked it with one hand.
"What a hassle," he muttered as he landed.
TEAM OMEGA: 2 | TEAM GAMMA: 4
TIME REMAINING: 17:18
Akira's breath caught.
We're at a disadvantage. We're not playing with Suno—it's essentially 5v4.
Yuma clapped Yuichi on the back. "Nice, Yuichi. Keep this up and we'll win convincingly. But don't do too much—let's give them a chance."
Akira heard him.
Give us a chance?
What does he mean, 'give us a chance'?
His fists clenched.
We'll win. We have to.
Mitsuki vs. Zuchi
The game resumed.
Akira grabbed the ball and immediately threw it to Mitsuki.
Mitsuki caught it and sprinted forward, blue lightning crackling faintly around his legs.
Zuchi chased him, grinning. "You're fast! But I'm faster!"
Mitsuki's eyes narrowed.
As long as I don't lose the ball, I'll outrun you.
Your speed is only ranged. You use your acceleration to burst through—but after a certain range, you slow down.
He pushed harder, legs burning, and slowly—slowly—pulled ahead.
Zuchi fell behind, cursing under his breath.
Mitsuki reached the three-point line and threw the ball to Taiga—
—and Yuichi intercepted.
"Weak pass," Yuichi muttered.
He turned and passed to Kaito Fujimura, one of Team Gamma's other players—a tall, wiry guy with sharp reflexes and calculating eyes.
Kaito caught it smoothly. "Nice read, Yuichi!"
He passed it to Ryoichi Nakano, a stocky defender with a buzz cut and a permanent scowl.
"Let's finish this quick," Ryoichi muttered, dribbling forward.
Akira watched, mind racing.
This guy… Yuichi… he's not just a beast on attack. He's a beast on counter too. If we lose the ball, he'll intercept and take it.
Ryoichi passed back to Yuma.
Yuma caught it, holding off Kaoru with one arm, then sent a perfect pass to Yuichi.
Akira and Taiga both rushed to stop him.
Yuichi leapt.
His hand pressed down on Akira's shoulder as he rose above both defenders.
The ball sailed toward him.
Yuichi's pinky finger flicked out, catching the ball mid-air and controlling its momentum with terrifying precision.
Akira's eyes went wide.
What kind of monster is this?!
He stopped the ball's pressure with his pinky?!
Yuichi's expression didn't change.
"This game was already decided by my plays," he said flatly.
He fired a shot from outside the three-point line.
SWISH.
TEAM OMEGA: 2 | TEAM GAMMA: 7
TIME REMAINING: 16:03
Panic Rising
Akira stood frozen, breathing hard.
Kaoru jogged over, grinning nervously. "Yo, we're losing badly. This is not a drill."
Mitsuki wiped sweat from his forehead. "Yeah. And from the stats, they have two lives left. If they lose this match, they still have another chance."
Akira's stomach dropped. "That means… they beat Garachi's team. And they haven't lost yet."
Taiga clenched his fists. "If we lose, we're eliminated."
He looked around at the team.
"What a bad spot we're in. And Suno isn't playing—which means we barely have a shot."
Akira's vision blurred for a moment.
I don't want us to lose.
His binary aura flickered faintly around him—purple and white light sparking like static electricity.
Understand Yuichi. He's the centerpiece of their plays.
If I can copy him… if I can understand him…
Yuma's Calculation
On the other side of the court, Yuma smiled.
"Nice, Yuichi. They're panicking."
Yuichi yawned. "I could care less. I'm so bored."
Yuma chuckled. "Now, now, Yuichi. It'll be over soon."
Zuchi bounced on the balls of his feet, grinning. "Alright! We basically just stop them from scoring and we win. Plus, they're disadvantaged."
Kaito nodded. "Let's finish this clean."
Ryoichi cracked his knuckles. "No mercy."
The Collapse Continues
The game resumed.
Kaoru passed to Akira, who immediately passed to Mitsuki.
Mitsuki sent a quick pass to Taiga.
Taiga broke past two players, driving toward the basket—
—and Yuma stepped in, stealing the ball with surgical precision.
"Too predictable," Yuma said calmly.
He passed to Yuichi.
Akira sprinted forward, cutting off Yuichi's path.
"Got you, genius!" Akira shouted.
Yuichi glanced at him, expression flat.
"You have poor game-reading skills," he said.
Akira blinked. "What—?"
Suddenly, Zuchi broke from behind, sprinting past Akira in a blur of motion.
Akira's eyes widened.
Yuichi's run was a decoy!
Zuchi caught the ball mid-stride and fired a three-pointer.
SWISH.
TEAM OMEGA: 2 | TEAM GAMMA: 10
TIME REMAINING: 14:47
Zuchi landed, grinning. "Yuichi ain't the only threat, idiot!"
Akira's Breaking Point
Akira stood frozen, chest heaving.
I don't want to lose.
But they're too good.
His hands shook.
We're outmatched. Outnumbered. Outplayed.
What do I do?
What can I—
"Akira."
He looked up.
Kaoru stood in front of him, grinning.
"Are you scared, Akira Tenma?"
Akira hesitated. "…Maybe."
Kaoru's grin widened.
"My beast says," he said slowly, "that in times of worry, we shouldn't be scared. We should rise up."
He cracked his knuckles.
"Right now, I'm feeling inspired."
Akira stared at him for a moment.
Then he smiled faintly.
"Alright, Kaoru. I trust your plays."
Kaoru's eyes flashed orange.
Behind him, the shadow of his beast emerged—wild, untamed, claws gleaming.
"Knew you'd say that," Kaoru said.
He grabbed the ball, grinning like a maniac.
"It's my moment now."
END OF CHAPTER 12
Next: Chapter 13 — The Beast Unleashed