CROSS ZERO
Chapter 13: The Beast Unleashed
Kaoru's Moment
TEAM OMEGA: 2 | TEAM GAMMA: 10
TIME REMAINING: 14:47
Kaoru grabbed the ball, eyes burning with wild orange light.
His tongue stuck out slightly—a habit he didn't even notice anymore.
"BANG!" he shouted, grinning. "LET'S GO, IDIOTS!"
He drove forward with chaotic energy, the ball dancing between his hands like it was alive.
Yuma Haruto stepped in front of him, smiling calmly.
"Turning up, aren't ya?" Yuma said.
Kaoru didn't answer.
He faked left.
Then right.
Then crossed over with a nasty ankle-breaking move that left Yuma stumbling backward, arms flailing.
Yuma crashed to the floor.
Kaoru's beast manifested behind him—a massive, wild creature with dark orange fur, sharp claws, and burning eyes.
It pointed forward, toward a path only Kaoru could see.
Kaoru grinned.
"Lead me," he muttered. "I'll follow."
Flashback: The Beast's Origin
Years ago.
A small living room. Sunlight streaming through the windows.
Eight-year-old Kaoru sat on the floor, paintbrush in hand, staring at a canvas.
His father sat beside him, smiling.
"You love being creative, don't you, Kaoru?"
Kaoru nodded, grinning. "Yeah! I wanna make cool stuff!"
The next day, at school, Kaoru showed his painting to the other kids.
They laughed.
"What is that supposed to be?"
"It looks like a mess!"
"Why are you even trying?"
Kaoru stood there, gripping the canvas tightly, fists trembling.
That night, his mother sat beside him, hand on his shoulder.
"Kaoru," she said gently. "Don't give up on being creative. It's what makes you special."
Kaoru stared out the window, silent.
"Painting isn't fun anymore," he muttered. "It's boring. Just sitting there. I need a new hobby."
He looked outside.
Kids were playing basketball in the street, laughing, running, free.
Kaoru's eyes lit up.
"Looks fun."
Weeks later.
Kaoru played basketball with older kids in the neighborhood.
He was a natural genius—dribbling with instinct, moving with creativity, finding angles no one else saw.
But the other kids didn't like it.
"Why don't you play normal?"
"Stop doing all that weird stuff!"
"Just stick to the basics!"
Kaoru stopped, ball in his hands, breathing hard.
"My friend won't let me," he said.
The kids blinked. "What friend?"
Kaoru grinned. "Mr. Beast."
They laughed.
"This kid's crazy!"
"He's talking to imaginary friends!"
Kaoru sat alone on the curb afterward, staring at the basketball in his hands.
"I won't give up on this," he muttered. "I'll express myself."
And then—
A shadow appeared beside him.
The beast stretched out its hand.
"I'll guide you," it said. "Just follow me."
Kaoru looked up, eyes wide.
Then he smiled.
"Sure," he said. "Anywhere you go, I go."
Present: The Breakthrough
Kaoru squared up against Kaito and Ryoichi, both closing in on him.
He bounced the ball behind his back, spinning his entire body in a wild, unpredictable motion.
Both defenders froze, confused, stumbling as Kaoru broke past them.
Yuichi chased from behind, eyes sharp.
"You—what's with you?" Yuichi said.
Kaoru grinned, not looking back.
"I'm just following what it tells me. Now stand down, Mr. Hassle."
He bounced the ball through Yuichi's legs and broke past him in a flash of orange light.
Yuichi's eyes widened.
What?!
Kaoru reached the three-point arc, leapt into the air, and fired.
The ball spun through the air.
SWISH.
TEAM OMEGA: 5 | TEAM GAMMA: 10
TIME REMAINING: 11:23
Kaoru landed, grinning wildly.
"CHA-CHANG!"
The Formula Problem
Akira stared, mouth open.
"Kaoru, you mad man!" he shouted. "How—how did you—?!"
Kaoru jogged back, grinning. "Just following my friend."
Mitsuki shook his head, grinning faintly. "That was insane."
Taiga clapped Kaoru on the back. "Yeah!"
Akira's expression shifted.
"Yeah, it was," he said slowly. "But… it's not a formula."
The others looked at him.
"That play was built on pure inspiration," Akira continued. "Something we can't fully recreate or control. We need something that's reproducible."
Kaoru nodded, still grinning. "Even if I try again, I'll be marked."
Akira clenched his fists, mind racing.
I need a new formula.
The Prototype needs a new formula.
Taiga's Bullet
The game resumed.
Yuma stood up slowly, brushing himself off, jaw tight.
"Well," he muttered. "That was something."
He turned to his team. "Let's go, Gamma!"
He passed to Yuichi.
Yuichi caught it, broke past Akira with effortless speed, and passed to Zuchi.
Zuchi sent it to Kaito, who immediately passed back to Yuichi—
—and someone intercepted.
Eyes burning with intensity.
"I AM THE SUPERSTAR!" Taiga roared. "I AM THE BULLET OF THIS FIELD! THE MUSCLE BULLET!"
He drove forward, using his massive physique to shield the ball, bulldozing through defenders.
He passed to Mitsuki.
Mitsuki drove down the court and passed back.
Taiga caught it, holding Yuma off with one arm, then planted his feet at the three-point line.
His aura manifested around him—massive, glowing bullets of red-orange energy swirling in the air.
He fired.
The ball shot through the air like a projectile.
SWISH.
TEAM OMEGA: 8 | TEAM GAMMA: 10
TIME REMAINING: 10:04
Taiga landed, breathing hard.
"Bang," he muttered.
Team Gamma's Frustration
Yuma grunted, wiping sweat from his face.
"Shit," he muttered. "We're getting chained."
Yuichi yawned. "What a bore."
Zuchi clenched his fists. "We can't let them turn it around!"
Team Omega's Energy
Mitsuki jogged over to Taiga, grinning. "Nice throw, Taiga."
Taiga grinned back. "Thanks, Missy."
Mitsuki's expression darkened instantly. "Call me that again and I'll rip apart your tongue."
Taiga laughed.
Akira's Analysis
Akira stood off to the side, breathing hard, mind racing.
From start to finish, their game revolves around Yuichi.
Yuma is the conductor.
Zuchi handles the up-and-down duty.
But Yuichi is the threat.
He creates counters. He intercepts everything.
And his main Core… Trapping.
His ability to naturally understand the ball's spin, momentum, pressure—and then his body absorbs that pressure naturally.
It's insane.
Akira clenched his fists.
I'm not like him.
Even if I trained for twenty years, I'd never do that naturally.
But… artificially? Maybe.
His binary aura flickered faintly around him.
With the Prototype, I can't understand the ball's spin naturally.
But by understanding factors—force, angle, momentum—I can break it down.
And then adjust my body to replicate it.
He looked up, eyes burning.
I just need the right condition to do it.
END OF CHAPTER 13
Next: Chapter 14 — The Turning Point