Shogo Haizaki dribbled continuously with both hands, shoved the ball forward with his right, and surged ahead after it.
He cut straight through the narrow gap between Yoshitaka Moriyama and Yukio Kasamatsu.
As soon as he entered the paint, Mitsuhiro Hayakawa stepped up to help on defense.
Haizaki didn't hesitate. With a sharp behind-the-back dribble using his right hand, he blew past Hayakawa in an instant.
The moment Hayakawa was beaten, Kōji Kobori and Shinya Nakamura rushed in to help.
Haizaki's gaze sharpened, and the lone wolf silhouette behind him shifted into an attacking posture.
He gathered the ball with both hands, crashed into Kobori in a brief body check, and went up for a floater.
Shinya Nakamura naturally refused to let Haizaki have his way and immediately jumped to contest the shot.
But Haizaki had already anticipated it. He pulled back the hand that was about to release the floater, switched hands midair, and gently hooked the ball into the hoop.
Shogo Haizaki—one against five—scores again!
After the basket, Haizaki didn't hesitate for a second. He turned around and headed back on defense.
The Kaijō players, meanwhile, stood frozen in place, confusion written across their faces.
Seirin's side.
Taiga Kagami's expression stiffened, disbelief in his voice.
"He actually… went one-on-five…"
Junpei Hyuga swallowed hard, cursing inwardly.
'What a monster…'
On the court.
Kaijō was still trying to run their offense, but their efficiency had collapsed.
After Ryota Kise left the game, they hadn't scored even once.
Their turnover rate kept climbing, and passes were constantly going astray.
Yukio Kasamatsu realized that no matter where he tried to pass, Makoto Hanamiya seemed to know exactly where the ball was going, intercepting him again and again.
That forced Kaijō's players to run behind Kasamatsu just to receive the ball.
But once it came to that, the passes lost all meaning.
Kaijō had completely fallen into a scoring drought.
On the defensive end, things were even worse. They simply couldn't stop Shogo Haizaki after he activated his Animal Instinct.
Even with only Haizaki charging into the frontcourt for Kirisaki Daiichi, all five Kaijō players still couldn't contain him.
Only on a few lucky occasions did Haizaki's shots rim out. Otherwise, they had no way of stopping him.
Like a starving wolf, Shogo Haizaki tore through their defense, leaving them utterly overwhelmed.
The score gap continued to widen.
Watching the grim situation on the court and the ever-growing deficit, Ryota Kise immediately went to the coach.
"Coach, I want to get back in!"
Genta Takeuchi knew just how unfavorable things were for Kaijō.
So when Ryota Kise volunteered, he agreed without hesitation.
"Beep! Kaijō requests a substitution."
Ryota Kise returned to the court, his expression resolute as he adjusted his jersey while stepping onto the floor.
Seeing Kise come back with a little over two minutes left in the second quarter, Yukio Kasamatsu felt a pang of guilt.
He had promised to hold the line for Kise himself, yet in the end, things had only gotten worse.
But there was nothing they could do—they simply couldn't stop Shogo Haizaki.
Kasamatsu walked up to Kise, guilt clear on his face.
"I'm sorry… I couldn't stop Haizaki…"
Ryota Kise smiled casually.
"It's fine, Kasamatsu-senpai. You all did your best. The rest…"
As he said that, his expression became rock-solid.
"Leave it to me!"
The game resumed.
Kaijō ball.
Ryota Kise dribbled straight up to Shogo Haizaki.
Facing Haizaki in his feral state, Kise couldn't hide his surprise.
"I never thought you'd awakened Animal Instinct."
Haizaki curled his lips into a grin.
"What, did you think I was that weak?"
Kise shook his head, thinking carefully.
"No. You're strong. But in this game, I don't want to lose."
Haizaki suddenly burst out laughing, as if he had just heard something absurd.
"What did you say? You don't want to lose? Come on, don't make me laugh. Where's that confidence coming from?"
Kise didn't answer. His expression turned serious, his entire presence resembling a predator about to hunt.
Sensing the change in atmosphere, Haizaki stopped talking and shifted into a defensive stance.
Kise took a deep breath.
Facing the current Haizaki felt just like those one-on-one battles against Daiki Aomine.
The same overwhelming pressure.
Even Kise himself hadn't expected Haizaki to grow this fast.
An image of a boy with blue hair surfaced in Kise's mind.
'After all this time playing one-on-one with you, I've learned your offensive rhythm and methods.'
'But I was never able to [Copy] your basketball.'
'Now… I think I have to change.'
'I… want to win!'
Suddenly—
Ryota Kise's aura changed completely, as if he had become a different person.
As the defender, Shogo Haizaki felt it more clearly than anyone.
The moment he sensed the shift in Kise's presence, a chill ran through Haizaki.
'This feeling… Aomine!'
Ryota Kise moved.
His actions were no longer clean and textbook-like. Instead, they became chaotic and unrestrained.
It looked exactly like streetball.
Caught off guard by this unfamiliar rhythm, Haizaki failed to adjust in time, allowing Kise to break through.
Miyamoto Tokima watched the scene with interest.
This Ryota Kise didn't look like the [Perfect Copying] from the original story.
Instead, it seemed he was using a single, focused [Copying].
In other words, he wasn't [Copying] everyone from Teikō—he was only [Copying] Daiki Aomine.
It could be said that Ryota Kise had awakened ahead of time.
At that moment, even Miyamoto Tokima couldn't help but acknowledge him.
His talent truly was terrifying.
After breaking past Haizaki, Kise leapt into the air.
Haizaki followed immediately, jumping up and extending his hand to block Kise's shooting path.
Suddenly—
Midair, Kise changed his motion. His standard shooting form transformed into a [Formless Shot].
With a sharp flick of his right hand, the ball was sent arcing into the hoop.
At first, Haizaki had only suspected it—but after seeing that familiar motion, he was certain.
Ryota Kise… had [Copied] Daiki Aomine!
'I never imagined… your [Copying] could reach this level!'
'Kise… you're incredible!'
......