Haizaki Shogo received the ball and stepped into Tōō Academy's half-court, observing the familiar one-on-one defensive setup. A strange pang of melancholy touched his heart.
If only my middle school teammates had been this strong… maybe we could have stopped Teiko's three-peat back then.
Shaking off the thought, he faced Aomine Daiki, who was staring at him with full concentration, and a smile spread across his face.
Come on… let's fight this out!
The ball seemed to dance magically in Haizaki's hands as he dribbled past Aomine Daiki toward the paint. With a soaring leap, he powered the ball past both Suza Kanenori and Aomine, who had just rushed forward to block him, and slammed it in.
The sight of that basket made Kirisaki's coach, Harasawa Katsunori, spring to his feet. His eyes were fixed on the blood-red #6, disbelief churning in his mind: How is this possible? How… is this possible?
Seeing the coach's reaction, Satsuki Momoi beside him spoke up to explain.
"Coach, if freedom is Aomine's style, then this version of basketball is Haizaki-kun's style."
"This version?"
"Yes. Haizaki's special skill, [Pillage], allows him to perfectly mimic an opponent's ability, then execute it in his own rhythm—making the original owner temporarily unable to use their own skill. Though… it doesn't seem to affect Aomine much."
"Is there really such a skill in the world? How is this possible?"
"Yes. It's happening right before your eyes."
"The Generation of Miracles… they really are monsters."
The familiar basket didn't just shock Kirisaki's players—it left Fukuda Sogo's teammates, witnessing Haizaki use this special skill for the first time, completely dumbfounded.
"What… is this? Pe?"
"This… what… is… happening?"
"Impossible… right?"
"This… this is the captain's true strength?"
No matter what others were thinking, Haizaki had already returned to his half-court, ready for Aomine's next attack.
With Aomine's personality, there was no way he wouldn't retaliate.
Everyone, now recovered, stared at Haizaki with eyes that could only be described as monstrous. But before they could react further, someone streaked past them with the ball.
Aomine Daiki watched Haizaki radiate his terrifying aura and felt pure delight. That long-forgotten thrill—this is exactly the feeling I've been missing!
A quick between-the-legs dribble sent the ball soaring behind him in a perfect arc, landing flawlessly through the hoop.
Seeing that basket, Haizaki couldn't help a faint sigh. Such irregular, rule-defying shots were practically impossible to defend against.
But quickly, he responded in kind, putting the ball into the hoop in the same style, keeping the score tight.
The ball swished through the net, the whistle blew, and the first quarter ended.
In the stands, Kise Ryouta turned to Midorima Shintaro with disbelief in his voice:
"Midorima, Haizaki once said my style was somewhat similar to his. I never believed him… but now, I have to."
"Your styles are indeed similar—but the difference is huge."
"Is the difference huge?"
"Yes. Watch closely… you'll understand soon enough."
Back at Fukuda Sogo's bench, Coach Ichiro Kudo frowned at his sweat-drenched players.
After a moment of thought, he spoke to Haizaki:
"Shogo-kun, take a break. Slow your rhythm. Everyone else is burning energy just trying to keep up with you and Aomine. This pace isn't sustainable for a practice match."
"Understood, Coach!"
The starting players of Fukuda Sogo now looked at their captain with eyes full of reverence and admiration. That monstrous skill on the court still resonated in their young hearts.
At Kirisaki's bench, Coach Harasawa Katsunori surveyed his equally sweaty players, including Aomine, and spoke in a serious tone:
"Aomine, you take a break for now!"
"Coach…"
"Listen. This isn't the time for an all-out fight—it's time to train teammates. If you go back on the court now, you won't help develop your teammates; you'll just burn everyone out faster."
"Understood…"
After a three-minute break, the second quarter began. Both teams blinked in surprise seeing their ace players still resting, then relaxed slightly.
Haizaki sat in the bench chair, noticing Shimizu Rena taking meticulous notes. He leaned in to peek—but was stopped by Coach Kudo's voice.
Shimizu giggled behind her notebook at this small attempt.
"Shogo-kun, Shimizu-san, pay attention now. We need to identify the players with the best skills and mindset to face the national tournament."
"Yes, Coach!"
"Understood!"
Haizaki knew that Kirisaki was the perfect whetstone for sharpening his teammates—so long as they weren't facing Aomine's terrifying offensive power.
Conversely, Fukuda Sogo now served as a training ground for Kirisaki—a great opportunity to sharpen players and test strategies.
Meanwhile, Aomine sat beside Satsuki Momoi, watching the intense game with a faraway look.
It's been so long since I felt a match this intense… I love this feeling. The tension, the atmosphere… it's exhilarating!
"Hey! Komasa, neither team's ace is on the court. What's going on?"
"If I were the coach, I wouldn't put them in either."
"What do you mean?"
"The pace of Aomine and Haizaki is too fast. If they played now, the whole team would revolve around them, defeating the purpose of training and strategy testing. Besides, the national tournament starts next week—this is the time to conserve the main players' stamina."
"Yeah! True… the national tournament is next week. I'm excited!"
"Watch closely. These two teams are just as strong as ours. Know your enemy, and victory is assured."
Kise hadn't spoken, his gaze fixed on the court, eyes unmoving.
His mind raced, analyzing and simulating the shots just executed by Aomine and Haizaki. After a long moment, he muttered to himself:
So hard to mimic… these two monsters! Frustrating, thrilling, and exhilarating… I love it!
Yet, Kise didn't notice Midorima and Takao giving him a look that clearly said: You're a monster too.
Mimic monsters? My god… where did this monster come from?
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