Up in the stands, Murasakibara munched loudly on his chips.
"Ehh~? Kii-chan's amazing. He can score even like that… he's totally like Aocchi~."
On the court.
During yet another Tōō offensive possession, Kagami charged straight at Kise.
Kagami Taiga: "…"
I have to stop him
No matter what!
Smack!
Facing Kagami, Kise Ryōta slammed on the brakes—then instantly exploded forward.
Up in the stands, Midorima's pupils tightened.
He can even copy Aomine's natural-born agility?!
Midorima knew better than anyone: compared to Haizaki, who immersed himself in frame-by-frame reconstruction and constant adjustment, Kise's "copying" was far more intuitive—pure talent mimicking what he sees.
But even so
He reached this level?
Naturally, the person to explain it all was Teiko's tactical analyst, Shigure Akihito.
"Aomine's monstrous agility isn't just raw speed. It's the way he controls acceleration—from the slowest point of movement to maximum speed… that unmatched shift in velocity."
"This matters most when breaking past a defender."
"Kise obviously doesn't have Aomine's innate agility. His top speed isn't as fast."
"But he's found his own path—"
"In dribbling, the lowest speed can never truly be zero. Even Aomine has an unconscious minimum. What Kise does is lower that minimum even further. If Aomine's speed change is like 30 to 100, then Kise Ryōta is working in the range of 20 to 90. The acceleration feels the same."
Beside him, Midorima froze for a moment.
If that works…
Then maybe I could
Meanwhile
On the court.
Kagami kept getting blown past, again and again.
And Haizaki—watching yet another imitation of Aomine—looked increasingly irritated.
During the next offensive possession, Haizaki dribbled up the court… and crooked a finger at Kise.
Kise's eyes sharpened. Under Aomine's murderous gaze from the sideline, he stepped into defensive position
His eyes trembling with excitement.
"I'm not losing to you… Haizaki."
Haizaki lowered his gaze, baring his teeth in a predatory grin. Compared to how he felt facing Aomine, his mindset toward Kise was completely different.
On one hand, he still saw Kise as the "weakest of the Generation of Miracles." He believed Kise's copied skills would never beat him.
On the other hand
Though he hated to admit it…
Talent-wise, Kise was the one who outshone him.
Which is exactly why
Somewhere deep inside, Haizaki looked forward to it.
The Miracles' latest bloomer, with the fastest growth rate, wielding an evolving copy ability—what kind of surprise could he bring?
But still…
It wasn't the same feeling as facing Aomine
That feeling of storm clouds gathering over the city.
"Your spirit's not bad, Kise."
"But too bad…"
"You still can't win."
Beneath his breath, Kise thought back to middle school. Besides his two senpai, no matter how hard he worked, he could never catch up to those two players who shared his position and style.
Aomine was one.
Haizaki was the other.
But that's exactly why
He wanted to play alongside them.
And one day
Someday
Today
Is that "someday."
"I'm beating you today, Haizaki."
"Hah. Anyone can talk big. But with your half-baked Aomine copy and borrowed Midorima threes? I'll show you the reality gap right now."
He scoffed.
Talent?
What the hell is that supposed to mean?
I—
am Haizaki Shōgo.
"It's starting!"
"This is insane"
"It went from Haizaki vs Aomine to Haizaki vs Kise!"
"And they both have almost the same ability! They can both copy Aomine!"
"So fun~!"
Fans widened their eyes.
What would he do?
Use Aomine's moves again?
Honestly, after watching Haizaki battle Aomine, most people expected Haizaki to dominate. After all—
He could even mimic Akashi's Emperor Eye.
On the court.
Haizaki dribbled to the three-point line.
Then
BOOM.
BOOM.
BOOM.
Thunderous dribbles echoed.
Kise—who was ready for Emperor Eye and ultra-high-speed dribbling—was caught completely off guard.
Haizaki had returned to the fundamentals
Lightning-style power dribbling.
Tōō players felt a cold wave rush through them.
"That face…!"
"Stop him!"
Susa Yoshinori and Wakamatsu Kōsuke lunged to trap him.
Then
A wolf-like shadow soared past both defenders!
Haizaki took one small step before the free-throw line and rose like a predatory eagle, his shadow engulfing them both.
Susa and Wakamatsu crouched low, waiting for one precise timing
The exact moment he reached for the rim.
"Now!"
"Jump!"
They leaped, perfectly in sync
And even grazed the ball.
But the result
Was nothing like they imagined.
From the stands
Fans watched Haizaki glide past both defenders. One hand met their block, the other shot upward. His body twisted midair
Sliding cleanly through the tiny gap their block attempt created.
FWIP
A Formless Shot.
Released from an impossible angle.
SWISH.
Seirin scored.
The court froze. Even the roaring crowd went silent.
Haizaki turned toward Kise
His eyes saying clearly:
I'm here.
Let's see
How will you stop me?
END OF CHAPTER
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