The court had carried a different kind of tension that day, and waiting to explode.
Renji was subbed and then sat on the bench near the sidelines, arms folded, watching as the teams warmed up. The friendly match against Aoi's team had been planned, but something about the air felt less "friendly" than expected. It wasn't hostility, it was expectation. A silent agreement that something meaningful would unfold.
Across the court, Aoi stretched lazily, spinning the ball on his finger. His expression looked calm, almost bored, but his eyes were sharp. Searching and waiting for his dimmed fire inside him to ignite again.
When the scrimmage began, the matchups were called out.
Aoi versus Kevin.
A slight murmur spread among both teams.
Renji narrowed his gaze.
That wasn't what Aoi wanted.
Sure enough, Aoi caught the ball on the first possession, dribbled once, and looked straight past Kevin, locking onto Renji.
"I didn't come here for you," Aoi said flatly.
Kevin smirked, though a vein pulsed faintly at his temple. "Then beat me first."
The words landed like a challenge thrown into fire.
Aoi didn't respond. He simply moved.
And in the next few minutes, everything fell apart for Kevin.
Aoi's movements were precise, effortless, and merciless. His footwork carved through defenses like a blade. Crossovers snapped ankles. Step-backs created space that didn't seem to exist. His shots were clean, unbothered, and inevitable.
Kevin tried to adjust. Tried to match pace. Tried to read him.
He failed.
Again and again.
The scoreboard climbed quickly, but it wasn't the numbers that shook everyone, it was the difference in level.
Aoi wasn't playing to win but he was playing with his enemy. He was proving a point.
And when the final whistle for that round blew, Kevin stood frozen, hands on his knees, breathing hard and completely overwhelmed.
Then Aoi turned, his gaze settled on Renji.
"Now."
That single word carried everything.
Renji stepped forward without hesitation.
He entered the court, the weight of expectation settling onto his shoulders but unlike before, it didn't suffocate him.
It steadied him.
The ball was checked.
And the real match began.
At first, Renji tried to match Aoi directly.
It failed.
Every move he made was anticipated. Every drive cut off. Every attempt mirrored and countered faster than he could react.
Aoi was reading him.
No, but worse.
Aoi was ahead of him.
The gap was obvious.
And brutal.
Renji found himself pushed back, stripped of rhythm, his plays broken apart before they could even form. Aoi's defense was suffocating, his offense relentless.
Points piled up quickly.
Renji's team fell behind.
And then...
He was beaten cleanly. Again and again.
Until the difference became undeniable.
He was being trashed.
From the sidelines, tension rose. No one spoke, but everyone felt it.
"Is that really the Renji of Prodigy? And also, why does Aoi was better this time? Did he just played with Renji in the past?" May added as she took notes on his clipboard.
Renji staggered back after another failed drive, breathing heavily.
So this… is the gap.
His chest tightened, frustration flickering beneath the surface.
Not long ago, he would have adapted and copied.
But now..... Nothing came.
His mind reached for patterns that weren't there anymore.
His body searched for instincts that had vanished.
And in that moment, the realization struck him fully.
His prodigy copycat talent… Was gone.
Aoi paused briefly, watching him.
There was no mockery in his eyes, only recognition.
"You feel it now, don't you?" Aoi said quietly.
Renji didn't answer. He didn't need to. The next play began. And Renji moved again. The shift came slowly. Almost imperceptibly.
At first, it was just endurance.
Despite being outplayed, Renji kept running. Kept defending. Kept pushing himself into every possession, refusing to break.
His breathing grew heavier.
His legs burned.
But he didn't stop.
Then, something changed.
A flicker of fire that ignited inside him.
A surge of his emotions. His steps grew lighter. His reactions sharpened.
The exhaustion that had weighed him down… began to peel away.
"Second Wind!" May nearly shouted as she watched.
It wasn't sudden and it was rising.
Like embers reigniting into flame.
Renji straightened.
And for the first time since the match began
He pushed back.
The next possession, he drove. Faster than before.
Aoi's eyes narrowed slightly.
Renji crossed over was sharp, decisive and slipped past him for a split second.
Gasps echoed from the sidelines.
He made it to the basket. But Aoi recovered.
A blur was made and he stole the ball. It was Clean.
"Still not enough," Renji said. Renji exhaled slowly. But there was no frustration now.
Only focus.
"Again." Renji said while smirking.
They clashed once more.
Renji attacked from the perimeter, chaining crossovers together, left, right, then hesitation.
He broke past Aoi again. This time deeper and closer. The defense scrambled.
But once more....Aoi intercepted.
The ball slipped away.
Renji clicked his tongue softly.
But inside, something burned brighter.
He was getting closer...
The match intensified.
Possession after possession turned into a duel.
Renji kept attacking the basket relentlessly, using speed and endurance to pressure Aoi. His movements became sharper, more unpredictable, not from copying, but from adaptation. His instinct and efforts.
And Aoi.... Was starting to breathe harder.
It was subtle but noticeable.
His steps, still precise, carried a hint of strain. His defense, still elite, demanded more energy now. Renji noticed and pushed harder.
He drove again, this time chaining feints with explosive acceleration.
He crossed Aoi cleanly this time.
Each time drawing closer to scoring range.
The court buzzed with energy.
"He's… getting better…"
"He's forcing Aoi back…"
But even then.....Aoi remained faster, Stronger, and Sharper.
On one critical play, Renji surged forward for a decisive drive and Aoi stripped the ball mid-motion.
A perfect steal!
The momentum halted instantly. Renji stood still for a moment, watching the ball roll away.
His chest rose and fell. The game ended soon after. Renji's team had lost.
Silence lingered for a moment before the tension slowly dissolved.
Aoi stood upright, wiping sweat from his forehead.
He looked at Renji, not with superiority, but with something more complicated.
"…You've changed," Aoi said.
Renji met his gaze.
"I had to."
Aoi exhaled quietly.
Then, almost reluctantly, he spoke again.
"I thought your copycat talent would carry you higher."
Renji didn't respond immediately.
Because he knew.
That part of him was gone.
And Aoi knew it too.
"That's why…" Aoi muttered, clenching his fist slightly. "It's frustrating."
Not anger, not disappointment but frustration. As if something valuable had been lost for both of them.
Renji smiled faintly.
"Maybe."
He picked up the ball, spinning it lightly in his hands.
"But that just means I'll find another way."
Aoi looked at him for a long moment.
Then nodded once.
"…Do it."
Renji's gaze sharpened.
"I will."
They soon made a leap at Renji.
"Renji! How did you do that!?" Shouted Shin.
"You are getting better and better Renji!" Kevin patted his head.
Renji was still panting but was happy, that his second wind was there for him even without his copycat talent.
He immediately smiled and said, "Thank you all!"
The echoes of the match lingered in his body, the exhaustion, struggle, and growth.
His copycat talent was gone.
That truth didn't change.
But something else had taken its place.
[Second Wind]
A skill born not from talent but from endurance.
He clenched his fist slightly. "If I can't rely on what I had…"
His voice was quiet. "But I'll surpass it anyway."
His eyes lifted toward the hoop.
Even without that talent..
Even without being the same player he once was....
He would grow stronger. And he would rebuild himself.
And one day....
He would face Aoi again.
Not as someone chasing his past....
But as someone who had surpassed it.