Aomine Daiki caught the basketball, squinting his eyes as he seriously sized up Haizaki Shogo in front of him.
In his mind, the arrogant, overbearing Shogo from before and the aura of terrifying gray menace now radiating from him slowly merged, igniting Aomine's blood and soul.
"I'm asking—what the hell happened to you over these past six months? You've grown this insanely strong."
"Studying, writing, boxing, fencing, picking up girls, bragging… and recently, I suddenly felt like I'm invincible."
"Invincible, hahahaha! Want to be invincible? Did you even ask me first?"
As soon as the words fell, that terrifying acceleration kicked in. A subtle feint, and he swooped past Shogo.
CLANG!
A one-handed windmill dunk—stylish, full of overwhelming presence.
The hoop wobbled, but it wasn't just the rim that shook—the hearts of the audience and their blood boiled too.
Aomine lightly landed, turning to the calm, composed Shogo.
"Hey hey hey!! Get serious! I don't think you're this slow."
"Hahaha, Aoda, your speed is insane! It really excites me!"
At that moment, Aomine tossed the ball to Shogo—clearly signaling, your turn.
Shogo caught the ball, dribbling while saying,
"Aoda, that last move was nice. I like it!"
The terrifying acceleration activated—another feint, passing Aomine. He executed the same one-handed windmill dunk, stylish, with momentum that matched Aomine's.
The crowd, including Satsuki Momoi, was stunned.
In Satsuki's memory, Shogo's "Pillage" skill wasn't this terrifying. Now, it felt overwhelmingly lethal.
Her big eyes widened, unblinking, as she watched Shogo on the court, feeling like she needed to completely rediscover him.
Seeing this, Aomine relaxed slightly. Calm, composed, yet inside, his excitement and adrenaline blazed hotter with every second.
"Hahaha! Now that's what I'm talking about! I'm looking forward to this, Shogo!"
"Yeah! I'm looking forward to this too, Aoda!"
Aomine's prior terrifying speed had taught Shogo what a trump card meant, what talent meant, what real terror was.
No wonder the first to "blossom" in this era was so fast—now his speed still surpasses even me, Haizaki Shogo.
The basketball spun, landing in Aomine's hands—another round of back-and-forth battle about to begin.
"So, Shogo, I'm getting serious now!"
"Bring it on. I'm ready."
The basketball in Aomine's hands accelerated, and Shogo focused intensely. The aura between them began to press against each other, rising in intensity.
Half the court went silent. Not a sound—no breath, no squeak of shoes.
Only the BOOM BOOM BOOM of basketball slaps against the court and the phantom-like movement of the two players could be heard.
They were so fast, almost like illusions, appearing ghostlike in every corner of the court.
SWISH!
The basketball went in, Aomine spun and shot, the ball effortlessly sinking again.
"Aoda, I love your basketball. Free, unrestricted… without limits."
"Hey hey hey! Are you admitting defeat now?"
"Admit defeat? Watch carefully, Aoda."
Just now, Shogo finally understood why in anime he couldn't Pillage the Generation of Miracles players' special skills, but Kise Ryouta could mimic them.
The reason was simple—before, Shogo lacked proper body training and basketball practice.
Agility, strength, ball sense, and technique—they were all insufficient to mimic the Generation of Miracles's ultimate skills. Too naive to think he could.
In theory, Pillage is harder than Perfect Copy, yet Kise could copy their abilities because he'd relentlessly trained. His strength and agility were already top-tier, allowing him to handle the Generation of Miracles skills—even if only for a short time due to physical limits.
Taking the basketball Aomine passed him, Shogo said in a cold, determined tone:
"Aoda, this move belongs to me now."
He dribbled forward, spun, and shot—the ball sank into the net.
Silence. Beautiful Satsuki covered her mouth, the bag of cherries slipping to the ground.
What had she just witnessed? How did Shogo do that?
Even Aomine was stunned, then suddenly threw back his head and laughed loudly.
"Hahaha!! Did you hide your power all this time, or is Akashi blind?"
"Both, maybe. Continue?"
"Why not?"
In an instant, battle resumed. Gray and blue streaks darted across half the court, fierce and passionate.
Satsuki, having picked up the bag of cherries, watched the two former teammates now clashing with sweat and determination. Her eyes shone with tears of joy.
The scene was so familiar, so touching. She hoped Aoda and Shogo would always be this happy.
After a long while, the two collapsed on the court, exhausted, gazing at the twilight sky.
"Today's a draw. We continue the day after tomorrow."
"Alright. The day after tomorrow. Shorts only—pants are too restrictive."
Shogo stood and helped Aomine up. Together, they walked toward Satsuki.
"Satsuki, let's get ice cream! I'm parched!"
"Yay! Yay!"
Night fell. At the convenience store, the three parted ways. Satsuki and Aomine watched Shogo board the train, disappearing down the road.
"Aoda, you seem to have had fun today?"
"Not bad. Haven't felt this free in a while."
"Aoda, Shogo… he's changed. His skills are terrifying now."
"Hahaha!! Isn't that great, Satsuki?"
"Sure, but why did Akashi want Shogo to leave the team?"
"How should I know? But when they meet Shogo later, they'll be shocked."
Thinking of the overwhelming power he had witnessed today, Aomine grinned inwardly. So good… so satisfying.
"I know, but I'm not telling anyone. Let them feel Shogo's terror themselves! Hahaha!!"
"Aoda, what are you laughing at?"
"Nothing. Oh, and Satsuki, don't mention Shogo's condition to anyone else."
"Why not, Aoda?"
"Why? Don't you think it's better to keep it secret for Shogo?"
Satsuki, still lively, glanced at Aomine, then at her uneaten cherries and ice cream, nodding eagerly.
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150 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter
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