The "thump, thump" of the basketball striking the floor echoed through Teikō's empty gym, like the pounding of two powerful hearts, hammering at the nerves of every spectator. The last rays of sunset slanted through the high windows, stretching Aomine Daiki and Bai Ze You's shadows across the polished wooden floor and weaving them together into a silhouette brimming with primal tension.
"Ha!" Aomine let out a short breath. Without any probing, he erupted like a volcano that had been suppressed for far too long! His right shoulder dropped sharply, his right foot slammed into the floor like an iron hammer, and his entire body transformed into a black bolt of lightning that tore through the air as he forcibly crushed toward Bai Ze You's right side!
Pure, unreasonable speed and power!
Bai Ze You's pupils contracted sharply! Even though he had been prepared, facing Aomine's full-power First Step in person still brought a terrifying pressure far beyond that of a team match! The air seemed compressed, and the wind whipped up by the charge stung his cheeks. He almost instinctively wanted to retreat, but Nijimura's teaching—"Create balance within imbalance"—exploded in his mind!
He couldn't retreat! One step back meant defeat!
Bai Ze You gritted his teeth, his core muscles instantly tensing like iron! He did not choose to meet the force head-on. At the instant Aomine crashed into him, he used his extraordinary flexibility and sense of balance. His body was like tough bamboo bending beneath a gale; following the direction of the impact, he deftly turned sideways, dispersed the force, and slid! His center of gravity stayed extremely low, his feet moving rapidly like suction cups. Even as the impact forced his body half a step aside, he stubbornly blocked Aomine's route deeper into the paint!
"Hm?!" Aomine's eyes flashed with surprise. He felt as though his strength had crashed into a mass of resilient cotton, most of it being dispersed. His opponent's slippery body slipped through the gaps in his force like an eel, yet still clung tightly to his side!
"Annoying!" Aomine growled. He stopped abruptly! Explosive dribble! A swift crossover, attempting to burst through on the left! The change of direction was so fast it almost left an afterimage!
Yet the instant he changed direction, Bai Ze You seemed to have predicted his move! The keen sensitivity to shifts in his center of gravity, honed through countless balance-beam and BOSU ball drills, came into play! The subtle feint of Aomine's shoulder and gaze was instantly seen through by Bai Ze You's intensely focused vision! Bai Ze You almost moved in sync, sliding laterally and once again sealing off Aomine's breakthrough path with perfect precision!
Bang!
Their bodies collided violently again! Bai Ze You grunted as sharp pain spread through his chest, and his feet were forced to slide another small step. But there was not the slightest hint of panic in his eyes. Instead, they shone even brighter! He had held on! Twice in a row, he had used technique and prediction to withstand Aomine's wild power head-on!
"Damn it!" Aomine was completely enraged. Being seen through and constantly clung to made him intensely uncomfortable. He no longer sought to get past him in a single step. Instead, he explosively dribbled into a step-back, creating a sliver of space, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes. "Then I'll force you to eat it!"
He lowered his center of gravity and launched again like a wild bull. This time, his target was clear—using sheer power to shove Bai Ze You aside and charge straight to the basket! The sound of muscle colliding rang out clearly. Bai Ze You was driven backward repeatedly, his footwork beginning to grow disorderly.
On the sideline, Momoi Satsuki's heart rose into her throat as her pen raced across Momoi Satsuki's clipboard: "G1 Breakthrough: Absolute Strength suppression. Bai Ze-kun's defense is being continuously compressed..."
Nijimura Shūzō's brows furrowed slightly, but his gaze remained focused.
Murasaki-bara Atsushi bit through an Umaibo with a crisp snap and mumbled, "The strength gap's way too big..."
Midōrima Shintarō calculated silently. "The strength gap exceeds thirty percent. The probability of losing defensive position while continuing to resist is 97.3%..."
Just as he was about to be pushed to the edge of the paint, a sharp glint flashed in Bai Ze You's eyes! The instant Aomine thrust forward with renewed force, Bai Ze You suddenly gave up resisting head-on!
His body seemed to lose all strength as he suddenly "fell" backward in the direction of Aomine's collision! This abrupt "surrender" caused Aomine's strength to lose its point of leverage. His body stumbled forward half a step involuntarily!
Now!
Bai Ze You's core strength erupted as he fell! His superhuman flexibility was displayed to its fullest! His waist bent backward as though broken, nearly parallel to the floor. At the same time, his supporting leg—his left foot—pushed off like a spring, driving his entire body through an unbelievable gyroscopic rotation at an extremely low height! He was not simply falling backward. Borrowing Aomine's forward momentum and his own rotation, he slipped past Aomine's side like a ghost!
"What...?!" Aomine had not expected this at all. His center of gravity wavered, and he could only watch helplessly as Bai Ze You escaped his suppression like an agile cat!
Bai Ze You spun upright without the slightest pause, darting toward the basketball Aomine had temporarily abandoned like an arrow loosed from its string!
Steal!
"Nice!" someone on the sideline shouted.
A new line instantly appeared on Momoi's clipboard: "D1 Defense: Extreme force dispersion + ultra-low-center-of-gravity rotation escape! Prediction successful! Steal!" Her eyes were filled with delight.
Offense and defense switched in an instant!
Bai Ze You took possession and charged straight toward the opposite half without hesitation. Aomine regained his balance and roared, bursting into an astonishing chase speed as he swept forward from behind like a black hurricane! The two of them entered the three-point line almost simultaneously!
Bai Ze You felt the suffocating pressure of the pursuit behind him. He did not slow down. Instead, the instant he stepped onto the free-throw line, he drove hard off his left foot and leaped with all his strength!
"Going straight for a layup? Too naive!" Aomine's eyes flashed with a vicious grin. Leaping later but arriving first, he instantly surpassed Bai Ze You's height with terrifying spring and explosive power! A massive shadow descended, and his fan-like palm carried the force to destroy everything as it slammed toward the basketball raised in Bai Ze You's hand! This Chasing Block was certain to land!
A wave of gasps rose from the sideline! Murasaki-bara Atsushi even forgot to put his snack into his mouth.
Momoi covered her mouth, and her clipboard clattered to the floor.
Just as everyone thought Bai Ze You would be ruthlessly blocked—
In midair, Bai Ze You's core suddenly contracted like the most precisely engineered spring! His originally upright layup posture forcibly compressed into an extreme fold! His body bent backward as though an invisible hand had forced it, avoiding the area Aomine's block was sure to reach!
Aomine's palm roared past with the wind, brushing beneath the basketball!
"He dodged it?!" For the first time, disbelief appeared in Aomine's eyes.
But it was not over! After Bai Ze You's body folded to its limit, his powerful core and inhuman sense of balance erupted once more! It was as if he had found an invisible pivot in midair. His body snapped open like a drawn bowstring! The folded body instantly extended, transforming from an extreme backward fold into a slightly drifting, basket-facing Extreme Layup posture!
Hang time! Unbelievable hang time!
Aomine had already reached his apex and begun descending, while Bai Ze You seemed to hover in the air. With a flick of his wrist, he made a deft underhand scoop!
The orange basketball, carrying a faint spin, passed over Aomine's desperately outstretched fingertips as he began to descend, gently brushing the backboard before dropping through the net!
1:0!
"It's in!!!" The bench erupted instantly!
"Beautiful! Bai Ze!"
"My god! What was that move?!"
Exclamations rose one after another.
Bai Ze You landed lightly, his chest heaving violently as sweat dripped from his chin. That extreme maneuver, completed in the blink of an eye, had consumed tremendous physical and mental energy, yet his eyes shone brilliantly like cold stars! He looked toward Aomine, who had landed with a stunned expression. He said nothing, but his calm gaze carried more power than any provocation.
"..." Aomine Daiki stood where he was, watching the basketball bounce beneath the hoop before lowering his head to stare at the palm that had just missed the block. The wild arrogance and contempt had vanished from his face, replaced by a never-before-seen expression—a complex mixture of shock, anger, and... a spark of purer excitement that had been ignited.
"Heh... hehehe..." A low, restrained laugh rolled from his throat. He abruptly raised his head. The battle fire burning in his eyes had not gone out; it had grown hotter and crazier! It was the flame of someone who had been truly challenged, with every ounce of his fighting spirit set ablaze!
"This is fun! So damn fun! Shiro!" Aomine's voice was like the growl of an injured beast, full of danger. "That move just now... Do it again! Let me tear your tricks apart!"
He no longer held anything back. A more primitive, wilder aura rose from him. His movements became even more Unpredictable. His breakthroughs were no longer bound to any direction, and his Fake Moves grew more realistic and deceptive. His eyes revealed an almost instinctive, terrifying awareness of attacking routes and defensive openings! This was the true beginning of his "wildness" talent awakening—Wildness First Sense!
The next few exchanges turned into a feverish physical battle.
Aomine went completely berserk:
* After an explosive dribble, his double crossover was as fast as a ghost. Bai Ze You's sliding-step prediction faltered for the first time, and he was shaken half a body-width aside. Aomine crushed into the paint like a tank and finished with a violent slam dunk! 1:1!
* Once again, Aomine pulled up directly beyond the three-point line! His movement was unbelievably swift, carrying an unreasonable confidence. Bai Ze You fought to block him, his fingertips barely brushing the bottom of the ball, but the basketball still traced a high arc and dropped cleanly through the net with a "swish!" 2:1!
* He even used terrifying core strength and a shoulder Fake Move during a post-up to forcibly shove Bai Ze You aside, then completed a difficult, contorted fadeaway jumper! 3:1!
Aomine scored three straight points! His terrifying scoring explosiveness was on full display! Every attack was filled with power, speed, and a wild beauty, sweeping across the court like a storm.
"So this is... Aomine-kun at full power..." Momoi Satsuki picked up her clipboard, her fingers slightly pale. It was covered in densely packed notes on Aomine's various unreasonable attacks.
Nijimura Shūzō's expression also grew solemn. Aomine's talent was even more frightening than he had expected.
Murasaki-bara Atsushi chewed on an Umaibo and mumbled, "Ah, Dai's serious now."
Midōrima Shintarō said, "Wildness First Sense activated. Unpredictability has increased dramatically. Bai Ze's defensive success rate has fallen below forty percent."
Pressure surged toward Bai Ze You like a tide. Once Aomine entered his state, his attacks were almost impossible to predict through ordinary logic. His absolute advantage in strength and speed was magnified infinitely in a one-on-one match. Sweat soaked through his undershirt, his breathing grew heavy, and the toll of defense was far greater than that of offense.
But he did not give up. Every time he was beaten, every time he conceded a basket, his gaze grew more focused. He forced himself to calm down as his mind raced faster than ever, analyzing every detail of Aomine's movements and searching for the minuscule openings hidden within that violent rhythm.
Finally, when Aomine once again attempted his trademark explosive First Step to break through on the right, Bai Ze You caught it!
Before launching, Aomine's supporting foot—his left foot—made an extremely subtle, habitual outward grinding turn! The motion was so concealed that it was almost integrated into his powerful explosive start, but under Bai Ze You's intensely concentrated observation, it was magnified instantly!
Prediction!
Bai Ze You did not wait for Aomine to fully launch. A split second before Aomine's left foot twisted and drove forward, Bai Ze You moved like a cheetah ready to pounce, suddenly shifting a large step to his own left—the front of Aomine's intended breakthrough route!
"What?!" Aomine's pupils shrank! He had never imagined that Bai Ze You would dare to predict and seal him off so boldly in advance! His full-power First Step had already launched, and his route was completely blocked. Forcing a change of direction would only make him lose his balance!
In that flash of time, Aomine displayed monstrous body control! He forcibly converted his forward momentum into upward explosive power and jumped straight up, attempting to break through with a quick stop-and-shoot!
However, Bai Ze You's prediction had paid off! That early step had not only sealed the breakthrough route but also bought him precious adjustment time! The instant Aomine jumped, Bai Ze You also sprang up with all his strength! He could not jump as high as Aomine, but his timing was perfect! His right hand became a precise spearpoint, carrying resolute force as it slammed into the basketball Aomine had just raised above his head!
Smack!!!
A crisp, resounding slap echoed through the gym!
The basketball was struck solidly by Bai Ze You's fingertips, changing direction and flying far beyond the sideline!
Block! Bai Ze You had blocked Aomine Daiki at full power!
"He blocked it?!"
"My god! He blocked Aomine?!"
"How is that possible?!"
The shocked cries erupted like a tsunami!
Aomine Daiki landed and staggered before regaining his footing. He stared incredulously at his empty hand, then looked toward Bai Ze You, who had landed steadily, chest heaving violently but eyes sharp as blades. An unprecedented, icy yet burning shiver shot from the soles of his feet through his entire body! It was not anger, but the ultimate excitement of meeting a worthy opponent!
"Ha... hahahaha!" Aomine suddenly threw his head back and laughed, wild and unrestrained, filled with exhilaration and even fiercer fighting spirit. "Good! Very good! Shiro! You really are... so damn interesting!"
The gym fell silent, leaving only Aomine's wild laughter and Bai Ze You's heavy breathing. Victory and defeat no longer seemed important.
Bai Ze You wiped the sweat from his face, his eyes burning with the same unyielding flame. He felt the recognition in Aomine's laughter, and even more strongly, the surging challenge behind it. He assumed a defensive stance. His voice was slightly hoarse from exertion, yet carried the will of steel:
"Again, Aomine-senpai!"
Aomine's laughter stopped abruptly. The corners of his mouth stretched into an almost feral yet incredibly excited grin. He bent down and picked up the rolling basketball, his eyes containing nothing but the opponent before him:
"I've been waiting!"
The one-on-one match was far from over. The clash between wildness and phantom entered an even fiercer, more spectacular chapter beneath the setting sun of Teikō's gym! Every offensive and defensive exchange was like blades colliding, sparks flying in all directions! The score rose back and forth, sweat scattered through the air, and the sound of colliding muscles rang without end.
Aomine continued assaulting Bai Ze You's defense with strength and First Sense, while Bai Ze You used flexibility, balance, prediction, and increasingly exquisite Fake Moves to mount a stubborn resistance and sharp counterattacks. Momoi Satsuki's clipboard was already filled with densely packed data and exclamation marks. Nijimura Shūzō's eyes shone repeatedly as he witnessed the ultimate bloom of two kinds of basketball talent. Murasaki-bara Atsushi watched so intently that he forgot to eat his snacks. Rapidly shifting numbers reflected across Midōrima Shintarō's lenses; his proud probability calculations seemed pale and powerless before the collision of these two pure talents. In Kuroko Tetsuya's blue eyes, the two rapidly moving figures on the court were reflected. Beneath his calm surface, he seemed to be considering some new possibility.
On the final exchange, Aomine used an almost twisted Extreme Layup to evade Bai Ze You's block. After the basketball bounced several times on the rim, it finally dropped through the net. By then, both of them were drenched in sweat, their stamina nearly exhausted.
"10:9!" shouted the third-year acting as temporary referee, his voice carrying a slight tremor. Aomine had narrowly won!
Aomine landed and braced both hands on his knees, gasping heavily as sweat dripped from his chin like a stream. He raised his head and looked at Bai Ze You, who was equally exhausted yet still standing perfectly straight. The contempt of the beginning was gone from his eyes, replaced by burning excitement at having met a worthy opponent and... a trace of barely perceptible respect.
"Huff... huff... Shiro..." Aomine panted, grinning with a smile filled with exhaustion yet overflowing with exhilaration. "You slippery bastard... You can really play!"
Bai Ze You's chest rose and fell, sweat soaking through his white undershirt. He looked at the hoop, then at Aomine, and a smile slowly appeared on his face—the relief that came after a hard-fought battle, along with the same rekindled fighting spirit. "Aomine-senpai... You're the... monster..."
Without exchanging many words, the two stood several steps apart, their gazes meeting in midair. Sweat, panting, the lingering intensity in the gym, and that breathtaking one-on-one match silently proclaimed one fact: Teikō's first-years had given birth to two monsters capable of shaking the future!
The first clash between wildness and phantom had produced no absolute victor or loser. There was only a battle fire completely ignited, leading toward a higher realm! Momoi Satsuki looked at the two facing each other on the court and forcefully wrote on the final line of her clipboard:
"Observation Conclusion: Wildness (power/speed/First Sense) VS Phantom (flexibility/balance/technique/prediction)—First clash, evenly matched. The future... holds infinite possibilities!"
The final ray of golden sunlight finally sank below the horizon. The lights came on inside Teikō's gym, illuminating the sweat-soaked floor and the new path left behind by this one-on-one match—a path named "rivals" and "companions." Between victory and defeat, they saw in each other's eyes the same dazzling flame, burning with the same desire to reach the summit.
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