Primal Instinct in Desperate Straits

"Impossible." On the sidelines, a squinting man wearing glasses looked at the shattered backboard and sighed, "Can something like this really happen in a junior high school game?"

"Whether it's possible or not, it's already happened, hasn't it?" Next to the squinting eyes, a person with a buzz cut and bandages wrapped around their forehead and arms spoke with a hint of fear, "It's not surprising that this rude guy could do something like this."

"Makoto, I have a feeling that some incredible monsters will be unleashed in this year's junior high tournament~" If this squinting-eyed guy wasn't Shoichi Imagawa, then who else could it be.

"Tch, monsters and geniuses..." Makoto Hanamiya, who was beside them, stubbornly wanted to say something more, but was cut off by Shoichi Imagawa's next words: "Makoto, I haven't seen if geniuses are good or bad, but you were almost beaten to death. The doctor had to shave your head to stitch up your wounds."

"Next year, next year I'll definitely make them pay!" Makoto Hanamiya gritted his teeth. Yes, due to the violent incident before, Makoto Hanamiya and the main players of Kirikiri First Junior High were all taken down by Ken Kaneki, causing Kirikiri First Junior High to be eliminated in the first round of the qualifiers this year.

"I won't be able to see how you do next year, I've already quit the club," Shoichi Imagawa said with a smile. "I'm going to high school next year. As an old teammate, I just hope you don't get beaten to death by Ken Kaneki on the court."

".Compared to annoying people with words and actions, I'm still no match for you, Imagawa!"

"Is this Teiko's Mighty Lion, Ken Kaneki?" At the other end of the stadium, Reiko Aida looked at Ken Kaneki, who was idly looking around the sidelines, and murmured, "I really want to observe and understand his physical data up close."

"Hm?" Kagetora Aida, hearing his daughter's self-talk, quietly pulled out a biubiu from under his clothes, cocked it with a click, "Okay Reiko, Dad will take care of him right now."

"Dad!" Reiko Aida was so frightened her face turned pale, "You'll be arrested, Dad!"

"Cough, cough." Kagetora Aida, like an old child, put away the biubiu and resumed a proper sitting posture, "I advise you not to observe his data now. After you see it, you'll feel like everyone you know is trash."

Kagetora Aida paused, then looked up, reminiscing, "So, it's really not good to meet someone too amazing when you're young..."

"Don't get all sentimental on me now, Dad!" Reiko Aida, unable to stand it any longer, grabbed Kagetora Aida's hair.

"Alright, alright, stop messing around! Dad still has some acquaintances in the basketball world, give me some face!" Kagetora Aida wailed, looking like he was enjoying himself.

"Damn it, how are we supposed to play this game!" The coach of Shibuya First Junior High angrily slammed the tactical board and pointed at the players behind him, "What the hell is this Big Three! A Big Three who are being dominated in their matchups? I wasn't wrong earlier, you're all scum!"

"Coach, they've already tried their best," Wei Liu stepped forward to mediate, "After all, we've seen the opponent's strength."

"Do you think I'm not talking about you?" The coach glared fiercely at Wei Liu, "Look at how you've been dominated! You have the nerve to step forward and break up a fight! You useless xx!"

Seeing that the coach was starting to spout nonsense indiscriminately, Wei Liu also got angry and pushed the coach, yelling, "Reki Iizuka! I'll x your x! You, who came from a boiler-room background, a waste rejected by other schools, how dare you act so arrogant! You want to curse? Let me tell you, after this game, it's either him or me in this Basketball Club, not both of us!"

"Alright, stop arguing!" Just as Shibuya First Junior High was about to erupt into internal conflict, Kotaro Hayama, who could no longer stand it, stood up and walked to Reki Iizuka, grabbing his collar, "Coach, this is the last time I'll call you coach! How can we play basketball well with insects like you! Now, shut up, otherwise Keisuke and Wei Liu and I will all quit! Let's see who the school leadership will try to keep!"

"Fine, fine, fine! I'd like to see what kind of game you, Kotaro Hayama, can play!" Reki Iizuka, seeing that the situation was not in his favor, uttered a harsh threat and strode towards the locker room.

"Kotaro, you're too impulsive," Kazuhiko Yamanaka said worriedly, stepping forward, "The coach holds grudges."

"What are you afraid of! We'll report it to the school leadership together! I don't believe the school leadership can abandon us, the starting players who have brought excellent results to the Basketball Club!" Wei Liu and Keisuke Kobayashi also stepped forward.

"Alright, what kind of terrible ideas are you all thinking!" Kazuhiko Yamanaka reprimanded, "Everyone sit down!"

Hearing the words of the usually good-natured elder brother of the team, everyone finally returned to their seats.

"This time, that petty coach will definitely report it to the school leadership, so..." Kazuhiko Yamanaka lowered his head and remained silent for a long time, as if he had made a decision, "I've decided to bear the consequences of this incident."

"No, Captain!" Everyone present was shocked and spoke out to persuade him.

"One person does the deed, one person bears the consequences! I'll admit to the people I cursed!" Wei Liu stood up indignantly, "I will never bow down to such a scumbag!"

"That's right, we'll go too!" Kotaro Hayama and the other two also stepped forward.

"Sit down!" Kazuhiko Yamanaka rebuked, "If you all go this time, it will be seen as a rebellion by the school leadership. Even if Reki Iizuka is fired, you will definitely be expelled from the Basketball Club along with him! The Basketball Club itself might even be disbanded!"

"I'm sorry, Captain." The calmed-down group also whispered with some regret.

"I love playing basketball. I really love it." Looking at his juniors, Kazuhiko Yamanaka's eyes reddened, "But I don't have the ability. I haven't made any contributions in my three years at Shibuya First Junior High, and I'll have to focus on my studies in high school. But you are different. Kotaro, Keisuke, Daisuke, you are all very talented children, you are the future of the Shibuya First Junior High Basketball Club. As an ordinary third-year captain, I was going to quit anyway. It's a worthwhile trade to be able to exchange myself for the future of the Shibuya First Junior High Basketball Club!"

"Captain!" The members of Shibuya First Junior High looked at Kazuhiko Yamanaka with red eyes.

"To be honest, last year, Shibuya First Junior High reaching the top four in the prefectural tournament under your leadership was something I never even dreamed of," Kazuhiko Yamanaka's eyes were now glistening with tears as he bowed deeply to everyone, "I'm happy, I'm really happy. So, everyone! Although we are indeed in a desperate situation right now, please, like me, bet your last game of your basketball career, and you must win!"

"Yes! Captain!" The members of Shibuya First Junior High also bowed deeply. A man's emotions often don't require many words; sometimes a look is a promise heavier than a thousand pounds.

"Beep beep~" Just then, the referee's whistle blew, "Equipment replacement complete! The game continues!"

"Kaneki, what's wrong with them? Why are their eyes all red? Did we hit them too hard?" Daiki Aomine said with a half-joking tone.

"Shut up, Aomine, don't you see their eyes are different?" Shintaro Midorima's eyes sharpened, "The real game has probably just begun!"

"Midorima is right," Ken Kaneki said in a deep voice, "Although I don't know what happened, we should be careful. They say the desperate always win, but we Teiko are the invincible Mighty Lions who have won a hundred battles!"

"Yes!" With Ken Kaneki's support, the members of Teiko Junior High School were also full of spirit. The two teams faced each other from a distance, and the air between their gazes seemed about to ignite.

"Oh my, although I don't know what happened, I inexplicably feel a surge of excitement~" Shoichi Imagawa, though his tone was relaxed, his furrowed brow betrayed his true thoughts.

"Tch, facing a gap in talent, let alone drinking chicken soup, even injecting yourself with chicken blood is useless," Makoto Hanamiya chewed gum, watching the game in the arena with boredom.

"It seems this game might still be interesting," Kagetora Aida said with a look that said, "Now this is a bit more like it."

"But... facing Ken Kaneki, can they hold on?" Reiko Aida looked at the members of Shibuya First Junior High with some pity.

"This is something they have to face," Kagetora Aida said sternly, "In competitive sports, being weak is a sin. In a game, someone always loses, it's that cruel, Reiko."

"I understand, Dad."

Some knowledgeable fans in the stands started to cheer for Shibuya First Junior High as if egging them on.

"What the hell, they're making us look like the villains in an anime," Atsushi Murasakibara said with some annoyance.

"Calm down, Murasakibara," Ken Kaneki's expression was very calm, "People always like to watch the underdog's comeback story. This is why the king is always lonely. If this is the price of victory, then I accept it gladly! Today, let alone them being pumped up, even if they were possessed by a god, I would still win against them! Shibuya First Junior High is going to lose! Even Amaterasu Omikami can't help them, I say!"

Amidst the desperate momentum of both sides, the game resumed, with Shibuya First Junior High in possession. This time, the one responsible for bringing the ball past half-court was none other than Kazuhiko Yamanaka.

"Shuzo, you were right, it's my bad luck." Looking at Shuzo Nijimura in front of him, Kazuhiko Yamanaka's expression became unprecedentedly relaxed, "Speaking of which, you're really lucky. You have extraordinary talent, you're the number one forward in junior high, and your juniors are all dragons among men."

"If you want to reminisce, I'll treat you to ramen after the game, but not on the court." Shuzo Nijimura looked at Kazuhiko Yamanaka with a solemn expression. For some reason, he felt a hint of threat from Yamanaka—though very faint.

"Hey, Shuzo!" Yamanaka's expression changed, and he suddenly glared with wide-open eyes. "I've been languishing in the Basketball Club for three years, and today, I absolutely refuse to lose!"

As his words fell, Yamanaka's body moved. With a speed he'd never shown before, he broke past Shuzo Nijimura by half a body length.

"What was that?" Although it was fleeting, Shuzo Nijimura knew he hadn't seen it wrong. It was the phantom image of a Chinese rural dog.

Yamanaka was ultimately limited by his talent and couldn't completely break through Shuzo Nijimura, but he did attract Shintaro Midorima's attention. Just then, Keisuke Kobayashi seized the opportunity, quickly running to the open right corner and calling out with his hands raised, "Captain, the ball!"

"Shimada (No good)!" Shintaro Midorima realized he'd lost his man. Just as he was about to twist his body to cover, a sturdy figure appeared beside him, blocking him. It was none other than Wei Liu.

"Off-ball screen?" Shintaro Midorima quickly reacted. He changed his footwork and dodged Wei Liu's screen, but it still cost him some time. Keisuke Kobayashi successfully received Yamanaka's pass.

"Shoot it!!!!" From the sidelines of Shibuya First Junior High's bench, the first-year juniors roared hoarsely.

"Ah! Leave it to me!" Keisuke Kobayashi felt an immense calm within him. The basketball slowly left his fingertips, perfectly evading Shintaro Midorima's interference. With a swish, the ball went into the net, bringing the score to 10:3.

"Aaaahhhhhhh!" Wei Liu and Keisuke Kobayashi excitedly high-fived and roared. The phantom images of a silverback gorilla and a venomous snake flashed from behind them.

"This is..." Kōzō Shirogane narrowed his eyes as he watched the situation on the court, as if he had discovered something. He was about to go to the announcer's table to call a timeout.

Ken Kaneki on the court also noticed Kōzō Shirogane's actions and slowly shook his head as he looked at him.

Not needed for now...? Kōzō Shirogane pondered inwardly, deciding to trust Ken Kaneki's judgment.

Seeing the Shibuya First Junior High players finally execute a successful play, the cheers from the sidelines immediately became more fervent.

"Shibuya! Shibuya! Shibuya!"

Fueled by the cheers of the spectators, Shibuya First Junior High's momentum surged. Kazuhiko Yamanaka, as if burning through all his energy, harried Shuzo Nijimura like a mad dog, and ultimately managed to block his shot.

"Rebound!" Yamanaka roared.

"Aaaahhhhhhh!" Daisuke Narumi seemed about to unleash his primal power, with the phantom image of a brown bear flashing above his head. He fiercely boxed out Atsushi Murasakibara under the basket, securing the rebound and handing the ball to Yamanaka. Yamanaka cautiously observed the situation on the court before passing to Kotaro Hayama.

"Yo, you're fired up, Blondie," Daiki Aomine said with a smile, teasing Kotaro Hayama.

Kotaro Hayama didn't dwell on Daiki Aomine's nickname. Instead, he felt the instincts his body was giving him.

Hayama... the opponent in front of you has more talent than you. Kotaro Hayama's eyes glazed over as he muttered to himself, So... I have to seize every opportunity!

As he spoke, Kotaro Hayama's entire aura seemed to condense into that of a leopard. He keenly seized the moment Daiki Aomine stepped forward to pressure him and shifted his center of gravity. With a bang, the ball flashed like lightning, breaking through Daiki Aomine's defense. If one looked closely at his hand, it was as if all five fingers were unleashed.

"Bang~ Swish!" Behind Daiki Aomine, Kotaro Hayama's scoring sound came, bringing the score to 10:5.

"You're right, dark-skinned kid, my shooting isn't great," Kotaro Hayama said, looking at Daiki Aomine, his eyes seemingly burning with flames. "But I am Shibuya First Junior High's ace, Kotaro Hayama!"

Sorry for being late, everyone. I've been thinking about this chapter for a long time and decided not to split it into two parts to give you a more complete experience. This is a double-length chapter. Please vote with your monthly tickets, recommendations, and favorites. Bēng Bēng thanks you all!