At the beginning, when Shintaro Midorima was adjusting his shooting form, the strain on his wrist was enormous.
To achieve it, he put in effort far beyond what ordinary people could endure.
He went through one brutal ordeal after another before finally perfecting that shooting form.
Shogo Haizaki had never experienced Midorima's extreme wrist training. There was no way he could instantly [Copy] that shot.
So the moment he used Midorima's shooting form, his injury was already inevitable.
On the court.
Daiki Aomine watched Haizaki leave and felt a hint of emotion.
'So you've reached this level, Haizaki...'
Then he looked down at his own trembling legs.
'Am I... at my limit too?'
He let out a bitter chuckle.
It couldn't be helped. His internal Animal Instinct and Zone in the first quarter had already drained him heavily.
By the third quarter, he had recovered somewhat, but he hadn't forgotten who he was facing.
Shuzo Nijimura with Animal Instinct, and Shogo Haizaki going all out.
Even after returning to the court, Aomine hadn't relaxed. He was just conserving energy as much as possible.
Every drive was an explosive burst.
Originally, he could have maintained that rhythm through all four quarters.
But Haizaki's sudden breakout disrupted everything.
He activated Zone plus Animal Instinct.
Now, his stamina was almost gone.
Katsunori Harasawa noticed.
"Aomine, take a rest."
Aomine immediately turned his head.
"Coach! I can still play!"
Harasawa looked at him and said in a low voice,
"Your shaking legs already gave me the answer."
Aomine slowly lowered his head.
He punched his thighs hard, then finally let his fists fall weakly.
He leaned back on the bench and looked up at the ceiling.
As if he had finally let go.
He raised his hand and smiled, even as tears slipped down uncontrollably.
"So... we still lost?"
In the end, his arm dropped weakly. He pulled a towel over his head and fell silent.
Harasawa wanted to comfort him, but he knew that right now, the best thing for Aomine was to be left alone.
So he said nothing.
The rest of Tōō High fell silent as well, their expressions heavy with defeat.
The scoreboard was too harsh to look at.
Kirisaki Daiichi had become their nightmare.
And an insurmountable mountain.
...
"Game over! Both teams, please line up for the post-game handshake!"
Both teams stood and exchanged handshakes.
Nijimura looked at the tear marks on Aomine's face.
"You were crying?"
Aomine pouted.
"No. I just splashed water on myself while drinking."
Nijimura couldn't help but laugh.
"What, did the water go into your eyes?"
Aomine immediately snapped back,
"No!!!"
Nijimura waved his hand, laughing.
"Alright, alright, I get it. Let's go eat. Everyone from Tōō, you should come too."
"Miyamoto already booked a place."
The Tōō players looked at each other, hesitating.
Then Harasawa spoke,
"Let's go. Even if we lost, we're still friends."
Hearing that, the others stopped hesitating and agreed.
At that moment, news came from Haizaki. His wrist wasn't seriously injured. With some rest, he would be fine, and it wouldn't even affect the finals.
After that, both teams headed to the restaurant Miyamoto had reserved.
...
"Murasakibara! Don't grab that! That's mine!"
"I saw it first. It's mine."
"Imayoshi! You're using psychology for stealing food now?!"
"Hahaha, sorry, sorry. It's just too good. Also, eating too much isn't healthy, so I'll help you out."
"Excuse me... could you not take food from my bowl?"
"Yeah, but it's really good. I'll just take a little."
"Himuro!!! You're using feints while eating?! Ah! My meat!!!"
"Haha, food from someone else's bowl really does taste better."
"Katz!"
"Aomine! What are you doing?! You're using Zone while eating?!"
"Hurry up and grab food! That idiot Aomine is going all out!"
"Katz!" Nijimura activates Zone.
"Roar!!!" Murasakibara activates Animal Instinct.
"Awoo!" Haizaki activates Animal Instinct.
"Hunt..." Dicky Anthony activates Animal Instinct.
Makoto Hanamiya suddenly stood up, a spider appearing behind him. He grabbed food rapidly while ranting nonstop.
A true top-tier trash talker. Eating and trash talking at the same time.
Miyamoto watched the chaotic scene at the table in silence, then helplessly took Satsuki Momoi's hand...
And booked another private room.
As they left, Miyamoto faintly heard shouting behind them.
"Aomine, you idiot! Is Animal Instinct supposed to be used for eating?!"
"My food!!!"
...
The semifinals ended, and the two teams advancing were Shūtoku High School and Kirisaki Daiichi.
The audience wasn't particularly surprised. The strength of both teams was obvious.
On a beach in Japan.
Smack!
Thud...
"Kagami! Why are you dribbling?! This isn't a court!"
Junpei Hyuga shouted, frustrated.
Taiga Kagami scratched his head awkwardly.
"My bad, I forgot."
Just now, the two teams had been practicing coordination.
The location was a beach chosen for their training camp.
There were baskets set up on both ends.
Seirin High was playing against Kaijō High.
Since it was sand, offense relied almost entirely on passing.
You can't dribble on sand.
But just now, when Shun Izuki passed the ball to Kagami, he instinctively tried to dribble.
The ball didn't bounce.
According to Riko Aida's rule, if the ball touches the ground before going into the basket, possession switches.
So it went to Kaijō.
At that moment, the entire Kaijō team was holding back laughter.
Ryota Kise was crouched on the ground with his back turned, laughing uncontrollably.
Kagami saw it and clenched his fists.
"Kise!!"
On the sidelines, Riko Aida pressed her forehead.
"What an idiot..."
Ring, ring, ring.
Her phone suddenly rang.
She picked it up, and then...
Her expression changed.
...
If you'd like to support my work and unlock advanced chapters, you can follow me on p-@-treon.
p-@-treon/GhostParser (45 Chapters Ahead)
You can also follow as a free member to read a few advanced chapters.