The gym fell into an eerie silence as Souta and Aomine stepped onto the court.
A one-on-one against Daiki Aomine—the most unpredictable and dominant player in Teikou.
This was it.
If Souta wanted to break through his current limits, he needed to face the beast head-on.
Kise, Midorima, Murasakibara, and even Akashi watched from the sidelines, intrigued by what was about to unfold.
Kuroko stood with arms crossed, his unreadable gaze fixed on the court.
Momoi bit her lip. Can Souta even keep up?
"First to ten points wins," Aomine said casually, spinning the ball in his hand. "You good with that?"
Souta nodded, stretching his arms. "Works for me."
Aomine chuckled, tossing the ball to Souta. "You can start. Show me what you've got."
The First Exchange
Souta dribbled, eyes locked onto Aomine.
Unlike Kise, who had holes in his defensive reactions, Aomine was different.
His stance was lazy, but Souta knew better than to assume he wasn't ready.
Aomine was like a panther, moving only when necessary, but when he did—his reactions were terrifying.
Still, Souta wasn't backing down.
He activated Phantom Drift, lowering his presence before suddenly bursting forward.
Aomine barely moved.
Souta's eyes widened as he changed direction—Aomine still didn't bite.
Damn… he's reading me already?!
Souta quickly pulled up for a mid-range shot, hoping to catch him off guard—
But before the ball even left his fingers—
A hand smacked it away.
Aomine barely looked like he tried.
"That's not gonna work," he yawned.
Souta narrowed his eyes. I see. He's not reacting to my movements—he's reading my entire rhythm.
Aomine grabbed the loose ball and casually dribbled to the three-point line.
Without hesitation, he launched a shot.
Swish!
"One-zero," Aomine grinned.
Souta's Adaptation
Souta exhaled.
Losing his first possession wasn't surprising.
But that didn't mean he was giving up.
Aomine was a monster, but Souta had fought against monsters before.
As Aomine started his offense, Souta lowered his stance and focused.
Aomine smirked, then suddenly disappeared—
A lightning-fast crossover sent him barreling toward the hoop.
Souta reacted instantly, shifting to block his path.
But just as he thought he had him, Aomine changed directions again, weaving through him like water.
Souta turned just in time to see Aomine's hand release the ball—
Swish!
"Two-zero," Aomine muttered, looking bored.
Souta clenched his fists.
He had to find a way to counter this.
Breaking the Flow
Think, Souta. How does Aomine play?
Aomine's strength wasn't just his insane speed and unpredictability.
It was his ability to move without form, breaking the normal rules of basketball.
He flowed like water, reacting to instinct rather than thought.
Souta needed to disrupt that flow.
On the next play, Aomine dashed in again, using a behind-the-back dribble.
Souta anticipated the direction, stepping in early to cut him off.
Aomine raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
Instead of forcing a drive, Souta suddenly leaned forward aggressively, forcing Aomine to hesitate for a fraction of a second.
That hesitation was enough.
Souta reached in—and stole the ball!
The gym erupted in gasps.
Aomine blinked, staring at his empty hands. "No way…"
Souta wasted no time—he sprinted down the court and scored with a fast layup.
"Two-one."
Pushing Back
Aomine clicked his tongue. "Heh… you're getting annoying now."
Souta smirked. "You sound mad."
Aomine's eyes gleamed dangerously. "Mad? Nah. Just excited."
The next play, Aomine attacked again.
But Souta stayed close, using his Phantom Drift to subtly shift his positioning each time Aomine tried to slip past him.
Aomine flicked his wrist, pulling up for a fadeaway—
Souta jumped simultaneously.
Their fingertips grazed the ball at the same time—
But Aomine's shot still flew.
Swish!
"Three-one."
Souta exhaled. Even when I anticipate him, he's still faster.
But then he noticed something.
Aomine was sweating.
He was trying now.
Awakening the Beast
Possession switched back to Souta.
This time, he had one goal—score no matter what.
Aomine was smirking, clearly underestimating him.
Big mistake.
Souta launched into a rapid-fire series of movements, blending his Phantom Drift with quick directional shifts.
Aomine's eyes sharpened as he tracked him.
But then—
Souta stopped abruptly.
For just a millisecond, Aomine hesitated.
And Souta capitalized.
With a final explosive step, he drove past Aomine and soared toward the rim—
BAM!
The ball slammed through the hoop.
A dunk.
Gasps filled the gym.
Aomine stared.
Souta landed, his breathing heavy. "Three-two."
For the first time in the match, Aomine's grin widened.
"Heh. You're really pushing me, huh?"
Then—
The atmosphere shifted.
The lazy air around Aomine disappeared, replaced by a suffocating presence.
His eyes darkened.
Souta realized something horrifying.
Aomine… was going serious.
The Final Exchange
From that moment, Aomine stopped holding back.
His movements became sharper, faster—almost inhuman.
Souta struggled to react.
Every attempt to block or contest was useless—Aomine scored at will.
4-2.
5-2.
6-2.
Souta's body ached, but he refused to back down.
He adjusted his playstyle, reading Aomine's flow better.
And slowly—he began to fight back.
6-3.
6-4.
7-4.
Aomine grinned, wiping sweat from his forehead.
"You're crazy, you know that?"
Souta smirked, despite his exhaustion. "So they tell me."
The score hit 9-6.
Match point.
Aomine dribbled lazily. "Alright. Let's end this."
Souta lowered his stance, every fiber of his being prepared to stop him.
Aomine exploded forward, faster than before.
Souta moved—but Aomine faked.
At the last second, he pulled up for a ridiculous off-balance three-pointer.
The ball soared.
Souta leapt with everything he had, extending his hand.
His fingers grazed the ball—
But it wasn't enough.
Swish!
Game over.
"Ten-six," Aomine muttered, exhaling.
Souta collapsed to the floor, gasping for breath.
He lost.
But—
The gym was silent.
Because everyone knew.
This wasn't just a loss.
It was a statement.
Souta Fujimura had forced Aomine to go all-out.
Even Aomine knew it.
"Heh," Aomine chuckled. "You're really something, Souta."
Then, he grinned.
"Can't wait to see how much stronger you get."
Souta, still catching his breath, smirked.
"Yeah… just you wait."