Basketball was never a necessity for Haizaki Shōgo.
For someone like him, there was no such thing as a "necessity."
He'd lived freely since birth, doing whatever he wanted for more than ten years.
And unfortunately, this kind of guy was freakishly talented, so no one could do anything about it.
If Tendou Kageyoshi had to compare him to someone, Haizaki was basically Kuroko no Basket's version of Ding Crab—a violent monster with absurd talent.
Switch in possession.
Haizaki once again took the ball from Akashi, not bothering with manners or teamplay.
The word "team" didn't exist in his dictionary. From the moment he first picked up basketball, he was used to playing 1-on-9.
Yep, 1-on-9—because if his teammates didn't pass him the ball, he'd happily beat some "respect" into them with his fists.
Akashi and the others, already aware this match was to assess Haizaki's abilities, gave him the ball and immediately spread the floor.
Based on Haizaki's earlier plays—holding his own physically against Tendou—it was clear this first-year had the makings of a first-string player.
For the bigger picture, Akashi didn't mind Haizaki's insolence.
Haizaki, of course, didn't care at all. The moment he got the ball, he pivoted and shoved his back right into Tendou.
"Hmm?"
"Wait, don't tell me…"
"There's no way, right? Sure, it worked on Yamanaka and the rest… but Tendou's moves? He can just copy those too?"
—It's not just copying, you moron.
It's total theft.
Haizaki sneered, shoving into Tendou repeatedly with his back, gauging the gap between their physical strength.
Tendou had the edge—but not enough to dominate.
They were similarly built, and their movements were nearly identical.
Only Akashi, ever the observer, noticed something subtle—the way Haizaki used Tendou's backdown technique had a few differences:
The dribble height, the rhythm, the angle—barely noticeable.
As he watched, Haizaki had already spun—twisting like a whirlwind from back-to-basket to face-up in a flash.
But Tendou was faster, immediately cutting off the drive.
Yet—
"You really think I'm some dumbass who only copies things like a parrot?"
Haizaki sneered again and suddenly spun a second time, pivoting right past Tendou's right side.
Whether it was Haizaki or Kise, their "copying" wasn't simple mimicry.
The true strength lay in making those stolen moves their own.
If the opponent could predict your every move, then what was the point of copying them?
Except...
Just when Haizaki thought he'd broken through—was about to pass half of Tendou's body—
Tendou was still there, moving like a shadow that clung to him.
A chill like a dagger scraped down Haizaki's back, a feeling like death breathing down his neck.
He turned his head—and saw a palm swinging in fast from the blind spot, the chill voice echoing with it:
"Cleave!"
Smack!
The ball was spiked down onto the floor like a bullet, rebounding hard.
Aomine was already there to scoop it up, and by the time he looked up, Tendou and Haizaki had both already taken off toward the other half.
They'd run this fast break so many times by now, it was muscle memory.
Aomine flung the ball with force toward the frontcourt—he believed Tendou could beat Haizaki.
And he was right.
Tendou and Haizaki both calculated the ball's trajectory instantly.
But just as it was about to bounce, Tendou got there a split second earlier—not catching it, but slapping it forward to keep momentum.
Haizaki gritted his teeth—too late. He could only watch as Tendou scooped the ball and tossed it in cleanly.
Complete defeat.
After just a few rounds, Haizaki realized—
He couldn't beat this guy.
The tools he'd stolen so far still couldn't break through Tendou's "Cleave."
"What the hell is with this freak...?"
Defense in basketball—especially effective defense—relies heavily on prediction.
In basketball, the offense is always half a step ahead. Defense is inherently reactive.
That's just reality.
Even NBA rookies often suck at defense when they first enter the league—it takes years to develop.
Because defense requires experience.
"So the key must be his reads. If I can decode his attack pattern, I've got him."
Haizaki made up his mind.
He'd take the time to analyze Tendou's movements—and eventually steal everything from him.
A strategy not unlike what Kise would later attempt with the Emperor Eye.
And so—
Once the scrimmage resumed, Shirogane Kōzō and the others noticed something strange:
The punk Haizaki suddenly got real quiet.
"Did he give up?"
Of course not.
If Haizaki gave up that easily, he wouldn't be Haizaki.
Besides—
Tendou noticed instantly: the guy was still watching him like a scavenger.
"He's plotting something…"
"Trying to do what Kise does—replicate me, reverse-engineer me, and devour me whole?"
"In that case… I'll help you out."
Tendou understood what Haizaki wanted—and instead of hiding, he went even harder.
Lighting up the court, showcasing every move in his arsenal.
Meanwhile, Akashi's team—taking advantage of Haizaki's sudden "calm phase"—finally started scoring again.
But overall, the point gap kept widening.
With Tendou and Midorima both raining down threes like artillery, the pressure was immense.
Even when Akashi and Nijimura Shūzō (or rather, his stand-in team in this case) made a great play, Tendou and Midorima could just chuck another three—score reset.
This also opened Shirogane's eyes to the sheer power of long-range shooting.
And as for Haizaki, he was quietly collecting everything.
He'd nearly reconstructed Tendou's toolkit in his head—he just wasn't confident enough to execute yet.
"Let's start with this guy. Once I finish him—Tendou's next."
Next play.
Murasakibara leapt high and grabbed the rebound. Out of habit, he looked to pass up the court—
But Tendou wasn't in sight.
Instead, he saw Aomine—who'd already sprinted off.
The black mop-head was terrified Tendou would steal all the points again and roast him later for "riding coattails."
He didn't even wait for Murasakibara to secure the rebound—he'd already turned and bolted.
Unbeknownst to him, Haizaki had already locked on to him…
Like a ghost.
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