Chapter 63: Animal Instinct

The excitement buzzed through the arena as the two players everyone was most eager to see faced off once more.

Amidst the excitement, a group of people slowly made their way into the crowd, observing the ongoing game with a hint of surprise. Their white jackets with black sleeves and red stripes clearly indicated their status as players.

They were from Seirin!

Their final round was also scheduled today, after this game against Senshinkan High.

Given their current gloomy atmosphere, it was uncertain whether they could come out on top this time around.

"Such strong pressure," Hyuga commented as he adjusted his glasses, looking at the court.

He also noticed the unusual atmosphere from each of Totsuki's players and furrowed his eyebrows, "They still have this side of them?"

Does that mean they're holding back last time?

"Are we so weak that they held back?"

Hyuga clenched his fists tightly in frustration.

The other Seirin players seemed to share his sentiment, frowning as they silently ground their teeth.

"Those two..."

Despite his current injury, Kagami had come to watch the game between Tsuna and Aomine. He wanted to see for himself just how far apart their skill levels were for both of them to trample upon Seirin!

However...

"...That guy," Kagami muttered, narrowing his eyes toward Aomine.

He moved just as fast as Kagami remembered, preventing Tsuna from easily breaking through Too's defense.

Yet, from afar, Kagami could sense a strange pressure emanating from Aomine—something wild and savage.

It made him clench his fists in frustration as he silently thought, "You're truly a fucking monster, Aomine!"

Kagami was sure that if Aomine had used that against him, he would have trampled Seirin even easier and faster than he already had.

That realization made him feel disgustingly weak, his eyes slowly dimming with frustration.

Meanwhile, everyone at Too Academy was also quite surprised by the development.

"...!"

Momoi put her hand over her mouth, her eyes widening as she watched Aomine on the court. She couldn't help but feel that he was getting closer to his true potential as she muttered, "...Are you finally back, Aomine-kun?"

"Momoi-san, have you ever seen him use this before?"

Harasawa's voice snapped her back to reality. She looked at him and shook her head, saying, "No, not that I'm aware of..."

"Then, is this...?"

Harasawa put his hand on his chin, deep in thought, wondering if this was Aomine's true form.

"..."

Momoi briefly glanced at Harasawa, knowing what Too Academy's coach was thinking.

She then turned back to the court, where the crowd was getting livelier as the two players continued their intense duel. "I'm not exactly sure about this, but..."

"...this is exactly how he used to play basketball. He had a flexible yet aggressive playstyle that adapted quickly to his opponents, even when facing someone using his own moves."

Harasawa listened attentively as Momoi continued.

"However, he never had anyone skillful enough to make him consistently use this playstyle. He slowly became bored and lazy, which dulled his sense since there was simply no one to challenge him..."

Momoi felt saddened by how Aomine's immense talent had ultimately isolated him. Harasawa sighed in response.

"But yesterday, he trained... No, he couldn't help but let loose as he was itching to play as soon as possible..."

"...!"

Harasawa widened his eyes in disbelief, knowing how lazy Aomine had become. As he seemed to realize something, he spoke, "Then..."

Aomine's senses, which had been gradually dulling, were indirectly revitalized by his own desire to play against someone worthy.

Meeting Tsuna, Aomine instinctively realized it.

"You're fun! Hahaha!"

Aomine laughed heartily, his movements getting faster and faster. Tsuna furrowed his eyebrows at this, muttering, "What the hell is wrong with this guy? He must have a screw loose in his head..."

Tsuna shook his head at Aomine's laughter, which was like that of a kid who finally gets to play after years of being cooped up.

"Though, I admit it, I was wrong about you..."

His face slowly morphed into a grin that matched Aomine's as he added, "I thought I was in for a light cardio, but I guess you're slightly more challenging!"

"...!"

Aomine scoffed as they weaved through the court, each trying to outmaneuver the other with their tricks and movements.

"Is this...!"

Imayoshi watched in awe, words caught in his throat as sweat rolled down his face. He silently thought, "Is this what happens when two Generation of Miracles players face each other!?"

Although Tsuna wasn't officially part of the Generation of Miracles, his skill spoke volumes about his qualifications.

Tsuna dribbled the ball through the court, Aomine closely following his every move.

Tsuna changed his pace repeatedly, trying to break through Aomine's defense. Despite his efforts, Aomine kept up, which made Tsuna feel a surge of excitement.

He chuckled joyfully as he looked at Aomine, "Seems like I won't be wasting my time here!"

Facing Aomine, Tsuna knew he would have to push his body further than usual.

This was unlike playing against ordinary teams, which he considered a waste of his precious time.

Tsuna wasn't going to waste any time in this match!

"...Son of a bitch," Aomine cursed, though his wide smile betrayed his excitement. He relished how Tsuna reacted, just as he had envisioned their face-off.

Aomine moved sharply, aiming to strike the ball from Tsuna's hand, his eyes focused.

"...!"

However, Tsuna anticipated this, dribbling the ball behind his back before suddenly bursting forward with a completely different pace. Aomine quickly turned and chased after him, but it was too late.

Tsuna had enough time to score.

Despite the surprise, Too Academy continued strong.

They immediately passed the ball back to Aomine. With the momentum now centered on these two players, Imayoshi decided it was unwise to disrupt the flow.

Besides, he was confident in Aomine's ability to prevail!

"Tsuna..."

Sakamoto called out as Tsuna turned to him, raising an eyebrow after Sakamoto whispered something.

Tsuna looked at Sakamoto in silence before grinning. "How much are you going to pay for this?"

"I was expecting you're gonna say this..."

Sakamoto adjusted his glasses, sighing as he anticipated this response.

However, he smiled slyly and narrowed his eyes, "Don't underestimate our club, Tsuna. You don't worry about the payment..."

Their secret deal remained unknown, but as the game continued, Tsuna found it increasingly difficult to keep Aomine in check.

Aomine seemed to adapt quickly, even against his own moves.

What started as a duel of crushing each other's defenses through tricks slowly turned in Aomine's favor. He was getting the hang of it, and Imayoshi sensed the timing was right.

He watched as Aomine chased after Tsuna, ready for the next move.

"..."

Tsuna felt the shift in momentum and smirked, suddenly halting his pace.

It could have been dangerous for his ankle, but he seemed fine as Aomine widened his eyes in shock.

Still, Aomine reacted quickly as Tsuna stepped back to take a shot as he jumped up to block it just in time.

"Hahaha, this is it! Is this all you got!?"

Aomine shouted, excited to finally stop Tsuna.

However...

"That's funny..."

Tsuna scoffed, making Aomine's instincts flare as he saw Tsuna suddenly lower his posture and rotate.

Tsuna swung the ball in a way Aomine was all too familiar with.

"Isn't that Kuroko's pass?"

Seirin exclaimed as the ball curved around Aomine like a boomerang, landing in Sakamoto's hands.

Sakamoto smiled and easily scored two points with a layup.

"...!"

Kuroko stood up in shock.

Meanwhile, Imayoshi realized what had been bothering him.

"The feeling that something was amiss was because we overlooked such a simple logic!"

His eyes widened as he looked at Tsuna in disbelief.

"If he could copy Aomine's moves, he could do the same with the others!"

Imayoshi felt his hair stand on end at this realization!

He couldn't help but think that if Tsuna had seen the rest of the Generation of Miracles, it would mean playing against him was practically akin to playing against each one of them.

---

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