On this possession, as Daiki Aomine drove forward on offense, Miyamoto Tokima slapped the ball cleanly out of his hands.
'Crap!'
Daiki Aomine's heart jolted. He hadn't expected Miyamoto Tokima to make such a precise steal!
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!!!
Wave after wave surged toward him like the tides of the ocean.
Only then did Daiki Aomine understand why the ball had been stolen!
Miyamoto Tokima had activated the [Eye of Truth]!
Watching Miyamoto Tokima get farther and farther away, Daiki Aomine felt deeply frustrated.
Even after opening all three gates of Selfless, was he still unable to defeat Miyamoto Tokima?
"Still not enough..." Daiki Aomine muttered. "Not enough! Not enough!"
"Still not enough!!!"
Daiki Aomine roared, as though something had suddenly clicked within him!
Crackle!
The lightning of the Zone erupted violently in his eyes!
"Hm?"
Miyamoto Tokima sensed the powerful presence surging up behind him.
He glanced back and saw Daiki Aomine catching up, lightning flashing in his eyes!
This time, Daiki Aomine's Zone was no longer purely blue.
It was blue and white!
A trace of white had mixed into the blue lightning of his Zone!
Miyamoto Tokima truly hadn't expected Daiki Aomine, who had already brought together the three radiances of Perfection, to still be unsatisfied and somehow activate the Zone on top of that!
But even so!
He still couldn't defeat him!
Brimming with confidence, Miyamoto Tokima raced into the frontcourt, slammed the ball down hard with his right hand, and gathered it!
He planted his left foot on the free-throw line and soared into the air, gripping the basketball in his right hand before swinging it toward the rim like a battle axe.
"Not enough! Still not enough!!!"
"ROAR!!!"
Daiki Aomine roared and leaped into the air under Miyamoto Tokima's shocked gaze!
At the same time, he reached straight for the basketball in Miyamoto Tokima's hand!
Smack!
Daiki Aomine swatted the ball away!
Crash!!!
Miyamoto Tokima's hand slammed through the rim without the ball!
After landing, Miyamoto Tokima stared at Daiki Aomine in complete disbelief.
For the first time ever...
He had been blocked.
"Huff... huff... huff..." Daiki Aomine panted heavily, gritting his teeth. "Still not enough!"
The next moment, Miyamoto Tokima's eyes widened!
Because behind Daiki Aomine...
He saw Animal Instinct!
A black panther!!!
Miyamoto Tokima never would have imagined that Daiki Aomine had activated not only Perfection and the Zone...
He had also activated Animal Instinct!!!
In that instant, Miyamoto Tokima felt every cell in his body heat up, his blood boiling with excitement!
He was completely fired up!
At last, Miyamoto Tokima had found an opponent who could truly challenge him!
He couldn't stop himself from laughing.
"Hahaha! Daiki! You really didn't disappoint me!" Miyamoto Tokima laughed. "Let's have a real battle!!!"
Crackle!
In an instant, violent lightning from the Zone erupted from Miyamoto Tokima's eyes, radiating overwhelming power!
Daiki Aomine wiped the sweat from his forehead, fighting spirit blazing across his face!
He had always wanted to defeat Miyamoto Tokima.
Even today was no exception!
...
Since Daiki Aomine had knocked the ball out of bounds, possession remained with Miyamoto Tokima!
After Kentaro Seto inbounded the ball to Miyamoto Tokima, he moved onto the court and cleared space for him.
By now, everyone on both teams understood.
The court had become Miyamoto Tokima and Daiki Aomine's battlefield!
Miyamoto Tokima smiled excitedly, his eyes locked on Daiki Aomine.
Daiki Aomine was drenched in sweat, gritting his teeth as he defended him!
The next moment, Miyamoto Tokima moved!
Whoosh!
He burst past Daiki Aomine's right side, pushing his speed to the absolute limit while lowering his center of gravity to an extreme degree!
With all his abilities stacked together, Daiki Aomine was no pushover either. In the blink of an eye, he caught up with Miyamoto Tokima.
But Miyamoto Tokima suddenly gathered the ball, used a 0-1-2 step to retreat back beyond the perimeter, and immediately rose for a shot.
Daiki Aomine recovered quickly, but he was still just a fraction too late.
The ball passed only a centimeter beyond his fingertips!
Like a spear, the basketball flew straight toward the hoop!
Swish!
Three-pointer good!
On the next possession, Daiki Aomine tried to answer back, constantly using streetball moves and his speed to break through Miyamoto Tokima.
But Miyamoto Tokima stood before him like an iron wall, leaving Daiki Aomine with nowhere to go!
He couldn't get past Miyamoto Tokima!
Even with the three radiances of Perfection, the Zone, and Animal Instinct all active at once, Daiki Aomine still couldn't overcome Miyamoto Tokima, who had activated both the Zone and Animal Instinct.
"If even this isn't enough to beat you!" Daiki Aomine shouted, throwing caution to the wind. "Then I'll go one step further!!!"
"ROAR!!!"
The instant Daiki Aomine finished speaking, the black panther charged straight into his body!
Miyamoto Tokima's eyes widened at the sight!
On the sidelines, Kōzō Shirogane shot to his feet, his eyes filled with concern!
Every player from Teikō Middle School stood as well, watching Daiki Aomine anxiously.
They all knew what Daiki Aomine was trying to do now...
He was trying to activate inner Animal Instinct!
The three radiances of Perfection, the Zone, and Animal Instinct were no longer enough for him!
He wanted to transform his Animal Instinct into inner Animal Instinct!
A state this explosive didn't just consume an enormous amount of stamina. If pushed too far, it could even take a toll on his body!
Kōzō Shirogane naturally understood that as well.
In truth, he desperately wanted to call a timeout.
But...
He knew that if he called one now, Daiki Aomine would probably resent him for the rest of his life.
And today's game would become a lifelong regret for Daiki Aomine.
Just as Kōzō Shirogane hesitated, Miyamoto Tokima shouted,
"Don't call it! I'll keep an eye on him the whole time!"
Kōzō Shirogane immediately looked toward Miyamoto Tokima and saw his trademark smile.
At that moment, Kōzō Shirogane smiled.
He slowly sat back down, having made his decision.
Then he turned to Ryota Kise.
"Kise, get ready."
Ryota Kise looked at Kōzō Shirogane in confusion.
Kōzō Shirogane continued,
"The game... will end in the third quarter."
Ryota Kise's eyes flickered as he repeated under his breath,
"End... in the third quarter?"
Ryota Kise turned toward Taiga Kagami, who looked back at him at the same moment.
When Taiga Kagami nodded, Ryota Kise understood.
Taiga Kagami... had almost fully recovered as well.
...