Chapter 25: Fukuyama's Defeat
Beep!
With the referee's whistle, the fourth quarter officially began. All players rushed back onto the court, and Teiko's Nijimura replaced Shiro.
Fukuyama had possession. Their players moved fluidly, executing quick passes until the ball reached Hayama beyond the three-point line.
Standing in front of Hayama was Aomine, but strangely, Aomine didn't adopt a defensive stance.
Hayama felt a flicker of doubt, but quickly shook it off and called out, "Four fingers!"
In an instant, Hayama shot forward like a bolt of lightning, vanishing from Aomine's sight and driving into the paint.
Aomine didn't chase him, leaving Fukuyama with a two-on-one advantage inside. With Fukuyama's center dominating the post, even Murasakibara couldn't step up to help.
Hayama easily laid the ball in, putting two points on the board.
The Teiko players glanced at Aomine. In past games, Aomine could always recover from being beaten, yet this time, he made no effort to defend. What was going on?
Hayama shared their confusion, but there was no time to dwell on it. He sprinted back to defend.
The game picked up pace as Seijuro Akashi stormed down the court. Reaching the top of the key, Akashi signaled for Midorima on the left wing to come set a screen.
Midorima rushed over, blocking Fukuyama's point guard with ease. But Akashi wasn't done yet—he executed a flawless double crossover, darting to the right wing with explosive speed, leaving Fukuyama's defenders scrambling.
Akashi cut inside the paint, but the opposing power forward raced to meet him for a block. In the blink of an eye, Akashi displayed incredible court vision, lofting the ball high over the defender. The pass soared through the air like a missile, aimed directly at Nijimura.
But just as Nijimura prepared to catch it, Hayama shot out of nowhere, snatching the ball mid-air with a forceful interception.
Landing smoothly, Hayama activated his unmatched speed and shot toward the basket like a streak of lightning.
"Not good!" Nijimura panicked and chased after him, but the speed gap was undeniable—he had no chance of catching Hayama.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, Aomine appeared behind Hayama, moving with ghost-like speed. His presence was so fast and overwhelming that it was as if lightning had struck.
Hayama leapt for the layup, confident in his drive—until an overwhelming force surged from behind him like a tidal wave.
Eyes wide in disbelief, Hayama gasped, "This... Is this Animal Instinct?"
Before he could react, SMACK! Aomine's massive hand slammed the ball against the backboard with a thunderous chasedown block.
The ball dropped into Aomine's steady hands.
Without missing a beat, Aomine whipped a perfect full-court pass to Midorima on the opposite side of the court. The ball flew with precision, like it had a mind of its own.
Though stunned, Midorima caught the pass effortlessly. Finding himself wide open, he jumped and launched one of his signature high-arc three-pointers, the motion as smooth as if he had practiced it a thousand times.
The ball soared through the air with perfect spin and swished cleanly through the net.
Score: 95-81.
Hayama gritted his teeth, glaring at Aomine. Something about him had changed—the aura, the movement. It was like Aomine had become an entirely different player.
The realization hit Hayama hard. "No doubt about it. This is Animal Instinct"
Aomine's cool demeanor remained unchanged as he turned away. "It's over, Hayama" he said calmly, walking back to set up on defense.
Hayama clenched his fists in frustration. "We're both awaken Animal Instinct... So why do you think I'll lose to you?"
Possession returned to Fukuyama.
Hayama stared down his opponent—Aomine—gripping the ball with fierce determination. He knew that Aomine, now awaken Animal Instinct, would be a beast to overcome. But Hayama wasn't one to back down.
As the point guard passed him the ball, Hayama felt the crushing weight of Aomine's aura. But instead of faltering, it ignited his fighting spirit.
"Four fingers!" Hayama called out again, channeling his Lightning Dribble to its fullest.
In a flash, he slipped past Aomine with remarkable speed, believing he had left him behind. But Aomine's reflexes were on another level—he cut off Hayama's path almost instantly.
'Impossible!' Hayama thought, his eyes wide. 'How did he catch up so fast?'
Hayama kept switching up his dribbling tempo, looking for any opening, but Aomine stayed locked on him, shadowing his every move.
Then, without warning, Aomine lunged forward, applying immense pressure to force a turnover. Hayama desperately tried to switch directions, but Aomine was ready.
With a predatory leap, Aomine swiped the ball from Hayama's hands. In that instant, Hayama knew—he was completely outmatched.
Aomine streaked toward the basket, leaving defenders in the dust. Hayama chased after him with everything he had, but Aomine was already at the rim.
Aomine soared into the air, ready to finish with a powerful dunk. Hayama, refusing to give up, jumped to block him.
But then, Aomine did the impossible—time seemed to freeze as he twisted mid-air, evading Hayama's block.
Hayama collided with Aomine's body, committing a clear foul in his attempt to contest the shot.
The whistle blew sharply, signaling the foul.
Yet, Aomine still managed to pull off a miraculous reverse layup, sending the ball arcing perfectly over the backboard and into the hoop.
Score: 97-81.
The crowd erupted in disbelief, their cheers thunderous.
"Unreal!"
"Did you see that?!"
Stunned by Aomine's performance, Hayama could only watch as the ball swirled in the hoop and dropped in.
As Aomine coolly returned to defense, it was clear that the game was slipping away from Fukuyama. The Teiko team rallied behind Aomine's dominance, pulling further ahead with every possession.
By the time the final buzzer sounded, the score stood at 119-89, with Teiko securing an overwhelming victory.