Chapter 009
"Is that so?" Facing Huang's confidence, Haizaki simply smiled with contempt. What Huang didn't realize was that any move he'd already used was now completely unavailable to him. In his effort to deal with Haizaki, Huang had already exhausted all his best techniques.
Seeing that infuriating smile on Haizaki's face, Huang grew increasingly irritated and attempted the same crossover dribbling move he'd used earlier. Just as he was about to go for the layup, Haizaki cleanly swatted the ball away.
Huang stared in shock at Haizaki's defensive play. During his layup attempt, something had felt wrong—the movement hadn't flowed as smoothly as before. After securing the steal, Haizaki sneered: "Sorry, but that move doesn't belong to you anymore."
"What?" Huang looked completely confused.
"That technique is mine now." With that declaration, Haizaki immediately used the exact crossover dribbling sequence Huang had attempted moments before, but executed it even more smoothly than the original, easily creating separation for an open shot.
Score: 7-6, Haizaki now leading.
Murasakibara looked puzzled and muttered: "What just happened? Huang-senpai got completely shut down by Haizaki-chin. That layup attempt looked really weird."
Over the next several possessions, Huang's shots were consistently blocked by Haizaki or missed entirely. The momentum had completely shifted in Haizaki's favor.
With the score at 9-6, Haizaki looked at the demoralized Huang and grinned mockingly: "Alright, this is the final shot. As long as I make this one, I get to be a starter in the middle school league tournament, right, Huang-senpai?"
"Damn brat," Huang snarled through gritted teeth. His attempt to maintain a dignified senior image had completely crumbled, and his face was twisted with frustration and anger.
The first-string players and the other first-years watched in amazement. Haizaki being able to match Huang evenly had already surprised them, but now it was clear that hadn't been Haizaki's true strength at all. Within just a few plays, he had completely dominated the third-year.
Midorima glanced at Akashi, noticing his slight smirk, and adjusted his glasses. "You understand what's happening, don't you, Akashi? You've been watching carefully—what exactly is going on here?"
Hearing Midorima's question, both Murasakibara and Aomine turned their attention to Akashi. "Akashi-chin, do you know what technique Haizaki-chin is using?"
"I think you all noticed it too," Akashi said calmly. "From the beginning, I observed that Haizaki's imitations were slightly different from Huang-senpai's original movements. Initially, I thought it was because Haizaki was seeing them for the first time and wasn't proficient yet, but that wasn't the case at all."
"Haizaki's ability is different from simple imitation. When he uses other people's techniques, he converts their rhythm and timing into his own style. The movements look identical, but the rhythm is subtly different. So when opponents see his version, they unconsciously disrupt their own original rhythm and can no longer use that same technique effectively. Haizaki steals other people's skills." Even Akashi, who usually remained composed, couldn't help but sound serious when explaining this terrifying ability—it was far more dangerous than mere imitation.
"How is it possible to steal someone else's technique?" Aomine looked completely incredulous.
Murasakibara didn't want to believe it either. While Midorima was initially shocked, he quickly regained his composure: "Even if it's powerful, he can't steal just any technique. If he encounters something beyond his physical capabilities, he wouldn't be able to steal it—he couldn't even imitate it."
"Exactly right. Murasakibara, remember your one-handed dunk from the previous game? Haizaki couldn't steal that move from you, and currently, he has no way of doing so," Akashi provided a simple example for clarification.
Hearing this, Murasakibara gained confidence: "Well, that's obvious! Even among all middle school students, there probably aren't many who could learn that technique!"
"Tch, it's just a dunk! Watch me—next time I'll show you my own slam dunk," Aomine replied with obvious dissatisfaction at Murasakibara's confident words. While he could touch the rim when jumping, he couldn't actually dunk yet.
The game quickly concluded with a final score of 10-6, Haizaki as the decisive winner.
Nijimura felt satisfied with this outcome, though also somewhat concerned. He hadn't expected Haizaki to be this strong, and not just Haizaki—Akashi and the others were equally impressive.
Within Teiko's basketball program, aside from himself, Huang had been one of the top players. Yet Haizaki had completely dominated him. It made Nijimura wonder just how powerful these first-years would become in a few years.
"So, Captain Nijimura, how was that? My skills are decent enough, right? You gave your word earlier—I hope you won't go back on it now," Haizaki approached with his characteristic cynical smile, playfully licking his finger. While he wasn't particularly interested in starting in the middle school league, seeing other first-years as starters made him want to claim that position for himself.
Though Haizaki had originally planned to challenge Akashi and the others for starting spots, there would be three full years to work with them—he could take his time with that plan.
Nijimura addressed the entire first-string team: "Alright, everyone, since Haizaki won decisively, then according to our previous agreement, he'll also be a starter in next month's middle school league tournament. You've all seen his abilities—I trust there are no objections."
While the other first-string members showed reluctance on their faces, there was nothing they could say. Teiko's basketball program operated on strength alone—victory was everything, and as long as someone could win games, they were justified in their position.
Seeing that no one spoke up in protest, Nijimura nodded slightly: "Good. In that case, the starting lineup for next month's middle school league tournament has been finalized—it will be these five first-years."
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