Wild Instinct?
Ayako and the other Bench players all asked at once.
Ayako looked curious. She turned to Coach Anzai and asked, "Coach, what do you mean by 'Wild Instinct'?"
Coach Anzai didn't answer right away. He looked toward Shimizu Kanon with a smile. "Hohohoho… Looks like Kanon understands what 'Wild Instinct' is. Why don't you explain it to everyone?"
The Bench players looked totally confused. They had no idea what the coach meant.
Sakuragi Hanamichi blinked his innocent eyes, completely lost, his brain a total mess.
Shimizu Kanon sat back down and cleared her throat. "Simply put, 'Wild Instinct' is a natural ability—like how wild animals hunt using sharp instincts. You've probably seen those nature shows, right? Where animals move purely by instinct? In that state, their abilities—like strength, speed, jumping, alertness—all improve dramatically."
Everyone on Shohoku's Bench was stunned. Their faces were full of shock and confusion.
"There's something like that? Why haven't we heard of it before?" Kogure Kiminobu's voice shook. He looked totally overwhelmed.
"So you're saying, Maki Shinichi is in that state now? Doesn't that make him unbeatable?" Kogure followed up.
Shimizu Kanon shook her head. "Maki Shinichi has awakened 'Wild Instinct,' so his power has gone up. But that doesn't mean he's invincible. If the difference in skill is too big, Wild Instinct still won't be enough to win. Plus, not all Wild Instincts are equally strong. I thought he might have it, but I didn't expect him to show it so soon. And what he has now isn't even fully awakened."
Shiozaki Tetsushi couldn't help asking, "You said Wild Instinct is natural. Does that mean we all have it?"
The others wondered the same. Everyone was curious—did they also have this powerful thing inside them?
After all, who wouldn't want something that could boost their skills?
Shimizu Kanon explained, "In theory, yes. But as we grow up, our Wild Instinct fades. So you have to awaken it later. But very few people manage to do that."
Ayako asked a new question. "Kanon, you said Maki Shinichi's Wild Instinct isn't complete. What does that mean?"
Shimizu Kanon answered, "Right now, Maki Shinichi is only in the early stage of awakening. When his Wild Instinct fully activates, that's when his power will fully explode."
Huh?
For a moment, Shohoku's Bench went quiet.
Everyone thought the same thing—Maki Shinichi is already this strong. What happens if his Wild Instinct becomes complete?
Can Aoi Kunisaku really handle that?
Suddenly, basketball felt unfamiliar to them. This was nothing like what they thought they knew.
Terrifying.
Really terrifying.
…
On the court—
Bang…
Bang…
Bang…
The basketball slammed the floor like war drums. Maki Shinichi Dribbled forward, moving several times faster than usual like an arrow off the string.
So fast.
The Kainan players stared in shock. It was their first time seeing their captain like this.
Aoi Kunisaku's eyes locked onto him. The excitement on his face grew stronger, like a collector seeing a rare treasure.
In a flash, Maki Shinichi reached Shohoku's Three-Point Line.
Aoi Kunisaku didn't hesitate. He stepped in front of Miyagi Ryota and took over the Defense.
As he faced Maki again, Aoi felt a fierce, wild aura hitting him head-on—like a beast ready to strike.
In that moment, their roles flipped.
Maki Shinichi was now on Offense. Aoi Kunisaku took over Defense.
One Attack. One Defense. The battle reignited.
The players from Shohoku and Kainan stood by awkwardly. Aoi and Maki were fighting like madmen, while they looked like useless cones.
The Shohoku half-court felt like a battlefield on fire. Smoke filled the air.
Maki Shinichi moved like white lightning. His Dribble rhythm hit like a hammer. Every step made the floor vibrate.
He lowered his body, rushing into the paint like a tiger. Muscles tensed, eyes filled with killing intent.
Aoi Kunisaku didn't back down. He moved like a blue phantom, sticking to Maki's side.
His arms stretched out like iron bars, trying to seal off every route.
Maki made a sharp Crossover. The ball danced at his fingertips like it had a mind of its own.
But Aoi reacted instantly. A quick step slid him right back into position.
Their bodies collided hard, making a dull thud. It sounded like two huge boulders smashing together.
Maki gritted his teeth and leapt high—ready to Shoot.
Right at the last second, Aoi Kunisaku leapt up too. His figure soared like a hawk in flight. He stretched his arm out fully, trying to Block Maki Shinichi's Shot.
Maki twisted his body mid-air and cleverly changed his shooting angle. Just as Aoi looked surprised, Maki suddenly flicked his wrist and Passed the ball to Shinzou Ichirou on the side.
Shinzou Ichirou looked stunned for a second after receiving the Pass. But he quickly collected himself and took the Shot.
The basketball drew a clean arc through the air. Right on target, it dropped through the hoop.
Swish—
Nothing but net.
Tch—
Seeing Maki pass the ball, Aoi Kunisaku frowned slightly, looking a bit displeased.
But Maki didn't think anything was wrong. He turned and jogged back for Defense.
At that moment, people started noticing the contrast.
Even though it was a showdown between Aoi Kunisaku and Maki Shinichi, their styles were completely different.
Maki always looked for the best opportunity to Shoot. He passed without hesitation, always putting the team first.
Aoi, on the other hand, fought one-on-one from start to finish. Even when stuck, he never relied on teammates. He forced the ball in through sheer power.
Both scored.
But they made totally different choices.
It was hard to say who was right. On the basketball court, as long as the ball goes in, that's what counts.
Tweet—
A sharp whistle echoed across the court. The referee announced the end of the first half.
The scoreboard clearly showed: Shohoku 34 – 44 Kainan.
Aoi Kunisaku had played 5 minutes, and even though he gave it everything, he couldn't close the gap. Shohoku was still down by 10 points.
This was the first time Shohoku had fallen into such a hole since the start of the prefectural tournament.
Both teams returned to their Benches. Maybe it was the intensity of the battle between Aoi and Maki, but everyone looked unusually quiet.
As soon as Aoi sat down, he threw a towel over his head. It was like he cut himself off from the world, ignoring everything around him.
Maki Shinichi wasn't much different. He still exchanged a few words with teammates, but his focus was clearly on maintaining his current state.
He knew that lasting this long against Aoi Kunisaku was only possible because of his awakened Wild Instinct. He couldn't let the fire cool down now.
At Shohoku's Bench—
Coach Anzai was calmly laying out the strategy for the second half.
Meanwhile, Aoi Kunisaku sat there completely still, head covered with the towel like he was asleep.
No one disturbed him. They all knew he'd just been through a brutal battle and needed time to recover.
A while later—
"Saku-chan... Saku-chan... Saku-chan..." Shimizu Kanon softly called into his ear.
Aoi lifted the towel and turned his head, confused. "Huh? What is it?"
Shimizu Kanon smiled helplessly. "Seriously, I've been calling you forever. It's time for the second half."
Akagi Takenori and the others turned to look at them. Their eyes focused on Aoi but no one said anything.
They all knew—if Shohoku didn't have Aoi Kunisaku, they might get crushed by Kainan.
"Oh!" Aoi answered and stood up, walking toward the court.
Akagi couldn't help asking, "Aren't you going to rest a bit?"
"Huh?" Aoi looked confused and shot back, "The game's already started, right? What's there to rest for?"
Miyagi Ryota also looked at Aoi, concerned. "You're not yourself. If you're not feeling right…"
"You talk too much," Aoi cut him off bluntly.
"Saku-chan is fine! Don't worry!" Shimizu Kanon jumped in to smooth things over.
Hearing her say that, Akagi and the others finally shut up. But there was still something strange in the way they looked at Aoi.
As Aoi walked away, Ayako leaned toward Shimizu Kanon and whispered, worried, "Is he really okay like this?"
Shimizu Kanon replied firmly, "Don't worry. Saku-chan will be fine."
Ayako twitched at the corner of her mouth. "Where does your confidence come from?!"
Honestly, Maki Shinichi's strength had truly shaken her.
To her, aside from Aoi Kunisaku, no one else on the team could stand up to him. Not even Rukawa Kaede.
Shimizu Kanon smiled sweetly with hope in her eyes. "Saku-chan... it's been a long time since he's met a real opponent like this. The real Saku-chan is just now about to wake up."
Tweet—
The whistle blew again. The second half had officially begun.
Right now, Maki Shinichi's presence was even more intense and terrifying. He was like a beast ready to pounce. Anyone who got close would be torn to shreds.
Even the Kainan players were a little afraid of him now. He was just that scary.
For a moment, it felt like Maki had become a fanged hellhound. A dangerous aura surrounded him. His blood-red eyes swept the court, hunting for prey.