PAGE 1 – NIGHT AFTER THE MATCH
Panel 1:
Riku walks out of the gym under the moonlight, towel over his neck, a light smile on his face.
System UI (floating faintly):
> System Cooldown Active — 19h 13m Remaining
No copying available during cooldown.
Panel 2:
Riku (thinking):
> "Zone Efficiency… this is what it feels like to see the game as a genius."
"But now… I'm locked out."
Panel 3:
Cut to the next morning. Gym bulletin board shows:
> Match Schedule – Day 2
Team C vs Team E
Notable Player: Kaito Ishima (National U16 Starting Guard)
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PAGE 2 – THE NEXT THREAT
Panel 1:
Riku reads the board and sees Kaito Ishima's name circled in red marker.
Panel 2:
Flashback panels of Kaito on TV:
Hitting buzzer-beaters
Breaking double-teams
Dunking over defenders
Voice-over (Coach's TV Interview):
> "Kaito's talent lies in his ability to break formations. He's chaos with a ball."
Panel 3:
Riku cracks his neck and smiles.
Riku (thinking):
> "He might have something like 'Formation Breaker – S'… but I can't copy anything for 19 hours."
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PAGE 3 – BEFORE THE MATCH
Panel 1:
Kaito walks past Riku, chewing gum, bouncing a ball lazily.
Kaito:
> "Heard about you. That game yesterday? Fluke."
"Today you're up against a real point guard."
Panel 2:
Riku just smiles, unfazed.
Riku:
> "Good. I needed someone to test this against."
Panel 3:
System Ping:
> Target Detected: Kaito Ishima
Talent: "Flow Disruption – A+"
Cooldown active. Copy unavailable.
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PAGE 4 – GAME STARTS: PRESSURE
Panel 1:
Tip-off. Kaito's team immediately plays high-pressure full-court defense.
Panel 2:
Riku gets the inbound pass. Kaito is in his face instantly.
Kaito (taunting):
> "Come on, hotshot. You got moves without your magic?"
Panel 3:
Riku uses "Street Handle King – A" and weaves through but loses his rhythm mid-drive. The pass gets tipped.
Panel 4:
Turnover. Kaito laughs, leading a fast break and scoring with a flashy layup.
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PAGE 5 – STAYING COMPOSED
Panel 1:
Coach on Riku's bench yells, "Stop hesitating! Play your game!"
Panel 2:
Riku breathes in deeply.
Riku (thinking):
> "I can't rely on new power right now."
"So I'll use what I already have better than ever."
System UI (recap display):
Street Handle King – A
Defensive Instinct – A
Zone Efficiency – S (active)
Panel 3:
The camera angle shifts — Zone Efficiency kicks in again. He anticipates a screen play from the enemy.
Panel 4:
He cuts off Kaito's drive mid-crossover, strips the ball clean.
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PAGE 6 – STRATEGIC BATTLE
Panel 1:
Riku slows the game down, starts reading all defensive formations.
Panel 2:
He uses smart fakes, passes, and screens to bait Kaito into fouls and gaps.
Panel 3:
Coach on sideline smirks.
Coach (thinking):
> "He's not the fastest… but he sees things seconds ahead."
Panel 4:
Another assist by Riku. Game tied 42–42, 2 minutes left.
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PAGE 7 – KAITO GOES WILD
Panel 1:
Kaito gets angry. His eyes sharpen. He yells, "Clear out!"
Panel 2:
1-on-1 isolation play. Kaito drives aggressively, slips past defenders, scores with a reverse layup.
Panel 3:
System UI (Riku's vision):
> Analyzing…
Flow Disruption Activated: Breaking rhythm of enemy defense.
Panel 4:
Riku grits his teeth.
Riku (thinking):
> "That's an A+ skill... Damn. If only I wasn't in cooldown."
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PAGE 8 – FINAL PLAY
Panel 1:
Riku's team down by 1 point, 12 seconds left.
Coach:
> "Takeda! Run the floor!"
Panel 2:
Riku dribbles past half-court. Kaito blocks his path.
Kaito (grinning):
> "You're not getting through me."
Panel 3:
Riku hesitates, steps back…
> Zone Efficiency kicks in.
He sees a flash of a backdoor cut opportunity. A teammate slips free.
Panel 4:
No-look bounce pass. Teammate catches it under the rim—scores.
Panel 5:
Buzzer sounds. Riku's team wins 66–65.
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PAGE 9 – POST-GAME
Panel 1:
Kaito throws his towel down.
Kaito (frustrated):
> "How the hell did I lose to you?! You're not even explosive!"
Panel 2:
Riku, panting but composed.
Riku:
> "You've got a great talent. But I've got more time."
Panel 3:
System UI:
> Cooldown Complete. Copy function reactivated.
Riku (thinking):
> "Back online."
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✅ End of Chapter 4
> Next Time: Chapter 5 – "The Talent of the Phantom"