"That's enough, you two!"
Momoi watched as they grew more and more heated. If she didn't stop them, they would probably keep playing until they collapsed.
Aomine replied impatiently, "You're too loud, Satsuki!"
It was rare for him to enjoy a game this much, and he didn't want to let Shidou off the hook just yet.
Shidou also felt it was about time. "Forget it, Aomine. There'll be plenty of chances. One last round."
Since Shidou said so, Aomine didn't insist further. "Then let me show you something interesting, Shidou!"
As he finished speaking, blue electric sparks seemed to flash in Aomine's eyes, and his speed instantly doubled.
He vanished from Shidou's sight. A loud bang echoed as Aomine reached the basket and slammed in a powerful dunk.
Landing, Aomine turned back. "Want to keep going?"
Shidou stood still, sweat forming on his forehead. It was his first time witnessing such overwhelming speed and power; the pressure almost made it hard to breathe. But soon, a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Seeing this state for the first time, Chizuru stared in shock. "Is he even… human?"
Momoi explained, "Don't be surprised. That's the Zone, a state only certain players can enter. Once inside it, all abilities reach their peak, though it consumes a lot of stamina."
"The Zone?"
"Yes. So far, I've only seen Dai-chan enter it."
"Then… is Shidou going to lose?"
"Well… if Shidou-kun can't enter the Zone, he'll probably lose."
"Of course I'm continuing." Shidou picked up the ball, his fighting spirit blazing.
He felt his body changing, as if every cell was cheering. His movements became faster and smoother.
Aomine's Zone stimulated Shidou's potential, allowing him to break through his own limits.
Pink flames suddenly ignited in Shidou's eyes.
Flow state.
He made a shooting motion. Aomine jumped instantly, but it was only a feint. Shidou landed and accelerated, leaving afterimages behind him.
Aomine refused to yield. The two clashed at full speed, neither giving ground.
Shidou suddenly stopped. Aomine's sneakers screeched as he barely stabilized. In that instant, Shidou spun, the ball passing between his legs as he broke past Aomine like a gust of wind.
But Shidou underestimated him. Aomine stomped hard and cut off his path again.
Shidou went straight into a step-back jumper. Aomine knew how fast Shidou released the ball and moved to block.
"Too naive," Aomine said.
Shidou's pupils shrank. His instincts told him the shot would be blocked.
In that split second, he curled mid-air and spun half a turn.
Aomine hadn't expected such an adjustment.
Using the rotation, Shidou slipped past Aomine's side and lofted the ball toward the hoop.
But Aomine twisted mid-air, his arm whipping out to barely graze the ball.
The shot was deflected, hitting the rim and bouncing away.
Both charged for the rebound.
The ball flew toward Chizuru, who shut her eyes in fear. At the last moment, Kise caught it and spun it on his finger.
"Hey, Little Aomine, Little Shidou, that's enough. If you keep going, I'll starve to death!"
Momoi also scolded them. "You almost hit Chizuru! Stop already!"
Finally, they calmed down.
The five then headed to a convenience store, with Shidou treating. Aomine and Shidou devoured burgers, Kise ordered milk tea, Chizuru got a strawberry sundae, and Momoi bought a popsicle.
"You two don't have to eat like someone's going to steal it," Momoi sighed.
They ignored her and kept eating.
After finishing, Momoi finally asked, "Shidou-kun, was that last state also the Zone?"
Aomine already suspected the answer. Shidou thought for a moment.
"I don't really know about this Zone thing. I just know it's Flow."
"Flow?"
"Flow is a mental immersion state. When you're fully focused, you forget time and enter peak performance. Under pressure, if challenge and ability are balanced, you can enter Flow and perform beyond your limits."
Momoi mentally noted this new information.
Aomine added, "So anyone can enter that state?"
"Yeah… more or less," Shidou replied casually.
Chizuru then said, "But reaching that balance must be hard. If your opponent is far stronger than you, your own ability can't match the challenge, so you wouldn't reach Flow."
Everyone looked at her, making her self-conscious. "That's just my guess…"
Shidou and Aomine were surprised at how quickly she grasped the idea. Momoi was impressed as well. Kise simply stared, not fully understanding.
After eating, they split up and went their separate ways.
Since Shidou and Kise had only taken the morning off, they returned to Kaijo in the afternoon. Chizuru, having no classes yet, followed them to visit the basketball club.
As they entered, Coach Takeuchi was loudly directing practice, clearly furious. Chizuru felt intimidated, afraid she might be thrown out.
Shidou followed behind Kise with a lollipop in his mouth.
"Coach!"
Hearing Kise's voice, Takeuchi instantly changed into a friendly mood. "So, how was it? Did you meet your friends?"
Kise nodded.
Noticing Chizuru, Takeuchi asked politely, "And this is…?"
"My sister," Shidou replied.
"Oh! Please have a seat! Don't just stand there."
Kasamatsu and the others watched, speechless at the coach's sudden change in attitude.
Takeuchi clapped his hands to gather everyone.
"Next week, we've been invited to a practice match by Seirin High School. Don't worry about it too much—just continue training. I'm only informing you in advance."
"At the same time, with the addition of Kise Ryota and Shidou Ryusei, the lineup will change."
He announced the new formation, placing Shidou as a substitute power forward, explaining that he would serve as the team's trump card.
Shidou didn't mind starting or coming off the bench. Seeing he had no objection, Kise dropped the matter.
During training, Kise noticed Shidou wearing heavy weights on his legs and waist. That meant even his duel with Aomine hadn't been at full strength. Kise silently abandoned his own plan to lighten his training weights.
The next day, Kise asked for another half-day off to scout their upcoming opponent. The coach agreed immediately.
Kise dragged Shidou along. At first, Shidou didn't see the point—until Kise mentioned that a former teammate had joined Seirin: Kuroko Tetsuya.
Shidou had almost forgotten him, since Kuroko had been injured during the time Shidou was at Teiko.
Now, he was curious to see how strong Kuroko had become.