The sound of basketballs bouncing in unison filled the Teikou gym, echoing like a steady drumbeat of progress.
Souta Fujimura wiped the sweat off his brow, his body exhausted but his mind sharper than ever. The intensity of training had increased dramatically over the past few weeks, and his Phantom Step had improved—but it still wasn't at the level he wanted.
He needed more.
"Fujimura, match up with Kise."
Coach Shirogane's order rang out, snapping Souta from his thoughts. He looked up to see Kise stretching, flashing his usual confident grin.
"This should be fun," Kise said, bouncing the ball between his hands.
Souta smirked. "Let's see if you can keep up."
The two stepped onto the court. The rest of the team paused their drills, sensing an intense battle about to unfold.
Kise started with the ball, his stance relaxed. Souta readied himself, keeping his knees slightly bent, weight balanced.
Then, in an instant, Kise moved.
A crossover.
No, a perfectly mirrored version of Aomine's signature move.
Souta barely reacted in time, shifting his weight to recover. Kise smirked, launching forward.
Damn, his copying ability is ridiculous.
Souta gritted his teeth, forcing himself to focus. He activated Phantom Step, vanishing from Kise's vision for a split second before appearing in his path.
Kise stopped on a dime, stunned for just a moment.
Souta reached for the ball—
But Kise grinned.
A spin move.
Before Souta could react, Kise was already at the basket, finishing with a smooth layup.
Cheers erupted from the sidelines.
Souta exhaled sharply.
Kise's adaptability was terrifying.
"You're getting better, Souta," Kise said, walking back. "But you hesitate a little too much."
Souta rolled his shoulders, nodding. "I'll fix that on this next possession."
His turn with the ball.
He dribbled slowly, measuring Kise's stance. The blond was light on his feet, eyes sharp.
I need to push myself further.
Souta activated Phantom Step again.
Kise blinked.
Souta was gone.
Kise turned his head—
Souta had reappeared behind him.
No hesitation.
He drove forward, cutting through the defense and finishing with a clean layup.
The gym fell silent.
Kise raised an eyebrow. "Okay… that was new."
Souta smirked. "Yeah, I thought so too."
Coach Shirogane clapped his hands. "That's enough. Back to drills."
The players dispersed, but Souta knew.
He had taken another step forward.
But it still wasn't enough.
—
Later that night, Souta stayed behind in the gym, alone.
The dim lights cast long shadows as he practiced Phantom Step over and over.
Each time, he tried to push the boundaries, stretching the moment of disappearance.
But something was missing.
"Your movement is still incomplete."
A voice interrupted his thoughts.
Souta turned to see Akashi standing at the entrance, his red eyes unreadable.
"You're relying too much on the system's mechanics," Akashi continued, stepping onto the court. "Phantom Step isn't about vanishing. It's about controlling perception."
Souta's breath hitched.
"Watch."
Akashi took the ball. In one moment, he was in front of Souta.
The next, he was at the basket, the ball rolling into the net.
Souta swallowed.
He didn't vanish. He simply moved in a way that made it impossible to track him.
"You have the right foundation," Akashi said. "But until you understand how people see, your movement will always be flawed."
Souta clenched his fists.
He thought he had made a breakthrough.
But he was still too predictable.
Akashi turned to leave. "Figure it out soon, Fujimura."
As the doors closed behind him, Souta exhaled slowly.
Control perception, huh?
A new challenge.
And he never backed down from a challenge.