After sinking the basketball, Haizaki Shogo picked it up and handed it to Aomine Daiki, whose eyes crackled with blue electricity.
"Aoda, show me something interesting, how about it? In exchange, I'll show you something interesting too."
"Something interesting?"
"Yeah, something interesting."
"Something interesting, huh? Are you sure you want to see it?"
"Absolutely!"
"Alright then."
Suddenly, Shogo sensed something indescribable changing in Aomine.
Aomine dribbled the ball rhythmically.
Then, the ball swayed left and right before he stopped and executed a smooth fadeaway jump shot. It sailed over Shogo's outstretched hand and swish—through the net.
Such a precise, disciplined movement—so different from Aomine's usual freeform style—was like seeing two entirely different players.
Shogo's eyes widened in shock, followed immediately by overwhelming excitement.
As expected, Perfect Copy had revealed its true nature in Aomine. That last move—it was one of Shogo's own shots, perfectly copied!
Experiencing Aomine's Perfect Copy firsthand was unbelievable.
And Shogo wasn't the only one watching in awe—Satsuki Momoi and Shimizu Rena were observing the duel closely.
"This… how is this possible?"
"Satsuki-chan, what just happened?"
"Aoda… Aoda… did he… appropriate it? Or imitate it? I… I don't know."
"What do you mean?"
After a moment to recover from the shock, Satsuki explained to Rena, still with a stunned expression:
"Shogo-kun has a special skill called Appropriation. It allows him to mimic someone else's skill and then adjust his rhythm so the other person cannot use their own natural timing effectively."
"Ah! No wonder. Last match, Shogo-kun used several different basketball styles. So that's how."
"But just now, Aoda either appropriated it—or imitated it—I'm not sure exactly what happened."
On the court, Shogo felt like his predictions had been confirmed. He was thrilled, like discovering a secret in a new game, finding a unique legendary item—ecstatic.
Is this the real Aomine Daiki? This is amazing! This is the real world—manga and anime are just references!
Seeing was believing, indeed!
The gleam of excitement in Shogo's eyes made Aomine, in Perfect Copy, feel a strange sensation. Shogo had become unpredictable.
Taking the ball from Aomine, Shogo dribbled while speaking.
"Aoda, you showed me something interesting. I'm impressed. Now I'll show you something I find interesting."
As he spoke, a fierce aura radiated from Shogo like a circle expanding outward.
Clang!
Before Aomine could react, Shogo executed a one-handed windmill dunk.
On the sidelines, Satsuki and Rena gaped at the new display, mouths wide open in disbelief.
How is this even possible?!
Aomine, blue electricity crackling across his body, looked at Shogo's terrifying aura beneath the rim and suddenly threw back his head, laughing.
"Wahaha!!! Nice, really nice! Shogo, this… this is even more interesting than mine!"
"Right?! Hahaha, it's something I just recently awakened."
"Come on, let me see if I can imitate it."
"Go ahead and try."
On the court, blue and gray electric currents flashed wildly.
Two ghostly figures moved with incredible speed, creating the illusion of multiple shadows across half the court.
After a long while, the currents vanished. Both were exhausted, leaning on their knees, facing each other.
"So interesting… this thing can't be imitated. Even wilder than my own raw style."
"Yeah, this is called Ferocity. You might not believe it, but after awakening it, I once killed a male lion."
"Hmm? What do you mean?"
"Nothing much."
After this intense duel, Shogo deeply understood the difference between Perfect Copy and Appropriation. The two skills share some similarity in shallow levels but diverge in their higher-level usage.
Perfect Copy, at a shallow level, copies the skill exactly using one's own physical ability and basketball technique.
At a deeper level, it requires using all of one's skills and physical fundamentals to replicate advanced techniques. The more abilities one has, the easier it is to imitate others.
However, some high-level skills, when copied, become only a "replica." The effect might be the same, but the essence and mechanics differ.
The best analogy: a living person shoots using biological energy, while a humanoid robot uses electrical energy for the same movement.
That's the essence of deep-level Perfect Copy. It's also the principle Kise would later use to mimic Generation of Miracles techniques.
Appropriation, at a shallow level, mimics the original intent but adds a step of altering one's rhythm, disrupting the opponent's natural timing to reduce effectiveness.
At a deeper level, Appropriation becomes much harder. It divides into two types: skill-based and ability-based.
For skill-based techniques, as long as the user has solid physical ability and technique, almost any skill can be appropriated.
But for ability-based techniques, like Emperor Eye or Ferocity, if the user lacks a similar base, appropriation is impossible. They can only imitate it like Perfect Copy, losing the unique edge of Appropriation.
This explained the duel just witnessed. Both skills have strengths, but their effectiveness depends on the user.
Like Emperor Eye—powerful on Fukuda Sasaki, yes. But stronger than Akashi? Impossible. Its strength comes from Akashi himself.
"Let's stop here. If we keep going, we'll have no energy to go home."
"Yeah, let's stop. That was awesome, super awesome, Shogo. Thanks!"
"I'm thrilled too. Haven't felt this alive in a long, long time."
"Hahaha!!" "Hahaha!!"
They laughed, supporting each other toward the two girls at the sidelines.
The gentle, beautiful girls had already unscrewed their water bottles and handed them over.