Renji stared blankly at the air, his cereal untouched and his body aching all over. "I hereby conclude! I've lost my Copycat Talent!" he declared, the frustration evident in his voice.
His mother, Jen, observed her son with concern. She had noticed his increasing disinterest and wondered if he was losing his grip on reality. "Hmm? Are you daydreaming again?" she asked, anxiety creeping into her voice. The change in Renji's behavior had her worried, and she feared he might be slipping into madness.
Renji sighed deeply, realizing that his mother had misunderstood his situation. "Sigh, no, Mom. It's not daydreaming. My body is aching so much that I don't even have the strength to lift a spoon. Was it always this heavy?" he inquired, trying to make light of his predicament.
Jen's worry deepened as she struggled to find the right words to comfort him. "Just go sit in the massage chair and relax. But don't go to a massage salon! They might touch you inappropriately!" she said, her voice rising in alarm.
Renji burst into laughter, shaking his head. "Pfftt! Hahaha, gotcha, Mom!" he said, but then reconsidered. "Wait, was it really that bad?" he asked, his laughter fading.
"No means no!" Jen retorted, pulling on his hair near his ears. Renji winced but quickly relented. "Okay, okay, Mom!" he chuckled, "I was just teasing you."
Despite his playful attitude, Renji was serious about his situation. He had indeed lost his Copycat Talent, but his sense of humor and ability to joke remained intact. Nevertheless, he knew that if he wanted to reclaim his skills, he needed to practice diligently.
He devised a rigorous training regimen for himself: 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 sidesteps, and a 10-kilometer run every morning. Determined to regain his former prowess, he started his routine with enthusiasm.
The first day went smoothly, all was still fine. He perspired so much that his sweat shirt was drenched by it. He still has energy but the aching body was now starting to get intense. It made him worried. Maybe he a made wrong exercise routine.
By the second day, he found himself vomiting from the physical strain. He was worried that he could die on exhaustion and physical stress. He immediately wanted to stop midway but he continued.
On the third day, he was ready to surrender, but he pushed through. Aside from wanting to surrender, he ate more foods than normal. Primarily protein. Still, he was impressed, he did not get bald.
By the fourth day, he was exhausted, never wanted to do it again. He nearly passed out on the street.
And on the fifth day, he gave up.
Despite abandoning his intense training plan, Renji felt a surprising sense of lightness and satisfaction in his body. He assessed his condition and realized that while he had regained some physical fitness, he was still lacking in dribbling and shooting skills.
The double shooting guard technique he had hoped would be effective was only partially successful—it was far from perfected.
Determined to improve, Renji practiced dribbling with a basketball, gripping it firmly with one hand as he leaped toward the hoop. With a powerful jump, he managed to dunk the ball with ease. Although he could still dunk without much practice, he was disheartened by his progress. He was particularly shocked by Jin, a player who, despite his slasher style, acted like a center but could have been a forward.
"They're only pretending, huh?" Renji muttered to himself, recognizing the discrepancy between appearances and reality.
He also was impressed with Shin who even lacking his dribble skills. He could pass the ball fine and could shoot. Kishi on the contrary has ankle breaking capabilities. Even wanting to praise the two opponents while they were his enemies. In his shock, he also has to be forced to be toe to toe with them.
In his past, he could not remember their names. But knew that there were players in Shukaku Academy that were strong enough to reach Finals of Winter Cup. They lost the Summer cup at the time with the enemies were the teams of 5 Prodigies.
With the school enrollment approaching, Renji focused on improving his shooting and dribbling skills. He returned to the court, practicing tirelessly until he was gasping for breath. By pushing himself to the limit, he found that his shooting became more refined when he was in a relaxed state.
His Copycat Talent, once a reliable asset, seemed to be dormant or perhaps gone entirely. This realization led him to question his future. His prodigy mode, which allowed him to mimic and excel in various skills, was no longer available. Now, he could only rely on his instinct mode—an approach that, while accessible to all diligent players, required heightened senses and relentless dedication.
Instinct mode allowed players to break their limits and immerse themselves deeply in the game, but it also exposed weaknesses, such as Renji's temper. His inclination to solo play and carry his team was no longer feasible. He had to adapt to team play, something he was not accustomed to.
Renji contemplated his next steps, feeling that he needed to achieve a state of instinct mode before he could hope to recover his lost talent or dual personality. It seemed that only by mastering instinct mode could he regain his former abilities.
In conclusion, Renji's journey was one of self-discovery and adaptation. The loss of his Copycat Talent was a significant blow, but it led him to explore new methods of improvement. He has to get serious as he will go toe to toe against the the 5 Prodigies. His team in the past life. His brothers in arms.
But they went to each of their own teams in college. Making their team disbanded. But still, he was still friends with them and could hangout if he wanted to.
By embracing the challenges of instinct mode and learning to work with his team, Renji hoped to rediscover his potential and regain his copycat talent. Perhaps even surpass his previous achievements with his new life.