NBA Skills: Dominating Kuroko no Basket

"Kuroko? He's a good guy" Murasakibara said with a yawn, his voice drowsy and tinged with weariness.

"I'm not talking about his personality. Isn't it strange that he's a regular player?" Kise asked, sitting beside Murasakibara, his tone filled with doubt.

"Really? I don't know. After all, it was Akashi's decision" Murasakibara replied matter-of-factly.

"Akashi? Who's that?" Kise raised an eyebrow and looked at Murasakibara.

"Hmm, and who are you?" Murasakibara asked nonchalantly, staring at Kise with a vacant expression.

Hearing this, Kise became flustered, feeling utterly exasperated. He exclaimed loudly, "I'm Ryota Kise! We're in the same class! We even had popsicles together yesterday!"

"Is that so?" Murasakibara closed his eyes, unwilling to think about it further.

"Ugh!" Kise sighed in frustration, not knowing what else to say. "Guess I asked the wrong person"

Later, Kise approached Midorima, who was standing by a vending machine. Midorima put down his drink and looked at him. "You want to know what I think of Kuroko?"

"Exactly" Kise replied.

"Kise, why are you asking about something like that?" Midorima asked, confused.

"Well, he's supposed to be my trainer, but it feels a bit... off" Kise admitted awkwardly, then smiled. 

"That's because Akashi seems to have taken quite an interest in you" Midorima said, tossing his empty drink into the trash.

"Akashi? Who's that?"

Pushing up his glasses with his middle finger, Midorima gave a cryptic reply, "You'll find out soon enough."

As he walked past Kise, Midorima added, "About Kuroko..."

Kise, startled, interjected, "Why are you only saying this now?!"

Midorima continued, unfazed, "His zodiac sign is Aquarius, and his blood type is A. Mine's B, so we're totally incompatible" He casually flaunted one of his lucky items as an explanation for their lack of rapport.

"What does that even mean?!" Kise was utterly baffled, completely thrown off by Midorima's tangents.

During practice, Kise stood among the players, persistently asking everyone about Kuroko. Meanwhile, Akashi stood silently nearby, observing everything with a contemplative expression.

"Akashi, what's on your mind?" Murasakibara walked over and asked softly, noticing Akashi's unusual demeanor.

"Nothing" Akashi replied with a slight shake of his head, though his gaze never wavered from Kuroko.

Just then, Kuroko entered the training court. Akashi's eyes sharpened, exuding an aura of wisdom as if he could see through Kuroko's exterior into the depths of his thoughts.

During a scrimmage, Kise finally got the chance to face Kuroko one-on-one. The outcome? Kuroko was completely overwhelmed by Kise's skill.

As the day turned to evening, Kise pointed at Kuroko, who was stretching nearby, and declared, "I can't accept this! Why is he a regular player?"

"Don't point at your trainer" Aomine chided as he turned around.

Reluctantly lowering his hand, Kise muttered, still dissatisfied, "Between me and him, who do you think would win?"

Aomine looked up, thought for a moment, and replied, "That'd be you, of course."

"Then why?"

Aomine laughed and said, "Because that guy isn't like you or me. He's the complete opposite. But on the court, he's someone you can always rely on."

"Huh?" Kise's confusion only deepened as the cryptic remarks from everyone continued to pile up.

"You'll see soon enough just how incredible he is" Shiro chimed in, dribbling a ball as he approached Kise and Aomine with a grin.

Aomine nodded in agreement, echoing Shiro's sentiment.

"Kuroko, Kise" Midorima approached, drawing their attention. "Coach has given the order. You two will join the second string for tomorrow's training match."

"The second string? Why?" Kise, sitting on the ground, questioned Midorima.

"It's a precaution. In practice matches between the second or third strings, it's tradition to include a few first string players as well" Midorima explained.

"Oh" Kise responded nonchalantly, clearly not taking it seriously.

"Remember this: Teiko's only and absolute philosophy is victory. Losing is not an option. Whatever happens, you win first and talk later. And don't act like this is someone else's problem. If you lose tomorrow, both of you will be demoted to the second string" Midorima said sternly, pushing up his glasses with two fingers and fixing Kise with a sharp glare.

"W-What?!" Kise's face fell, realizing how serious the situation was, and he began to panic internally.

"You're on your own!" Shiro teased, laughing at Kise and Kuroko's predicament.

"Shiro" Midorima interjected with a smirk, "Coach said you'll be overseeing the match tomorrow, but you're not allowed to play."

"Seriously? Why?!" Shiro groaned. "Fine, good luck out there, you two."

...

The next morning, the group headed toward Komagi Junior High for the match.

"Looking at it again, the second string sure has a lot of players" Kise noted as he glanced at the crowd behind them before turning his gaze back to Kuroko. "But why does the weakest-looking first string regular have to lead them?"

Kise then smiled mischievously and said, "Kuroko, I have a suggestion"

"What is it?"

"For this match, if we both play, let's see who can score more points. Winner takes all" Kise proposed nonchalantly, his hands in his pockets.

Kuroko looked at him, their eyes meeting.

Kise, brimming with confidence, added, "If I win, hand over that uniform of yours"

Kuroko calmly countered, "Even if I don't want it, what happens if the team loses? Does our contest even matter?"

Kise waved it off. "Even then, it's fine. But seriously, you don't want to?"

"That'll land you both in the second string" Shiro suddenly interjected, turning around to scold them. "Competing over points in a match is meaningless if the team loses!"

Embarrassed, Kise scratched his head awkwardly.

"What's important" Kuroko added, his expression unchanging, "is knowing what your role in the team is"

"My role..." Kise murmured, meeting Kuroko's gaze as he mulled over the advice.

"But I think your competitiveness isn't a bad thing" Kuroko continued, offering some encouragement.

"Man, Kuroko really knows how to speak wisdom!" Shiro thought, silently giving Kuroko a thumbs-up.

After a long and tiring journey, the team finally arrived at Komagi Junior High. But as they stepped into the opposing school's grounds, an unusual tension filled the air. The Komagi spectators didn't seem friendly; their cold, hostile gazes sent a chill through the team, stirring unease.