NBA Skills: Dominating Kuroko no Basket

"Move faster, you idiot!"

"Are you scared?!"

"Get in there!"

"Crush them!"

From the bench, Kise turned his head to glance at the crowd. The relentless jeering was starting to irritate him.

"Even though they seem like a strong team, their sportsmanship is terrible" he muttered.

On the court, a Komagi player dribbled the ball and, with a sneaky elbow to the defender, pushed them back and scored a layup with ease.

The crowd erupted again. "Teiko? Their second string isn't anything special!"

"Wasn't that a foul just now? What a terrible referee" Kise thought to himself as he eyed the official, silently criticizing the biased calls.

Meanwhile, Shiro, sitting calmly on the bench, narrowed his eyes and analyzed the game.

Thanks to the home court advantage, the referee's biased calls and Komagi's dirty plays, Teiko trailed 48:69 with eight minutes left in the fourth quarter.

The second string coach bent down and clapped Kise on the shoulder. "Kise, you're up!"

As the substitution was called and Kise entered the court, he glanced at Kuroko, who remained seated on the bench. A heavy feeling settled over him. "They're not putting any first string players in alongside me? This bet is a lost cause"

With Teiko in possession, the point guard attempted to break through Komagi's defense. Failing to penetrate, he passed the ball to Kise. "Take it, Kise!"

Kise received the pass, but Komagi's players immediately double-teamed him.

"Two defenders... This is tough" Kise thought as he tried to find an opening.

The defenders didn't hold back, using their bodies to shove and ram him. The referee turned a blind eye, allowing Komagi's players to continue their rough tactics unchecked.

"It doesn't matter how strong a player is. If it's just one person, we'll crush him with concentrated defense" one of the defenders taunted.

Frustrated, Kise drove forward, colliding with a Komagi player and knocking him to the floor.

"Offensive foul!" The referee blew the whistle without hesitation.

The fallen Komagi player smirked smugly. "Is this guy picking a fight with us or what?" Kise clenched his teeth as he glared at the indifferent referee.

The game continued, and the score climbed to 61:75.

Wiping the sweat from his brow, Kise sighed. "Damn it, we can't close the gap. Losing to a team like this with such dirty tactics is unbearable!"

Suddenly, the scorer's table announced, "Substitution for Teiko!"

Kuroko slowly walked onto the court.

"Substitution? Where's the player?" one of Komagi's players joked, scanning the court.

"Don't tell me it's that guy?" Another player pointed at Kuroko and burst into laughter. "He looks so weak!"

The crowd erupted again.

"Another weakling?!"

"Can he even play basketball?"

"Careful not to get hurt!"

Shiro chuckled at the spectators' mockery and turned to the second-team coach. "Coach, save a couple of minutes for me later. My hands are itching to play."

He added, "Don't worry, the supervisor won't mind"

The coach raised an eyebrow but nodded. After all, Shiro was the nation's best small forward. "Alright, I'll put you in with two minutes left"

On the court, Kuroko approached Kise and quietly said, "Excuse me, but I'll need your help"

"Me? Isn't it supposed to be the other way around?" Kise asked, confused, pointing at himself.

Kuroko turned to him with a faint smile. "I'm the shadow. The one who scores is the light—Kise"

Kise stared, baffled by Kuroko's words, but before he could process them, the game resumed.

"Even though he said something cool, what can someone with zero presence possibly do?" Kise thought, frustrated. Then he noticed something odd—no one was marking Kuroko.

"Wait, they're not even bothering to guard him?"

As Kise lamented over the unfair double-team, something unexpected happened. The ball suddenly shot out of Kuroko's hands like lightning, landing perfectly in Kise's grasp.

The crowd gasped in shock, unable to comprehend how the ball had traveled so seamlessly. Kuroko, still in his passing stance, locked eyes with Kise, his expression calm and focused.

Kise, momentarily stunned, quickly recovered and turned to shoot. The ball arced beautifully through the air and swished through the net.

"What just happened?!"

"Where did the ball come from?"

Komagi's players exchanged bewildered glances, unable to decipher the bizarre play.

Kuroko's unorthodox passing and relentless playstyle began to shine, creating easy scoring opportunities for Kise. Teiko began to close the gap.

"Is he using his lack of presence to serve as an invisible playmaker? Is that even possible?" Kise thought, staring at Kuroko in amazement.

Kuroko suddenly turned and reminded him, "Please don't take your eyes off the ball. We still need to close the gap."

Kise grinned, his competitive spirit reignited. "Got it!"

...

Meanwhile, in a quiet room at Teiko Junior High, Akashi sat alone, playing shogi.

"Akashi" Midorima called as he entered, closing the door behind him.

"Midorima?" Akashi responded without looking up. "What is it?"

"Supervision approved Kuroko and Kise's participation in the second string match" Midorima reported.

Akashi smiled faintly. "Kise will soon earn his jersey. I thought it best to introduce Kuroko's abilities early."

"Soon, huh? You always seem to know everything" Midorima remarked, sweat forming on his brow.

"Of course I do" Akashi's eyes gleamed. "I'm the one who first recognized Kuroko's potential."