NBA Skills: Dominating Kuroko no Basket

"Not enough players yet! The game is about to start. Seirin's starting five, please get into formation quickly," the referee called out, holding the ball and glancing around. However, the fifth player from Seirin was nowhere to be seen.

At that moment, a calm voice suddenly broke the silence: "Sorry, we're all here now" Everyone turned toward the sound, only to see Kuroko standing beside the referee, raising his hand slightly as if worried the referee might overlook him.

"What?!" The referee and Kaijo players jumped in surprise, stepping back a few paces.

"What's going on?"

"His presence is so faint!"

"They're putting someone like that in their starting lineup?"

Even players on the other half of the court turned their heads, stunned by Kuroko's ghost-like appearance.

"What's the point of this? They were talking big, and now their starting lineup is like this!" Takeuchi sighed in disbelief, shaking his head. "No way they can beat us with such weak players."

"That's not necessarily true" Kise muttered under his breath.

"Huh?" Takeuchi turned to Kise, puzzled.

Kise added with a wry smile, "Though their methods may not be... conventional."

"Who do you think will win, Shiro?" Momoi asked Shiro eagerly.

Her eyes were fixed on the court, filled with curiosity.

Nijimura and Kawamura also turned their attention to Shiro, clearly interested in his thoughts.

Shiroze smiled and replied thoughtfully, "It's hard to say. Kaijo is a nationally renowned school, and their regular players are incredibly skilled. By comparison, Seirin might seem a little outmatched in that regard."

Hearing this, the group nodded in agreement.

Shiro continued, "However, Seirin has Kuroko and Kagami —players who shouldn't be underestimated"

"And Kise hasn't even entered the game yet! If he does, the balance of victory might tip toward Kaijo" he added.

The group fell silent, the tension growing as the game was about to begin.

Beep!

With the referee's whistle, the match officially kicked off. The referee tossed the ball high into the air, and all eyes locked onto it, eager to see who would claim the first possession.

Jumping for the ball were Kagami and Kobori, standing at center court, ready to battle for this crucial tip-off.

As the whistle blew, both players leaped toward the ball. Smack! Kobori had the edge, slapping the ball to Kasamatsu.

Kasamatsu caught it and immediately dashed toward Seirin's basket, calling out, "Great! Let's score the first point!"

But suddenly, a shadow appeared beside Kasamatsu like a phantom. Before he could react, the shadow extended a hand and slapped the ball away, stealing possession.

"What the—?! Where did he even come from?!" Kasamatsu exclaimed, his eyes wide with disbelief as he quickly chased after Kuroko.

To his surprise, Kasamatsu caught up to Kuroko with ease. "This guy is so slow!" he thought, baffled.

But Kuroko remained expressionless, silently flicking the ball backward. Following the ball with his gaze, Kasamatsu saw it land perfectly in Kagami's hands.

Kagami caught the pass, took a deep breath, and exploded off the ground, channeling all his frustration into a thunderous dunk that sent the ball crashing through the net.

"Nice!" Kagami roared, his face lit with a triumphant grin.

However, as he landed, he noticed something felt off. Glancing down, he realized he had pulled the rim clean off the backboard!

"What? I tore the hoop off?!" Kagami shouted, his eyes wide with shock. The other players stared in disbelief, unable to process what had just happened.

"Are you kidding me?!" the crowd gasped, stunned by Kagami's sheer strength.

"One of the screws was rusted" Izuki commented, his voice tinged with relief.

"That doesn't explain how it came off so easily!" Kasamatsu muttered, glancing at both the backboard and Kagami. Inwardly, he thought, This guy isn't normal...

Kagami, however, simply smirked. "Guess the hoop wasn't as sturdy as I thought."

Riko stepped forward, bowing deeply to Takeuchi. "We're very sorry about this!" she said loudly, though she was clearly suppressing laughter.

Kuroko, as calm as ever, addressed Takeuchi, "Apologies for the damage. Can we play on the full court now?"

Standing next to him, Kagami held the broken rim with a beaming smile, staring directly at Takeuchi.

Takeuchi's eye twitched as he reluctantly nodded, suppressing his irritation. The Kaijo players quickly removed the divider net, clearing the court for full play.

"This is one way to make an impression" Kise chuckled, watching Takeuchi's defeated expression.

Turning to Kagami and Kuroko, he added, "I've never seen coach look like that before!"

Kagami scowled. "Serves him right for looking down on us."

Kuroko pondered for a moment. "I wonder how much a hoop costs?"

Kagami's expression shifted. "Wait, do we have to pay for that?!"

As the court was readied, the game resumed, drawing in even more Kaijo students eager to watch their team face off against Seirin.

Finally, Kise donned his jersey and stepped onto the court, his eyes glinting with determination.

"Sorry to keep you waiting!" he said, locking eyes with Seirin's players.