Chapter 3 : Kuroko's Basketball!

Despite my declaration of war, except from more sneak peek from Momoi-San from usual, the rest of the day, went very calmly. But I on the other hand was getting more impatient.

Which is why the moment the last bell rang, I was the first person to get out of class.

In Teiko's Basketball club, because of the too many members,the school decided to divide its members in three strings. The 3rd being the one with the most players but also the worst players in the club. While the 1st string only accept the best. Those members are also the regulars in official games.

Because I was also a regular I was part of the 1st string, but because my friends, the Generation of Miracle also train there, I decided to go to the 2nd string to train skills there.

Fortunately, even though I didn't have much presence, I was still well known among the coach and the players, so nobody tried to stop me when I ask to join. On the contrary, the coach let me train on my own and never tried to interfere or take decision for me.

It didn't take me long to understand that it was because of Akashi-kun orders to never interfere with the GM way of doing things that the coach didn't say anything.

Honestly it felt a bit scary to see how a teenager could order around a bunch of adults and nobody ever tried to refuse him.

But, that wasn't my problem, even though Akashi was my cousin. To be honest, I was a bit shocked to learn about it yesterday night through Kuroko's memories, but then I remember that the original author actually wanted to make Seijuro my brother. Which is why Seijuro and me lookalike and have similar eyes technics or positions. Even though an ideal me would be more suited as a Small Foward than a Point Guard.

But anyway, even though we look similar, we still had our own playing style. Akashi-kun always always try to confront his opponent first before considering other options. He always like to get rid of one or two players before giving the ball to his teammates. Which was the opposite of me.

Or at least that's how I use to play, but today, during the training match I played very differently.

Well, at first I tried to not touch the ball too much and see how the players in this world play, because even with Kuroko muscle memory, the intensity of the game, threw me off guard at first. Even though they were only 2nd string players, but they were still as strong as highschool players from my old world.

So it took me some time to get used to the rhythm. But once I did however it suddenly feels easy. Obviously most of the credits went to the {Quasi-Asmodeus Eye} who constantly keep track of what's happening on the court.

With my eyes analytical ability, I only had to go to the best position to receive and give the ball to my teammates. Because of that, the two teams that until now were a bit equal in strength, quickly experienced a considerable gap in power in just 5 minutes, which was reflected on the score: 14-37.

With this, I was able to see how powerful my eyes combined with {Misdirection} and {Phantom Pass} could be.

Because of my formless pass, I didn't really need to wait to get in a comfortable position to do a good pass. Now, even the most uncomfortable pass, could be transformed into an excellent one I my hand. This in turn put less pressure on my teammates when they receive the ball because they could then shoot or dribble directly without needing too much adjustments.

While it may seems like Akashi's {Perfect-Rhythmed Plays} it was not. My {Phantom Pass} were not 'perfect'. They only quicken the time it take between the moment my teammates catch the ball to their next action.

If we're talking about which skill is like {Perfect-Rythmed Plays}, it would be the active skill of {Phantom Pass}, {Phantom Zone}.

Or that was what I thought, until I used that skill on the last quarter and understood that it was actually completely different from {Perfect-Rythmed Plays}. While Akashi's skill bring out the full potential of an individual to the point of getting into a pseudo {Zone} like state, mine brought out the full potential of the team play making by bringing them into a {Direct Drive Zone} like state.

Essentially, when in {Phantom Zone} our entire team becomes a hive mind with me in command. So in exchange for the individual play and personal creativity, we became the team with the 'perfect' team play. But like {Perfect-Rythmed Plays}, my skill also have many limitations.

First of all, it take a while before I can enter into the {Phantom Zone}. Then, because I am the one in control, other members can't enter in the {Zone} or use a skill above Purple Rank because that would allow a personal play and creativity above what I can control, which will basically disrupt my rhythm and end {Phantom Zone}. But this could could be improved as I get proficient in the skill.

As for my other skills, I did try them, and except for {Misdirection Overdrive}, the rest are basically the same as the one in the manga.

{Misdirection Overdrive}, unlike in the anime didn't have the fatale effect of invalidating {Misdirection} after confronting the same team again. And I also discovered that to redirect the 'light' to the target I chose, I need first to become the focus point for a moment. Which mean that for now, I couldn't use {Misdirection} while using {Misdirection Overdrive}, because the time of exposure was too long.

But overall, I was still satisfied by my new skills. The biggest gain being obviously {Quasi-Asmodeus Eye} and it active skill, {Future Act}.

{Future Act} like {Emperor-Eye} could see the 'future', but the way to see the future was different from the latter. My eyes couldn't see the smallest details of a person's movements, including their breathing, heartbeat, sweat, muscle contractions, and all the other nonsense the {Emperor-Eye} can see.

While my eyes were precise enough, they weren't to the level of a microscope like Akashi's. Because of that, it's power lay more around the datas it collected on my opponents to predict their next move. And with that I can see how the next 1.5 seconds will goes after activating my skill. But because I could only see a 'scenario', if I change that said scenario, if my opponent is strong enough and can react fast enough, he could potentially break my 'prophecy'.

If it was Akashi's eyes, he would have any problem if his opponent react, because as long as he could see his opponent, he will always know what will be his next action, and can then react accordingly. But my eyes couldn't do that at all. It need to gather datas to predict the opponent next action and to gather them, it take 5 seconds.

While 5 seconds may seem like nothing, but when against fast players like the GM who had insane reflex, those 5 seconds weren't really different from a minute in my opinion.

'Well, I just have to hope that the cool down would be shorter after the skill rank up.' I hoped sincerely, but as I looked at the proficiency of the skill, I had a new headache.

{Quasi-Asmodeus Eye} 0.005%

Seeing this, and comparing to my other skills that were between 0,06% and 0,7% I could guess just how difficult it would be for to level up this Red ranked skill.

But fortunately, I still had quire a long time before Inter-High and the Winter Cup. After all, I wasn't even a high-schooler yet.

But apart from that, I also experienced my new talent and the evolution of my old talent. And I have to say that they are now terrifying.

Before my {Low Presence} was pretty explicit.

[Low Presence : Your aura is very low which make people unconsciously miss you the first time they look at you. The more they don't look for you, the easier it is for them to overlook your presence.]

The explanation was pretty straightforward, and easy to understand, but now:

[True Shadow: Your aura hide your presence to the world. Every time someone try to look at you, your aura will force other to look at something with more presence first to make them forget about you. Noticed that the more attractive your surroundings are to the other person, the more likely the effect of your aura will work on them.]

After seeing the description of my talent, I first thought that I wasn't playing basketball anymore, but an RPG game with me as an assassin Class. Because that talent was basically magic in my opinion. Especially when combined with my new talent.

[Wildness - Owl : A talent awakened by the host most primitive instinct which makes you gain passively the general 6th sense of an animal. The more focus you are, the more powerful your instinct and talent will be. Like an Owl, in state of Wildness, all your movements are silenced, and your dribbling quieter despite the force, or speed of your dribble. This indirectly increase the power of your talent, {True Shadow}. Unlike other Wildness, yours don't give you a great passive increase on a part of your body except for your eyes that now able to see clearly during night. But in exchange, whenever you hunt and during that moment only, your movement speed increase dramatically and your 'claws' get so strong, than nothing can escape from it once catch something. Moreover when in this state, you're prone to do less mistake, as your learning speed and experience increase dramatically during when in this state. Notice however that the more you use this talent, the more it will taxe on your body.]

While the description was a bit cryptic, but once I used this talent, I basically understood that I became almost invincible when it comes to steal. Because once in {Wildness} state, and want to steal all my movements became faster and silent to the point, nobody can react before I steal the ball. Furthermore because of the increase of strength on the fingers during the 'hunt', it's like I suddenly gain the {Vice Claw} of Kyoshi Teppei which made it more difficult for me to lose the ball during the steal.

But like {Phantom Zone}, {Wildness - Owl} take too much on me, the consumption was also greater than the {Phantom Zone}. Because {Wildness - Owl} made me unconsciously concentrate more as I drive it through the game, and the more I concentrate, the more toll it had on my body.

Because of that, during the 3rd quarter of the practice match, like Kise Ryota when he showed his {Perfect Copy} for the first time, I was 'handsome' and 'invincible' for 2 minutes before getting replaced because I couldn't move anymore due to exhaustion.

'This is really frustrating. Even though Kise-kun end up in the same state as me, he could still last at least half a quarter, the first time he used {Perfect Copy}. On the other hand, I didn't even last 2 minutes. Even though I did use {Phantom Zone} a little bit before that, but the consumption wasn't enough to be used as an excuse, before I only used {Phantom Zone} for three minutes as a test before breaking it. And that skill didn't demand as much, only some stamina and concentration.' I thought bitterly.

Because of today use of my talent, I even more understood that it wasn't just the talent and skills that differentiate them to me. The body was also part of it.

Honestly, because of today's training, I start to seriously wonder how the past Kuroko successfully beat each GM members. Because except for luck, I couldn't see how he did it. Because even though Kagami had a strong talent and body, but he actually didn't have his own special skill.

Kagami has a talent in jumping, but he didn't have a real skill matching with this talent like the GM. And while some would say that he had the {Meteor Jam}, but I would disagree. This skill could only be used by Kagami when in the {Zone}, and that was a fatale flaw. Because all other GM members could use their skills in normal state without the need of the {Zone}.

The {Zone} was used by them as a way to amplify their skills, contrary to Kagami who use it to make his skills work. And that actually create some kind of inequality during their fight.

So, in my opinion, Kagami didn't have any real Skill. Which make our victories even more unbelievable.

"Well, well, well. I was actually very surprised to learn from some students that you've finally come to the club again, Kurokochii. But while I really want to know what what kind of new technique you've created to crush your opponents 37-120 in the third quarter, you should really build some muscle Kurokochii. You look like you'll pass away at any moment." A familiar voice stopped my train of thoughts, making me unvoluntarily raise my head to see 5 of the six faces that filled my thoughts those two days.

Taking the hand that Kise Ryōta lend me, I tried to stand up from the bench with his help, but I almost fall due the lack of strength instead. Fortunately Kise had some quick reflexes and grabbed me before I could fall down.

"Thanks you, Kise-kun." I said sincerely to Kise while looking at my surrounding and noticed that Murasakibara wasn't present, but I wasn't very surprised because since he was given the permission, he's the one who came to the training the less. Surpassing even Aomine in this.

"Honestly Kurokochii, you should think about going to the gym or something, it's nor the first time that you get so tired after some training session after all." Preached Kise to me.

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(3rd pov)

What Kise didn't notice, is that after he make that statement, all other four people who came with him change their faces to a degree, and that for a good reason.

While it was true that Kuroko always end up tired, it's been a long time since he ended up so exhausted. Since the start of 3rd year Kuroko had manage to follow up the intense training of the 1st string without looking dead after the end of the training.

But now at the end of the school year, and against players of the 2nd string Kuroko end up tired to the point of exhaustion? That was too abnormal!

While Midorima Shintaro and Satsuki Momoi were aware of that abnormality with Kise being clueless, only Aomine Daiki and the captain of Teiko Akashi Seijuro seems to be aware of Kuroko's real changes.

But even though Aomine witnessed Kuroko awakening with his own eyes, only Akashi seems to see most of the changes in Kuroko and it implications.

"Tetsuya, your eyes have changed." State Akashi as look at Kuroko with an enigmatic smile.

Because Akashi wasn't known for his joke, the others involuntarily looked at Tetsuya's eyes but didn't see anything different.

'Is he talking about the fact that he started to train again?' Speculate Midorima like the other, but only Kuroko himself knew the double meaning of Akashi's sentence. Even though Akashi didn't have the incredible instinct of Aomine, with his cheating eyes, he could see that even though it should be impossible, Kuroko Tetsuya, their Phantom sixth man, like them has awaken his talent to the point of being on equal foot with them.

"Yes." Kuroko replied calmly while conveying to his cousin that he understood his message with his face.

"And even after that, you still insist on your style of basketball?" Pressed Akashi, while looking intensely at the later for his answer.

This time however, he wasn't the only one, because Aomine who already knew about Kuroko awakening and Satsuki who guess it because of latter behavior also wanted to see what would be Kuroko's answer now that he was a 'genius' like them.

It was well known that the vision of a genius will always be different from normal people and on that point, Kuroko agree. And he could also understand that a genius would prefer prioritizing his individual play because he would be more reassure if he do the thing himself.

But Kuroko still couldn't agree with their extreme individual personality and disregard and disrespect for those less talented than them.

While Kuroko wasn't naïf enough to think that most strong team don't relied on genius like the GM to win. But in his opinion there was a big difference between relying on your ace because your team support you and trust you and relying on your genius player because he think that your not useful and will only drag him down if you try to help him.

You may win in both case, but the feeling after wining on both teams will always be different.

For Kuroko, while wining was important, playing with a sense of participation, playing while giving all you had with your teammates was more important.

That was Kuroko's Basketball.

Which is why after a brief silence, he still had the same answer:

"Yes!"