Chapter 88: Never Seen Anything Like This

Words : 938 Updated : Oct 3rd, 2025

『Damn, he really knows how to pick his targets!』『He went straight for the strongest one—dude's asking for a beating.』『Last warning: don't do it, man! That path leads to hell!』 As Kise charged straight at Tendou, the live comments exploded in gleeful anticipation. Kise, oblivious, was fully focused. Holding the ball, he drove toward Tendou with full confidence. "All his stats are above national level... no wonder they call him the most gifted of the Generation of Miracles." Tendou analyzed his opponent calmly as Kise made his move. Kise, in the early episodes of the anime, was arguably the weakest member of the Miracles. Though he had an incredible ability to mimic almost any offensive technique, he had one critical flaw: He couldn't mimic the Miracle-level skills. Compared to average players, Kise was untouchable. But compared to the other Miracles? He was a step behind. His strength was versatility—his weakness was not having a true specialty. He had never beaten any of his fellow Miracles—losing to Kuroko, Aomine, and Midorima. Later, the creators gave him a buff: the ability to copy even Miracle-level abilities—but only for five minutes, beyond which it would strain his body. And even then? The creators buffed everyone else too. So Kise, again, ended up near the bottom of the Miracle rankings. Until the movie, when he went full berserk mode—activating both Zone and Perfect Copy—becoming stronger than any other Miracle... ...but that was still a long way off. Right now, Kise was just a naive prodigy. ... "I'll take you down in one go!" He was pumped with confidence. As he reached Tendou, he hit a between-the-legs crossover, followed by a behind-the-back dribble—all in under two seconds. Simple for him—just a tiny taste of the skills in his arsenal. In 2nd and 3rd string practice, just one of those moves was enough to leave defenders in the dust. Now facing 1st string, he added a second move for safety, wanting to make the drive more unpredictable. He locked his eyes on the basket and accelerated toward the paint. But then— His superhuman reflexes picked up something wrong. In his vision, an arm grew rapidly in size, sweeping toward him like a blade. "WHAM!" The ball vanished from his hands—swatted cleanly to the floor with a thud. Kise's pupils dilated in disbelief. He looked up—and saw Tendou's completely unimpressed face staring back at him. The live comments quickly interpreted his expression: 『What the hell was that mess?』 ... Meanwhile, the other players whispered on the sidelines: "As expected from Kise. Coming straight for Tendou-senpai like that takes guts!" "Yeah, that was brave!" "Tendou-senpai's our ace after all—our undisputed MVP." "He's insanely strong. Not a single player scored double digits on him last tournament." Wait, what?! This guy... this guy who looks even more handsome than me... is our strongest player?! Kise had considered Aomine as a top threat—he radiated raw power. That overly tanned skin was proof—no way he got that without training outdoors every day. He'd also thought Murasakibara was a beast. During tipoff, the dude showed freakish athleticism that even Kise had to admit was insane. But this guy? This sunglasses-wearing poser who strutted into the gym like a model?! He never expected him to be Teikō's strongest. ... "Stop standing there like a statue, Kise! Get back on defense!" As Kise stood frozen, the rest of the team had already crossed half-court. "Damn... they're good!" He had never felt this way in any other club. This was just a casual scrimmage, and every player showed elite tactical awareness. By comparison, he felt like an out-of-place extra who wandered into the wrong movie set. "So this is what the first string is like..." It's on a whole different level from the second and third teams. Kise turned to sprint—only to realize he wasn't the slowest. Trailing even further behind was a blue-haired boy. Kise squinted. Kuroko... Tetsuya? How did he get in the club? Nepotism?! But before he could finish the thought—he, and everyone else—were distracted by a new face-off on court. Tendou vs Aomine. ... The moment their eyes met, Kise froze in place. Aomine's aura suddenly erupted—like a panther ready to pounce. And behind Tendou? A black, humanoid shadow flared to life like a demonic flame. "WHAT... IS THAT?!" He had never seen anything like it. He finally understood why Tendou was the strongest. He couldn't even see Tendou move—just a flash here, then there. "WHAP!" Tendou suddenly appeared at Aomine's side. "WHAP!" He had already switched directions again. His ball-handling was insane. Kise's own footwork looked like baby steps compared to this lightning-fast pace. Clap-clap-clap-clap— He couldn't even track Tendou's hands—just the blur of motion. The two tangled in an intense battle near the top of the arc. Then—SWOOSH! Tendou blew past the defense and gently dropped in a scoop layup over the B team's center. ... "You're a hundred years too early to beat me, charcoal head." "Stop giving me nicknames, Tendou! The game's just started—I'll crush you today!" Kise's heartbeat accelerated. A feeling he had never experienced before surged through his chest. He clutched his chest—blood rushing through him. This... this was what he had been looking for. ... "Please stop zoning out, Kise. Don't hold the team back. If we lose, you'll be the one running laps." "Hah?!" Kise looked down—and saw that blue-haired deadpan guy again. You? You get to lecture me? I walk faster than you run!

Chapter 88: Never Seen Anything Like This

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