The Imitator's Starting Point

The air in the Teikō basketball gym was charged with a fresh, restless energy during the final training session before the district preliminaries. This afternoon, as the team was engaged in half-court tactical drills in groups, the heavy gym doors creaked open.

A striking figure walked in, silhouetted against the light from outside.

The newcomer was tall and well-proportioned, with an estimated height similar to Aomine and Bai Ze You, around 175cm. His dazzling golden hair was styled fashionably, with a few strands casually falling onto his smooth forehead. He possessed a face that could be described as perfect, with sharp, deep-set features. His amber, peach-blossom eyes, in particular, exuded a natural charm with every glance, and a confident, slightly playful smile was habitually curved on his lips. Even in Teikō's standard blue athletic wear, he couldn't hide the model-like aura he carried, as if he belonged on a runway or a magazine cover. He had one hand in his sweatpants pocket, his posture relaxed, even a little carelessly languid, a stark contrast to the sweat-drenched, intense atmosphere of the training session within the gym.

Instantly, almost everyone's attention was drawn to him. The rhythm of the training faltered.

"Wow... so cool!" a first-year freshman couldn't help but exclaim softly.

"A model? Did you come to the wrong place?"

"Who is this guy...?"

Captain Nijimura Shūzō, who was coaching from the sidelines, frowned slightly and looked at the newcomer: "Who are you?"

The blonde youth's smile widened, revealing a row of neat white teeth. His voice was clear and magnetic, carrying a natural amiability. "Nice to meet you all! I'm Ryōta Kise, who just transferred into the basketball club today! I'm in my second year, please take care of me, everyone senpai~ and my peers!" He bowed slightly, his movements fluid and natural, as if posing for a photoshoot.

"Kise... Ryōta?" Nijimura searched his memory for the name. He seemed to recall it; it was a transfer student the academic office had informed him about. He reportedly hadn't played basketball before but possessed exceptional athletic ability and was a popular model. "Alright, welcome. Go change into your gear over there and start with the basic training group to warm up."

"Yes~ Captain!" Kise replied cheerfully, his eyes curiously scanning the members training in the gym. As his gaze swept over Aomine Daiki's wild breakthroughs, Murasaki-bara Atsushi's terrifying dominance in the paint, Midōrima Shintarō's incredibly accurate three-pointers, Akashi Seijūrō's coolly composed commands, and Bai Ze You's agile and fluid movements like a white phantom, a subtle glint flashed in his amber eyes, like discovering a novel toy.

Soon, Kise, having changed into shorts and a jersey, joined the basic training group. His movements initially appeared clumsy. The basketball occasionally hit his feet as he dribbled, his layup steps were a bit messy, and his shooting form was that of a complete beginner, missing nine out of ten shots.

"Tch, just an amateur," Aomine Daiki glanced over, scoffing dismissively, and continued to focus on his practice match.

Midōrima Shintarō pushed up his glasses, the lenses reflecting calculations: "Basic athletic ability is excellent, coordination is good, but basketball skill proficiency is... zero. He won't be a contributing player in the short term."

Murasaki-bara Atsushi yawned, showing no interest in this "rookie."

Kuroko Tetsuya silently continued his passing drills, as if he hadn't noticed the newcomer.

Akashi Seijūrō merely glanced at him briefly before returning his attention to the tactical board.

Only Bai Ze You, during a break in his shuttle run training, let his gaze linger on Kise for a few extra seconds. It wasn't condescension, but keen observation. He noticed that although Kise's movements were unpolished, his body control and coordination were exceptionally outstanding. After a dribbling error, he could quickly regain his balance with rapid reactions to avoid falling. His layup steps were messy, but his jump height and stability in the air were far beyond those of an ordinary beginner. His shots missed, but the trajectory of his arm swing and the force in his wrist revealed a natural fluidity. This was far more than just "good athletic ability"; it was more like... innate talent for imitation and coordination? Bai Ze You's heart stirred.

After the basic training, Nijimura arranged a simple passing drill. Kise was grouped with Bai Ze You and Kuroko Tetsuya. His passing force and angle control were poor, occasionally sending the ball too high or too low.

"Sorry, sorry! Bai Ze-kun! I didn't pass that well!" Kise apologized to Bai Ze You with a smile, his attitude very sincere.

"It's alright, Kise-kun. Try to make your wrist motion a bit softer," Bai Ze You advised calmly, smoothly catching a slightly off-target pass. With a flick of his wrist, he delivered a quick, precise no-look pass to the running Kuroko.

Kuroko silently received the ball and passed it back.

After several rounds, Kise's passes became noticeably more stable. Although still lacking creativity, the accuracy of his basic passes improved rapidly. His learning speed was astonishing.

Just then, a burst of cheers erupted from the sidelines. It turned out that Aomine Daiki, during a fast break drill, faced a double-team defense. In a high-speed sprint, he suddenly executed a dramatic crossover dribble followed by a behind-the-back dribble, weaving through the gap between the two defenders like a nimble butterfly. He then leaped high and completed a powerful one-handed slam dunk! The move was filled with wild explosiveness and fluid beauty.

"Wow! So cool!" Kise Ryōta's eyes lit up instantly, as if he had discovered a rare treasure, and he couldn't help but exclaim. He immediately forgot about the passing drill, his eyes fixed on Aomine, muttering to himself, "That just now... crossover dribble followed by a behind-the-back dribble... was it like that?"

He instinctively began to imitate, awkwardly attempting Aomine's move in place. At first, his movements were stiff and distorted, and he almost tripped himself. But after only a few attempts, his movements became much smoother! Although the power and speed were far inferior to Aomine's, the framework and rhythm of the movements were surprisingly six or seven parts similar!

This scene finally drew more attention.

"Hmm?" Aomine landed and turned around, seeing Kise imitating his moves with surprising accuracy. A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.

Midōrima Shintarō's glasses reflected light: "Imitation ability... initial assessment: Rank A. Learning speed is abnormal."

Akashi Seijūrō's gaze also sharpened slightly, falling on Kise.

Nijimura Shūzō stood with his arms crossed, deep in thought.

As if encouraged, Kise became even more excited. He then turned his attention to Bai Ze You, who was practicing low-post footwork. Bai Ze You, facing a defensive dummy, was using his signature rhythm changes and feints: a realistic shot fake drew out the "defense," then he lowered his center of gravity and executed a quick spinning move to glide past the dummy for an easy layup.

"This! This is also super cool!" Kise exclaimed, as if discovering a new continent, and immediately began imitating Bai Ze You's spinning move in place. This time, his imitation was even faster! His body's flexibility and sense of balance seemed naturally suited for such a technique! Although the finer details were still lacking, and he lacked Bai Ze You's deceptive rhythm changes, the smoothness of the spin and the stability of his core were already taking shape!

"Hey! Blondie! What are you doing? Stealing moves?" Aomine couldn't help but call out, his tone laced with teasing.

Kise stopped, scratching his head sheepishly, his smile blindingly bright. "Ahaha, sorry, sorry! It's just that all of you senpais' moves are so cool! I couldn't help but want to learn! Aomine-senpai's breakthrough just now was like a beast! Bai Ze-senpai's spin was so slippery! Amazing!"

His attitude was frank and enthusiastic, making it impossible to feel any ill will.

Watching Kise imitate his moves, Bai Ze You's feeling grew even stronger. This blonde youth... possessed a terrifying, almost instinctual ability to imitate and replicate! His body seemed to automatically analyze, memorize, and reproduce the movements he saw! Although it was still rough, the foundation of this talent... was unfathomably deep!

Momoi Satsuki had already turned to a new page in her notebook, her pen flying, her eyes sparkling with the excitement of discovering a "new continent":

"New Subject of Observation: Ryōta Kise"

"Initial Analysis:"

* Physical Talent: S-Rank (Coordination, flexibility, reaction speed, jumping ability all top-tier) * Basketball Fundamentals: F-Rank (Beginner) * Core Ability: "Hyper Imitation" (Provisional Name) * Performance: Can quickly observe and initially imitate high-difficulty basketball moves seen (e.g., Aomine's breakthrough, Bai Ze's spin). Excellent body coordination, abnormally terrifying learning speed. * Limitations: Currently can only imitate the framework of movements, lacking the essence of power, speed, rhythm, deception, etc. Low practical value. * Potential: ??? (Extremely High! Requires continuous observation)

"Initial Rating: Raw Talent Genius (Unpolished, immense potential)"

Nijimura Shūzō walked onto the court. Looking at Kise, whose face was a mixture of excitement and slight apprehension, he asked in a deep voice, "Kise, you said you haven't played basketball before?"

"Yes, Captain! Today is my first time officially touching a ball!" Kise immediately stood up straight and replied.

"Why did you want to join the basketball club?"

Kise Ryōta's amber eyes swept over Aomine, Bai Ze You, Akashi, and the others on the court. His smile widened, filled with pure admiration and eagerness. "Because! I think all the upperclassmen who play basketball... are super cool! Especially the moves I just saw! I want to be that cool too! And..." He paused, a serious glint flashing in his eyes, "Watching everyone play makes my blood boil! It looks so fun!"

Nijimura looked at the pure pursuit of "coolness" and "fun" in Kise's eyes, untainted by worldly victory or defeat, and then at the terrifying imitation talent he had just displayed. He remained silent for a few seconds. Finally, a barely perceptible curve seemed to form at the corner of his lips, and his voice remained steady:

"Fun? Very good. Remember how you feel right now."

"From today on, forget your identity as a model. Here, you are just a beginner who can't even dribble properly."

"Want to become 'cool'? Want to become 'fun'?" Nijimura's gaze swept over Aomine, Bai Ze You, Akashi, and the others, finally settling on Kise. His voice suddenly rose, filled with undeniable authority and a hint of anticipation:

"Then use your eyes, use your body, and watch with all your might! Learn with all your might! Imitate them with all your might! Turn the 'coolness' you see into your own! Let me see how far this 'raw talent' of yours can be polished!"

Kise Ryōta's body trembled. The smile on his face disappeared, replaced by an unprecedented seriousness and excitement. He straightened his back and responded loudly:

"Yes! Captain! I will try my best to imitate! I'll imitate all the cool upperclassmen!" His gaze swept over Aomine, Bai Ze You, Midōrima, Murasaki-bara, and Akashi in turn, finally landing on Kuroko, whose presence was weak. The fire in his eyes burned intensely. "Especially you guys! Generation of Miracles! I'm going to learn all your coolest moves!"

"Ha? You? Try dribbling the ball steadily first!" Aomine scoffed, but his eyes held less disdain and more amusement.

Bai Ze You looked at Kise's eyes, full of fighting spirit and pure desire to imitate, and understood. Teikō had welcomed another monster. One who started from zero but possessed infinite possibilities... The Imitator's Starting Point.

In Akashi Seijūrō's crimson eyes, a deep light flashed. This newcomer's talent might become an unexpected, variable, and crucial piece in Teikō's "Absolute Victory" puzzle.

Momoi Satsuki drew a heavy golden star next to Kise's name. On the observation list for the Teikō basketball club, a legend named "The Imitator" had just begun. And no one knew what dazzling "Miracle"-like brilliance this rough gem named Kise Ryōta would unleash in the future.