The air in the Teikō Basketball Gym was filled with a fresh, restless energy amid the tense training on the eve of the regional qualifiers. That afternoon, while the players were divided into groups practicing half-court tactics, the gym's heavy doors creaked open.
A remarkably eye-catching figure walked in against the light outside.
The newcomer was tall and well-proportioned, roughly the same height as Aomine and Bai Ze You—about 175 centimeters. His dazzling blond hair was styled fashionably, with a few bangs falling casually over his smooth forehead. He had an almost perfect face, with sharp, deep-set features. His amber, flirtatious eyes seemed to carry a natural charm with every glance, while the corners of his mouth habitually held a confident, slightly playful smile. Even wearing Teikō's ordinary blue tracksuit, he could not conceal the model-like air of someone who belonged on a runway or a magazine cover. One hand was tucked into his sweatpants pocket, and his relaxed posture even carried a hint of careless languor, completely at odds with the sweat-drenched, grim training atmosphere inside the gym.
In an instant, almost everyone's attention was drawn over. The rhythm of training faltered.
"Wow... he's handsome!" a first-year rookie couldn't help whispering.
"Is he a model? Did he come to the wrong place?"
"Who is this guy...?"
Captain Nijimura Shūzō, who had been giving instructions at the sidelines, frowned slightly and looked at the newcomer. "You are?"
The Blond Youth's smile widened, revealing a row of even white teeth. His voice was clear and magnetic, carrying an innate warmth. "Nice to meet you! I'm Kise Ryōta, and I just transferred into the Basketball Club today! I'm in my second year. Please take care of me, all you upperclassmen~ And my classmates too!" He gave a slight bow, the movement smooth and natural, as if he were posing for a magazine shoot.
"Kise... Ryōta?" Nijimura searched his memory for the name and seemed to recall it vaguely. He was a transfer student the academic affairs office had mentioned, supposedly someone who had never played basketball before but possessed extraordinary athletic ability. He was also a popular model. "All right, welcome. Go change into your gear over there, then warm up with the basic training group."
"Yes, Captain!" Kise answered cheerfully, his curious gaze sweeping over everyone training in the gym. When his eyes passed over Aomine Daiki's wild drives, Murasaki-bara Atsushi's terrifying dominance beneath the basket, Midōrima Shintarō's impossibly accurate three-pointers, Akashi Seijūrō's ice-calm commands, and Bai Ze You's agile, fluid movements like a White Phantom, a glimmer flashed through his amber eyes—subtle yet unmistakable, like someone who had just discovered a fascinating new toy.
Before long, Kise had changed into shorts and a tank top and joined the basic training group. His movements were indeed clumsy at first. The ball occasionally struck his feet while he dribbled, his steps on three-step layups were slightly disordered, and his shooting form was unmistakably that of a beginner—he missed nine out of ten shots.
"Tch. Just as I thought, he's an outsider." Aomine Daiki glanced over, curled his lips disdainfully, and returned his attention to his own one-on-one drills.
Midōrima Shintarō pushed up his glasses, calculation gleaming across the lenses. "His athletic foundation is excellent, and his coordination is good, but his basketball skill proficiency is... zero. He cannot become a contributor in the short term."
Murasaki-bara Atsushi yawned, completely uninterested in such a "rookie."
Kuroko Tetsuya silently continued his passing drills, as if he hadn't noticed the newcomer's arrival.
Akashi Seijūrō merely glanced over before returning his attention to the tactics board.
Only Bai Ze You let his gaze linger on Kise for several extra seconds during a break in his shuttle-run training. It wasn't contempt, but keen observation. He noticed that although Kise's movements were clumsy, his body control and coordination were exceptionally outstanding. After making a dribbling mistake, he could stabilize his center of gravity with astonishing speed and avoid falling. His layup steps were disordered, but the height of his jump and the stability of his posture in the air far exceeded those of an ordinary beginner. His shots missed, but the path of his arm and the force in his wrist revealed a natural fluidity. This was definitely more than simply having "good athletic ability." It was more like... an innate talent for imitation and coordination? Bai Ze You's thoughts shifted.
After basic training ended, Nijimura arranged a simple passing drill. Kise was placed in a group with Bai Ze You and Kuroko Tetsuya. He had poor control over the strength and angle of his passes, occasionally throwing them too high or too low.
"Sorry, sorry! Bai Ze-kun! I didn't get that pass right!" Kise gave Bai Ze You an apologetic smile, his attitude utterly sincere.
"No problem, Kise-kun. Try to make the force from your wrist a little gentler." Bai Ze You calmly offered a word of guidance. He securely caught a slightly off-target pass, flicked his wrist, and sent a fast, precise lead pass to Kuroko, who was moving.
Kuroko silently caught the ball and passed it back.
After several rounds, Kise's passing had clearly become much steadier. Although he still lacked creativity, his basic accuracy improved rapidly. His learning speed was astonishing.
Just then, a burst of cheers erupted from the sidelines. Aomine Daiki had been running a fast-break drill. Facing two defenders closing in, he suddenly performed a huge crossover into a behind-the-back dribble at full speed, slipping nimbly through the gap between them like a butterfly weaving through flowers. He then leaped high and finished with a powerful one-handed slam dunk. The movement was filled with wild explosive force and fluid beauty.
"Wow! That's so cool!" Kise Ryōta's eyes lit up instantly, as though he had discovered a priceless treasure. He couldn't help crying out in amazement. He immediately forgot about the passing drill and stared fixedly at Aomine, muttering, "That move just now... the crossover into the behind-the-back dribble... Was it like this?"
He subconsciously began imitating it, awkwardly attempting Aomine's movement on the spot. At first, his motion was stiff and distorted, and he nearly tripped over himself. But after only a few attempts, his movements became much smoother! Although he was nowhere near Aomine in strength and speed, the framework and rhythm of the movement were astonishingly similar—perhaps six or seven parts out of ten!
This finally drew the attention of even more people.
"Hm?" Aomine landed and turned around, just in time to see Kise imitating his movement. Moreover, Kise's imitation looked remarkably convincing, and a trace of surprise flashed through his eyes.
Light reflected off Midōrima Shintarō's lenses. "Imitative ability... preliminary assessment: Grade A. Abnormal learning speed."
Akashi Seijūrō's gaze also sharpened slightly as it settled on Kise.
Nijimura Shūzō folded his arms, deep in thought.
As if encouraged, Kise grew even more excited. He shifted his gaze to Bai Ze You, who was practicing low-post footwork. Facing a defensive dummy, Bai Ze You was using his signature Rhythm Change and Fake Move: a realistic shooting fake caused the "defender" to rise, after which he lowered his center of gravity and performed a swift Gyro Spin around the dummy, gliding past its side for an easy layup.
"This one! This one is so cool too!" Kise looked as if he had discovered a new continent and immediately began imitating Bai Ze You's Gyro Spin on the spot. This time, his imitation was even faster! His body's flexibility and sense of balance seemed naturally suited to the technique. Although the details of his movement were still rough and lacked Bai Ze You's deceptive Rhythm Change, the fluidity of the spin and the stability of his core had already begun to take shape!
"Hey, Goldie! What are you doing? Stealing our techniques?" Aomine couldn't help shouting, his tone carrying a hint of teasing.
Kise stopped and scratched his head sheepishly, his brilliant smile almost dazzling. "Ahaha, sorry, sorry! It's just that all of your moves are so cool, senpai! I couldn't help wanting to learn them! That drive Aomine-senpai did just now was practically beastlike! And Bai Ze-senpai's spin was so slick! Amazing!"
His straightforward enthusiasm made it impossible to dislike him.
As Bai Ze You watched Kise imitate his movement, that feeling in his heart grew even stronger. This Blond Youth... possessed a frightening, almost instinctive ability to imitate and reproduce! His body seemed capable of automatically analyzing, remembering, and recreating every movement he saw. It was still rough now, but the foundation of this talent... was unfathomable!
Momoi Satsuki had already turned to a fresh page in her record book. Her pen flew across the paper, and her eyes glittered with the excitement of discovering a "new continent."
**"New Observation Subject: Kise Ryōta (Kise Ryota)"** **"Preliminary Analysis:** * **Physical Talent:** Grade S (coordination, flexibility, reaction speed, and jumping ability are all top-tier) * **Basketball Fundamentals:** Grade F (beginner) * **Core Ability:** **'Hyper-speed Imitation' (provisional name)** * Performance: Can quickly observe and initially imitate advanced basketball movements he witnesses (such as Aomine's drives and Bai Ze's spin). Possesses exceptional bodily coordination and an astonishing learning speed. * Limitations: Can currently imitate only the framework of movements. He lacks their essence, including strength, speed, rhythm, and deception, making his practical value low. * Potential: ??? (Extremely high! Requires continued observation)** **"Preliminary Rating:** Raw-gem-level genius (unpolished, with tremendous potential)**"
Nijimura Shūzō walked onto the court and looked at Kise, whose face was bright with excitement and tinged with a hint of nervousness. He asked in a low voice, "Kise, you said you'd never played basketball before?"
"Yes, Captain! Today is the first time I've officially touched a ball!" Kise immediately straightened and replied.
"Why did you want to join the Basketball Club?"
Kise's amber eyes swept over Aomine, Bai Ze You, Akashi, and the others on the court. His smile grew even brighter, filled with pure longing and eager anticipation. "Because! I think all the senpai who play basketball... are super cool! Especially those moves I saw just now! I want to become that cool too! And..." He paused, a serious gleam flashing through his eyes. "Watching everyone play, I felt... my blood boiling! It seemed like it would be really fun!"
Nijimura looked at the pure pursuit in Kise's eyes—a pursuit of "cool" and "fun" that had not yet been tainted by worldly concerns over victory and defeat. He then recalled the terrifying imitative talent Kise had just displayed and fell silent for several seconds. At last, the corner of his mouth seemed to lift by an almost imperceptible degree, while his voice remained steady.
"Fun? Good. Remember how you feel right now."
"From today onward, forget your identity as a model. Here, you're nothing more than 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 before finally settling on Kise. His voice suddenly rose, carrying unquestionable authority and a trace of expectation:
"Then use your eyes and your body to watch them with everything you've got! Learn with everything you've got! Imitate them with everything you've got! Turn every bit of 'cool' you see into something of your own! Let me see how far this 'raw gem' of yours can be polished!"
Kise Ryōta's body trembled. The smile on his face faded, replaced by unprecedented seriousness and excitement. He straightened his back and answered loudly.
"Yes, Captain! I'll give it everything I've got to imitate them! I'll imitate every cool senpai!" His gaze swept over Aomine, Bai Ze You, Midōrima, Murasaki-bara, and Akashi in turn, finally even landing on Kuroko, whose presence was faint. Flames burned in his eyes. "Especially all of you! The Generation of Miracles! I'll learn every one of your coolest moves!"
"Huh? You? Get your dribbling under control first!" Aomine scoffed, but there was less contempt in his eyes and more amusement.
Bai Ze You looked at the fighting spirit and pure desire to imitate in Kise's eyes and understood. Teikō had welcomed another monster. One whose starting point was zero, yet who possessed limitless possibilities... The Imitator's Starting Point.
A deep light flashed through Akashi Seijūrō's crimson eyes. This newcomer's talent might become an unexpected, unpredictable key piece in Teikō's puzzle of "Absolute Victory."
Beside Kise's name, Momoi Satsuki drew a large golden star. On the Teikō Basketball Club's observation list, the legend of someone known as the "Imitator" had begun. And no one knew what kind of dazzling "miracle" light the uncut gem named Kise Ryōta would one day shine.
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