NBA Skills: Dominating Kuroko no Basket

"So the basketball team really has a player like this?" Shiro muttered to himself, his mouth twitching slightly. His eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at the laughing small forward in front of him, feeling a mix of frustration and speechlessness.

"Give me the ball! I'll take this guy one-on-one" the small forward said confidently, looking at Shiro. Without bothering to move off the spot, he signaled to the point guard for the ball, fully intending to teach Shiro a lesson for his earlier boastful words.

The point guard, still annoyed by Shiro's cocky remarks to the captain, passed the ball over without hesitation, hoping the small forward would put the arrogant newcomer in his place. But before the ball could reach him—

BAM!

A white blur shot across the court, intercepting the ball midair like a bolt of lightning!

"What a steal!" The crowd gasped in awe.

Shiro shot a disdainful glance at the small forward. "Are you two idiots or what? Talking so loud, afraid I might not hear? And you're just standing there calling for the ball like a statue?"

Before they could react, Shiro turned and burst toward the basket at full speed, leaving them stunned.

The small forward's face turned dark with embarrassment, and he chased after Shiro with all his might. But no matter how fast he ran, Shiro was already pulling away, the gap between them growing wider with every step.

Shiro glided down the court, his dribbling fluid and swift, like a star burning across the sky. None of the defenders could react in time. Even the small forward, now the closest person to Shiro, was utterly outclassed.

In a blink, Shiro crossed the three-point line. He gripped the ball tightly and launched himself into the air from two steps inside the free-throw line—a seemingly impossible distance for an ordinary dunk. But not for him.

He soared upward with explosive power, his body curving through the air like a perfect arc. As if shot from a cannon, Shiro smashed the ball into the hoop with both hands. BANG! The backboard rattled from the force of the dunk, leaving both the players on the court and the spectators stunned.

"So cool!!"

"That's my future husband!!" The girls in the crowd screamed with excitement, unable to contain themselves.

"Wow… Amazing…" Momoi's eyes sparkled with admiration as she stared at Shiro, her face filled with awe and curiosity. What kind of experience and training could have forged someone with such incredible strength?

The scoreboard changed: 4-0.

"Get back on defense!" Shiro called, already sprinting to the other side of the court.

Captain Nijimura gave him an approving look before turning to the point guard and small forward, scolding them harshly. "Is this how you usually practice? All cocky and careless? Get your act together! You want to lose to a bunch of rookies with everyone watching from upstairs?"

Ashamed, the two players lowered their heads, their arrogance melting away. They resolved to fix their attitudes and take the game seriously from now on.

On the next possession, it was the Black Team's turn to attack. Their point guard dribbled the ball carefully into the frontcourt, keeping a sharp eye on the opposing team's movements. Facing the White Team's tight defense, he gestured for Nijimura to set a screen on his right.

However, Akashi—the point guard of the White Team—read the play perfectly and began to backpedal, anticipating the screen. But Nijimura, a top-ranked power forward at the national junior school level, quickly faked the screen to the right, then switched it left, blocking Akashi completely.

Taking advantage of the screen, the Black Team's point guard slipped past and drove to the left wing. Aomine followed closely to prevent him from getting an open shot, forcing a defensive switch between Akashi and Aomine.

This was exactly what the point guard had hoped for. Instead of passing the ball low, he lobbed it high to Nijimura to prevent Akashi from intercepting.

With the space cleared for isolation, Nijimura found himself facing Akashi one-on-one. Akashi's expression darkened—standing at 158 cm, he was at a clear height disadvantage against the 179 cm Nijimura, who was widely regarded as the top power forward at the junior school level.

Nijimura wasted no time. He accelerated to the right, delivering a solid shoulder bump that shoved Akashi off balance. As he drove into the paint, the towering Murasakibara left his post to help with the defense.

But Nijimura remained calm. In midair, he braced against Murasakibara's challenge and twisted his body to slip the ball behind the towering center. He dished it off to the Black Team's center, who was wide open.

With Akashi still recovering from Nijimura's shove, the center prepared for a dunk. However, Murasakibara quickly landed and leapt again for a second jump, ready to block the shot.

Seeing Murasakibara coming, the Black Team's center adjusted at the last second, switching from a dunk to a left-handed hook shot. The ball floated just out of Murasakibara's reach and gently kissed the rim before dropping through the net.

Score: 4-2.

"My bad" Akashi immediately apologized to his teammates.

"No worries" Shiro replied with a grin. "We'll get them on the next play."

No one blamed Akashi—he had done all he could against Nijimura.

Once again, the ball was in Akashi's hands. "Akashi, pass it here!" Aomine called out, ready to settle the score with Nijimura.

Without hesitation, Akashi passed the ball to Aomine, who took off like a lightning bolt. His ultra-fast dribbling was so seamless it looked as if the ball was part of his body. Nijimura, caught off-guard, struggled to keep up.

Aomine hit Nijimura with a quick drag step, followed by a behind-the-back dribble into a half-spin. Then, with a subtle shift in his gaze to the left, Aomine baited Nijimura into lunging forward.

In that split second, Aomine smoothly executed his signature crossover, leaving Nijimura frozen in place. He shot past him, a smirk on his face, as Nijimura was left chasing his shadow.

With the defense broken, Aomine rocketed toward the hoop like an arrow. As the Black Team's center stepped up to block him, Aomine's grin widened.

He powered through the contact, colliding with the center midair with a thud. But Aomine was undeterred. With perfect control, he adjusted his body, performing a sleek reverse layup. The ball arced beautifully over the defender's outstretched hands and swished through the net.

Score: 6-2.

"Damn, that guy's good! He broke through the captain!" someone from the crowd exclaimed.

"Yeah, but he's still not cooler than Shiro!" another fan shouted playfully.

The gym exploded with cheers as the game heated up. But on the court, the players remained focused, their eyes locked on the ball and each other.

With the score at 6-2, the battle continued. The ball zipped back to Nijimura, who caught it with a confident grin. "Alright, guy—your turn to see what I've got!" he shouted at Aomine, tightening his grip on the ball.

Aomine, unfazed, crouched into a defensive stance, ready for the next challenge.

The tension on the court was electric—another fierce showdown was about to begin.