Tritan - Thanks so much, and I was actually thinking the same thing. But I actually might set the pairings off until later, but thanks.
Fluffy - Thank you, and sorry about the errors lol.
Chapter II.
As far as introductions go, Ikki thought he did fairly well. He kept it short, extremely short, and took a seat towards the front of the class. He was seated towards the front of the class, to the side near the window. He got the creeping suspicion that he was being watched. It didn't help that all the girls in the class were eyeing him. But something felt off. It was like he was being watched, or rather observed, by someone behind him.
Class went on, but it wasn't as interesting as he had originally thought. He had spent two years in a private school learning AP level science, English, and math classes. Now, back in Japan in ordinary classes, it seemed weird to him.
Ikki's feet tapped against the ground repeatedly. He wanted desperately to play basketball. As soon as school ended, he was going to rush to the gym and see what this school could do. LeBron wanted him to attend Rakuzan High School in Kyoto. They were the top school in the country. Five time championships, having only lost a major tournament once in the last five years. Although the idea of playing with such a powerful team seemed exciting, Ikki knew that having overly powerful teammates wasn't the best thing for him. He'd rather have an actual team, where everyone cared about one another, than a collected group of individuals who only care about themselves. Tuoh Academy caught his eye. Although the NBA Finals were on his mind, Ikki still watched the Winter Cup before he came back.
Then it hit him. Ikki slowly turned around and peaked his head back. A tall, very tall, tanned boy with short blue hair, sleeping on the desk. Ikki recognized his face. That was Aomine Daiki. He's the ace of Tuoh's basketball team. The unstoppable scorer of the Generation of Miracles, Aomine Daiki. The tales of the Generation of Miracles echoed far and wide, and Ikki had the misfortune of trying to play them. He remembered having his spirit completely shattered, playing against the boy sitting in the same class as he. Having been completely and utterly beaten by an overwhelming overpowered team. Being outscored by 100 points. He remembered the humiliation and the disappointment. But that was the darkness he had embraced. If he had never experienced that defeat, he wouldn't have met LeBron.
It's only been a month since the Cavaliers won the NBA Championship. LeBron James had brought home a championship to the city that hasn't experienced a winning team in several decades. Ikki wanted to stay and celebrate with his mentor, but he knew that he had to create his own legacy, not just cling onto the title of the King's student.
With Kevin Durant signing with the Justice League of a team in the Golden State Warriors, LeBron had more than a challenge ahead of him to win. Ikki knew he had several challenges if he wanted to win as well. The other Miracles were scattered across the country. Kyoto's Rakuzan had Akashi Seijuro, the point god captain of an already powerful team. Akita's Yosen had two star players in Murasakibara Atsushi and Himuro Tatsuya. Ikki wondered if Tatsuya remembered him, considering that they only played a few street ball games against each other.
Shutoku had the knockdown shooting sense of Midorima Shintaro, and the passing point guard Takao. Kaijo had Kise, who was Ikki's idol back in middle school. Kise Ryota was the player whom Ikki had modeled his game after. The man could do it all, pass, shoot, rebound, dribble, defend. In some ways, if it wasn't for playing him or Aomine Daiki, Ikki wouldn't be who he is now.
But of course, the true enemy he had faced in middle school, was Aomine Daiki himself. The boy made LeBron seem like a child by the way he could easily score the ball. His dribbling and speed were godlike, but it was his change of pace and scoring ability that struck fear into players everywhere.
Class ended, finally, when the bell rang. Ikki got out of his seat, but the teacher called him. "Karasuba-Kun, Momoi-Kun, can you come here for a second?"
Ikki grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder, walking up to the podium and being joined by a shorter, pink haired girl. She had matching peachy eyes. She wore a light green jacket over a white button up and tie, with a short black skirt and sneakers. She was cute, to a certain degree, but she kept eyeing Ikki with curious eyes.
"Momoi-Kun," The teacher said. "Karasuba-Kun is new to our school, so I'd like you to show him around. Help him if he has any questions. Would you mind?"
"Oh, of course not!" Momoi smiled, before facing him with a brighter smile. "I'm Momoi Satsuki. Nice to meet you."
"Yeah," Ikki smiled. "Karasuba Ikki. Pleasure."
Together the two exited the classroom, but as soon as the doors closed, Momoi sighed. "Thank God. Hey, Karasuba-Kun."
"Call me Ikki." He smiled. "May I call you Satsuki?"
Momoi's face flushed. "S-Sure. Ikki, are you planning to join the basketball team?"
Ikki raised an eyebrow. "Yes. How did you know?"
The two began to walk through the halls. "You're tall, so I thought you'd play sports. I figured you either play baseball, basketball, or volleyball. Our team is pretty strong you know."
Ikki smirked. "Yeah, I know."
Satsuki looked at him for a second, but didn't say anything. Instead, she went on about the school, talking about the different clubs and activities and sports teams. Truth be told, Ikki wasn't really interested in anything other than basketball…well maybe reading but he doesn't really read other than on his past time.
Satsuki led him around the school until they finally arrived at the gymnasium. Walking in, Satsuki was greeted by the entire team. There were quite a few people, so there was practice today. Everyone was in shorts and tank tops or tees.
There he was, standing underneath one of the baskets, was Aomine Daiki.
…
All day at school Aomine had kept his distance from Karasuba Ikki. Sure he seemed nice and all, but Aomine could feel something was wrong. He had ignored his doubts about the boy and came into practice, much to the discomfort of his team who was so used to him ditching practice. Even their new captain, the obnoxiously loud Wakamatsu still wasn't used to Aomine's scheduled practice with the team.
Looking around the gym as the team practiced layups, he had noticed there were fewer members here than before. Aomine had come to the conclusion that it was because of him, because of his selfish play that pushed people away. Even if it was his fault, he did not know how to apologize. He couldn't just walk up to the team and coach and say sorry out of nowhere. Satsuki might think he was seriously sick, or he had cancer or was hallucinating or something.
Aomine was dressed in black basketball shorts and a white tank top. He had just finished re-watching highlights from the NBA Finals games, especially game seven. He noted how the Golden State Warriors choked majorly. There were plenty of things they could have done instead of taking bad shot after bad shot near the end of the game. Instead, Stephen Curry just took really bad shots which gave Kyrie Irving quite possibly the best shot all season to win the game.
He began to think. If it had been him, his old self, would he have ignored his team and taken the last shot? Would he do it knowing that if it missed, the loss would be on him? All of the Miracles thought the same way, and their respective teams thought the same. At the end of regulation, when the game was tied with a minute left and no fouls to give. Would you trust the best player on the team to make the shot to win the game? But more importantly, does the team blame him for the loss if he misses? Aomine just kept thinking about how he's changed and how the Golden State Warriors felt after their lose, since it was much like Tuoh's loss against Seirin. A clash of two great players. A king who can't be stopped once he ducks his head and drives to the basket. An ace who values his team over taking the last shot, even though Kagami and Stephen did take the last shot.
"Aomine, get your head in the game." Wakamatsu tossed a ball that ricochet off Aomine's head and rolled along the ground.
Aomine kept his head down and dribbled towards the basket, finishing on a beautiful reverse layup without looking.
The gym was fairly large, even more so now that the entire team was here. The first string, the guys who are on the bench during games, come to a total of about 8, including himself of course. The second string contained ten members, which added up to a total of 18 members. 18 members to the basketball team. There used to be more. Aomine looked to the Coach, who was talking to some second string players.
Aomine turned his head when he heard the doors open. It was Satsuki who came running through. "About damn time, Satsuki! What took you so long?" Aomine groaned. "Did you get any food? I'm starving."
"Sorry Dai-Chan," Satsuki clapped her hands and smiled. "I was showing Ikki around. He wants to join the team."
Aomine's eyes, as well as the rest of the team and even the Coach, were fixed on the boy entering the gym. Karasuba Ikki. He was tall, around Aomine's height, with medium maroon hair which was kept semi curly. His golden eyes scanned the room before walking through. He was dressed in Tuoh's uniform, yet he had the body of an athlete. A straight posture, a strong jawline, and callused hands. He wasn't just some ordinary student athlete. This is the prodigy apprentice of LeBron James.
"Who the hell is this?" Wakamatsu asked.
"Everyone," Satsuki had to walk back and pull Karasuba Ikki forward. "This is Karasuba Ikki. He's the boy I told you about. He'll be joining the team today."
"Oh really," Wakamatsu dropped the ball he has holding and walked towards the boy. Aomine watched in amusement as the captain circled the boy, eyeing him at every turn. "I don't know if he's a fit. How do we know he isn't making the whole thing up? No way a kid like him is LeBron James' student."
Karasuba Ikki cracked up with laughter. "You would not believe how many times people have said that." The boy's lips curved into a smile full of wonder. "Why don't I prove it? A one on one? First to 5?"
Wakamatsu back pedaled, perhaps out of fear? Aomine didn't know. However Aomine's lips curved themselves! "You're on. First to 5. But…" Aomine pointed to the locker room behind him. "Might wanna get changed. If you beat me, you're joining this practice either way."
Five minutes later, with the entire team on the sideline, and Satsuki and the Coach watching with hawk like eyes, Karasuba Ikki emerged from the locker room. He was wearing white basketball shorts with white leggings and a pair of clean LeBron 11's, metallic red and black. He was wearing a loose fitted white T-shirt, yet his hair was slicked back with a single elastic band. On his wrists were wristbands with the words "I promise" written on them.
"Ready?" Aomine tossed him the ball. The boy kicked the ball up with his foot and he inspected the ball, before rolling it back at the center line.
"Ready."
Aomine on defense, and Karasuba Ikki had the first possession. The boy just dribbled in a closed and protective stance. Aomine backed away and gave him room. With his reflexes and speed, anything the boy did, Aomine can counter. And unlike playing Midorima, Aomine was confident Ikki couldn't make three pointers from that far away.
Ikki dribbled forward, but stutter stepped. Aomine let his instincts take him to the left, but nearly fell over when the boy cut back behind his back. Aoine would've tripped, but he regained his balance and jumped forward.
W-What the hell! No way. Ikki had already gotten into a shooting form and was already aiming at the hoop. In the split second that Aomine lost his balance, just for that small amount of time, the boy had taken aim at the hoop and entered a shooting form.
Aomine jumped and put a hand right in Ikki's face, but the ball had already left his hands and out of Aomine's reach. Aomine could only watch as the ball traveled at a fairly high arc, though not as high as Midorima's, and sunk into the hoop. It had perfect rotation and spin because Aomine could hear the swish so loud and clearly. Making a shot like that with a hand in your face is beyond difficult, but swishing it with all the confidence in the world is something only a Miracle could do, or Kagami.
Aomine looked back at Ikki, and smiled with delight. "You're starting to really interest me, Karasuba Ikki."
On the attack, Aomine was amazed at the boy's defensive stance. He was spaced away, giving Aomine room to shoot but also room to drive. Ikki was relaxed and calm, studying Aomine's dribbling. He was fixed on Aomine's feet, waiting for the moment he would drive.
The Miracle smirked, and showed off with a series of flashy dribble moves and rushed towards the boy. The two boys clashed bodies. Aomine using force and speed to push Ikki back, but the boy was keeping up up with Aomine just fine.
Just then, Ikki lowered his left foot, which gave Aomine enough room to squeeze by the boy's swarming defense and run straight towards the hoop. However, as Aomine left the ground for a dunk, a thought occurred to him. This was too easy.
"Dai-Chan!" Satsuki's voice shouted.
Aomine glanced back mid air, and saw Ikki's body coming up to him. He was mid air and almost at the hoop, he had no time to switch to another shot without risking a steal. Aomine tried to finish the dunk, but Ikki's hand came from the side and slapped the ball clear from his hand and it rolled into the sideline where the rest of the team was.
Landing, Aomine was in shock to say nonetheless. He turned to face Ikki, a smile bright on his face. The boy was smiling as well. However Wakamatsu's voice caught Aomine's attention. "W-What the hell? Did he really, just block Aomine?"
"You bastard," Aomine laughed. "You let me through on purpose. That thing with your foot, you purposely let me through so you could get that chasedown."
Ikki shrugged. "Hey, who knows. Maybe I just got the lucky block."
Aomine smirked. "I like you. But don't think I'll take it easy."
"Wouldn't dream of it," Ikki caught the ball from one of the other members. "Ace of the Generation of Miracles, Aomine Daiki."
…
Momoi Satsuki could only stare at the two boys in shock when the one on one was over. She was shocked to say at the least. She had seen Dai-Chan take on powerful opponents before, both in middle school and high school, but this was something else. Watching him play Ikki, Satsuki was overwhelmed with memories of Teiko. She remembered the one on ones Dai-Chan and Ki-Chan played everyday. This was much like those times, except Ikki was nothing like Ki-Chan. Satsuki had an eye for talent, and although she wasn't as perceptive as Coch Aida Riko of Seirin High, which is one of the only things the second year had over Satsuki, she could still see the raw talent coming from Ikki. His defense swarmed Dai-Chan. She hadn't seen defense as intense as that since Mukkun discovered his talent. She hadn't seen offense like that since the Tuoh vs Seirin game, when Dai-Chan entered the Zone. And Ikki's shooting definitely rivaled Midorin.
Satsuki mentally put all the key elements of the Generation of Miracles together, fitting them into a perfect player, and this was Karasuba Ikki. He would be unstoppable, which made his defeat even more shocking.
After that first basket, his step-back jumper against Dai-Chan, he never scored again. It wasn't that he couldn't. In fact Satsuki knew he could have made plenty of shots if he had taken them, open lanes for a layup, enough space for a pull up, but Ikki didn't take it.
After the game, Ikki dropped on his butt and panted. Both he and Dai-Chan were breathing heavily and tired. "W-What the hell was that? After all that big talk, he loses!"
"Wakamatsu-San," Coach said. He looked to Dai-Chan. "Aomine-Kun, what do you think?"
Aomine dribbled the ball, but stopped and threw the ball into the hoop. "I like him. Playing with him could be pretty fun."
Coach smirked. "Welcome to the team, Karasuba Ikki-Kun. If you're up to it, practice starts in 15. Warm up with the guys."
Ikki smiled. "Sorry Coach, but I can't today. My parents stayed in America for work, so it's just me and my sister here in Japan. She'll kill me if I don't help her unpack. I'm sorry."
Coach smirked. "It's perfectly fine. Just be on time tomorrow. I won't tolerate tardies anymore, not even a prodigy."
Ikki nodded, and grabbed his bag and left. Satsuki watched him leave, but she was still in awe of that one on one. For a split second, she thought Dai-Chan might actually lose.
"Dai-Chan…" Satsuki walked over to her childhood friend. He had a stern look on his face.
"That guy," Dai-Chan smiled. "he lost on purpose."
Satsuki raised an eyebrow. "He did? How did you know?"
"That first shot set the foundation of his game." Dai-Chan explained. "His drive as explosive and powerful, meaning he could have went straight to the rim. Instead he chose to cut back for a step-back, which means he's more than confident in his jump shot. He's a great ball handler who can drive, but a shooter with a silky smooth release. He could have dominated the game, instead he chose to relax and take it easy. That bastard."
Satsuki looked at her friend with confusion. His words sounded competitive, yet his eyes brought Satsuki an image of middle school, when Dai-Chan relished on strong opponents. She hadn't seen a smile this genuine from him since their game against Seirin. She didn't realize anyone out of the Miracles and Kagamin could get Dai-Chan this excited about basketball again.
Practice went by smoothly. Satsuki stood beside the Coach, watching the guys do liners and scrimmage back and forth. It was evident that Ikki had an immediate affect on the team. Everyone, including Dai-Chan, practiced with intent to kill.
"Momoi-San," Coach said. "Do you have any footage of Karasuba-Kun? I would like to see what he can do in an actual game."
Satsuki shook her head in disappointment. "I'm sorry Coach, but all footage of Karasuba Ikki were deleted online and physical DVDs confiscated by the NBA."
"I see, well that really is too bad." Coach said. "I had wanted to see him play for real."
Satsuki knew the feeling. She watched Dai-Chan play, but she couldn't stop thinking about Ikki. With his arrival, she wondered how his presence would upset the balance of the schools. Tuoh now had two offensive cannons to attack with, and on defense they had Satsuki's data and intelligence gathering. Compared to the other schools, Tuoh seemed like a dynasty in the making.
After practice was over, she walked up to Dai-Chan and handed him a towel. "Ready to go home?"
"Yeah," He swung the towel over his shoulder. "Let me get dressed."
Satsuki gathered her things and waited outside, saying good-bye to everyone who came out. Sakurai-Kun, Wakamatsu-San. Finally, Dai-Chan came out. The sun was about to set as they exited the school grounds and began home.
Dai-Chan was unusually quiet on the walk home. She couldn't blame him. She began to think if Ikki would upset this team itself. That little demonstration gave everyone a first impression of Karasuba Ikki, but maybe it gave them a person they really don't need. Satsuki quickly relinquished the thought when she and Dai-Chan turned the corner, and bumped into Tetsu-Kun and Kagamin.
"Momoi-San, Aomine-Kun," Tetsu-Kun said in shock. Kagamin stood beside him, also surprised.
"Tetsu, Kagami, yo." Dai-Chan said. "Are you guys hungry? Let's get something to eat. We have to talk about about something."
Author's Note - Sorry for the late upload but I hope you guys liked this chapter. I was thinking of also adding Ogiwara, and convert him to a Point Guard for Tuoh. It may be a bit too OP but I wanted to know what you guys think, since I really wanted to write Ogiwara and Kuroko's relationship into this story. So let me know what you think of the idea and of the story itself. Thanks for reading everyone :)
