Chapter 3

AN: Kasamatsu is not awkward around Haru, because he sees her as a little sister and is used to her. I will also be skipping around the basketball games. The games will follow the anime, unless I say otherwise.

-Kaijo Private High School-

The Seirin basketball team were standing just inside the gates to the school.

"This place is huge. You can really tell when a school is devoted to its athletics." Hyuga comments impressed at the school. Tsuna shook her head at her team's astonishment at the school's size. Tsuna then looked over at Kuroko and Kagami since they were falling behind.

"Kagami-kun, the look in your eyes is worse than usual." Kuroko says.

"Shut up. I was a little too excited." Kagami explains.

"Awe that's cute, Tiger. You are like a little kid on a field trip." Tsuna giggles.

"What did you say?!" Kagami demands.

"Hey, guys!" A voice yells. The team looks to where the voice came from and saw it was, Kise running up to them.

"Kise!" Kagami exclaims.

"This place is big, so I thought I'd come get you." Kise says when he reaches them.

"Thank you. That was very thoughtful, Ryota-kun." Tsuna says with a warm, cute smile. Kise blushes a little.

"Ryota…kun?" Kise asks in shock.

"Yep. Oh, is it okay if I can call you that?" Tsuna asks worriedly.

"No, it's fine." Kise reassures.

"Oh, good. I did not want to offend you." Tsuna says with relief.

"Kise… Hey!" Kagami yells trying to get Kise's attention, but Kise just ignores him for Kuroko.

"Kurokocchi, ever since you turned me down my invitation to join us, I've been crying into my pillow every night." Kise whines whipping at his eyes.

"What's wrong with him?" Hyuga asks.

"Just show us the way." Kagami growls.

"Not even a girl has turned me down before." Kise continues ignoring everyone else, but Kuroko and Tsuna.

"Are you ignoring me?" Kagami asks getting really annoyed.

"Could you please stop being so sarcastic?" Kuroko asks. Kise faces then turns serious.

"I'm more interested to know more about the guy who's making Kurokocchi say those things. I don't care much about being called the Generation of Miracles, but I can't ignore such an obvious challenge. I'm not mature enough to let it slide. Sorry, but I'm going to crush you with everything I have." Kise states with determination to Kagami.

"Sounds good." Kagami answers with a grin. Kise then leads them to the basketball gym.

-Kaijo Basketball Gym-

"This is it." Kist says when they are in the gym. The Seirin team look around in shock.

"We're playing on a half court? The other side's being used for practice?" Riko questions in confusion. Tsuna frowns at this. She then sees the Kaijo's Coach, Genta Takeuchi, and Haru was standing next to him with a clip board in hand.

"You're here. Welcome. I'm Coach Takeuchi. Which one of you is the Coach?" Takeuchi asks.

"That's me." Riko answers.

"You? You're not the manger?" Takeuchi asks in shock. Tsuna steps forward.

"No, I am the manger, Tsunahime Sawada. Nice to meet you." Tsuna answers.

"I'm Coach Riko Aida. We look forward to playing with you today!" Riko says with a bow.

"Uh, yeah." Takeuchi says awkwardly with a scratch to his head.

"So, um… What is this?" Riko asks looking around at the half court.

"Exactly what it looks like. We've only made simple arrangements for today's game." Takeuchi says simply.

"Arrangements?" Tsuna questions as she sees Haru shaking her head sadly.

"There won't be enough to learn from this game to make it worth watching for the guys sitting out." Takeuchi explains.

I see." Riko says through clenched teeth.

"We're having the other players practice as usual so we don't waste time. Despite the arrangements, you'll be playing our regulars. I hope you won't let us triple your score." Takeuchi says dismissively. The Seirin team was pissed. Tsuna decided to interfere. Tsuna walks up to where Takeuchi was standing with the Kaijo regulars. The team watches her walk over there.

"What is she doing?" Kagami asks.

"I don't know, but let's see what happens." Riko says wondering what Tsuna was up too.

"Excuse me." Tsuna says. The Kaijo team looks over at Tsuna.

"What can I do for you?" Takeuchi asks. Tsuna then goes onto "persuade" the coach to take her team seriously. The Seirin team could see sweat forming on Takeuchi's face. They really wanted to know what she was saying. Tsuna then smiles sweetly and walks back over to her team.

"The coach has decided to let us play on the full court." Tsuna explains to her team.

"Really? Good job, Tsuna." Riko says with a smile.

"Just doing my job, Riko-senpai." Tsuna says smiling back.

-Back with the Kaijo Team-

The Kaijo regulars were standing there in shock at what just happened.

"Who was that?" Kasamatsu, the Captain, asks with a blush on his face.

"That was Tsunahime Sawada, Haru's Hime-sama and childhood friend. Hime-sama is also the manager of Seirin's basketball team, desu." Haru explains.

"She was pretty. Way prettier than the coach." Moriyama says.

"Don't even think about it. Focus on the game." Kobori, the Vice-Captain, says.

"You are not worthy of, Hime-sama anyway Moriyama-san, desu." Haru states.

"Ouch, that hurts, Haru-chan." Moriyama says with a hand to his chest.

"Everyone focus on the game!" Kasamatsu yells.

"Right!" The team yells together.

-Before the Game Starts-

Tsuna was looking over her notes when she noticed Kise was not in the game.

'So, even though I made them play us with the full court. They still think we are not worth having Kise play.' Tsuna thinks in frustration.

"Well, we'll just have to force them to put, Ryota-kun in the game." Tsuna says out load making her team look at her.

"Right!" The team yells together with determination to not let Tsuna down.

-The Game Starts-

"Let the practice game between Seirin High and Kaijo High begin." A student announced.

"All right, let's go!"

"Uh, we're about to get started, so Seirin, please have your five line up." The referee says.

"There's five of us." Kuroko announces his presence shocking all of Kaijo.

"He was right in front of me, and I didn't even notice him. What about you, Kasamatsu-san?" Kobori asks.

"Me neither." Kasamatsu answers.

-Kaijo Bench-

"This is ridiculous. After all their boasting, I thought they'd have some decent players." Takeuchi comments.

"We'll see. You might be right. They're not just decent." Kise says with a grin.

-Seirin Bench-

"Ouch." Riko says.

"What's wrong, Riko-senpai?" Tsuna asks.

'This doesn't look good. I can't see everything through their clothes, but their numbers are way higher than average. Our physical numbers are way behind. Honestly, it's not surprising for a nationally strong team. We've got Kuroko-kun and Kagami-kun, but how far can they carry us?' Riko thinks to herself as the ball tips off. (The same thing happens in the anime, but Kagami not breaking the hoop). Kaijo was in shock. They could not believe Seirin got the first basket. Takeuchi puts Kise in the game. Kise walks onto the court.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." Kise greets.

"You're finally in." Kagami comments in excitement.

"You're way too intense for a model when you're on." Hyuga says.

"He's not just putting on a show." Kuroko explains.

"Amazing. Seeing him again, I can tell Ryota Kise really is a monster." Riko comments in awe. Everyone is interrupted by Kise's fangirls.

"Huh? What's all that?" Hyuga asks in surprise.

"Oh, that? This happens every time he plays. And… Quit waving to them! I'll hit you!" Kasamatsu yells while kicking Kise in the back.

"Yeah! You tell him, Kasamatsu-kun, desu!" Haru yells encouragement.

"Ow… You already hit me, Kasamatsu-senpai." Kise whines.

"Do you understand what's going on, Kise? Who the hell is number 10?" Kasamatsu asks.

"Number 10? Oh, that's Kagami." Kise answers.

"Kagami? I've never heard of him." Kasamatsu states.

"Forget about him. The guy who stole the ball, number 11… That's my teammate from Teiko, Kurokocchi. Isn't he amazing? Right, right?" Kise asks excitedly.

"Why are you so happy?" Kasamatsu asks hitting Kise in the stomach.

"You should listen to, Ryo-kun, Kasamatsu-senpai." Haru says walking over to them.

"Why?" Kasamatsu asks. Haru then goes onto explain who Kuroko and Kagami are.

"Interesting. So, they are strong. Well, whatever, in any case, they gave us quite a greeting. It'd be rude if we didn't return the favor." Kasamatsu comments. Kise grins at this.

-Game Resumes-

"What is this?" Riko asks while watching the game.

"What's with this high-paced play? It's been three minutes since they started." Koganei states.

'It's like they're beating each other without bothering to guard. The defense is doing everything it can, but both teams' offenses are just too strong. This is a clash of the Generation of Miracles.' Riko thinks in awe.

"Boys." Tsuna says with a sigh and then looks over at Kaijo's bench.

"And she is not helping either." Tsuna comments. Riko and the benched members look at her.

"What do you mean, Tsuna?" Riko asks.

"Haru, has this ability called Motivation. She pumps up her team's moral by a hundred. She makes them not think about losing only winning. So, no matter how hard someone or something tries to tear her team down, she will make sure their team spirit never falters." Tsuna explains.

"Wow, you have an interesting friend, Tsuna-chan." Furihata says.

"Yep, Chrome also has an ability." Tsuna says nodding to Chrome sitting next to her.

"When did you get here?!" Riko yells while thinking not another Kuroko.

"She just got back from getting the info that I needed." Tsuna explains.

"Info?" Koganei asks.

"Yes, Chrome's ability is Spying. She can spy and gather information thanks to being able to not be noticed. Kind of like Kuroko's Misdirection, but she can control it. She was able to get, not only info on Kaijo's team, but the next team we will be facing." Tsuna explains.

"Great work, Chrome!" Riko says happily.

-Skipping-

"Seirin, time out." The referee announces. The Seirin team was sitting on the bench sweating and panting.

'They're way too tired for playing just five minutes. It's not unreasonable. They've been switching between offense and defense at an absurd rate.' Riko's train of thought was broken by Takeuchi's yelling.

"What the hell are you doing? How many points are you gonna let them take? Is the defense asleep? Huh?" Takeuchi yells.

"Sorry." Kobori says.

"This isn't easy." Moriyama states.

"Yeah. That first year duo is brutal. You should be able to handle Kagami, but what's with that invisible Kuroko guy? I know Haru warned me, but this is insane." Kasamatsu says.

"I know, right? Kurokocchi's actually…" Kise is interrupted by Kasamatsu punching his stomach.

"Why the hell are you so happy?" Kasamatsu growls.

"It's okay. The balance will tip soon enough." Kise states with a grin.

-Back with Seirin-

"We have to deal with Kise-kun first." Riko states.

"I can't believe Kagami can't handle the guy himself. Should we put another guy on him?" Hyuga asks.

"What? Hey, wait… Please." Kagami says.

"Please?" Riko asks.

"He actually knows the word please." Tsuna comments.

"There is a way." Kuroko announces. At the same time.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kasamatsu asks.

"It's because… They have a weakness." Kise and Kuroko say together.

"A weakness?" Riko questions.

"What? You should've told us sooner." Hyuga says.

"No, to be honest, I'm not even sure you could call it a weakness. Either way, I'm sorry. There's another problem. Because of the unexpectedly high-paced play, my effectiveness is already wearing off." Kuroko explains.

"W-What?" Hyuga exclaims. At the same time Kise was saying.

"They won't be able to use their misdirection after 40 minutes." Kise explains.

"Is that what Haru meant?" Kasamatsu asks.

"Yes, Kurokocchi's lack of presence isn't magic. He's just directing your attention elsewhere. Even I can do it. Watch me." Kise then throws a basketball over his shoulder. Kasamatsu flows it. "See you're not watching me. Kurokocchi's using his exceptional observation skills to do this continuously, creating the illusion he disappeared so he can pass the ball around. Not that he has to do anything special to have no presence. But the more he uses it, the more we get used to it and its effect gradually decreases."

"Why didn't you tell us something so important sooner?" Riko yells while trying to strangle Kuroko.

"I'm sorry. You didn't ask." Kuroko says struggling to answer.

"Do you not say anything unless you're asked?" Riko demands while thinking 'I must not have been thinking. I was stupid to think we could pull this ridiculous strategy off without any risk.'

"Your time out is over." The referee announces.

"All I got to do was hit Kuroko-kun!" Riko cries.

"Let me stay on him, please." Kagami asks.

"Why are you acting so polite?" Riko asks.

"I have the feeling I'm about to get something. Thanks to Tsuna's help." Kagami states.

"Tsuna's? Anyway, switch from man-to-man to zone defense. Keep solid defense on the inside, and move to stop Kise-kun quickly. Stopping Kise-kun is your first priority." Riko orders.

"Got it!" The team yells.

"Also, slow down your pace, Kuroko-kun. Just don't let the gap get too big. Can you do that?" Riko asks.

"I'll try." Kuroko says.

-Game Continues-

"Why don't you acknowledge it already? You're years away from challenging the Generation of Miracles." Kise comments.

"What'd you say?" Kagami growls.

"The gap between our scores might get bigger, but it certainly won't get any smaller. More than formations or strategies, basketball is about your build. It's a sport of size. The difference between your team and ours is simply too great. You were the only one who stood a chance against us, but I see now how good you are. I'll admit you have potential, but you're still far below me. No matter what you throw at me, with one look, I'll return it twice as good. You can struggle, but you'll never beat me. The real world isn't that easy." Kise explains. Kagami bursts out with laughter.

"Sorry, sorry. I'm just so happy." Kagami says.

"Huh?" Kise says in confusion.

"It's been a long time since anyone's said that to me. I heard it all the time over there." Kagami continues.

"Over there?" Kise asks.

"In America." Kagami answers.

"You lived in America? That's amazing." Kise says in excitement.

"I thought I jumped the gun coming back here to play. Hearing you say that is encouraging, really. Life is all about challenges. There's no point in living if there's no one strong to play. It's better if I can't win. We're just getting started. Don't you think it's a little soon to be saying you won? Besides, thanks to Tsuna, I now know your weakness." Kagami says.

"Tsunacchi? What weakness?" Kise questions.

"With one look? What if you don't see it? Against a guy who's already invisible, it's impossible. No matter how athletic you are, you'll never achieve an invisible basketball style. In other words… This guy is your weakness." Kagami states as he pulls Kuroko to him by his head.

"What are you doing?" Kuroko asks.