For the Love of the Game (Patreon)

A/N: So I watched Kuroko, and binge-watched the entire series, including the OVAs. It was funny, hilarious, over the top at times, and this made me wonder what would happen to the team if he were a good basketball player and also retained that deep love for the sport.

Kuroko Tetsuya

He loved playing basketball.

 Ever since he was young, he would watch games and dream of playing on the court. Unfortunately for him, he was frail and weak, but that did not deter him from enjoying the sport.

He rarely made shots from the free throw, but he was determined to improve. That was why he joined Teiko Junior High, it had a strong basketball program and a legendary reputation. It always won, with its motto Ever Victorious engraved in stone in front of the main gymnasium.

He had high hopes, but his physical limitations relegated him to the third string. That was how popular the Teiko basketball team was, they had over 100 members.

He trained and practiced basketball drills well past club hours, and was often the last one to leave the secondary gym, for allocated for the second and third string members. He was deep in thought, walking back home one night, when he spotted a pink-haired girl up ahead. He knew her, of course, she was one of the closest friends of one of the rookies who were on the team and acted as the manager of the first string.

She looked to be busy staring at her phone, and he was alarmed when he spotted a delivery van headed towards her, and it was not slowing down.

Shit! He ran as fast as he could, hoping to pull back the girl. It looked like she had noticed her predicament, but was frozen on the spot, staring at the approaching vehicle with wide eyes. His legs burned, protesting after hours of practice earlier, but he pushed past that and jumped off the sidewalk. He was nearly there, and used his momentum he had gained and pushed the girl off the van’s path.

There was a bright flash of light, probably the van’s headlights, and then pain. He caught a glimpse of the night sky and gasped as his body finally hit the asphalt. It hurt to move and breathe, and he could hear the muted screams from somewhere. It was getting dark, there was a flash of light in his dimming vision, and then he closed his eyes.

He regained consciousness, and his vision slowly grew into focus. He looked around and slowly realized he was not in his room. Before he could move, a strange translucent screen appeared in front of him. He moved his head, and the screen seemed to follow wherever he looked.

He wondered if he was hallucinating, but it was just… there. He wondered if this was like the manga novels he used to read and decided to humor what was happening to him. He was probably dreaming anyway and focused on the screen.

[GOLDEN KARMA SYSTEM – ONE TIME ONLY!]

[CHARACTER CARD INTEGRATION GIFT]

[ACCEPT]

[REJECT]

It was truly a surreal dream. He had nothing to lose anyway and decided to accept. As soon as he thought of accepting, the screen changed once more.

[CHARACTER CARD – AKIRA SENDOH]

[Integration in progress.]

[FAREWELL] 

The screen flickered out, and suddenly he started to hear noises in the room. There was the sound of running water coming from the door at the end of the room. He could hear the faint sounds of the city from the window and the beeps of machines with wires connected to his body.

The door at the end of the room opened, revealing his mother, it looked like she had just used the washroom.

“Tetsu-kun!”His mother dropped her bad and quickly ran to his side as tears started to fall down her cheek.

“Mom.” His throat felt dry and he started to sit up.

“Don’t move!” His mother placed a gentle hand on his chest to push him back on the bed. “This is a miracle! Nurse! Nurse!”

It felt like he was on circus after that. Nurses and Doctors arrived one after the other, all looking surprised. His father soon after, laughing and crying with his mother as they both hugged him. Amidst the frenzy of tests and check-ups, he learned a few things.

He was in a coma for close to a week, and the longer he slept the chances of him waking up grew slimmer. That was the reason his mother was so surprised when she saw him awake.  His ribs were fractured, and his right arm was broken, but the most serious injury he suffered was to his head. He sort of understood why he kept hearing the word miracle from his mother.

CT scans after he regained consciousness baffled the doctors. Meanwhile, his mother was happy with his increased appetite. She still insisted on sleeping on the uncomfortable-looking couch beside his hospital bed.

School representatives arrived two days later, and informed him that Teiko Junior High was willing to make special arrangements so that he wouldn’t be left behind by providing him with lesson modules that they would collect and grade at the end of every week. His mother quickly volunteered to tutor him, delighted by the news. There was one problem with that, with his broken right hand he had to use his left, and his penmanship suffered. At least it was legible, and he slowly improved over the next few weeks of hard work. He was bored anyway, and it was the only physical activity he was allowed to do.

A month later and he was wheeled out of the hospital by his cheerful mother.

“There are some big changes coming to our family, Tetsuya.” His mother told him.

“What changes?” He asked.

“Your father got a promotion at work!”

“Promotion?”

“Yes!” His mother nodded eagerly. “It’s a prestigious position, but we have to move.”

“Move?” He was curious what that meant. “We’re going to live in another country soon! So you better brush up on your English!”

“English?” He was worried since he was horrible at the subject.

“Don’t worry!” His mom leaned over and ruffled his hair. “We’re going to hire a good tutor!”

They moved three months later to California. Thankfully he was able to remove his casts by then, and was fully mobile and was free to explore the city. His strong appetite remained, and he started to notice that his pajamas were getting tighter and shorter.

“You’ve hit your growth spurt!” His mom mused as she made him stand up by the wall where she started to mark his height every month. “That explains where all that food you eat go to.”

“Just eat as much as you can, Tetsuya.” His father smiled. “This way, you’ll grow taller than me once you reach high school.”

He was enrolled in a local private school, his tuition paid for by his father’s company. They would only stay here for three years before his father would be rotated again and he decided to make the most of it.

His English was passable enough that he could communicate properly, but he still struggled with pronunciations and grammar. He didn’t back down though, as with basketball, he practiced as much as he can to improve his communication skills.

Then there was basketball.

He was starting to wonder if that first day he woke up from the accident was real or not. He was starting to have doubts since he could see and feel the evidence right in front of him. Whoever that Akira Sendoh was and his character card he selected, it was clear that he was different from what he was before. His body was getting stronger, taller bigger, month by month and that translated to his basketball skills.

He could play longer, dribble faster, and his shooting accuracy increased significantly. While he still remained the quiet guy in class, he wasn’t as anxious as before when his classmates started talking to him. Before, he was always so serious and passionate, but now, he was more laid back, relaxed, and calmer when he was interacting with his classmates.

His mother was delighted when he brought over friends from school one day, and she didn’t even complain when they spent the entire afternoon just playing computer games and hanging out.

Every morning, he headed to the nearby basketball park to shoot some hoops before taking a bath and going to school. Most of the time, he played alone, but he easily accepted offers of one-on-one or short pick-up games from fellow early birds.

Win or lose, he was having fun, and he even enjoyed the mild trash talk and teasing. It was part of the game after all.

One morning, he was by himself, trying to practice step back threes when he heard his nickname being called by a familiar voice behind him. He turned around and recognized his P.E. teacher, Coach Carter.

“I didn’t know you played basketball.” The older man looked intrigued. “Why don’t you try out for the varsity team?”

“Coach?” This was new. The head coach in Teiko didn’t even bother to talk to him directly when he joined the basketball club.

“You got the talent, son.” His P.E. teacher nodded to himself. “You practice here often?”

“Everyday.” He replied. “Since I live nearby, I play for an hour and then get ready for school.”

“Come to practice later. Let’s see how you would do in a scrimmage.” The older man stated. “You’re twelve, right?”

“Yes, coach.” He couldn’t believe he was invited to practice with his school’s team!

“Then you have more time to grow and build up your skills and talent.” The man mused. “I expect to see you later at practice after class.”

“What’s with the bag, Tetsu-kun?” His mom asked. It was hard to miss the gym bag on his shoulder. He was glad he could finally use it again after months of rehabilitation.

“My P.E. Teacher asked me to join a scrimmage.” He replied.

“Are you thinking of joining the basketball team?” His mother asked.

“I am, yeah.” He nodded. “I’ve been training hard, mom.”

“Just make sure you don’t ignore your academics.” His mom warned.

The scrimmage that afternoon was eventful for him. He never played a game like this with starting members before, but the coach seemingly ignored the doubtful looks of the starting members and allowed him to play.

It was fun, he loved it. Being assigned the role of the point guard, he started to guide his teammates more, pointing out where he wanted them to move. He used the opportunity in the first quarter to work on his passing, trying a myriad of passes and adjusted them as he lowly got to learn more about the abilities of his teammates. Some liked to cut and get the pass on the inside, while others preferred to have a screen before they made their move.

His passes weren’t always accurate, but he was getting there and the lead of starting five member wasn’t that big. At the second quarter he started working on his shooting from various spots when he couldn’t find an open man and they started to narrow down the lead.

“You’re too damn annoying!” The point guard he continually harassed even when they were still at the backcourt complained. He received a mild shove, not enough for a foul but to create distance.

He spotted his counterpart’s shift to the left and moved, stealing the ball and immediately ran to the basket for an easy lay up. This forced the starting five to allocate another guard to help bring down the ball, while he continued with his harassment.

They still lost in the end, the starting five center was too dominant, and their own simply couldn’t match the agility and strength on display. Coach Carter was satisfied though and announced that he would join the team as a back-up point guard.

He received welcoming smiles all around, having proved that he belonged on the court with them, a far cry from his first day in Teiko.

It felt like three years passed in a blink of an eye and he found himself helping his mom pack their belongings. His father had finished the assigned three years and was now assigned back to the company’s headquarters in Japan. He was going to miss this house and this city. He had learned so much about the game and life in general.

“Are you keeping that ridiculous dye job?” His mom was not a fan with his hair color. He had done it after losing a bet with his teammates in his last game when they were celebrating a win against a rival school. It was a hard fought match, full of fouls and a hostile crowd but they pulled through in the end.

 It was his most exhilarating game he had played to date. The roar of the crowd, the physical defense, he enjoyed every moment of it.

“I kind of like it.” He told his mom. It was a strange color, the dye selected by his teammates after he failed a triple double for his last game. It was a pity since he only needed one more assist to win the bet.

“Why that color though?” His mom asked.

“My teammates chose the color.” He shared. “They thought it suited me since I always liked fishing.”

“I blame your father for that one.” His mother sighed. “He thought spending hours beside a lake with a fishing pole was a good date.”

“That sounds like a good idea. Maybe I’ll do that too when I get a girlfriend.” He teased his mother. He easily dodged her hand as she tried to mess up his hair in retaliation.

“You’re too tall for me now.” His mother stared up at him. Three years, more than foot in height and growth. He arrived in California with a height of 5’1, and he was now heading back to Japan with a height of 6’3. It caused his mother to nearly go crazy in their first year living in a foreign country since he quickly outgrew clothes that were bought just months before.

He bulked up too, from 57 kilograms, he now weighed 79. His appetite was still as strong as ever.

“Everything’s finalized with your new school.” His mom chose to change topics. “Are you sure you won’t need a week to adjust?”

“I’m fine, mom.” He had picked Seirin since it was the closest school to their house and his father’s office.

Riko Aida

She was not satisfied with those that applied so far. Sure, they might have potential, but she didn’t have her hopes up after seeing the reasons why they decided to join the club. ‘I want to get fit and impress girls’ was not a good one.

“Relax, Coach.” Junpei tried to ease her worries. “It’s still early, I’m sure we will get more promising recruits by the end of the day.”

Before she could respond, a figure cast a shadow over their table.

Tall. That was her first thought. He had red hair, and intense eyes.

“Is this the basketball club?” The tall student with a powerful build asked.

She gave quick look at Junpei and put a smile on her face as she addressed the potential recruit.

“You’ve found the right table! Welcome, please have a seat.” She answered.

Junpei placed a paper cup full of water in front of the recruit while she in turn handed him the clipboard with the membership form attached with a pen.

“I’m sure that you’re already aware of this, but Seirin was just established two years ago. The basketball club is still in its infancy. I’m sure someone of your build will be an asset to the team in the future.” She gave the prepared speech as the man filled out the form.

“I really don’t care about that.” The man emptied the paper cup. “I’m heading out after I finish filling out this form.”

She felt Junpei get annoyed beside her. His hand under the table was curled into a fist. It was fine. He was the tallest recruit that expressed an interest in their club and she was eager to get him to join before the other sports club could give better offers.

Kagami Taiga. She reviewed the membership form and frowned when he left the reason for joining the club blank. “You don’t have a reason for joining the club?”

“It’s just a way for me to keep my skills sharp.” Kagami stood up. “I really don’t care all that much for Japanse Basketball. Everywhere you go, it’s all the same”

“What are you implying?” It seemed like Junpei finally reached the limit of his patience.

“Just like what I said.” Kagami answered. “It’s all the same everywhere.”

He turned around and tossed the crumpled paper cup into a bin behind him, casually displaying his skill.

“I feel like this one’s going to be a headache.” Junpei stared hard at Kagami’s retreating back. “Are you sure you want him?”

“He’s the best one so far.” She answered. They needed more height, with their starting center injured and out for the season if they wanted to make it past the preliminaries.

Two more recruits filled out the club membership form, and after the end of classes she watched with a keen eye as the first years stood in a line without their shirts.

She loved this part. Growing up with a father who trained world class athletes, she developed an innate talent in spotting how a person trained, what muscle groups they focused on and what type of exercise they did with a high degree in accuracy. She wasn’t up to her father’s level, but she was confident she would get there soon.

“You need to work more on your core muscles.” She started giving out advice to the new recruits and enjoyed their stunned reactions. As she reached the end of the line, her eyes narrowed when she stared at Kagami Taiga.

He was built differently. There was so much potential, so much power in that body.

“Sorry, I’m late.” A new voice called out from the side. “Is the club still accepting recruits?”

Everyone in the gym stared at the newcomer. He was tall, taller than Kagami by an inch, with a light blue highlights in his hair and wearing a friendly smile.

“You’re not late.” Junpei took over. “Have you filled out the club membership application form?”

“Ah, sorry no.” The new arrival scratched the back of his head. “My flight was delayed, so I rushed here as soon as I heard from the admin office that club recruitment day had just finished.”

“Flight?” Junpei asked.

“Oh yeah. Sorry, I forgot my manners.” The new guy bowed. “I’m Kuroko Tetsuya. I lived in Los Angeles for three years, and just recently moved back to Tokyo. I can play in any position?”

Any position? With his height? Her eyebrows narrowed in thought. Usually smaller guys were the ones that could dribble well and bring down the ball, but the man boasted he could play any position.

“Junpei, give him a form later.” She turned to the newcomer. “In the meantime, I need you to take off your shirt.”

“My shirt?”

“She just wants to assess your physical condition, Tetsuya-san.” Junpei slapped him in the back. “You can place your bag here in the meantime.”

Incredible. That was the only thought in her head when she saw his condition. This Kuroko clearly worked hard, but she could see that he had more room to grow. Today was finally looking up, with these two new additions. Now she was eager to see if what she saw in their bodies translated well on the court.

A simple match was quickly organized between the first years and the second years. Kagami decided to step up to the center for the jump ball without consulting his teammates. He squared off against Mitobe, their power forward, and the tallest member of their team next to their injured center.

It looked like Kagabi had some talent to back up his attitude since he easily cleared the ball and tapped it to Kuroko who easily caught it.

“Hey L.A. kid!” Kagami seemed to be talking to Kuroko in English. “Just keep passing me the ball, alright?”

It was rude to use a foreign language. She saw the put-upon expressions on the other teammates and narrowed her eyes. Junpei was right, Kagami would be a headache in the future.

It was strange to see the tallest man on the court bringing up the ball. His fundamentals were there, and Kuroko clearly had no problem against Izuki, their starting point guard. She watched as Kuroko drove to the lane and suddenly the ball was not in his hands.

He had passed it at the last minute to Kagami who looked surprised at the no look pass but used the opportunity a moment later to jump up and score an easy lay up. The play she just watched reminded her of Kiyoshi.

“Just keep doing that.” Kagami grinned.

 The first year’s defense picked up with the two tall rookies serving as anchors. It was clear as day that their basketball skills was on par or even exceeded some of her regulars. As soon as the first quarter had ended, the score was 25 – 12 with the freshmen leading.

“They’re tough.” Izuku admitted after her drank from his water bottle. “That Kuroko is hard to guard.”

“And Kagami is dominating the paint.” Junpei added. “Unfortunately for them, basketball is a team sport. Let’s guard Kagami harder, double-team him if we have to. Let’s show those rookies why we went far in the last tournament.”

With renewed determination, the sophomores pushed the pace harder. She could tell Kagami was getting annoyed as the minutes passed. Kuroko couldn’t pass to him since he was constantly guarded by Izuku and Junpei at all times.

What attracted her attention was how Kuroko remained calm, despite their lead being cut in half thanks to Junpei’s three points and Izuku’s defense. He passed the ball to his other teammates, ignoring the angry shouts from Kagami.

“Don’t pass to them, you idiot!” Kagami yelled.

The rest of the first year players was too weak, and they were easily intimidated by Mitobe and Koganei, resulting in a couple of fast breaks. What was Kuroko going to do now?

As Kuroko dribbled the ball, she noticed he was increasing his pace. The ball bounced faster, like a drum quickly increasing the tempo, and then he moved. Izuku had anticipated this as Kuroko headed to the right at the top of the key when he suddenly stopped. Two dribbles behind his back, and he moved to the left and elevated, and made the shot with ease.

What was that? With Kuroko now scoring, their defense once again focused on him, but the first year was unfazed despite the double team. He dribbled defensively and then a pass, through Mitobe’s legs that ended up in Kagami’s hands.

Kagami, frustrated for not being able to score since the start of the second quarter used the opportunity and jammed the ball into the hoop with authority. She raised her hand and called for a timeout.

“What was that?” She stared at her regulars. “This was supposed to be a teaching moment for the first years!”

“Those two rookies are strong.” Junpei admitted.

“And Kuroko doesn’t get rattled by our double team.” Izuku admitted. “His court awareness is impeccable.”

“Then it’s time for a full court press.” Junpei nodded. “It will be an embarrassment if we lose to them.”

“Damn it!” Kagami screamed in frustration as he was called for an offensive foul. She watched with a keen eye, and it looked like Junpei’s plan was working as they narrowed the lead.  However, it looked like it would not work as she observed the other stand out rookie withstand the pressure.

Kuroko clapped his hands before the referee handed him the ball for an inbound pass, attracting his fellow freshmen’s attention. “Calm down. We’re going to increase the lead this time.”

Not bad, she thought. His words seemed to have some effect as the other stopped panicking and actually tried to play basketball once more instead of running around without any direction on the court.

He dribbled near Kagami, attracting one of the two players that constantly double teamed him. That was a mistake, and if she wasn’t looking at that moment, she would have missed the quick look between the two rookies.

Kuroko jumped into the air to shoot and he was instantly met with two pairs of hands from Junpei and Mitobe. It was all a feint, however as he passed the ball behind him, right into the hand of a cutting Kagami.

The board and the ring rattled from the powerful two-handed slam courtesy of the redhead, and she saw the effect it made on the court. The other freshmen cheered, while her starting members looked stunned at the high-level display of basketball. This was starting to look bad.

The lead increased again to two digits, capped off by a fade away jump shot from Kagami. The score was humiliating for her starters.

42-28

She allowed the freshmen to leave first, allowing her fellow second years some form of dignity by not allowing anyone to see their moment of weakness.

They were all in shock, even Junpei. Izuku looked tired as he slumped at the side of the court, breathing hard.

“Those two were unstoppable, Coach.” Izuku looked exhausted which was strange since they only played two ten minute quarters. “Even I had trouble keeping up with Kuroko.”

“And he’s a menace on defense.” Junpei added. “I didn’t make another three once he guarded me.”

“So do you think those two will be ready for a practice game with another school in a week’s time?” She asked.

“Definitely.” Junperi nodded. “They clearly have the stamina and the skills. We just need to work on team work with the rest of the team.”

She nodded her head in agreement and planned new practice sessions. The two together were too powerful, she needed to split them up for the next scrimmage. For the first time since losing their star center, she had some hope that they would make it farther in the tournament compared to last year.

For now, she needed to see the mettle of her new team, and she decided to ask one of the more dominant teams in the region for a practice game. She was sure it would be enlightening to watch, since they had one of the generation of miracles in their roster and they had a very strong starting lineup.

Her thoughts drifted to Kuroko. There was something about the way he played, always calm, and he was not afraid to make mistakes. He was unselfish in his game and always tried to involve his fellow freshmen, and only took over when the second years cut their lead in half by passing the ball more to Kagami or by scoring himself.

She wondered what Kuroko Tetsuya had yet to reveal. The rookie did say he could play in any position.