In a certain sense, it wasn't wrong.
When people first start playing basketball, it's usually because they genuinely love the sport.
But keeping such pure ideals forever simply won't work.
Modern basketball—or basketball throughout history—has always been a battlefield.
Whether it's professional leagues or international competitions, every match is a war.
For victory, players might use elbows, dirty tricks, or even reckless kicks—anything goes on the real battlefield.
In short, true competition is never purely about enjoyment.
As Tendou pondered this, bullet comments once again appeared before his eyes:
『Tendou Kageyoshi?』
『Any relation to Tendou Souji?』
『Claiming him first: the number-one trash-talker of this show!』
『Damn, this guy is handsome—almost as good-looking as me. Definitely a main character!』
『Wake up, dude above—your looks are at most comparable to Gian!』
The netizens were having fun already.
Tendou guessed this was just the first episode, barely halfway through, and nothing exciting had even happened yet—but these viewers had already started amusing themselves.
He hadn't even started his performance!
Anyway, after a short wait, head coach Shirogane Kozo appeared with his assistant coaches and the current team captain, Nijimura Shuuzo.
"First, welcome to the Teiko basketball club."
"As you can see, our club believes in a philosophy of absolute victory."
Shirogane gestured toward the large banner hanging overhead that boldly proclaimed: "Invincible, Undefeated."
Though Teiko frequently competed at the national level, the number of national titles they'd actually secured wasn't particularly high.
This was due to the merciless single-elimination format of the national championships—one loss, and you were out.
Every year, without exception, major upsets occurred.
Even the strongest teams could be taken down by an explosive performance from a single underdog player or an unexpected team breakthrough.
Thus, consecutively winning national titles was extremely difficult, requiring both skill and luck.
Seeing the newcomers turn serious, realizing what kind of team Teiko was, Shirogane nodded approvingly and continued.
"As a victory-focused team, our entrance test is simple: basketball itself will do the talking."
"There won't be individual assessments today. To secure a spot on Teiko's team, you'll have to prove yourself."
"We'll begin immediately with group scrimmages. Those whose names are called will form a team to face our second-string players."
Shirogane's arrangement was direct and efficient.
Testing each person individually was impractical given the large number of candidates; they'd waste the entire day if they did.
A quick scrimmage would instantly separate the strong from the weak.
Nevertheless, Shirogane had already mentally marked several promising faces.
The most intriguing one was undoubtedly the towering 190 cm tall boy—Murasakibara Atsushi.
『Whoa, he's tall!』
『And expressionless too!』
『Cute in a dumb way—he's really just a middle-schooler?』
Shirogane looked at Murasakibara's file with anticipation.
From elementary school onwards, Murasakibara was recognized as a basketball prodigy.
Due to his incredible height, he'd naturally caught his elementary coach's attention and had been recruited immediately.
Like Mori Shigehiro from Slam Dunk, a child with such physical advantages and athleticism was considered a treasure in basketball.
Murasakibara hadn't disappointed those expectations.
From the first year he touched a basketball, he'd single-handedly carried his team to a regional championship, utterly dominating his peers.
A genuine monster of talent.
...
Soon enough, teams were formed.
With limited time, Teiko couldn't arrange a full 40-minute game.
Instead, each scrimmage lasted 20 minutes—10 minutes per half.
Tendou had good luck. He and Kuroko ended up in the same group, totaling ten players.
Naturally, each would get roughly ten minutes to demonstrate their ability.
Once the teams were set and uniforms changed, several scrimmages began simultaneously.
Tendou sat alongside Kuroko on the bench for the first 10 minutes, watching five other newcomers take the floor first.
As expected, these hastily-assembled freshmen were utterly crushed by Teiko's second-string seniors.
This outcome surprised no one.
After all, this was Teiko—their second-string could easily play as starters in less elite schools.
Moreover, Teiko's second-string effectively served as the first-string reserves.
Teiko's first team had limited spots, and the reserves were all selected from these capable second-stringers.
In other words, these freshmen faced Teiko's elite reserves, a purposeful shock arranged by Shirogane to teach these newbies their place.
Within five minutes, the score was already 16-4, with Tendou's freshman team managing only a pathetic four points.
Their lack of teamwork and clearly inferior skills made such a lopsided score understandable.
『Wow, total noobs. 16-4 already?』
『Didn't you hear the introduction? Teiko is elite. Beating newbies is nothing special.』
『I'm looking forward to seeing how Kuroko reverses the game. According to anime logic, teammates fail first, then the protagonist saves the day!』
These viewers guessed mostly right.
However, today's savior wouldn't be the main character.
Without his specialized "misdirection" skills yet developed, Kuroko was currently just weak.
Expecting him to lead a comeback was pure fantasy.
The first half quickly neared its end.
Tendou prepared to enter the court. As he stood up, he noticed Kuroko trembling slightly.
"Hey, Kuroko, you look pretty nervous."
"We're about to play. Shouldn't you be excited?"
"I...I'm sorry, Tendou-kun. Our seniors are just too strong," Kuroko murmured softly.
Kuroko understood his own level clearly.
His passion for basketball wouldn't lose to anyone, but when it came to skill, he was just as confident that no one was weaker than himself.
Tendou knew this perfectly, but he confidently stretched his legs, placing his hands on his knees to warm up casually.
"That's all?"
"Hm? Tendou-kun, you're not nervous at all?"
"Of course not!" Tendou declared enthusiastically. "Because I'm the strongest!"