Kuroko’s Basketball: Before Generation Miracles, I Already Crowned

In April, Shigure Akihito and Nijimura Shuzo joined the Teiko Middle School basketball team. That very same day, they were both placed directly into the First Team. Within about two weeks, they each received their official starting jerseys.

As for the pinnacle of middle school basketball competitions, the event known simply as "Zenchu", short for Zenkoku Chugako Basketball (The National Middle School Basketball Championship) it would officially kick off every year in August.

Of course

That start date only applied to the teams that had made it to the national stage.

Before that, every region had to first hold its own Zenchu regional qualifiers. Only the teams that emerged victorious from these preliminary tournaments would earn the right to step onto the national court at the end of summer.

And compared to the limited 24 teams who made it to nationals, the regional qualifiers were far larger in scale and dragged on over a longer period of time.

Starting in July, the grueling series of matchups would gradually unfold over nearly a full month.

Which meant

From April to July

The tight time frame alone made it clear just how difficult it was for first-years to earn a starting spot in time for Zenchu, let alone outshine their second- and third-year seniors in such a short window.

But of course

Shigure Akihito was clearly an exception.

From the moment he joined the club to when he received his starting jersey, and now with time ticking forward, nearly another month had passed. While Zenchu had yet to begin

Shigure knew with absolute certainty: he wouldn't be missing it.

And neither would Nijimura.

The proof?

Lately, he and Nijimura had been frequently dispatched to represent Teiko in external practice matches, at an obviously increased rate. Even more telling was how often they were being sent to lead teams independently.

And with that independence came assignments handed out by the coaches.

Assignments that

Even if they weren't difficult, the coaches would go out of their way to make difficult.

To the point of being absurd.

Just like now,

Shigure Akihito was seated on the bench,

Watching as Teiko's Second Team produced an utterly atrocious scoreline on court, his whole expression shaded with exasperation.

Teiko vs. Seiho Middle School.

It was the end of the third quarter, and on Seiho's home court, Teiko was trailing by a staggering 27 points.

With the scoreline that lopsided, the outcome of the game seemed all but certain. Seiho was on the verge of sealing a resounding win against Teiko, a prestigious school, right at the start of the new academic year.

Inside Seiho's training gym, the crowd buzzed with celebration over what looked like an effortless victory. Yet amidst the cheers and clapping, Seiho's head coach alone wore a puzzled frown.

"This isn't right…"

"This really isn't right."

"That coach, Platinum Shiraishi, the very man who built Teiko's basketball empire, he's here in person, coaching this match himself. There's no way it ends like this..."

"But more than anything…"

"That kid who's been sitting on the bench the whole time, the unfamiliar First Team regular. What's up with him? By Teiko's usual standards, he should've gone in to stop the bleeding long ago…"

"Teiko's entire philosophy is 'Victory above all.' They wouldn't just hand over a win, not even for a practice game."

"Otherwise, "

"What's the point of sending one of their starters with the team?"

The Seiho coach was clearly caught between hope and dread.

After all, even if this was just a training match, beating Teiko, even their Second Team, was an enormous confidence boost, especially going into the Zenchu prelims. They were leading by 27 points after three quarters, it was a near blowout.

At the very least, this proved one thing: after a year of relentless hard work, this year's Seiho team far outclassed Teiko's Second Team. And judging by this overwhelming lead, maybe, just maybe, they could even challenge a Teiko starter or two.

But still,

Coach Shiraishi was here. In person.

And that unnerving starter sitting calmly on the bench, not even warming up, only deepened the unease in Seiho's coach's heart.

Meanwhile,

Over at Teiko's bench,

The Second Team players who had just come off court were completely silent. A 27-point gap with just one quarter left? Almost impossible to close.

Two of the third-year mainstays were sitting there, shoulders heaving with heavy breaths, hands trembling faintly. Their eyes were red-rimmed, and their expressions grew increasingly hollow.

They knew,

They'd completely blown it in front of the team's head coach.

So much for trying to use this opportunity to get promoted to the First Team before Zenchu. That dream was done for. And at a place like Teiko, if they actually lost the match? Forget promotion, they'd be lucky not to get demoted to the Third Team.

Shigure Akihito swept his gaze over the bench.

Not a single familiar face.

Which meant he had zero motivation to offer encouragement.

More importantly, he was already pretty sure of it, Coach Shiraishi's personal appearance today?

It wasn't just for show.

It was to turn up the pressure, on him.

And sure enough,

Just as the third quarter break came to a close,

Coach Shiraishi, who hadn't spared Shigure so much as a glance until now, suddenly turned his head.

His eyes locked directly onto Shigure.

"Shigure."

"You're up."

"We're a bit behind, but, "

"If you can turn this around, I might consider giving you a starting spot~"

The moment those words landed, Shigure shot up from the bench like a spring, blood surging to his head. It wasn't that the starting position was irresistibly enticing,

But the system had just triggered a mission that fit the situation exactly.

[Current Glory Road Mission: "Teiko Starting Five"]

[Mission Objective: Secure your place in Teiko's starting lineup and appear in no fewer than 5 matches as a starter during the Zenchu tournament]

[Reward: Random 'Training Data Player']