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

[Name: Shigure Akihito]

[Position: Point Guard / Shooting Guard / Small Forward]

[School: Teiko Middle School (First Year)]

[Height: 176 cm]

[Rank: D]

[Offensive Stats]

Close-Range Shot: 80

Mid-Range Shot: 105

Three-Point Shot: 105

Dunk: 99

Layup: 96

[General Stats]

Passing & Ball Control: 95 → 103

Strength: 78

Composure Under Pressure: 78

Vertical: 100

Stamina: 87

Dribbling: 77 → 84

[Defensive Stats]

Rebounding: 88

Shot Block: 86

Contest: 80

Steal: 85 → 97

[Unlocked Dunk Profile Players: Basic Profile "Godai Tomokazu," Basic Profile "Kiyota Nobunaga," Basic Profile "Uekusa Tomoyuki"]

[Godai Tomokazu's Skills:

Moonstep Pullback

Static Soft Three: Side-Step Jumper

Drive & Soft Shot: Charged Stepback Jumper

Full-Speed Drive

Intercepted Pass Defense

Ultimate: "Frozen Moment]

[Kiyota Nobunaga's Skills:

Airborne Block

Pullback Burst

Follow-through Layup

Poster Dunk

Monkey Step

Ultimate: Reverse Windmill Slam]

[Uekusa Tomoyuki's Skills:

Moving Pass

Possession Steal

Reverse Layup

Stealth Intercept

Evasive Drive

Ultimate: Diving Steal

At this stage, three of Shigure Akihito's core stats had improved significantly since joining the team.

The stat boosts were thanks to unlocking the Basic Profile Player "Uekusa Tomoyuki," whom he acquired using player coins earned from solo challenges against First Team members and external training matches.

And on top of that

He had just activated two evolved talent skills.

[Static Soft Three: Side-Step Jumper – When in acceleration, activating this move makes the user pause for a fake shot upon receiving the ball, bait the defender into jumping, then pivot and execute a lateral pullback jumper.]

[Drive & Soft Shot: Charged Stepback Jumper – When used during a Moonstep, the user pauses to charge up, then follows with a leaning stepback shot.]

Since he lacked enough upgrade cards to fully evolve his profile and boost his base stats further, Shigure had used his talent cards to unlock two carefully chosen skills focused on creating space for shooting.

One:

A lateral side-step after receiving the ball to open a shooting window.

The other:

A vertical stepback to create room for a clean jumper.

These two new tools significantly enhanced the versatility of his jump shot arsenal. If he went head-to-head with Nijimura Shuzo again, Shigure was confident he'd no longer get locked down as easily as before.

What's more

The newly unlocked "Uekusa Tomoyuki" perfectly matched his needs, packed with stealing techniques that compensated for Shigure's lack of experience and defensive technique in 1v1 matchups.

As the fourth quarter began, Shigure Akihito quickly reviewed his current capabilities against a 27-point deficit, gauging the possibility of a full comeback.

Then

He stepped onto the court without hesitation.

By now, his teammates were already positioned at the baseline, ready to inbound the ball.

Shigure took his spot quickly, radiating confidence with every step. But really, what was there to gauge? He needed that reward, and this was his shot to earn it!

The starting spot, he had to take it!

Because...

This power surge he was experiencing?

It came only from basic profile players.

Once he completed the "Teiko Starting Lineup" mission, he'd unlock something even greater, a "Training Data Player."

In simple terms:

It was like unlocking an upgraded version of the same player.

Think of it like the difference between Spiky-Haired Sakuragi and Bald Sakuragi, that kind of jump.

And if the "basic profile players" were already this powerful…

Then a "Training Data Player"?

That's basically rocket fuel.

Beyond that,

Shigure was also eager to find out:

Just how far could he go now? What was his limit?

He looked up.

Toward the scoreboard at the edge of the court:

Seiho vs. Teiko , 83:56

Middle school games had only 10-minute quarters.

Which meant, ten minutes from now, it would be over.

This was a hopeless scenario deliberately engineered by Platinum Coach Shiraishi, and Shigure knew he had to go all out.

Meanwhile...

On the second-floor stands of Seiho's training gym,

Students had flooded the bleachers to watch the game. The moment they saw Teiko finally send in a player wearing a First Team jersey, chatter immediately broke out.

"So arrogant! Only showing up now?"

"Right? They're down 33 points, this game's over!"

"Tch, let's see if Teiko can even stop the bleeding. If they don't widen the gap further, I'll be impressed."

"But seriously... who is that guy? Never seen him before!"

Back on court,

Amid the noise, Shigure Akihito rushed toward the point guard who had advanced the ball past half-court and called for the ball.

His position: top of the arc.

Swish!

Shigure's presence was now undeniable. Even though the other players on court were all upperclassmen, the moment they saw him ask for the ball, none hesitated.

One pass, clean and immediate.

And after passing, the point guard promptly cleared to the right wing, opening up space for Shigure.

Because,

Shigure Akihito…

Had recently achieved something indisputable:

A flawless win streak in solo-led external matches.

Plus, Coach Platinum's words hadn't exactly been whispered.

Everyone on the bench had heard:

"If you can do it, I'll consider giving you a starting spot~"

So it was clear,

Coach Platinum was seriously betting that this rookie monster of a first-year could claw them back from this 30+ point pit in just one quarter.