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

For Seiho Middle School, there was no time to dwell on that stolen pass,

Because Teiko's No.12 had already begun charging down the court.

The failed face-off against Teiko's ace had left Hirai Riku visibly sour, and now, on defense, he was sticking to Shigure like glue,

Relentless, like gum on a shoe.

But Shigure Akihito didn't care who was guarding him.

In truth, it didn't matter who it was, at least, no one from Seiho posed any real threat to him.

Not a single player gave him that oppressive sense of danger that came from facing someone like Nijimura Shuzo.

Whoosh!

Shigure made a fairly routine pass, then slipped around a screen and popped out beyond the arc.

Despite his solo-dominant presence since subbing in, his offensive approach never looked selfish or reckless.

In fact, to the crowd, it seemed like this guy actually knew how to leverage his teammates on offense, even if, at its core, it was all still in service of his own scoring.

But for those on the Teiko bench who'd played in previous games with Shigure, they knew the truth:

This wasn't just a "smart" playstyle.

This was part of a system,

A deliberate strategy focused on three-point shooting.

Because they were chasing the score, Shigure had brought out a specialized weapon for the occasion,

Off-ball movement and catch-and-shoot offense.

Whether this was something he'd practiced earlier or developed later didn't really matter.

What mattered was that, clearly, this wasn't his go-to.

If this were a normal game, chances were, by this point, Shigure would've just charged in and dunked the whole court into submission.

Relentless, rim-rattling dunks, that kind of domination.

So, most assumed that Shigure already had this weapon in his arsenal…

He'd just kept it stashed away, either because he never needed it, or never liked using it.

On the court,

Shigure Akihito's familiar pattern unfolded again:

Full-speed off-ball cut,

Then a catch from the second-string point guard,

Leading into his signature:

"Stationary Soft Three: Lateral Stepback Jumper" as the core attack.

As Shigure accelerated around the screen and received the pass, Hirai Riku kept up the pursuit.

Compared to his teammates before, Hirai's positioning wasn't as easily broken.

Watching him now, hands high, knees bent, carefully spacing himself to contest the shot or react to a lateral stepback,

Shigure's lips curled into a faint smile.

Not bad.

As expected of Seiho's ace, his defense was solid.

But,

Shigure's offense, centered around the "Stationary Soft Three: Lateral Stepback Jumper," had layers beyond what met the eye.

His entire approach had been inspired by one of the "Uncrowned Five Kings", Reo Mibuchi.

Of course, Mibuchi was still just a first-year at this point, and probably hadn't developed his famous three-shot techniques yet.

But eventually, Mibuchi would master three distinct shooting styles:

Heaven's Shot – A high-arcing fadeaway to evade blocks

Earth's Shot – A pump fake into a squat, then a foul-drawing jumper for a possible 3+1

Void Shot – A deceptive low-squat release that delays the defender's jump and creates shooting space

Mibuchi adapted based on his defender's rhythm:

Too slow? Void Shot.

Too aggressive? Earth's Shot.

Perfectly balanced? He'd punish you with a Heavenly fadeaway.

The nightmare of guarding him was always about timing,

You could never guess when to jump.

What Shigure took from this…

Was distance.

After a full-speed off-ball cut, if the defender was too far, he'd cancel the fake and shoot a clean catch-and-shoot.

If the defender was too close, overly wary of the follow-up shot, he'd transition right into the lateral behind-the-back dribble for the full Lateral Stepback Jumper.

But when the defender's distance was just right,

Like now,

Shigure had another move up his sleeve, inspired by Mibuchi's "Heaven's Shot," and evolved from his own "Soft Drive & Pull-Up" technique:

Charged Stepback Jumper.

It required a bit more ball-handling than Mibuchi's style, but the essence remained, a clean fadeaway.

Catch-and-shoot.

Lateral stepback.

Vertical fadeaway.

Trying to guard all three at once, without Shigure's same athleticism, was borderline impossible.

And so,

As Hirai held his ground after the catch, refusing to bite on the shot fake, Shigure responded immediately:

Behind-the-back step to the side!

Interrupted the fake,

Activated "Mochizuki Step"!

Before even completing the full move, he gathered, used the momentum, and,

Fired a fadeaway jumper!

A flawless combo,

Smooth as silk.

As expected,

Hirai Riku, trapped by the threat of the first two moves, maintained cautious spacing. He managed to survive the initial fake and stuck with the lateral stepback.

But the very next moment,

It was like he'd been nailed to the floor.

Frozen, he could only watch from a distance as Shigure floated backward into his shot.

And deep in his chest, Hirai couldn't stop the thought:

"What the hell..."

Swish, !

The net snapped crisply,

Another splashdown from Shigure Akihito.

To be continued...