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

Oya Shun looked up, his eyes catching the bright white lights above.

How was he supposed to describe how he felt in this moment?

Going into this game, against a fellow semifinalist from last year, he hadn't even entertained the possibility of losing. After a year of relentless training, he was confident he could make a statement.

And yet reality had slapped him square across the face.

The rest of Teiko's players were about what he'd expected.

But those two newcomers...

Against them, maybe losing was inevitable.

After all, the gap in strength was clear just from the fact that those two alone had scored seventy percent of Teiko's points in the first three quarters. Players like that… they were simply not on the same level as anyone from Yamanoshima.

Two players from the legendary powerhouse Teiko had dominated the scoreboard, before the third quarter even ended.

There were no words for it.

Still… that didn't make it any less frustrating.

Last year's crushing defeat had driven him to train harder than ever, yet the moment this year's opening match began, he was overwhelmed. No matter how he looked at it, it felt like a mockery of everything he'd worked for.

Smack,

Just then, Yamanoshima's captain came over.

"Oya…"

"It's time to go shake hands."

Oya Shun lifted his head and looked toward the group of players in white Teiko jerseys gathered at midcourt. He followed his captain over, lining up with his team to complete the post-game formalities.

Before leaving, Yamanoshima's coach glanced over at Teiko's #7 and #8. Now that he knew their names, Shigure Akihito and Nijimura Shuzo, he could only shake his head with a faint, helpless smile.

So it wasn't just the players who were monsters…

Even their coach, the elusive Platinum Supervisor, was absurdly good.

Aside from the grand opening on the first day, the National Middle School Championship spanned three days, with two matches scheduled daily. After their battle against Yamanoshima, Teiko was set to face a team from Chiba, Murano-dai Junior High, in the afternoon.

It was still a group-stage match, but if Teiko won, they'd advance to the elimination rounds as the top seed in their group.

Until then, Teiko had the better part of a free half-day to observe the competition.

And as Shigure knew, Nijimura was someone who loved scouting opponents.

Coincidentally…

Shigure also had a few players he was eager to check out.

First-years like him,

The Uncrowned Kings.

He'd already seen Hayama Kotarō of Chōgen International in a previous scrimmage. Back then, Hayama had displayed the prototype of his "Lightning Dribble", something more like a crude version of his current speed-dribble.

Honestly, it hadn't left a strong impression.

That overly energetic guy had even been obliterated by Nijimura in a one-on-one for running his mouth.

Nijimura Shuzo: "?"

Nijimura Shuzo: "Huh? What's up?"

Naturally, Shigure wasn't about to say he wanted to scout the Uncrowned Kings. He simply said he had a few interesting players in mind to observe, and then...

He caught Nijimura's sharp, hawk-like gaze.

"They strong?"

...

Thinking of Hayama's last performance, Shigure thought to himself: Well... not necessarily?

Still, Nijimura seemed intrigued. After all, most of the time, Shigure just wandered around aimlessly whenever they had scouting opportunities.

This was the first time he'd seen him actively seek out anyone.

And so,

Before the afternoon game began, Shigure brought it up to Nijimura, and soon enough, the two of them were wandering around the venue together.

What neither of them expected was that…

The Uncrowned Kings would soon be holding a grand, chaotic gathering of their own, outside the gym.

The first person they ran into was an old acquaintance, Hayama Kotarō.

It was, quite literally, a collision.

They were heading up the stairs to the second-floor spectator gallery when they heard rapid footsteps coming from above.

"Sorry~"

"Sorry~"

"I'm in a hurry~"

Whoosh, !

A blur in a Chōgen uniform launched down the staircase, like a monkey mid-leap, attempting to vault over both Shigure and Nijimura.

That blur?

None other than Hayama Kotarō, the loudmouthed kid who'd once disrespected their upperclassmen.

"Still as rude as ever…" Nijimura muttered. "Walk like a normal human being!"

Whoosh, crack!

"Eh?!"

Time seemed to slow for Hayama as he descended.

Just as he was about to clear the two of them, a hand shot out and grabbed him by the collar, yanking him clean out of the air,

WHAM!

, and slammed him down onto the staircase railing.

Shigure Akihito: "..."

Holy crap!

Nijimura's practically a martial artist!

He just one-handed that monkey out of the air and subdued him like a pro.

RIP future Haizaki Shōgo…

You're in for one hell of a time.

Flailing around, Hayama looked up, right into the sharp, lion-like eyes of Nijimura. His wild leopard-print hair flung around with every movement.

"Nijimura!"

"What the hell, man?!"

"Eh~ and Shigure too…"

"You freaks are both here?! Let go, I'm seriously in a rush~!"

Smack,

Nijimura let him go.

And sure enough, Hayama really was in a hurry. He didn't even bother complaining about being manhandled. Slinging his bag over one shoulder, he vaulted straight over the stairs,

, and landed perfectly below, then darted off again like his tail was on fire.

Shigure glanced down and shook his head. "You were spot on, Nijimura. That guy really is just like a monkey."

"I'm gonna follow him," he added. "He's actually one of the ones I'm curious about."

As expected,

The moment Shigure said that, Nijimura's interest level dropped by half.

"Him? Seriously?"

Still, curiosity got the better of him, and Nijimura followed anyway, not because of Hayama, but because he wanted to know what the hell had that monkey rushing out of the venue so frantically.

The two of them trailed Hayama out of the gym and arrived at a large outdoor streetball court.

The place was huge.

Several courts were laid out in rows, but one of them was particularly packed, with players, spectators, and even members from various teams competing in the Nationals.

As Hayama arrived, the crowd erupted in cheers.

In the distance, a grainy-sounding DJ's voice came through the mic:

"OHHH!"

"He's here!"

"From Miyazaki's Chōgen International!"

"First-year starter…"

"Hayama Kotarō!"

Hayama's gaze swept the court and quickly locked onto two familiar second-years, clearly regulars, who were standing on the sidelines in uniform, but missing their official team jackets.

The moment they spotted Hayama, the two visibly relaxed, like lost birds returning to the nest.

Though clearly awkward, they pointed toward someone on the court and said:

"Kotarō…"

"That's the guy..."

"We didn't want to bet our team jackets, but..."

"He just wouldn't shut up."

Hayama turned to look, only to see a spindly kid who looked vaguely like a spider, sticking his tongue out at them from across the court.

He didn't even have to say a word. The sheer vibe was annoying as hell.

Just as the second-years were expecting Hayama to explode with rage, he suddenly burst out laughing.

His laugh was loud, wild, and incredibly contagious.

"Got it, senpai~"

"This sounds fun."

"You should've told me sooner~"

On the sidelines, even Shigure was caught off guard by the energy of his laugh. As he turned to see Nijimura scowling at someone on the court, he quickly clarified:

"That guy's Hanamiya Makoto~"

"He's pretty smart, rumor has it, after watching a match once, he can reproduce every move and dissect an entire team's strategy from memory."

"Also..."

"Good at interceptions and dirty tricks?"

On the court, the DJ continued:

"And now..."

"The trio from Chōgen International!"

"Will you challenge the guy who just beat your teammates?"

"But Hanamiya has one condition: it'll be 3v3."

"He says if you keep coming at him one-by-one, it's just too much trouble~"

"Of course..."

"You'll still need to wager your jackets!"

The crowd whooped in approval.

Shigure glanced at Hanamiya's smirking face, clearly, the earlier matches against Chōgen were all 1v1s. But now that Hayama had arrived, he suddenly changed it to a 3v3.

Obvious setup.

Hanamiya must have already seen Hayama play and set this trap in advance.

After all,

His favorite tactic, intercepting passes, worked best in team settings.

It was exactly the kind of move Shigure expected from him. The only question was whether Hanamiya had already begun dabbling in the crippling tactics he'd later become infamous for...

The second-years from Chōgen turned to Hayama for help.

And true to form, Hayama, who loved this kind of chaos, was all in.

Especially with that smug little bowl-cut across the court practically taunting him.

Hayama grinned and nodded.

Then paused.

It was a 3v3...

But those two second-years? Yeah, no. They weren't gonna cut it.

Just as they were about to say something, Hayama's eyes lit up. He practically skipped toward the sideline.

The second-years: "!?"

Tei…

Teiko?!

They knew those two faces anywhere, even with different jersey numbers.

Shigure Akihito and Nijimura Shuzo!

"Hey~!"

"You two wanna ball with me~?"

Nijimura didn't answer, clearly uninterested.

But Shigure first nodded, then shook his head. "We'll play, but not on your team~"

"Buuuut…"

"Here's a tip~"

"See that tall airhead from Teruyō?"

"And that other pretty boy from Senzan?"

Maybe ask them.

Kiyoshi Teppei: "...?"

Airhead?!

Mibuchi Reo: "...!?"

Pretty boy?!

The two emerged from the crowd.

Mibuchi smiled darkly. "Shigure-kun~ who were you calling a pretty boy~? I'm not that effeminate, you know~"

His drawn-out tone made Kiyoshi flinch.

Mibuchi narrowed his eyes in warning, Shigure can get away with saying that, but you better watch your mouth.

Just as he thought this, Shigure flashed a sunny smile and waved, "Hi there, Mibuchi-senpai~ I've heard your three-point shooting is awesome."

Mibuchi couldn't handle this type of energy.

"Teruyō's starting point guard, right? Kiyoshi…"

"I'm Kiyoshi Teppei."

"…Right. That."

By now, most teams had already played one match. Even if they didn't have full scouting reports, anyone who mattered, especially Shigure and Nijimura, was under heavy surveillance from the serious contenders.

Over by Hanamiya's team,

As Hayama approached Shigure and Nijimura, the bespectacled fox-like Imayoshi Shōichi standing next to Hanamiya suddenly dropped his smile.

"Well now, Hanamiya~"

"This could be trouble~"

"I get it, using the street match to shake up Chōgen before our real game is solid strategy."

"But that's Teiko's Shigure Akihito and Nijimura Shuzo over there~"

"What if you get wrecked?"

"Could mess with your afternoon form, no?"

Hanamiya shot him a glare. "You talk too much, senpai."

They spoke casually, but neither missed the serious tension in the other's eyes.

Then,

When they saw Shigure and Nijimura didn't join Hayama's team, Hanamiya looked even more annoyed.

"Teiko's monsters~"

"Not even gonna come play?"

"I kinda wanted to collect your jerseys~"

BOOM,

A wave of pressure slammed into him, and for a split second, Hanamiya saw a lion crouched on Nijimura's shoulder, ready to pounce.

Hanamiya: "!?"

What the hell was that?!

It was the first time he'd felt the wild aura of a true predator, and it wiped the usual smirk right off his face.

The pressure only faded after Shigure clapped Nijimura on the shoulder.

"Let it go~"

"If Nijimura sees your dirty playstyle, he might rip you in half on the court~"

"Besides…"

"Among all the first-years here, you're probably the weakest~"

And he wasn't wrong.

Pure skill-wise, Hanamiya was a solid point guard.

But against three of the Uncrowned Kings?

He and Imayoshi didn't stand a chance.

Hanamiya had clearly studied Hayama's play and planned around him. But Kiyoshi and Mibuchi were wild cards, he wasn't prepared for them at all.

Especially Kiyoshi, who played point guard with calm control and wide vision, shielding the ball with his hips instead of flashy dribbling.

That meant Hanamiya had very few chances to steal.

Meanwhile,

Hayama drove inside, Mibuchi splashed from deep, and Kiyoshi managed both playmaking and paint presence.

For a 3v3?

It was a dream team.

And as expected, the Uncrowned Kings' internal battle ended in a 3-on-1 victory.

"Tch~"

"That guy was planning some cheap tricks."

"But I think he held back because of his teammate with the glasses."

Shigure raised an eyebrow but didn't look at the court.

Instead, he walked toward a tall, dark-skinned boy.

Nope, not Aomine Daiki.

But a still-handsome version of Nebuyā Eikichi.

"Wanna team up, handsome~?"

At roughly 180cm, close to Kiyoshi's height, Nebuya looked over and replied:

"Sure."

"But don't expect me to pass once I grab the rebound."

End of chapter...

To be continued...

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