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

"Shigure Akihito..."

"Damn it!"

"How are we supposed to win like this?!"

The captain of Seiho Junior High chugged a mouthful of water, his heart still pounding, as he glanced toward Teiko's bench.

On the other side of the court

Hera Kuruhisa.

That's right. He was once again the one assigned to guard Shigure Akihito.

His mind was in a whirlwind, struggling to understand how Shigure's shooting form and style had changed so dramatically, and racking his brain to find a way to stop, or at least limit, him.

"Pulling up from the center circle..."

Damn it!

Just thinking about it felt surreal.

What kind of monster plays like this?

How do you even defend it?

Because of the insane distance, Shigure does need time to gather power. You could try to step up, but his driving ability, plus Teiko's off-ball screens, are no joke either.

Get too close, and he'll immediately blow past you to the rim for a dunk. Or worse, he'll hit one of those eerily smooth jumpers where time itself seems to slow down, sinking mid-range threes that feel like magic.

But if you back off…

Normally, for someone pulling up from that far, you could just let them shoot.

But this is Shigure Akihito.

Even from the center circle, his accuracy is terrifyingly high.

You can't leave him open!

Now that he's added this insane ultra-long-range three-pointer to his arsenal, Shigure's entire shooting game has leveled up.

He's on another tier.

One quarter, and we were already turned into Swiss cheese out there!

"Senpai," someone on the bench suddenly piped up, "did anyone else notice? Shigure's ultra-long-range threes all seem to come from the same spots where he previously made a shot."

"And whenever he misses one, the next time, he shoots from wherever he last made the previous ultra-long one, it's like he's following some fixed pattern."

"It's as if…"

"Those crazy long-range shots can only be made from where he already hit one. Or at least, that's where he feels confident pulling the trigger."

Suddenly,

A player from the bench spoke up, voicing a strange pattern he'd noticed from watching Shigure closely.

Everyone frowned at his words.

Now that he mentioned it…

It really did seem that way.

"So, what you're saying is, if we can force him off the spot where he hit his last ultra-long three, we might be able to stop him from shooting again from there?" another bench player followed up.

Hera Kuruhisa: "..."

Yeah, if only it were that easy.

Second Quarter

Teiko made no changes to their starting lineup.

Coach Naoto Sanada was fully focused, watching the game intently. More precisely, he was watching Shigure Akihito, who had suddenly revealed a whole new skillset in the first quarter.

Every so often, he'd pull out a small notebook and jot something down.

Then, suddenly,

A sharp clang!

Shigure's ultra-long three clanked off the rim after he shook off his defender with a flashy dribble.

But,

In Seiho's paint, Teiko's captain, Masaki Ōkura, extended his long arms past Seiho's center, who had barely noticed what hit him.

Boom, !

A massive jolt knocked the Seiho center off balance.

"My rebound!"

Smack, !

One arm snatched the ball out of the air and pulled it tightly into his chest.

Of course, the Seiho center knew who was behind him, none other than the stern-faced captain of Teiko, the same guy who muttered "terrifying" to himself every time he moved.

Others might not realize it, but as a fellow center, he could clearly feel that Masaki Ōkura wasn't even going all out.

Which is why, the moment he heard that familiar voice, he instinctively adjusted his footing, and the second he felt power return to his legs, he spun around to recover on defense.

But,

What he saw next stunned him.

Ōkura didn't go up with the ball.

Instead, after grabbing the rebound, he kicked it out.

And who else would be there to receive it but Teiko's ever-present phantom, Nijimura Shuzō, who always seemed to be exactly where he needed to be.

Catch…

Quick pass!

Target,

Shigure Akihito, who'd just curled around a screen and was waiting, unguarded, near the center circle!

Smack, !

Catch!

A 45-degree angle shot, right from the edge of the half-court line!

Swish, !

Right through the net!

Moments later,

It all began to spiral out of control again.

Shigure's three-pointers began raining in succession!

And the theory Seiho had formed, that he could only make long-range shots from previously successful spots, was completely shattered.

Why?

Because,

He didn't have just one mark.

[God's Domain]: After hitting a three-pointer, a "divine mark" is left on that spot. While standing on the mark, three-point accuracy increases. If a shot is missed from the mark, it disappears. Two marks can exist at the same time (more if skill tree is upgraded).

Right now, there were two marks on the court.

Which meant,

Even from ultra-long distance, Shigure had two hot zones with increased shooting accuracy, mitigating the natural decline in percentage from deep range.

On the sideline,

Coach Sanada quickly updated his notes.

"Shigure Akihito's ultra-long-range three-pointer…"

"Extreme range… just before the center circle."

"Accuracy… although slightly variable, overall it's nearly as high as his normal shots. Once he hits one, he tends to chain multiple."

"Flaw…"

"His shooting locations are a bit too fixed. Maximum of two marks at once…"

Before they knew it, another half-quarter had passed.

While Shigure rained threes from beyond comprehension, Nijimura Shuzō couldn't stay silent any longer.

In Seiho's paint,

Nijimura rose high.

Since joining the team, he too had evolved tremendously, not just Shigure.

For example,

His vertical.

Driving into the paint, Nijimura kept a calm expression, but the Seiho center's face twitched involuntarily.

And he had every reason to.

Besides Shigure's three-point barrage, Teiko's second-quarter offense had leaned heavily on Nijimura's penetration and kick-outs.

The guy had baited him countless times, drawing him in, only to zip a pass down low for an easy score.

And now, after just a slight hesitation, Nijimura went up himself!

Midair, his right arm cocked back like a drawn scimitar.

A motion Teiko players knew all too well, aside from slightly less height, it was identical to Shigure's signature dunk.

BOOM, !

One-arm hammer!

The rim snapped back violently.

A brief silence swept through the crowd…

Then,

The entire gym exploded.

"You've got to be kidding…"

"What the hell is with Teiko?"

"Number 7 and Number 8 can both throw it down like that?!"

"Still not as crazy as #7 though. Back when they played Dainita, his poster dunk was insane! Dude nearly tore the rim off!"

Even people who'd never played a single game in their lives could feel the explosive power of that dunk.

Nijimura's sudden strike had set the arena ablaze.

Chaos erupted,

Nijimura hung on the rim, face cold but thoughtful.

Still, he let go much faster than Shigure usually did.

"So this is it…"

"No wonder that guy never gets tired of dunking."

He glanced toward the shocked expressions of their opponents, muttering to himself as his eyes shifted to the rim, more specifically, to the part where the rim met the backboard.

A spark lit in his long, narrow eyes…

Then, as quickly as it came, he extinguished it with a shake of his head.

"Trying to out-dunk Shigure…"

"When did I start acting like an idiot?"

"Tch."

Nijimura clicked his tongue at his own foolishness, while Seiho's players stood frozen by the devastating blow.

In basketball, momentum is a real and powerful thing, often deciding the game's outcome.

And now, it was painfully obvious,

Seiho had none.

From the start, they had no belief in victory.

Now?

The perimeter belonged to the monster Shigure Akihito, raining threes without pause.

The paint was ruled by another monster, Nijimura Shuzō, orchestrating chaos with drives, passes, finishes, and rim attacks.

Then came that moment, Nijimura's solo annihilation of Seiho's center, and with it, the entire crowd erupted.

It was the final straw.

Even the slimmest glimmer of hope within Seiho's hearts was crushed.

Tweet, !

As Seiho mentally surrendered,

Garbage time passed quickly, and the final buzzer echoed.

Teiko vs. Seiho

141:46

This time,

Fueled by Shigure Akihito's three-point barrage, Teiko truly hit the triple score margin.

At the final handshake at midcourt, neither Shigure nor Nijimura were present, they had been subbed out long ago.

But the Seiho players couldn't help glancing toward the bench.

Shigure Akihito noticed and walked over to shake their hands.

Nijimura, frowning slightly at the gesture, turned and walked away.

Watching his retreating figure, Shigure paused for a moment.

And so did the Seiho players.

End of chapter...

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