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

The next day marked the opening of the National Junior Championship.

Even with three hours to go before tip-off, the spectator stands were already packed to the brim.

As the players emerged from the locker rooms and stepped through the tunnel into the arena, Teiko Junior High and their opponent for today, Yamanoshima Junior High, came into the spotlight. Each player's expression was focused, eyes ablaze with fighting spirit.

All around them,

The murmurs of the crowd filled the stadium.

In this charged atmosphere, Teiko's first national game was about to begin.

"How far will Yamanoshima make it this year?"

"I'm looking forward to it."

On the sidelines, reporters from weekly sports magazines were equally excited as they watched both teams warm up.

"Yamanoshima made the Final Four last year. Their strength should be comparable to Teiko's, right?"

"Not quite."

"There's still a clear gap in strength."

"Especially considering Teiko faced Okayama in last year's semifinals."

"And this year's Teiko isn't the same as last year's. Those two first-years, #7, Shigure Akihito, and #8, Nijimura Shuzo, even without seeing them live, their stats alone are terrifying."

The "Teiko Twin Stars", that's been the hottest topic among basketball reporters these past few days.

After all, Shigure's consistent 40-point average over just three quarters, paired with Nijimura's near triple-doubles in the same span, were downright jaw-dropping.

And they were still just first-years.

The crowd erupted into scattered debates about the rumored strength of the Twin Stars. The chatter grew louder, each opinion more animated than the last.

Soon, the warm-up time ended.

Back on Teiko's bench, all eyes turned to Coach Platinum Kozo.

With his usual serene smile, Platinum Kozo said, "Stick to the rhythm we had during the qualifiers. I'm confident, this year's team is the strongest."

"Let's take our first win on the national stage today... and go all the way to the championship!"

"Yes, sir!" everyone replied in unison.

The five starting players stepped onto the court.

"Shigure."

"Nijimura."

Just then, Platinum Kozo called out to them.

Shigure Akihito turned back with a questioning glance.

"I'm looking forward to your scoring performance, Shigure-kun."

"And Nijimura-kun, to your ability to connect and orchestrate the team like a rainbow," he added sincerely, clearly placing great expectations on them.

Shigure gave a subtle nod. He had to admit, Coach Platinum had a way of instilling trust. That feeling of being relied on... it wasn't bad at all.

Making an "OK" gesture, Shigure responded with a composed, even breezy tone, "Alright, then. Watch me work. Ten threes should be more than enough to put them away~"

With that, he turned and walked calmly onto the court.

Coach Platinum blinked for a second, then smiled wryly at Nijimura's speechless expression. "Don't lose to him, Nijimura."

,

As Shigure stepped onto the court, a familiar system prompt echoed in his mind.

[Current "Path of Glory" Mission: 'First National Victory']

[Objective: Help Teiko secure their first national win (Score at least 40 points)]

[Reward: 4x Designated Talent Unlock Cards]

His eyes lit up at the system prompt, he knew it. There was no way the system would ignore the Nationals.

Designated talent unlock cards!

Now that was sweet.

Four free skills, just like that. It'd save him a mountain of resources.

Just as expected,

The Nationals were on another level.

The reward was rich enough to push his strength even further. His ambition flickered in his eyes, he was going to become even stronger.

By then, both teams' starting lineups had taken their positions.

Teiko kept the same lineup as they used in the qualifiers.

As for Yamanoshima,

According to the third-years, last year's Final Four team had four strong players, with only their center being slightly weaker.

Tweet, !

The referee blew the opening whistle.

Yamanoshima's center leapt for the ball against Ōkura Masaaki.

Thwack!

With superior athleticism and timing, Ōkura easily tipped the ball to his side.

Egaba Masatoshi caught it, pushed it past half-court, and passed to Utsumi Masahiko at the top of the arc.

This was where Utsumi and Ōkura's high pick-and-roll came into play, a classic third-year Teiko combo, aside from the new first-years Shigure and Nijimura.

Ōkura's reliable midrange shooting gave him a versatile threat after screening and popping out.

Utsumi, meanwhile, could drive, pull up, or dish it back to Ōkura for the jumper or let him roll in for a layup.

This time, Utsumi chose to drive hard into the paint.

Yamanoshima's wings fell back, executing an aggressive triple-team trap on Utsumi.

They clearly saw the third-year small forward as the primary threat over the two unknown first-years.

Especially his ability to drive.

No matter how the game evolved, Yamanoshima always had two defenders shadow Utsumi.

Why not double-team Ōkura, the obviously stronger center?

Simple,

Yamanoshima's interior lacked the personnel, and Ōkura was a center. Containing Teiko's passing lanes also limited Ōkura's impact.

Utsumi, finding himself swarmed by three defenders, stayed cool. In fact, he seemed to enjoy it.

Since those two monsters joined the team, he hadn't gotten this kind of defensive attention in the qualifiers for a while.

Boom, !

He leapt up!

A feint in the air, then dished it off to the incoming Nijimura.

Hmm…

Truthfully, he wanted to skip straight to the final pass.

But just like Yamanoshima, he didn't have the pinpoint ability to laser a pass across a double-team, fortunately, he had Nijimura as a relay. The result would be just as good.

Whoosh, !

Nijimura caught and immediately passed.

Shigure received the ball in the right corner.

Almost wide open.

[Kamizō Ichirō's Catch-and-Shoot Three: When prepped at the arc, jump and release instantly upon receiving the ball.]

Under the crowd's curious gazes, the moment Teiko #7's shot left his hand, a familiar face, Utsumi Masahiko, had already raised his hands in celebration.

He knew.

The only reason Yamanoshima dared to trap him like that was because they didn't understand the new Teiko.

Naturally so, with the tight schedule, the Nationals had begun right after the qualifiers. Even national sports weeklies hadn't gathered full data on every team. Most schools only heard vague rumors about Teiko.

And to avoid early upsets, most teams focused solely on their own qualifier prep.

So Yamanoshima likely assumed Teiko lacked a consistent perimeter shooter, hence their willingness to gamble on the trap.

But this time was different. With Shigure Akihito as their steady three-point threat, any trap, no matter who it was aimed at, would come at a steep price.

Swish, !

Nothing but net.

Shigure glanced sideways at Utsumi's premature celebration and looked speechless.

He made the shot, but someone else was soaking up the style points.

Yet as the ball sank through the net, just as Utsumi had predicted, the crowd gasped in unison.

He really called it?!

"Beautiful three!"

"He jumped the moment he caught the ball! So quick!"

"Teiko opens with a triple!"

"Utsumi started celebrating before the shot even went in. He must really trust #7's shot. But who is #7? I didn't see him on the bench last year."

"I'm from the Tokyo division, he's a first-year."

Then,

The familiar gasps rolled through the crowd.

Teiko's local fans wore satisfied smiles.

Heh,

It's finally your turn,

Let everyone else witness the little shockwave from our Tokyo boys!

,

Score: 3–0. Teiko took the early lead.

Yamanoshima quickly regrouped and inbounded. Their point guard brought it up, raised his hand, signaling a play.

The power forward came up to screen, just as Ōkura had done before.

Teiko knew the play well and didn't overreact. Egaba Masatoshi slipped the screen and chased the ball-handler.

He was 175cm, same height as Nijimura.

Sure, Nijimura could play power forward at that height, he was a freak. Egaba wasn't. If he switched onto a PF, he'd get bulldozed.

Still, he stuck with the chase.

Yamanoshima's PG relied on speed.

Driving to the paint, he baited Ōkura over for help defense.

Whoosh,

Suddenly, he lobbed the ball into the air.

Yamanoshima's center soared, grabbed the ball with both hands, and smashed it downward.

But in the next second,

Boom, !

Under the basket,

A flash of white streaked through the paint!

That figure made a strange side-hop from the right lane,

Yamanoshima's lob connection was violently denied by a vicious, volleyball-style block that rocketed the ball off the center's body and far, far out of bounds!

The sheer force didn't just knock Yamanoshima's center flying, it sent the ball hurtling toward the sideline,

Crash!

It barely missed a press photographer's head and obliterated the sponsor board!

Reporters blinked out of their daze behind their giant camera lenses, nervously glancing at the wreckage beside them.

In that instant,

Not just the players,

Even the crowd sat stunned.

'Kiyota Nobunaga's Monkey-Hop' + 'Sendō Akira's Volleyball Block'!

[Volleyball Block: Leap and strike down the opponent's shot with the force and motion of a volleyball spike.]

If Kiyota's "Flying Block" emphasized verticality and bounce, then Sendō's version prioritized sheer power.

Against a center, the latter was the obvious choice,

And the more intimidating one.

As the violent impact settled, the arena erupted into cheers.

Yamanoshima's coach looked visibly shaken. He knew their center was their weakest link, but he hadn't expected him to be manhandled by Teiko's shooting guard.

At the same time,

He realized,

Teiko #7, in just the opening minutes, had hit a three and delivered a monstrous block.

This was no ordinary first-timer on the national stage!

"Get your heads in the game! Defend like you mean it!" the coach roared.

"Are you seriously going to lose to a rookie?!"

The block had clearly last touched Yamanoshima, so Teiko inbounded.

Egaba crossed half-court, feinted a look toward Utsumi, then suddenly passed to Nijimura.

Nijimura slashed into the paint.

Simultaneously, Shigure sprinted through a cross-screen back to the same corner where he had just hit his three.

Just as he arrived, Nijimura's pass whooshed in, a testament to his incredible court vision and pinpoint accuracy.

Smack,

Shigure caught it.

Their SG came charging out of the screen, radiating menace.

But,

Standing in his "Zone of the God of Three," where he had just nailed one, Shigure ignored the defense and pulled the trigger.

Clang, !

The ball rattled out, so close, but not quite.

Shigure blinked. "...?"

Just a hair off.

Compared to the qualifiers, national-level defense applied significantly more pressure.

His "Kamizō Ichirō's Divine Domain I" wasn't yet strong enough to guarantee a hit under such conditions.

Ironically, his cautious choice to shoot from the corner had backfired, the space was too tight. He'd have been better off launching from midcourt.

As he thought this, the opposing SG waved his arms and barked, "You got lucky with that first one! Try shooting another three over me!"

Teiko's players gave him weird looks.

Shigure just shrugged and jogged back on defense.

,

On Yamanoshima's bench, the coach exhaled. He murmured, half to himself, as if trying to convince himself:

"See? That was too casual. That last shot, no way it was a good look."

"Teiko actually has a player who jacks up threes like that?"

"Tch, Coach Platinum must be getting old."

"A three-point shooter who doesn't understand timing is a liability. They waste possessions."

"As long as we keep up our defense, that #7 won't be a threat, "

Just as he finished, Yamanoshima's small forward received a pass on the weak side and calmly sank a long two-pointer.

The coach looked visibly relieved.

But then,

On Teiko's next possession, the ball went from Ōkura to Nijimura...

Yamanoshima's coach frowned.

Something felt off.

Teiko was… waiting for something?

Then he spotted #7, casually drifting near midcourt, nearly two meters behind the arc, and his eyes widened.

You've got to be kidding!

Clearly,

From the very start, Teiko's entire offense had been built around Shigure Akihito.

Nijimura passed it back.

Even the spectators were stunned.

They had never seen a shooting guard loiter so far out during an offensive set.

Yet… the team passed it right back to him?

And now…

He was about to shoot from midcourt?!

Shigure caught the ball and, without hesitation, pulled up,

Midcourt.

Wide open.

"He's going for another three?! From there?!"

"He already forced one earlier under pressure, and now he's shooting from center court?! Is he crazy?!"

"These kinds of reckless shots destroy team rhythm and morale!"

"Seriously, what is Teiko thinking?"

The crowd burst into chatter. Many were Teiko fans from other regions, and their faces showed confusion and disappointment.

But then,

In the very next instant,

The ball arced perfectly across the sky, slicing through the air before dropping straight through the net with a crisp swish.

The net rippled like silk, silencing every voice in the arena.

"Eh?"

"It… went in?"

"He made that?!"

"A… midcourt three?!"

End of chapter...

Hey Team! 🏀

Loving Before the Generation of Miracles, I Was Already King? Take it to the next level, join my Patreon and become part of the squad!

🔥 Rookie Recruit – Read 15 chapters ahead

🔥 Starting Five – Jump 35 chapters ahead

Get early access, exclusive insights, and help me keep this basketball saga alive and thriving.

Join the team. Wear the crown. Be king before the miracles.

patreon.com/MrBehringer