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

Murasakibara Atsushi glanced at his opponent and immediately noticed how much shorter the other guy was. He pouted slightly, eyes full of serious hesitation.

"Isn't there someone… taller?"

"No way..."

"I'll break him, right?"

"Um… Smiley-senpai~"

"That senpai I saw on the first day, the one standing by the signboard, handing out forms, scary face, hair like a rice cracker, he's super tall. Can I play against him~?"

The "Smiley-senpai," Shigure Akihito, blinked for a moment, then realized who Murasakibara was talking about. "You mean Shinji? He's on the first-string…"

Shigure hadn't even finished his sentence when the scowling voice of Nijimura Shuzo, whose expression was even meaner than Kurome Shinji's, cut in coldly:

"Beat someone on the second-string first, freshman."

Shigure: "…"

Nice.

He's sounding more and more like him.

Last year's Hagioka Kasayuki really left an impression on Nijimura.

Hearing Nijimura's words, Murasakibara gave his opponent a complicated look, clearly sizing up his height and build. On the other side, the second-string player had long been ticked off by Murasakibara's lazy attitude.

"Relax, big guy."

"You won't break me."

"And I'll be the one sending you down to the third-string myself! Enjoy a nice vacation there!"

Then,

What happened next…

Made a lot of people on the court realize, very clearly,

Basketball is, at its core, a sport ruled by talent.

When the target you're scoring into is set at 3.05 meters high, it's already predetermined, height gives you a distinct advantage.

And Murasakibara?

He wasn't just tall.

Tip-off as usual.

Freshmen start.

Right from the beginning, Murasakibara reached out with his absurdly long arms and palmed the ball in one hand.

The second-string player knew full well that unless he was dealing with a monster like Hagioka Kasayuki, tall players like this usually had poor ball-handling. So he pressed in tight the moment the game started, applying pressure with constant body contact.

But Murasakibara just slightly turned his body, raising the ball high with one hand. His massive frame didn't budge an inch.

The height at which he held the ball made Nijimura Shuzo's pupils constrict, let alone Coach Sanada Naoto, who still hadn't gotten over the fourth-quarter nightmare named Hagioka from last year.

Looking at Murasakibara now, based solely on raw physical attributes, wingspan, leg length, body type… even as a first-year, he already looked like a beast.

Possibly even a notch above Hagioka.

"His technique, though…"

Shigure overheard Sanada mutter to himself.

And in his heart, he replied,

Yeah, probably best not to expect much in that department.

This guy's technical skills are crap, even all the way into high school.

As expected.

Murasakibara turned, shielded the defender with his body, casually dropped the ball behind his back, and went into a textbook power post-up.

Boom!

With a muffled thud, the second-stringer's chest reverberated from the impact.

His arms flailed like paddles on a sinking boat as he was bulldozed backwards, helpless in the air.

Boom!

One step, two steps.

Before he could even process what was happening, he had already been steamrolled to the basket by Murasakibara's overwhelming strength.

No technique whatsoever!

Just… freaking raw power!

The second-stringers who had come to spectate, especially those who were third-years now, looked visibly awkward watching the scene unfold.

"That power…"

"Hey, Suzuki isn't weak either, but…"

"This feels just like Nijimura from last year… But Nijimura's strength is surgical, he exploits weaknesses. This first-year here is just pure brute force…"

"Don't tell me we're repeating last year…"

"Oof…"

"That's rough!"

On court.

Having flattened his opponent, Murasakibara took a long stride, turned toward the basket, and soared upward.

BOOM!

Double-handed dunk with all his body weight, first bucket, clean!

Second-year Suzuki winced, chest aching. Just that one exchange already had him gasping, wide-eyed, unable to believe what had just happened.

Murasakibara's now-serious expression and cold, sweeping gaze made his entire presence seem even larger.

"…Crap."

History's repeating itself.

Getting destroyed publicly by a first-year in front of this many people, that's the worst.

"That's how it went last year too…"

"The ones crushed by the Twin Stars ended up demoted for months."

"Someone go warn the others, they better be ready!"

Now it was Suzuki's offensive turn.

At 183cm tall, Suzuki was a skilled ball-handler. He made a few between-the-legs feints before exploding forward.

He easily got past Murasakibara, whose defensive stance looked utterly amateurish.

Suzuki thought to himself, this guy's just a body. If that's the case, he had a solid chance of winning.

Let's return the favor with a dunk of my own, he thought.

As the basket neared, Suzuki's face relaxed, both hands gripping the ball as he leapt, his well-practiced dunk form ready to go.

"Freshman…"

I'm Teiko's second-string. You've still got a long way to go!

But just as he jumped,

A shadow suddenly flew up behind him!

He could barely make out the edge of Murasakibara's frame in his peripheral vision, but that arm,

Wasn't it a little too long?!

SLAP!

Murasakibara's block didn't just smack the ball out of his hands, it shoved Suzuki down, overpowering his double-handed dunk attempt with one massive arm.

From the sidelines,

Aomine Daiki's eyes shot wide open.

This guy…

Was seriously good.

No wonder, it's Teiko, after all.

Even their random first-years were monsters?

Akashi Seijūrō was also watching closely. After evaluating Murasakibara's ability, he knew: even with his own superior ball-handling, it'd be tough to avoid getting blocked.

Elsewhere.

Midorima Shintarō, clutching his raccoon plushie, watched the second-stringers with a deadpan look.

"A dunk like that… like some kind of gorilla."

"Idiot."

Against someone that big, the answer's obvious, shoot from three-point range.

Back on court, Suzuki was completely rattled by the block. He couldn't understand how that lazy walk of a defense still caught up to him.

His confidence collapsed, and his technique fell apart.

Not long after,

Clang!

Simple, repetitive post-ups. But when the difference in physicality is this vast…

Murasakibara dunked on Suzuki eleven straight times.

Suzuki? Zero.

Just like last year, another second-stringer got shut out by a rookie.

"You're pretty strong for a senpai~"

Didn't break you, see?

"Can I stop now~?"

The assistant coach in charge of evaluation nodded, still in a daze.

As Murasakibara walked off the court, his hulking figure left the second-stringers in stunned silence, and the other freshmen even more shaken.

From the very beginning…

Murasakibara had raised the bar to something no freshman should be expected to match.

The ones who had been itching to show off were now praying their names wouldn't be called next.

They didn't want to be made into embarrassing foils.

In that tense atmosphere, the next round of testing resumed.

"Next, Midorima Shintarō."

Everyone turned to look.

Midorima carefully placed his raccoon plushie at the sideline… and stepped onto the court.

After that one-track-mind gorilla dunker, he figured it was time to re-educate everyone on how a real game was played.

"Second-string, Rokukawa Tetsuhiro."

"First-year, Midorima Shintarō."

Midorima stood at 174cm. His opponent, Rokukawa, was about the same height, Teiko had clearly been pairing players of similar size for these trials.

Well…

Except for that purple-haired giant from before.

Tip-off.

Rokukawa tossed the ball to Midorima, wearing a confident smirk. He was clearly feeling good, after all, this freshman's body type looked completely average.

"Poor Suzuki…"

"Now this looks like a proper first-year opponent."

After passing the ball, Rokukawa lowered his stance, knees bent, ready to defend.

But Midorima, after receiving the ball, stayed in a triple-threat position, no sloppy dribbling. His sharp eyes, behind those glasses, calmly analyzed the defense.

Hmph.

Too far.

Rokukawa didn't catch the glint in Midorima's gaze.

Next second, his pupils shrank.

And he lunged forward!

Three-pointer!

Midorima suddenly rose from his triple-threat, launching a smooth, elegant arc.

Flawless motion, from calm to explosive, all in one breath!

By the time Midorima was in the air, Rokukawa had already committed fully to the block, but it was too late.

Swish!

"Wha, three points?!"

"Wait…"

"I've got a bad feeling about this."

"Wasn't it the same last year? Shigure beat a second-stringer using nothing but threes."

"This green-haired guy, he's just as sharp!"

"No way…"

Rokukawa thought so too, and felt a chill run down his spine.

Still, no way another Shigure would show up in the same year, right?

After the score, they switched sides.

Rokukawa studied Midorima's defense carefully, his footwork was textbook, his positioning solid.

Realizing this freshman wasn't ordinary, Rokukawa went all out.

BOOM!

But Midorima's lateral movement was lightning-fast,

He cut him off clean!

At the sideline, the coaching team was scribbling evaluations while muttering among themselves:

"This first-year's athleticism is solid."

"Three-point shooting."

"And defense."

"All top-notch."

On court,

SLAP!

Midorima stuffed Rokukawa's layup attempt with just the tip of his fingers.

Then, possession switched again.

And of course,

It's Midorima.

As Shigure saw it, there was only one possible offensive option:

Three. More. Threes.

Midorima was obsessive to the point of madness.

And sure enough,

He opened with a triple-threat again.

Right foot jabbed forward, Rokukawa flinched, but he was ready now, playing tighter than before.

Midorima seized the brief gap.

Crossover between the legs,

But he didn't attack.

Instead, he moved laterally, just enough space to shoot.

Rokukawa stayed tight,

But suddenly, the green figure stepped back.

Whoosh!

The ball cut through the air.

Swish!

Three again!

"Another three?!"

"Wait, that step-back…"

"Isn't that Shigure's signature move from last year?!"

"No way, no way…"

"Well, Shigure was more about thunderous dunks and blocks too…"

"That only came out when he was fighting Nijimura. During the trials, Shigure won purely with threes and step-backs."

"Don't overthink it. Even if it's a step-back, it's nowhere near Shigure's. Not in speed, not in distance, Shigure could break ankles. This Midorima's technique isn't on that level."

End of chapter...

To be continued...

To everyone who's joined the Patreon, thank you so much! 🙏Your support truly means the world. You're the reason this story keeps growing, chapter by chapter, world by world.

I promise to give it my all! more content, more depth, more epic moments, to make sure your support is always worth it. You're part of the foundation that keeps this universe alive.

And if you haven't joined yet?Now's the perfect time. We're still in the early chapters, it's not too late to jump in, catch up, and become part of the squad.

Let's build something legendary together. 

🔥 Rookie Recruit – Read 15 chapters ahead

🔥 Starting Five – Jump 35 chapters ahead

👉 patreon.com/MrBehringer