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

Just moments ago,

Before everyone's stunned eyes, Shigure Akihito, standing at the top of the three-point arc and facing off against Aomine Daiki, suddenly dipped low, then broke through with a between-the-legs crossover!

Then…

A slight hip turn, a fake between-the-legs…

He shifted sideways,

And in a single, sweeping motion, lifted the ball one-handed from below!

From the right side of the free-throw line, near the paint, was that… a hook shot?

No.

That thing couldn't even be called a hook shot.

Who the hell throws a hook from mid-to-long range?

All he did was simply raise the ball high with one hand, swing his wrist, and launch it toward the basket!

"What kind of move… is that?"

Aomine had just been blown past by that crossover, then locked in place by the fake… and just as he was about to leap up to contest, he suddenly saw that.

After the between-the-legs misdirection, Akihito switched hands, and with a one-arm swing, let it fly!

An absurd shooting form,

Whoosh!

The ball spun awkwardly through the air, barely spinning at all. It didn't even draw a pretty arc. And yet, that bizarre one-arm sweep,

Swish!

Nothing but net.

Aomine, and every first-year rookie watching, was dumbfounded.

Midorima Shintarō had assumed that even if Akihito didn't end the play with one of his signature, showy dunks, it would at least be one of those legendary, god-tier threes he was known for.

But what he actually got, was something utterly inexplicable.

From that far out, twisting his body, flinging the ball one-handed, it might've been from the 45-degree angle, but clearly even further back than the free-throw line.

That was long-range.

So then what was that?

After the shot went in, a stunned hush fell over the court.

Even Aomine was wearing that same look of disbelief. His brows furrowed in frustration, there was something about Akihito's shot just now that felt even more unorthodox than his own style...

And yet, in that split second after Akihito leapt, he could've sworn he saw… himself in that motion.

Only three shots total.

And Shigure Akihito was already dominating, 2–0.

From the short match so far, the gap between the two was clear to everyone watching.

The first-year rookies were reeling from Akihito's terrifying level of skill, something they'd never seen before. But for the second-string regulars from Teiko, what surprised them most was that Aomine Daiki was even able to put up a fight against the Vice-Captain.

Yeah, that's right.

To them, this was already a "good exchange."

Because last semester…

When Shigure Akihito first joined second-string training, he single-handedly ran the table. One ball per person, from point guard to center, he dismantled every single player.

Forget trying to show off fancy dribbles or chase-down blocks like Aomine was doing now.

Back then, Akihito was playing pure American-style ball.

Before the finish? He barely even dribbled more than three times.

He played like he was rushing to catch the last train home.

"Tch…"

"Looking at this now, kinda makes me jealous of the guy."

"A first-year…"

"The Vice-Captain's clearly going easy on him…"

On the court.

Aomine Daiki took a deep breath.

Completely focused, he had no time to care about the whispers around him. His head was entirely consumed by the duel in front of him, and how to break through Akihito's defense in the next possession.

From the previous two exchanges, he had a rough idea of their gap.

And yeah, he still had a long way to go.

To be honest, when Akihito had pulled off that exaggerated ball control earlier, Aomine had thrown everything he had at trying to keep up with the rhythm, and nearly twisted his own ankle in the process!

Seriously…

He looked at Akihito's 184cm frame with a mixture of admiration and frustration.

Just one year older…

And it made that much of a difference.

How the hell was he supposed to handle those sharp changes in direction at that speed? His knees and ankles were already feeling the strain. It wasn't a technical limit anymore, it was physical.

Now that he thought about it…

It was infuriating.

He remembered saying just last year, "Once I grow taller, there's no way I'm losing to Shigure Akihito."

And now he'd grown, up to 175cm, about as tall as Akihito was last year.

And now that guy's body had already leveled up again?

How the hell was he supposed to keep up?

All the way until high school?

Damn it!

Even as he grumbled internally, Aomine still believed, so long as the match wasn't over, he still had a chance!

Especially this play.

His turn.

Gripping the ball loosely at his sides, he looked at Akihito with an almost predatory hunger, like a wolf spotting prey.

Ah…

No.

If it was Aomine,

Then he was more like a panther.

Of course, Aomine didn't have that true "wild instinct" yet. Only someone like Akihito, who'd seen that side of him before, could vaguely sense the overlap.

"My turn!"

He grinned wide, flashing a row of white teeth. Against his dark, sun-kissed skin, it was particularly striking.

Then casually, Aomine slapped the ball toward his right.

It suddenly rolled toward Akihito, well within reach, practically begging to be stolen.

Everyone froze.

Against Shigure Akihito…?

This had to be Aomine's last chance to score.

But, what was he doing? A mistake? Now?

Naturally, Akihito didn't plan on giving him a second chance, he reached for the ball immediately.

But then,

Just as he did, another hand suddenly pulled it back from afar.

And then,

The ball vanished right before his eyes!

Akihito: "…"

Wait a second…

That move, ?

Intentionally exposing the ball, baiting the defender into reaching, then using insane agility to snatch it back and pull off a wide, sweeping crossover?

Wasn't that something Aomine only used in high school?

And he was pulling this off, in first year of junior high?!

Akihito turned to look at Aomine again, his earlier surprise softening into something deeper.

That streetball move hinged entirely on outpacing your opponent. If you weren't faster, you couldn't snatch it back before they clamped down, so the follow-up would fall apart.

Just now, Aomine barely managed to pull the ball away from Akihito, he didn't even have enough space left to do a real crossover.

That retrieval had nearly bounced the ball off Akihito's body, and by the time he turned, Aomine was only just regaining control.

Still, Aomine looked proud, flashing a smug grin.

"My surprise move's not bad either, huh?"

Akihito: "…"

"That was a total failure. At least make it as clean as my formless shot, yeah?"

Aomine: "Formless shot? Ah, I see…"

Aomine: "Yeah, that was… impressive…"

Akihito: "This is your last offensive. Whatever tricks you've got, bring 'em all out. Preferably the ones that actually work."

Aomine: "Then watch closely"

Aomine flashed a wide, easygoing smile, and to be fair, at that moment, his grin had a kind of infectious charm. Pure, dumb love for basketball, it was the polar opposite of someone like Nijimura.

Nijimura Shuzo: "!?"

Even if faint, Nijimura's lion-like instincts still picked up on a twinge of dangerous enthusiasm in Akihito's expression.

Back on court,

Despite saying "watch this," Aomine's remaining dribbles were surprisingly clean and efficient. Akihito noticed that this time, Aomine was laser-focused on the basket, clearly looking for an opening.

Left.

Right.

Left…

Right hand.

Left hand right hand in slow motion

Aomine: "…"

Yeah.

There was nothing.

Any shot attempt would be eaten alive by that monstrous speed. And even if he did manage to break through, he'd be instantly swatted, Akihito's block timing was insane. He could snatch shots even from behind, from negative angles…

So then…

Thinking back to Akihito's shot just now,

It was so weird.

Like once he'd seen it, it was burned into his brain.

It kept replaying over and over…

And then,

In a rare moment, Akihito's eyes widened.

Aomine suddenly stepped back, then faded away in midair, twisting his body,

One hand.

Just to dodge Akihito's incoming block,

FWIP!

He arched his body, seeking an even higher release point, then launched the ball like a shot put, a single-hand sling that arced over Akihito's terrifying reach!

Akihito: "!?"

Nijimura: "!?"

The mini-Miracles on the sidelines: "!?"

Everyone was frozen.

Then,

CLANG!

The ball soared straight to the second-floor stands, knocking down Teiko's "Invincible Record" banner and sending it fluttering down… landing perfectly over Murasakibara's head.

Murasakibara…

Grab grab grab

Then,

An eruption of laughter burst out from the crowd.

"Ah? Hahahahaha!"

"What was that?"

"Scared the hell outta me! After Akihito's last shot, I thought that one was going in too…"

"Pff, totally shut down. Had to chuck it and pray."

Amidst the roaring laughter, Aomine scratched his head sheepishly.

Not that he was particularly embarrassed, he knew it was a messed-up shot the second he let it go.

But in his head, the image had been so clear.

And usually…

When he saw it,

He could make it happen.

"But this time…"

"Maybe I was just… too optimistic…"

"Strange."

Just as Aomine was quietly mulling over his weird inspiration,

He suddenly noticed Akihito staring at him, eyes wide.

And then, clearly delighted:

"Brilliant!"

Aomine: "!?"

Nijimura: "!?"

Nijimura watched as Akihito excitedly walked over and began chatting with Aomine, and the scene sparked a familiar déjà vu in him.

Where had he seen that before…?

Oh.

Right.

It was that other guy, Nebuya Eikichi.

Last year, after the national tournament, a few months passed. Nebuya's school crossed districts just to challenge Teiko in a practice match. And when they saw him again, even Nijimura had to admit he'd changed.

Not just tanner, but bulkier, and even sporting a buzzcut.

Back in version 1.0, to stop Akihito's warped basketball philosophy from "infecting" promising newcomers, Nijimura signaled to the second-string bench,

Tweet!

"Vice-Captain…"

"It's your final possession now."

Aomine frowned, visibly annoyed, but when he realized the score,

He held back.

2–0.

Final shot.

Shigure Akihito's turn.

After seeing Aomine's sudden flash of brilliance, he felt more than satisfied.

So this time, under Midorima Shintarō's wide-eyed stare,

Akihito stepped back.

Twice.

Retreated all the way to midcourt!

Kamizō Ichirō's ultra-deep three!

Swish!

Right through!

Clap clap clap!

Even before the ball went in, Akihito clapped and beamed at the stunned Aomine.

"Good! This year's rookie's got some spirit!"

"That's enough for today. I'll be waiting for you on First String."

"Welcome to Teiko."

Behind Aomine, the hollow bounce of the ball echoed on the hardwood.

And across the court…

[Current "Road to Glory" Quest: Welcome to Teiko – Part I…]

[Quest Objective: During entrance testing, defeat one future member of the "Generation of Miracles."]

[Reward loading…]

[You have received: 1x Designated Talent Unlock Card]

Mission complete.

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