One from the Generation of Miracles.
One nearly on that level.
Two stars joined forces to double-team a single player. And the only one worthy of such treatment—was Tendou Kageyoshi.
What left everyone stunned, though, was that even this wasn't enough to stop him.
He held the ball, facing both defenders.
Behind him, Murasakibara loomed, sticking to him like a shadow, as if ready to fight alongside him.
With just a murmur, the ball seemed to go wild in Tendou's hands, ready to burst past either of the defenders at any second. For more chapters visit nοvelfire.net
Both Himuro and Murasakibara moved in sync, constantly shifting position to cut off his angles.
Under the eyes of the crowd, the three tangled together in an elite offensive-defensive showdown.
That was the shared thought of many watching.
Tendou held his own against both of them, his eyes bright as stars twinkling in a midnight sky.
He used both his hands and feet with incredible coordination, refusing to retreat even a single step before Murasakibara and Himuro.
Finally, he found an opening and feinted with his body between the two.
They instantly reacted, closing in like elevator doors slamming shut.
Only to see Tendou's eyes snap open.
The ball slammed to the floor and bounced low and fast.
In the next instant, Tendou's figure flashed like lightning.
He shot past Himuro's side and charged forward in powerful strides.
"Even two defenders can't stop him?"
Alex Garcia's eyes widened.
Even in America, there were few high school players this strong.
And yet this monster of a player had bloomed… in a country like Japan.
Before she could even finish her thought, Tendou had already slammed the ball into the basket with a thunderous dunk.
More and more people were beginning to feel it—there was no need to wait for the finals.
Tendou was already the strongest high school player in Japan.
A member of the Generation of Miracles and a quasi-Miracle together couldn't slow him down.
Could there even be another player ?
Back on offense, Yōsen's twin stars struck back.
Murasakibara and Himuro played in perfect sync—inside-outside passing, smooth and sharp—creating exactly the kind of dynamic basketball Araki Masako dreamed of.
The game began to heat up again with fierce back-and-forth action.
But as time ticked away, everyone began to notice something.
Yōsen wasn't closing the score gap.
Now, with only three minutes left in the fourth quarter, they were still trailing by 18 points.
And then, disaster struck—Murasakibara collapsed during a non-contact sprint.
He had cramped up—badly. His jaw clenched, his whole body covered in cold sweat.
Before Yōsen could react, Tendou was already there, kneeling beside him, guiding his leg into a stretch.
"It's over, Atsushi."
Tendou looked down at him calmly. "You played well. Keep it up from now on."
No emotional speeches.
But those simple words struck straight into Murasakibara's heart, making his eyes sting.
He hurriedly raised a hand to cover his face, trying to hide his reddened eyes.
This was the first time in his life he had taken a game so seriously—only to suffer such a crushing defeat.
If only he had played this hard from the start—would the outcome have been different?
The rest of Yōsen came over, surrounding the two former Teikō teammates.
No one said a word. But their expressions were heavy with unspoken weight.
They had lost—but it wasn't for nothing.
Crying over a loss wasn't shameful.
It proved he had fought with everything he had.
They believed that after this loss, Murasakibara would grow stronger and more mature.
Yōsen would be back—stronger than ever.
Araki Masako quickly made a substitution.
Okamura and Liu Wei supported Murasakibara on either side as they helped him off the court.
"Rest up, Murasakibara."
"We'll be back for the Winter Cup."
Araki crouched in front of him like a caring mother and gently draped a towel over his head.
Murasakibara couldn't hold it in anymore.
Tears flowed freely as his shoulders trembled.
He wept like a 200-pound child.
"Little Atsushi…" Momoi Satsuki watched with a smile and silently made a mental note: "Another one checked off."
She didn't care about wins or losses.
She only cared about watching these dumb boys grow into something better.
Back on the court, Yōsen had made their substitutions.
Their remaining players glared at Tendou like wolves circling their prey.
"You messed with our ace," they said. "We're coming for you next!"
The Yōsen Twin Towers were fierce and unrelenting—someone who didn't know better might've thought they were the ones in the lead.
Tendou gave them a glance and walked toward the bench.
"Bunch of scrubs trying to act cool."
The Yōsen players were furious but couldn't do a thing about it.
At the Shirogane household, the old coach sipped his tea, watching the final moments unfold.
His wife filled his cup and couldn't help but ask:
"Back then… why were you so insistent on making that boy captain?"
She was, of course, talking about Tendou.
"Because Tendou is a real player," Shirogane Kōzō replied after another sip.
"Kuroko wasn't wrong—basketball should be played for fun. Win or lose, you should share the joy of victory and the sting of defeat with your teammates."
"But those kids—they were different. They weren't ordinary players. They were geniuses. And the professional stage was the only place worthy of their talent."
"Amateur tournaments weren't enough for them."
Some of them might even go on to represent the national team.
To have gifts like theirs and insist on fun basketball was a waste of talent.
"I believed Tendou would win in the end. I also believed that through direct confrontation, he'd help those other kids understand—what it really means to be a true player."
Shirogane's eyes grew distant.
To meet so many incredible talents at the end of his coaching career—he was content.
He had no plans to return to coaching at Teikō.
Because he felt… he had already trained the most outstanding generation of all.
Junior high, high school, college—it didn't matter.
The Generation of Miracles would lead Japan's basketball into a new era.
As Shirogane dreamed of the future, the match ended.
Kirisaki Daiichi defeated Yōsen 109–91, advancing to the national finals with an 18-point victory.
Their opponent in the final—Rakuzan High, the perennial powerhouse with the most national titles in history and multiple Inter-High championships.
"I'll be at the finals," Araki told Tendou, shaking his hand.
"You better crush that old bastard for me."
"Hit them even harder than you hit us!"
Her first words left Tendou momentarily speechless.
Araki Masako had always had one dream—to beat Rakuzan.
Only then could she prove that a woman could be just as good as any man.
After all, even though both men and women had pro basketball leagues, the world still saw basketball as a man's sport. Women's basketball never got the same attention.
A female basketball coach?
It sounded like a joke.
In truth, there had been very few female head coaches in basketball history.
This year's national tournament had two for the first time: Araki Masako and Riko Aida.
Tendou gave her a quick handshake and nodded.
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