So that's Seirin, huh?"
"Hm?" Kise followed Naruto's line of sight to the second floor where he saw Kuroko with his new team. He had been too engrossed in the game to notice the blue haired boy until now. How embarrassing.
Speaking of the game, it had just finished. Everyone on the bench was celebrating their first victory in the preliminaries. Well, it was more like a one-sided slaughter, but that was neither here nor there.
"I didn't think Kurokocchi would actually come to cheer us on!" Kise was totally misunderstanding the situation as always. Or maybe he was just playing stupid. Naruto didn't know, and honestly he wasn't too interested to find out.
He had something else in mind right now.
"Congratulations, Naruto-kun." Yuki walked up to the blond with a towel in hand. She smiled. "It feels great to have your first official win, right?"
"Yeah…..." Naruto wasn't going to focus on it, though. It had been too easy. Besides, he had bigger prey to worry about.
Yuki raised an eyebrow when Naruto walked around her and headed for one of the ends of the court. Behind her, Kise just shook his head while smiling a little. He had a pretty good idea as to what Naruto was planning on doing.
On the second floor, the Seirin team was about to make their exit. They were still shocked after witnessing such a one-sided game, but they couldn't stay here forever. They needed to head back home and think on what they saw.
Kuroko stopped when he noticed Naruto staring at them as he inched closer toward them from below.
"Wait a moment, please."
The others all paused and turned to look at Kuroko in confusion. When they saw where he was looking, they realized why he had stopped.
Naruto locked gazes with Kuroko before glancing over to Kagami, who also met his gaze.
So these were the two that managed to beat Kise. In a situation like this, there was only one course of action.
Naruto grinned as he pointed at them. "You guys better be prepared. Once we meet in the main tournament, I'll make sure to get revenge for my team. You'll lose so badly, it'll make your practice game look cute by default. Is that clear?"
Even though they were on the second floor, Kuroko and the others managed to hear Naruto just fine. His voice carried that much power behind it, and conviction too. There was no hesitation in what he was saying, basically.
It was Kagami who stepped forward, his face determined. "We'll take that challenge, you fool! Just make sure you get there too."
"That won't be a problem."
The two boys eyed each other down, both more than ready to face the other.
This went on for almost a minute, until Yuki came and slapped Naruto in the back of his head to snap him out of it. Hyūga did the same to Kagami. The two teens flinched and turned to their respective attackers.
"W-What did you do that for, captain!?" Kagami shouted.
"You were staring like an idiot," the second-year captain said calmly. "No matter how much you stare him down, you won't be facing him for a while. We have a ton of other games to worry about first."
Kagami knew this. He was just glancing for a second. That's all.
Naruto was having a similar conversation right now.
"What the hell was that for, Yuki!?"
Yuki glared at him. "You were acting like an idiot. That's why. You just finished a match, and you want another one already?"
"I was just making a statement!" Naruto grumbled. The moment was ruined now.
A chuckling Kise joined the two. "Man, you really are a funny guy, Uzumakicchi." He turned his gaze to the second floor, right where Kuroko was. "But it's not like I disagree with what you were doing."
Kuroko didn't say anything, but he didn't have to. His eyes spoke louder than any words could.
He too was ready to take them on.
Yuki had to shake her head in dismay. "I swear. I'm stuck with two children now."
"I like to think I'm more mature than this guy," Naruto said, pointing to Kise.
The model cried out, "Don't say that, Uzumakicchi! We're the same, you and I!"
"No one has insulted me as badly as you have today, Kise. I commend you for that."
"Uzumakicchi!"
Yuki watched as Kise practically descended into a crying fit. These two, honestly. They really were like children. And she had to look out for them. How troublesome.
Up on the second floor, everyone in Seirin just sweatdropped at the sight. Kise was still an idiot, it seemed.
"L-Let's…...let's just go," a mentally tired Riko said as she led her team out of the room. She couldn't handle anymore of this. Not right now.
Kuroko and Kagami gave Naruto and Kise one final glance before they exited. They had only come here to check out the competition, but they had left with a greater motivation to win the Inter-High than before, if that was possible.
Not a bad trade-off.
Stretching, Naruto turned to the others. "Well. Looks like we've made our message loud and clear. Who's hungry?"
"I really don't know whether to call you an idiot or brave," Moriyama said, amused.
It didn't take all that much bravery really. At least, Naruto didn't think so. He simply spoke the truth. When they faced Seirin, they would win. That's all.
'Hm, we still have to wait a bit for that, though.'
First, Seirin was going to have to go through two Generation of Miracles before they could get to them. Only time would tell if they could get past those obstacles.
For now, it was ramen time!
It went without saying that the next several matches continued like this for them. They were totally one-sided in their favor. Kaijō practically blew through the competition like it was nothing. It was during the finals for their block that the Tokyo preliminaries finally began. Or so Naruto heard. It was Yuki who told him about it, but Naruto wasn't all that interested. Neither was Kise. To the model, it was only when Seirin faced the three kings from Tokyo that things would get more excited.
Three kings, huh. Now they might have been interesting to play against. Especially since one of them had Midorima in their team.
"Things are going very well, aren't they?"
"A little too well if you ask me. I want to play another game like the one I had with Kise. But every team we've faced is just so weak."
"That's because you and Kise-san are too strong, Naruto-kun. Your double team is enough to shut everyone else down. Kobori-senpai has even been joking that he has nothing to do since you and Kise-san manage defense so well too."
Naruto picked his food while grunting in acknowledgement. He and Yuki were out for dinner tonight. They were celebrating their championship victory together after they had already celebrated with the team earlier. He wouldn't say it was a fancy restaurant, but…..okay, it was sorta fancy. Fancy enough to where he had to wear a suit anyway. Yuki was in a blue dress that fit her perfectly. Well, most clothes did. He was only here because the girl liked places like this. She was far more formal than he was, that's for sure. But if it made her happy, then he was okay with it too.
His mother had sent him a congratulatory text too. Work had prevented her from going to see the game apparently. Not that she had missed much. They had destroyed the enemy team.
Again.
"Well, I for one am glad that everything is going as expected." Yuki was more cheerful as she took another bite from her plate. "Kise-san is planning on going to see Seirin play Seihō High after our final league games. Do you want to go too?"
"They're that far into their tournament already?" Naruto was a bit surprised. He could have swore they just started.
Yuki hummed. "Well, they still have three more games before then. But Kise-san says that there is no way Kuroko-san can lose before taking on either king. And if they win against Seihō, they'll be taking on Midorima-san on the same day! That's quite the situation they're in."
Midorima, huh? Naruto wouldn't mind seeing the guy play. He was the shooter for the Generation of Miracles, but just how good was he? Kise said the guy had never missed a three in his life. While he didn't much care for shots like that, he still had to give his respects to the guy. That kind of technique required a lot of control. That's part of the reason why he wasn't fond of three's. He couldn't control his shooting strength to the level needed. He always overshot it, which pissed him off. In Yuki's words, he didn't have enough "delicacy." Whatever that meant. More power was better than less power.
Dunks were cooler too. He still needed to have more control over his strength, though. Up till now, he's never had to worry about control. That was part of the problem.
"That sounds like fun," Naruto said at last. "It could spice things up for us before we get to the actual Inter-High."
Yuki pouted a little. "What? Is our dinner not exciting enough for you?"
Was she trying to mess with him again? Well, two could play this game.
Naruto leaned back in his seat and smiled. "I never said that. Besides, what I'm seeing is exciting enough."
Yuki caught on to what he was really saying, and her cheeks turned red as a result.
"F-Flattery won't get you anywhere, idiot….."
So she said, but her flustered look was enough for him.
Their meal continued in peace.
It was a rather cloudy day today. It was far different from all the bright and sunny days they had been getting for the past few weeks. Still, it set the atmosphere rather greatly in Naruto's mind. After all, today was going to be a dark day for Seirin. Having to face two of the so-called kings in a single day…...actually, that sounded like fun. Too bad they couldn't do that.
"I can't believe everyone else in the team blew us off," a smiling Kise said as he walked in front. "I thought they would be way more interested in Seirin's matches today."
"We do have important tests coming up, Kise-san," Yuki reminded him. All three of them were in uniform today. They had come here straight from school. "They're probably more worried about passing than seeing a game."
"You didn't have to remind me about that, Sugawaracchi." Kise's shoulders slumped a little. Just like Naruto, he had atrocious grades. It seemed like the model's talent in sports didn't translate over to school that well. Naruto could relate very well to that. It was only thanks to Yuki's tutoring that he was still hanging on. She was a diligent student like that.
Yuki was exasperated again. Why was she friends with these two again?
The trio made their way to the second floor of the large gym where the games were to be played today. It wasn't just Seirin that was playing in here today, though. Next to Seirin, Shūtoku was having their semi-final game too. They were going against some school called Ginbō High. They were a middle-tier school apparently, so Shūtoku wasn't going to have to struggle too much in taking their first victory of the day.
It was at this point that Naruto got his first look at Midorima Shintarō. The guy was tall, taller than him, and he had an aura of certainty and pride. Naruto could already see it.
This guy was powerful.
He had to grin. "So that's your teammate, huh."
Kise turned to him. "Yeah. That's Midorimacchi. He's a bit too serious if you ask me, but that has nothing to do with how he plays. He's not someone you want to take lightly."
Naruto could sort of understand what Kise was saying. Down on the court, the green-haired teen was already staring down at Kuroko and Kagami, the other two doing the same. Naruto could practically see the sparks flying already.
How fun.
'Not that it changes anything, though. Seirin has someone else they need to defeat first.' Naruto's eyes went to the other team of interest today. The king of the north, Seihō High. Apparently they were good with defense. Kise had explained his disdain toward one of their new players, a first-year. His defense was one of the best, if not the best, on the team.
Yuki huffed. "Too serious? Is that your way of saying he's actually dependable?"
Kise pouted a little. "That's just mean, Sugawaracchi. You and Uzumakicchi are always bullying me!"
"I'm just being honest!" Yuki said with an indignant look.
"No, you're being a bully!"
"I can't even….."
Now Yuki knew how he felt. Even at school, Kise was always hanging around him, bugging him. It almost made Naruto want to hide out in Kasamatsu's classroom during breaks. At least that guy could step on Kise whenever he wanted.
Yuki knew he enjoyed Kise's company, though. The whiskered blond was just too stubborn to admit it.
Naruto decided to focus on something more important. "Those uniforms…...why can't our uniforms be that cool?"
Yuki and Kise both knew what he was talking about. The Shūtoku uniform had orange. It was the main color for the school.
Naruto loved orange.
Kise sweatdropped. "You're still hung up on that?"
"I'm just saying. Having a little orange would go a long way into making us look cooler."
Yuki's face was once again expressing her exasperation. "Orange doesn't equal cool, Naruto-kun."
Naruto nearly gasped. "How can you say that, Yuki!? You know that's blasphemy! They would burn you at the stake if they heard you say that!"
Who's "they" exactly?
"What's with his obsession with orange?" Kise whispered to Yuki, who shook her head.
"No one knows. It's just like with his ramen obsession. It's who Naruto-kun is, I guess."
Kise looked plain confused, not that Yuki could blame him. She had known Naruto longer than the model, and even she didn't understand his mannerisms sometimes.
Naruto decided to ignore their little conversation in favor of focusing on the upcoming matches. Again, Shūtoku's victory in the semi-finals was all but assured. It was Seirin's future that was undecided here. Regardless of what happened, Naruto was going to see his targets of interest play today.
That was good enough for him.
Down on the court where Shūtoku was doing its practice shots before the game, one Takao Kazunari was looking up at the audience seats on the second floor. He was a first-year, just like Midorima. And like Midorima, he was part of the first-string. Rather impressive.
His supposed skills aside, he had a rather laid-back personality that often clashed with Midorima's more serious persona. Despite their character difference, the two still got along pretty well, even if Midorima was often annoyed with him.
"Well, well. Would you look at that? We have some rather interesting guests today, Shin-chan. I think they came to see you."
"Shin-chan" looked up toward the seats as well, and he immediately saw who Takao was talking about. It was kind of hard to miss when they start waving at you. Well, Kise waved at him. Naruto just stared, hard.
"H'mph, so it seems."
Midorima had already heard about Naruto. He had watched the video showcasing Naruto and Kise's match, after all. Unlike some others, he wasn't impressed. All the blond could do was dunk like a monkey. That didn't interest Midorima in the slightest. His shots were worth way more than that.
Despite these thoughts, a part of him was still very interested in facing off against the Uzumaki. And Kise too. But that should go without saying. Not that he would lose. No matter how hard they tried, the ending would remain the same. With his victory, and their loss.
Before he could go thinking too deeply about that, though, he still had another opponent he needed to defeat today.
'Kuroko…..'
That guy. Midorima couldn't understand Teikō's former phantom sixth man. Not one bit. Going to such a weak school like Seirin…...it was a waste of his talents. And all because he wanted to prove "his basketball" to them. How ridiculous. Midorima would be teaching Kuroko the futility of his actions here today. He would make sure of it.
'H'mph, unless they get defeated before then.'
That would just be equally as embarrassing.
Takao snickered. "You're too focused on Kuroko and Kagami to worry about the new guy, huh?"
"Shut up, Takao. Your delusions are annoying."
"Delusions, huh?" Takao's smile made it clear that he didn't believe Midorima's little lie. In response, Midorima could only do one thing.
He h'mphed and pushed his glasses back up his nose. Responding was just not worth his time.
Naruto made himself comfortable as the matches got started. Kise and Yuki were far more curious than he was about Seirin's match against Seihō, but the blond still made sure to pay attention.
The match proceeded just as he had guessed. For the first two minutes or so, Seirin was completely shut down. They were not able to do anything offense wise. Seihō's tight defense made sure of that. On defense, Seirin was pretty worthless too. Only Kagami had some decent blocks here and there thanks to his jumping abilities, but that was it. More than that, Kuroko was unable to do anything. Kise had already informed him about the boy's "magic passes." But against Seihō, that seemed to do little good.
"This is honestly disappointing," Naruto muttered, not impressed with Seirin's performance.
Yuki turned to him with a frown. "Yes, but should that come to you as a surprise? They're against a king here."
A king, huh. Putting too much stocks in titles like that was meaningless as far as Naruto was concerned. If this was enough to shut Seirin down, then defeating them would be easier than he thought.
Almost as if to challenge his claim, Kagami managed to drive past his mark, that first-year kid Kise had complained about, and dunk the ball, scoring the first points for his team.
"Heh, I wouldn't expect any less," Kise said, a large grin etched on his face.
So it wasn't going to be so one-sided. That's exactly what Naruto had been hoping to see.
The rest of the match could almost be called a turnover in Seirin's favor. Even though Seihō did their best to hang in there, even forcing Kagami to exit the game after four fouls, Seirin was still able to come out on top. All thanks to Kuroko and his spectacular support.
"I can't believe it," Yuki said in slight disbelief. "I can't believe Kuroko-san has this kind of strength."
It wasn't a complete compliment. Yuki wouldn't be so bold as to call Kuroko "strong." By all accounts, he was a rather weak player. He couldn't do anything on his own. He had to always get others to finish the job for him, so to speak. But at the same time…..he didn't let that stop him. He was still able to lead his team to victory even with his lack of strength.
Kise was more amiable. "That's Kurokocchi for you. He's different from the Generation of Miracles. His strength takes on a different form. That's what makes him so dangerous."
Naruto was starting to see it too. Why Kise held Kuroko in high regard. He had found a way around his shortcomings to become a strong player in his own way.
'Heh, now this is starting to get interesting…..'
The others weren't half-bad either. Their captain was a great shooter, and this Izuki guy had a very interesting set of eyes. Not that it was perfect. Even if he could see something, trying to do something about it was a different story.
The other spectators were completely surprised at Seirin's victory. They had practically "dethroned" a king, as it were. And they were more than happy to celebrate that fact.
The hard part was coming, though.
As expected, Shūtoku had won their game. It was child's play for them really. That only left the finale. The final game for Block A, the championship match between Seirin and Shūtoku. Midorima vs. Kuroko and Kagami.
It was time for the real fun to start.
"What happened today can only be called an upset."
"Seriously. Seirin managed to defeat two of the kings!"
"Yeah, they're totally the team to watch out for the final league!"
"Man, I can't wait to see how they do there. They might even be able to get to the Inter-High!"
"I'm excited too!"
These were the types of comments Naruto could hear as he, Yuki, and Kise all began to exit the building. The championship game for Block A had been played, and the winner had been decided. In a surprising twist, it was Midorima who had lost the battle. The shooter for the Generation of Miracles was strong, but Kagami and Kuroko had been able to defeat him in the end.
"So what did you think, Uzumakicchi?"
And of course, Kise was more than happy with the outcome. It wasn't that he had wanted Midorima to lose per say, but at the same time, he was eager to play against Kuroko and Kagami again.
"I think your past teammates are strong." That was the basic truth of the matter.
Yuki had to agree. "Shooting all the way from the opposite end of the court? And making it? That's beyond incredible! I can't believe someone like that exists. Kagami-san was also pretty amazing too. I think he was able to jump even higher than you at one point, Naruto-kun."
Naruto had noticed that too. It pissed him off a little, but it also made facing off against the red-haired teen all the more exciting. Besides, he was still stronger.
For sure.
Yuki giggled at his competitive look. It was cute.
"Since they won, it won't take them long before they face Aominecchi," Kise said, his face somewhat somber now. "Honestly, I have no idea how that will turn out."
Naruto paused. The ace of the Generation of Miracles, Aomine Daiki. That was the guy who had inspired Kise to start playing basketball in the first place. According to Kise, even among the Generation of Miracles, he was a monster in his own right.
"That's for the future to worry about," Yuki said. "For now, we should-"
"Move it, Shin-chan! Because you were crying, our senpai left us behind!"
"Quit your delusions, Takao. I wasn't-"
Both groups stopped when they noticed one another. Naruto and Yuki sweatdropped when they saw the contraption Midorima was riding on. It was like some sort of cart, pulled by Takao who was on a bike.
Just what the hell was this thing?
Kise blinked. "Midorimacchi!?"
The glasses wearer nearly clicked his teeth together in annoyance. The last thing he wanted to was to meet these two right now.
"Kise. And….." His eyes went over to Naruto who was still gawking at his mode of transportation.
Takao had to hold back his laugh at this turn of events. 'Hehehe, this is great! I might even get to see a flustered Shin-chan!'
And it wouldn't be his fault for once.
"I still can't believe you're riding this thing," Kise said with a shake of his head. "It's gonna start raining pretty badly soon, you know."
It was already drizzling quite heavily. A storm was definitely gonna hit.
Midorima crossed his arms. "Your comments aren't needed, Kise. This way of travel is far more efficient than a bus."
'Yeah, and you make me do all the work,' Takao thought with a twitching eyebrow.
That's why it was more efficient for him.
Yuki nearly facepalmed. 'I take it back. This guy is just as bad as Kise-san.'
Did all the Generation of Miracles have to be so…..crazy? Or like, not so nutty? Just be normal for once!
Unaware of Yuki's thoughts, Naruto stared at Midorima. "So you're Midorima, huh? Pleasure to meet you. The name's Uzumaki Naruto. Sorry for your loss. I was looking forward to kicking your ass at the Inter-High."
There were several reactions to his statement. Yuki shrieked, Kise just held his head in acceptance, Takao burst out in laughter, and Midorima twitched in annoyance.
'Kekeke, this guy is even more straightforward than Kagami!' Takao thought as he laughed.
Midorima placed a hand on his glasses while scowling. "So you're as uncouth as I'd thought. Why am I not surprised?"
Uncouth? Naruto had no idea what that meant, but he was pretty sure it was an insult.
"Don't let him get to you, Uzumaki-senpai," Takao said as he managed to get his laugh under control. "He was looking forward to playing against you too. He's just too shy to admit it."
"Oi, stop making up such lies, Takao!"
"See?"
Midorima was more than ready to take Takao out but stopped when Kise spoke up.
"I understand how you feel, Midorimacchi. Losing sucks. But it's not like we won't have another chance to face each other, right?"
Midorima stared at his former teammate for a few moments before closing his eyes.
"Kise. You have changed."
"Hm?" The blond tilted his head. "Have I? I just feel more motivated than before. That's pretty much it. Uzumakicchi and I are going to win the Inter-High, after all!"
"Yeah, that's the gist of it," Naruto added. "Whether it's against you or the others, we'll be sure to get to the top."
Midorima noticed it right away. Naruto and Kise…...they shared the same look. It was different from back then, from when he and Kise had worn the same uniform in Teikō. It reminded him of Kuroko.
'So that's the path you've taken. H'mph, so be it.'
Midorima turned away from them. "There's nothing else for me to say. Takao, let's go already."
Said boy sighed but relented. "Hai, hai."
Naruto, Kise, and Yuki watched the two ride off, with Midorima giving them one final glance.
"He really is totally different from you, Kise-san," Yuki commented after they had left.
"Yeah." Placing a hand on his head, Kise had to sigh a little. "Getting along with him is hard, but he's not a bad guy. Just rough around the edges."
Yuki sweatdropped. 'I don't think you should be saying that, Kise-san…...'
"He's just an asshole," Naruto said, scowling a bit. "I would have loved to knock him down a peg in the Inter-High. But I guess that's no longer possible."
"Hahaha, you'll get your chance later, I bet." Kise patted him in the back as he started to walk again. "Besides, we'll have plenty of tough opponents before then."
The three made their way back and luckily they managed to get to the bus stop before it really started pouring down.
As they left, Naruto reaffirmed his promise again. Seirin, Aomine. It didn't matter who. He would still win.
It was just a shame really, as soon after, Seirin would lose in the final league. Not just against Aomine, but they lost their two other games as well.
Seirin would not advance to the Inter-High.
"I'm so jealous of you, Sugawara. Spending so much time with Kise-kun. I wish I could watch him play all the time too!"
"You guys are going to the Inter-High, right? You'll definitely win, won't you?"
"Uzumaki-kun is just as strong, isn't he? Are you two dating?"
"Hahaha, w-well, you see…..." Yuki tried to answer every question that came her way, but there were just too many. Ever since they had won their ticket to the Inter-High, she had become the target of questions from her classmates. Among them were the many fangirls Kise had due to his model status. Kasamatsu had some too, and as much as it annoyed her Naruto had been attracting more attention from the female population ever since he had become one of the dual aces for the team.
Stupid Naruto. It wasn't his fault, but he was still an idiot.
Speaking of the blond, he was passed out in his seat. It was one of their breaks, so she couldn't fault him for napping. With his and Kise's strength, all their games had been really easy so far. It was only the promise of tougher opponents in the Inter-High that kept him motivated to play. That, and Kasamatsu made sure to keep him and Kise in line at all times. Honestly, the third-year could face Naruto and Kise head on with no problems, but he still couldn't even talk to her properly.
Boys were strange.
Yuki's attention turned back to her classmates who were still eagerly waiting her to answer.
"I-It's not a big deal really. Kaijō has always been able to get into the Inter-High."
"Yeah, but I hear this year's team is the best we've ever had! It's exciting to think we go to the same school as them."
Well, one of them was snoring at this very second, so…..not that exciting.
"And they're all really hot too."
"So are you dating Uzumaki-kun or not? You have to tell us!"
Urgh…...this was starting to get somewhat annoying for her. But such was the price for fame.
Naruto continued to nap in the background.
The Inter-High. Highly regarded as the biggest and most famous of the three high school basketball tournaments in Japan. Only the Winter Cup could rival it, and that only started to happen in recent years. The Inter-High was also the first tournament in which the Generation of Miracles could all face against one another in their high school career. It was their chance to fulfill their promise with one another. However, in the end, that didn't come to pass. Midorima was not taking part, and even Kuroko was unable to reach this stage.
That didn't stop the others from facing each other, though. One of the Generation of Miracles was absent, as well as the famed phantom sixth man, but that still left the other four. And Naruto as well.
Needless to say, there was still much excitement to be had for the tournament. And today, in one of the Inter-High's quarter-final matches, the excitement reached its peak. Why?
Because it was during this match that the Generation of Miracles could finally have their first battle with one another.
It was Kaijō versus Tōō. Naruto and Kise were finally going to face their first true challenge of the tournament, and it was none other than Aomine Daiki.
"It looks like the match is going to start soon."
Kuroko looked around the stadium. Unlike those in the preliminaries and even in the final league, this court was huge. There was more space for viewers, but that shouldn't come as a surprise. This was the main tournament, the actual Inter-High. Many people were bound to come to see it.
The rest of Seirin was also here. They had just finished their training camp but had made a detour before heading back. They did this in order to watch the match between Kaijō and Tōō. It was a long thing coming, and they didn't want to miss it.
Not just that, but they had also picked up a new team member during the summer break. It was possibly the second most powerful center in the high school league and one of the Uncrowned Kings, Kiyoshi Teppei. With him on the team, they had become even stronger. Of course, they would have to wait until the winter before they could test their new might against the other schools. It was only a shame he couldn't have joined them earlier.
"I heard Kaijō acquired a new player right before the preliminaries," Kiyoshi said from his seat. "I also saw the video of him playing. But you guys watched him play live. Honestly speaking, how good do you think he is?"
"I-I don't think that's a question you want answered," Koganei said, slightly depressed. After remembering how badly Naruto and Kise had crushed their first opponents, it made him want to cry.
"From what we've seen, he's on part with Kise, if not better," Hyūga answered. "But…..."
"Even Kise has gotten stronger," Riko finished for him. "Without you, Teppei, I don't think we would win against Kaijō for a second time."
Kagami was a bit annoyed with that statement but had to admit that Riko had a point. That didn't mean he had to like it, though.
"What do you think, Kuroko?" Furihata, another one of the first-years, turned to the blue-haired boy. "Who do you think is going to win?"
Kuroko looked down at the court. "Frankly, I don't know anymore. Before, I would have said Aomine-kun. That's because he and Kise-kun often held private matches with each other, which he always won. But now, with Uzumaki-kun in the mix, it's hard for me to come up with any guesses."
The addition of Naruto into the match was like adding an extreme wild card to a card game. Without seeing it for himself, there was no way Kuroko could call out a winner. Not this early anyway.
"Is that so?" Kiyoshi nodded in understanding. "Well, that's what we're here to do today. To see who will win."
The others were all in agreement.
In each locker room, the situation was more tense than it had ever been. Both teams already knew what was about to happen, what they were about to do. It was going to be the toughest match for each team so far. This was made even more clear for Tōō when Aomine showed up in time, all warmed up and ready to go.
"Looks like we won't have a repeat of what happened with Seirin." This made Imayoshi, the team captain, more than relieved. They couldn't take things easy today.
Momoi looked at her childhood friend. "Aomine-kun-"
"You don't have to say anything, Satsuki." The ace grabbed one of the water bottles, his face full of excitement. "Kise is one of the few guys I can actually try to crush, so of course I'll be trying today."
The same could be said for that new partner of his. They were good, but in the end, he would still be the winner.
Momoi nooded with a solemn look. Nothing she said would make a difference anyway. It was better to just let the match decide everything.
Over in Kaijō's locker room, there wasn't much of a conversation going on. Everyone already knew what they had to do, and the coach was more than happy to leave them each to their private thoughts. One funny thing that had happened was the coach's change in appearance. He looked clean, refine, and with better clothes. Apparently he was trying to compete with Tōō's coach in appearance for whatever reason.
Yuki found the whole thing stupid, while everyone else just laughed. It was just a funny image for them.
Making sure all of her stuff was ready, Yuki gave the sitting Naruto a slightly worried look.
"This game won't be like the others."
Naruto grinned. He was happy rather than worried. "Yeah. It's going to be fun. It's exactly what I've been waiting for."
It had been rather tedious, getting to this point. But now that they were finally here, Naruto couldn't be more excited than he was now.
Kise felt the same way. "You don't have to worry about us, Sugawaracchi. We'll be doing our best, like usual."
Yuki knew. But she still couldn't help but worry. Naruto and Kise might be idiots, but they were her idiots now. She had to look out for them whenever she could. She just couldn't help it.
Moriyama pushed his hair back as he smiled. "Everything will turn out okay, Sugawara-chan. I'll make sure to give it my all just for you." He even winked at her, but that stopped when Naruto kicked the older teen in the back, making him fall to the floor of the locker room.
"Oi, stop flirting with Yuki already, you damn playboy," Naruto growled.
"R-Respect your senpai, Uzumaki!" the downed Moriyama cried out while the others just laughed at his misfortune.
Kise shook his head. "Flirting with Sugawaracchi while Uzumakicchi is around is a big no-no, senpai. She already belongs to him, you know."
A blushing Yuki slapped him in the back of the head. "I-I don't belong to anybody, you idiot!"
There more laughs, only this time it was at her expense. Pouting was the only thing she could do in response.
They were all idiots.
Putting that aside, the still amused Kise faced Naruto. "Uzumakicchi, there is actually a big favor I need to ask of you before the match starts."
"Huh?" Naruto's eyebrow went up, but he didn't say anything. Rise asked a lot of stupid favors, but this seemed to be different.
And it was. Because Kise had a very selfish request today.
Kasamatsu glanced back to them but kept quiet. They were both ready for this game. He knew they had their reasons for wanting to win today, and so did he. It might be more personal than theirs, but that made little difference in the end.
'This year, things will be different.'
He wasn't going to make the same mistake again.
The cheering on the court from the audience grew in intensity the moment the two teams started to make their way onto the court. It was Tōō who made their appearance first. Up in their seats, Seirin picked up on Aomine's intensity right away. He was far different now than when he had started in their game.
He was more than ready for today's match.
"That guy," Kagami muttered, his fists clenching at his side. He had been completely powerless against him, so how would Kise and Naruto do?
As he thought this, Kaijō finally emerged from their locker room, the crowd cheering even further. The team was in their white and blue uniform for today, to contrast Tōō's darker one.
Midorima, from where he was standing, watched all of this in silence. He had told his team he wouldn't be coming to see this match, but he had been unable to resist. He wanted to see Kise's new play style, as well as Naruto's.
Would they win? Lose? There was no way to tell until they started playing.
Down on the court, the players all drowned out the cheering and any pointless distractions. They all focused on one another. Especially Naruto, Kise, and Aomine. It was so tense, the others could all taste it.
"So you've finally come," Aomine said, speaking to Kise for the first time.
Kise chuckled. "I should be the one saying that, Aominecchi."
"H'mph." Aomine's eyes went to Naruto, who was strangely quiet. "And you. You're Uzumaki Naruto, right?" A grin started to form on Aomine's face. "I've heard a lot about you. You're quite the player, aren't you? Maybe you'll give me more of a challenge than that other dropout."
Dropout? Ah, he must be talking about Kagami.
Naruto shrugged. "I can't speak for Kagami, but I do have one thing to say." He raised one finger. "Underestimate us, and you'll be in for a rude awakening."
Aomine didn't respond. He didn't have to. Whatever else they wanted to say to each other, it would be said through basketball.
The players from both teams lined up before the match, wishing the other good luck. On the bench to the side, Yuki bit her lip, still anxious about how all of this was going to go.
"You don't have to worry," the coach said, his arms crossed. "They told you earlier, right? Just have faith in them. Have faith in our aces."
Yeah…...she should.
Momoi tucked some of her hair back, her face serious. She had come very prepared for this game and had done everything she could to support her team. However, there were still many holes in her calculations that could decide this game. She was in the dark about this match's outcome just like the others. It was a new feeling for her, but she wouldn't let that distract her.
The tip-off was about to commence, and Wakamatsu, the loud center for Tōō, as well as Naruto stepped forward.
Wakamatsu furrowed his brow at this. 'Momoi said as much, but I'm still surprised. This guy…..'
He was the shortest on his team, but he was still doing the tip-off. Honestly, it was a big shock.
Aomine just looked on, not batting an eye to this.
Naruto flexed his arm a little, recalling what Kise had asked of him back in the locker room.
'T'ch, to say something like that…..'
The referee stepped in between the two players, ball in hand.
"The quarter-final game between Tōō Academy and Kaijō High will now begin!"
The audience's cheer grew further, but again none of the players focused on that.
There was a tense moment before the referee launched the ball in the air. It was almost like time had stopped. But, inevitably, it came. The ball was tossed, and the game began.
Both Naruto and Wakamatsu took to the air for it with exact precision. At first, with his longer arms, it looked like Wakamatsu was going to get it. But then, at the last second, it was Naruto who got to the ball first. He tipped it to the side, right to Kasamatsu who was already waiting for it.
'This bastard…..!' Wakamatsu cursed inside his head, gritting his teeth in frustration at his failure.
'Huh, it's even more impressive in person,' Imayoshi thought, amazed that someone of Naruto's stature could beat Wakamatsu like this.
But whatever. They couldn't let this slow them down.
"So it's finally started," Riko muttered from her seat.
The others all looked on, eager to see what was going to happen.
Kasamatsu stood before the glasses-wearing captain, dribbling the ball with ease. Some guessed that it would lead to a face-off against the two captains, but Kasamatsu had a different strategy in mind. Well, it couldn't really be called a "strategy," but whatever.
Imayoshi frowned as Kasamatsu threw the ball for a pass instead of facing. The pass went straight for Kise who caught it. And who was marking him? Why, Aomine of course.
"Already!?" Kagami was shocked, not believing that Kaijō was this bold.
Kuroko narrowed his eyes. He saw Naruto stepping back, but why? He should be eager to face Aomine too.
On the court, Kise and Aomine looked straight at one another, neither backing down.
'Uzumakicchi…...' Kise was a bit ashamed of himself. He had asked something unreasonable of his friend, but at the same time he couldn't help it.
He wanted to face Aomine one-on-one first. He needed to test himself here.
Aomine smirked. "What's the matter, Kise? Aren't you coming? Or did you get cold feet?"
The model's eyes narrowed. There was no verbal response from him. There was only action.
In one swift move, Kise went for a straightforward drive to get past Aomine. He did this to let his speed do the talking. And it amazed everyone from Seirin.
Kise had gotten even faster than before.
To Kise, for just a split second, it felt like he had gotten through Aomine's defense. But that sense of victory vanished when Aomine stepped back with perfect timing and slammed the ball right of Kise's hands.
"That kind of speed won't work on me, Kise!" Aomine declared, showcasing his wild instincts just fine.
Kise's eyes widened in shock, but the ball was already out of his hands.
The ball was loose for just a moment before Imayoshi came in and swooped it right up. He was grinning too.
He started to dribble down the court, intending to go right for the basket. That proved to be an impossibility as Kasamatsu caught up to him, just in time to stop him from going past the three-point line. This didn't slow Imayoshi down, though, as he quickly passed to Wakamatsu who was in a perfect position to score. Or, he was, but Kobori came in from this side for the defense. The two centers faced off in a quick match to see who could stop the other. And it was Kobori who came out on top, not allowing Wakamatsu to get into a good position to shoot.
'T'ch, so annoying!' With his earlier loss to Naruto, Wakamatsu was quickly becoming frustrated. But he knew, in his position, he wasn't going to score.
Might as well go to the outside then.
His pass was just as quick as Imayoshi's, but the target for this pass was Sakurai, their resident shooting guard. The frail looking boy quickly caught the ball and went for the shot before Moriyama had a chance to stop him.
'So fast!' Moriyama was silently impressed by this.
"I'm sorry!" Sakurai cried out as the ball started to leave his hands.
"Yeah, you should be." Sakurai's eyes widened as a new voice emerged from behind him. It was Naruto, who towered over him in the air in order to slap the ball away before it had a chance to go for the basket.
The ball went out of bounds, but Naruto was certain he had delivered his message loud and clear.
"Don't think you can take three-pointers that easily," he said as he glared at the shivering Sakurai. "Not when I'm around. You got that?"
"I-I'm sorry!"
Moriyama sighed. 'Well, Looks like he's ready to go.'
'No, it's not just that,' Yuki thought as she observed Naruto. 'He looks…...annoyed about something.'.
But what? The game had just started!
"Heh?" Aomine placed a hand on his hips. "Not bad. Looks like you got some power in you, Uzumaki."
Naruto didn't care about the lack of honorific in his name. He wasn't one to pay attention to such things. He simply gave Aomine a side glance before returning to his position.
Aomine narrowed his eyes at this but didn't say anything further.
"Hmm." Harasawa, the coach for Tōō hummed after the play. "It's just as we feared. He's a strong player."
Momoi simply nodded, agreeing.
Up above, Kiyoshi was making his own observation. "He jumps like Kagami. No….it's different. He has more explosive power than anyone else I've ever seen."
"That's the one thing that surprises you the most about that guy," Hyūga said. "He doesn't look like it, but it's almost like his whole body radiates power. Stopping a guy like that…..."
He could say it was impossible, but if anyone could do it, it was someone from the Generation of Miracles.
Kise simply frowned and pushed his guilt away.
The ball was tossed back in, and it was in Imayoshi's hands. He was still smiling despite their first play being shut down.
'Hai, hai. You're quite impressive. We were already prepared for this. But in the end…..'
No one could beat Aomine.
To prove his point, he passed the ball right to Aomine. Kise already stood in front of him, ready to be on the defensive this time.
There was a brief pause as Aomine dribbled the ball. But in an instant, he moved forward at lighting speed. Kise stayed with him, though, cutting off his advance. But that wasn't all. Aomine suddenly bounced the ball to his other hand where he caught it for a fast break in the other direction.
'So fast!' Kagami thought with wide-eyed. He knew that, at that point, he would no longer be able to keep up with Aomine.
It was a different story for Kise, though, who was still marking Aomine and cutting off his advance for a second time.
'T'ch, I've never seen anyone keep up with Aomine like this,' Imayoshi thought in a rare show of surprise. But that surprise turned to satisfaction soon enough. 'However…..'
Aomine quickly pulled off the same move for a second time, cutting to his original path at the last second.
'Shit!' Kise found himself slow to react this time. It was just like when he first met Naruto on that street court all those weeks ago. No, perhaps it was faster? Kise wasn't sure, but he had no time to think as Aomine successfully got past him.
Except….that wasn't entirely the case.
'Wait, what!?' Susa, the small forward for Tōō, was shocked to discover that his mark was not next to him anymore. And who was his mark? Why, Naruto of course. The same Naruto who was suddenly slapping the ball out of Aomine's hand before the tanned boy had any time to react.
From her seat, Momoi audibly gasped. And why wouldn't she? It was the first time she was seeing something like this. Aomine….having the ball stolen from him? It had been an impossibility. Until today, that is.
Shock spread to everyone in Seirin too. They hadn't been able to keep up with Naruto's movements until he had slapped the ball away. Had he gotten faster too!?
Instead of having the ball go out of bound again, Naruto quickly caught it with his other hand before he charged forward. He left a stunned Kise and Aomine behind. This forced Wakamatsu to come to the defense, but it wasn't enough.
Naruto dunked right through the taller center like it was nothing.
'Just how much power do you have!?' he screamed in his mind as Naruto scored the first two points in the game.
The audience went wild in their cheering. They had just witnessed someone steal the ball from Aomine, the ace. Of course they were going to be pumped.
"Naruto-kun," Yuki muttered, also surprised by his sudden play.
As Naruto landed back on the floor, he turned to Kise with a small bitter grin.
"Sorry, Kise. But you already know me. I'm not the patient type."
Naruto understood what Kise was trying to do here, but he couldn't just step aside for it either. He wasn't that nice of a guy.
Kise let his surprise wash over him. He sighed and shook his head. "No, I'm the one who should apologize. I was just being selfish and trying to have all the fun for myself. That said….." He walked to stand next to his fellow blond so he could place a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "I'm not going to be left behind." He might have been defeated just now, but that only meant he had to try harder. And he had plenty to give.
They stood together and faced Aomine who let a wide smirk befall his face. So they were coming after him together, huh?
"How interesting….."
He had nothing else to say. The challenge was given, and it was his job to return it.
The match between Kaijō and Tōō had just begun.
Some of you may be annoyed that I breezed right through the preliminaries, but after careful consideration it was the only thing I could do. Having a team that could stand to both Naruto and Kise without a member of the Generation of Miracles or even an Uncrowned King is just…..it's just not possible. Normal players just don't cut it. So I hope you understand.
With that out of the way, we now move on to the first official match with a Generation of Miracles. And it's Aomine. I don't have much control over the Inter-High's initial setup unfortunately. The Winter Cup will be different, but we're still ways off before we get there.