Stepping onto the court and looking at the packed, surging stands, even Ueno couldn't help but feel nervous. After all, being stared at by tens of thousands of eyes would make anyone uneasy. But after a brief moment, he managed to steady himself, and that alone already put him above average.
His teammates, on the other hand, were even more nervous. Some of them, those with weaker mental fortitude, had pale faces and were already starting to lose their nerve. Seeing his players like this, the coach lightly clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention to himself.
"When the game starts, just don't leave yourselves with any regrets." As he spoke, his gaze quietly swept across the team before finally stopping on Ueno. "Ueno, take them to warm up."
"Yes, Coach."
Picking up a basketball from the side, Ueno led his teammates onto the court. They jogged a couple of laps, loosened their joints, and then started shooting and passing to find their rhythm. But the team's condition was so poor that Ueno couldn't help but shake his head. Watching his teammates move stiffly and commit mistake after mistake even during warm-ups, Ueno let out a soft sigh in his heart.
A person's reputation precedes them. The phrase Generation of Miracles alone was enough to make people of the same generation feel powerless. Those who could still muster the courage to fight them were probably only the so-called Uncrowned Kings. For everyone else, it was hard to even find the courage to face them.
...
Just as Ueno and the others were practicing their shots, the arena suddenly erupted. The entire stadium was chanting the name of the Generation of Miracles. Ueno's heart skipped slightly as he instinctively turned to look behind him. There, he saw Akashi leading the members of the Generation of Miracles as they slowly walked onto the court. Their overwhelming presence was so strong that even from dozens of meters away, Ueno could feel it.
On Teikō's side, Akashi and the others were already used to the thunderous cheers of the crowd and paid them no mind. Only Kise kept waving enthusiastically at the stands in response. As soon as he sat down, Murasakibara somehow pulled out a bag of snacks and started eating, speaking lazily,
"Akachin, I don't wanna play. We're gonna win anyway. Can I just go back?"
Hearing this, Akashi smiled faintly and said, "You're starting."
"Ahhh..." Upon hearing he was in the starting lineup, Murasakibara looked helpless and continued stuffing his mouth with snacks. Nearby, Aomine closed his eyes to rest. For a match like this, he had already lost interest; it no longer brought him the excitement it once did. After winning too much, he had grown numb.
As for Kise, he grinned and looked at Kuroko.
"Kurokocchi, so? Have you thought it over? After we graduate, why don't you come to the same high school as me?"
"I refuse."
Kuroko glanced at Kise and quietly shook his head. After rejecting him, he ignored Kise's wounded expression and instead began reminiscing about their past. The current Generation of Miracles was no longer the same as before. Now, winning came above all else. This was not the team Kuroko wanted.
Sitting to the side, Midorima looked at the teru teru bōzu mascot he had brought today and pushed up his glasses, a trace of confusion in his eyes. According to this morning's horoscope, they were guaranteed to win, but why did it also indicate the presence of some other variable? It puzzled him. Still, he believed that in the end, victory would belong to them.
Watching everyone, Momoi, serving as the team manager, had already compiled all of Ōki's data.
"Everyone, I've finished compiling Ōki's information. Would you like to take a look?"
Hearing this, Kise casually waved his hand. "Momocchi, just tell us directly."
Seeing their carefree attitude, Momoi couldn't help but sigh inwardly, then smiled.
"Ōki Junior High. Player number seven, Juri Ueno, forward position. No outstanding specialty, fairly well-rounded overall. Player number eight..." She paused, adding, "And their threat level to us is zero."
As soon as Momoi finished speaking, Kise waved his hand boredly. "Meh, meh, meh. Then let's just have some fun."
Looking at his overly confident teammates, Akashi also smiled calmly.
"Then let's stick to the usual: one hundred points in the first half."
...
"Beep!"
The whistle sounded, and the two teams took their positions.
As a forward, Ueno had a solid build. At 180 cm, he was already considered quite tall. Their center was even taller, standing at 188 cm, and served as their primary rebounder. After choosing sides, the game officially began. Although Ōki's center was tall, compared to Murasakibara, he was still lacking. The gap in overall strength was simply on another level.
In an instant, the ball was tipped and claimed first by Murasakibara. Glancing at Teikō's side, Ueno saw that aside from Kuroko, all of the Generation of Miracles' regular starters were on the court. To be honest, Ueno actually wished Kuroko were playing. For some reason, Kuroko's passive "lack of presence" had no effect on him at all. In other words, among the Generation of Miracles, there was at least one person he could deal with. At this stage, aside from his low presence and passing, Kuroko was practically a novice in other areas. Ueno was confident he could completely shut him down.
What Ueno hadn't expected, however, was that his matchup was Kise. Feeling Kise closely guarding him, Ueno felt a headache coming on. Among the Generation of Miracles, Kise could be considered quite the chatterbox. Looking at Ueno, who was a few centimeters taller than himself, Kise curled the corner of his mouth into a smile.
"You're Ueno-kun, right? You'd better do your best. My teammates are all really strong, you know."
"Beep!" Just as Ueno was about to reply, the whistle suddenly blew again. He instinctively turned to look at his own basket. There, Aomine was hanging from the rim with one hand, while the basketball bounced repeatedly on the floor beneath him. Only a few seconds into the game, Teikō had already scored.
The scoreboard lit up.
Teikō: 2 points.
The current score between Teiko and Oki was 2 to 0.