"The final match of the A Block preliminaries... starts now."
Midorima adjusted his glasses as he glanced at Kuroko, then calmly walked back to Shutoku's side of the court.
Takao raised an eyebrow.
"You're only saying hi to Kuroko?"
He shot a glance at Kagami, the implication obvious.
Midorima responded with a sharp glance at Takao, then raised his voice intentionally.
"There's no need to greet someone of that level. If you have something to say to me, speak with your skills."
Kagami paused, then grinned.
"So all the Generation of Miracles are cocky like this, huh? Fine by me. Let's hurry up and get started."
Midorima narrowed his eyes but stayed silent.
BEEP—
The game began.
The referee's whistle echoed as the ball flew into the air.
Kagami used his insane jumping power to win the tip-off for Seirin.
Izuki caught the ball and quickly sprinted toward the opponent's half, but Shutoku's defense closed in fast, forcing him to stop.
"Damn, that was quick. I was hoping for a fast break right out of the gate..."
Izuki frowned, protecting the ball while scanning the court.
Noticing Izuki in trouble, Kuroko slipped away while the defenders were distracted, suddenly appearing in an open space.
Thanks to his Eagle Eye, Izuki spotted Kuroko immediately and passed without hesitation.
Kuroko glanced at Shutoku's defense but didn't stop — he tapped the ball with one hand straight toward the basket.
Shutoku's captain shouted in shock,
"Wait, you can shoot in that position!?"
"Obviously not."
Kagami had already read Kuroko's intent. He was in position, running into Shutoku's paint and leaping.
Alley-oop!
Seirin's offense was perfect… or so it seemed.
Suddenly, a figure shot out from the corner—BAM! A massive block crushed the connection between Kuroko and Kagami. It was Midorima!
From the stands, Kota gasped.
"What the heck? This guy has hops too!?"
Momoi wagged her finger and explained,
"Midorima may be a three-point specialist, but he's strong in everything else too! He's a well-rounded player; he just really loves threes."
It wasn't just Kota—everyone on Seirin was stunned by that block.
Kagami stood frozen, completely missing the chance to fight for the loose ball.
Takao snatched it up and chuckled.
"As expected from Shin-chan!"
He then dashed toward Seirin's basket, finishing a fast-break with his teammates.
Midorima glanced at Kagami, completely calm, and said coldly:
"Disappointing. If that's the best you've got, don't bother talking about winning."
Kagami clenched his teeth but said nothing. He wasn't one for trash talk—he'd let the ball do the talking.
Despite Shutoku scoring first, both teams soon fell into a deadlock, struggling to score further. Neither side managed to take control.
Momoi glanced at the scoreboard, surprised.
"It's been three minutes already... and no one's scored."
Kise nodded.
"Yeah. Whoever breaks the drought first will probably control the pace of the first quarter."
Kota rubbed his chin in silence. On the surface, it looked like Seirin and Shutoku were evenly matched... but Shutoku's ace hadn't even shot yet.
Meanwhile, Kagami was actively participating in offense, but ever since that monster block, he hadn't been able to convert. His confidence seemed shaken.
"Yeah... it's pretty obvious. Right now, Kagami's nowhere near Midorima's level..."
"Come on, show me. Show me that 100% accuracy three-pointer. Let's see what it looks like."
Kota kept his eyes locked on Midorima. He needed to understand how Midorima's shots worked — and how to stop them. Otherwise, Kaijo was gonna be in big trouble when they faced Shutoku.
Midorima didn't make him wait long. After a sharp drive-and-kick from Takao, Midorima caught the ball a full two steps behind the three-point line... and shot without hesitation.
A super-deep three.
The basketball arced beautifully through the air. High arc and long range—that was Midorima's signature.
Hyuga's mouth dropped open.
"No way... Is that even humanly possible?"
As a fellow three-point shooter, Hyuga could instantly feel just how absurdly hard that shot was.
Even Kagami stood there stunned, watching the perfect trajectory. As it zeroed in toward the basket, a sense of helplessness crept over him.
"Don't just stand there!"
A cool voice snapped him out of it — it was Kuroko, dashing past him toward Seirin's basket.
Even Kagami didn't fully get what Kuroko was thinking, but trusting his teammate, he spun and sprinted toward Shutoku's side.
Midorima had already turned away after releasing the ball, calmly walking back toward his own half. In his mind, there was zero chance the shot would miss. Absolute faith.
Takao followed him, whispering,
"Hey, Shin-chan… What if you actually missed? Wouldn't we look really dumb?"
"Don't say dumb things. I've never missed."
Midorima adjusted his glasses with that usual smugness—when suddenly, an orange blur zipped past him.
His eyes widened.
"What—!?"
Kagami was already under the basket, catching the pass and softly laying it in.
The entire gym gasped in shock.
Izuki pumped his fist.
"Kuroko! You're amazing, man!"
Right after Midorima's shot, Kuroko had sprinted back to Seirin's basket, perfectly predicting that the ball would go in. The moment the ball passed through the net, he grabbed it, inbounded instantly across the full court to Kagami, who was waiting under Shutoku's basket for the easy two.
Everyone on Seirin finally breathed a sigh of relief. Midorima's absurd three-pointer had nearly crushed them... but Kuroko's instant counterattack reignited their hope.
Kagami also let out a deep breath, patting his own face.
"No... I can't get distracted. The Generation of Miracles are all freaks. I need to stay sharp."
In the stands...
Kise couldn't hold back.
"Man... that's Kurokocchi for you! Seirin barely dodged a bullet there."
Momoi nodded.
"If it wasn't for Tetsu, Seirin would've been crushed in the first quarter."
Kota, however, just frowned silently.
Kise glanced at him and smirked.
"What's wrong, Kota? Don't tell me you're scared of Midorima's shots already."
Kota gave him a side-eye.
"Nah... I'm just wondering how someone like Kuroko, who's built like a scarecrow, managed to throw the ball full court like that. His arm strength makes zero sense."
Kise laughed.
"Fair point, actually. Tetsu's passes really are something else..."
Kota didn't bother responding. His full attention was back on Midorima.
"No... there's no way Midorima's threes are completely unstoppable. Even Seirin at this point can barely hold them off... That means there's something I haven't figured out yet."