Inside Seirin's locker room, no one spoke a word. Under the coach's instructions, they quietly packed up their gear, making sure not to inconvenience the next team using the room.
No one said a word. The wild celebrations from a few days ago after beating Shūtoku felt like a completely different world.
Looking back now, their bold declarations about defeating Kirisaki Daiichi, beating Tendou Kageyoshi, and challenging the Generation of Miracles felt almost… cute.
"Don't get so down."
"The round-robin isn't over yet. Don't forget our goal—we still have to win our next ga if we want to advance," Aida Riko reminded them.
She clearly regretted not pulling the team sooner from the ga.
They had hoped to reclaim their pride during the match.
But because they didn't make the choice to retreat with dignity, Tendou didn't leave them even a shred of rcy.
Usually, soone would respond to her attempts to boost morale, but this ti? Nothing.
Even Hyūga Junpei just quietly packed his things and told the others it was ti to leave—without a single ntion of their upcoming matches.
That last line from Kuroko, the one ant to sound cool… now just felt hollow.
...
"Losing by 60 points… doesn't that an we, who lost to Seirin, are…"
SMACK!
On the way back, Takao Kazunari was theatrically expressing his shock when Kimura smacked him on the head.
Team captain Ōtsubo tried to explain:
"Don't treat basketball like it's a simple math problem. We lost to Seirin because Midorima's matchup with Kagami was terrible."
"It's like how Kuroko doesn't pair well against Tendou either. But still…"
As for whether they could defeat Kirisaki Daiichi or Tendou? Even Shūtoku's players weren't sure.
"Tendou Kageyoshi… that guy is just too overwhelming."
For all the powerhouse teams that picked up a Generation of Miracles player, this year was supposed to be their year to shine.
But for those who didn't? It basically ant exiting the national stage early.
Rather than shrinking the competition, it just made things more cutthroat.
It's like getting into the final circle of a battle royale. There may be fewer enemies, but every single one left is elite.
Last year, they could still affect the outco of gas. This year, their relevance has plumted.
"…Yeah." Takao sighed. Even his teammate Midorima couldn't beat Tendou.
"We're not done yet," Ōtsubo said. "Shūtoku's journey isn't over."
"Pick yourselves up. In the Winter Cup—we take back our pride with our own hands."
"Yeah!!"
...
The day's highly anticipated matchup ended with a completely one-sided outco.
Back in Seirin's locker room, most had already left—except for first-years Kagami Taiga and Kuroko Tetsuya.
For them, today had been a disaster.
Both of them had been thoroughly crushed, left doubting themselves.
In front of Tendou, they looked like children.
"…Maybe this is our limit," Kagami said first.
"I thought we could go further. I really believed it. But this… was a total defeat."
"Against soone with overwhelming strength, even unity doesn't help."
Kuroko's chest tightened.
After being dominated by Tendou, this felt like a dagger.
Was there truly no way to win?
He rembered what Tendou told him:
"Basketball isn't so amusent park ride. If you keep treating it like a ga, you'll never beat ."
"No," Kuroko thought. He still believed in what he believed in.
...
But then… ca the second day of the round-robin.
Seirin vs. Tōō Academy.
Another heavy blow.
"Don't even try to get past ."
"I've got no interest in you anymore."
"Get out of my way."
BOOM.
Aomine Daiki effortlessly toyed with Kagami using his flashy dribbles.
After watching yesterday's ga, Aomine had zero interest in facing Seirin.
He'd been curious about the guy who beat Midorima and Kise—but this was all he amounted to?
Kagami was once again dropped to the floor.
There was no sha in it—just frustration.
He stood up, ready to continue, but a sharp pain shot through his ankle.
He gritted his teeth, trying to hide it. But Aida Riko saw through him imdiately.
"That injury—it's from yesterday's ga with Tendou, isn't it?"
This ti, she didn't hesitate. She pulled him from the ga right away.
The National Tournant's schedule was brutal.
Less than 24 hours had passed since their last ga, and the fatigue had built up.
Whether it was against Tendou or Aomine, the pressure was imnse.
And during their ga with Shūtoku, Kagami had used his super jump repeatedly to block Midorima's shots—pushing his body beyond its limits.
That's exactly why Shirogane Kōzō had the foresight to build up depth in his team.
In the end, Seirin suffered another loss. Two straight defeats.
And they weren't alone—Senshinkan also fell short.
After their match with Seirin, they lost to Kirisaki Daiichi as expected.
But Senshinkan had prepared for this.
Their strategy had always been to go all-out against Seirin and little else.
Against Kirisaki Daiichi, they didn't resist.
Worried about injuries, they pulled their starters at halfti and effectively surrendered.
Seirin, in contrast, fought Tōō with their full roster through all four quarters—
Only to injure Kagami's ankle in the process.
Looking back at Seirin's eventual Winter Cup championship… it was nearly a miracle.
Now, with Kirisaki Daiichi and Tōō Academy both standing at two wins, the round-robin standings were clear.
Seirin and Izumigamine had lost both their matches.
Their only chance was the third day of the round-robin:
Kirisaki Daiichi vs. Tōō Academy — Battle for Tokyo's #1
Seirin vs. Izumigamine — Battle for the final ticket to the nationals
"It's here!"
"Yeah, it's finally here—Generation of Miracles: Civil War!"
"Kirisaki Daiichi vs. Tōō!"
"Tendou Kageyoshi vs. Aomine Daiki!"
"The leader of the Generation of Miracles versus its strongest ace!"
The crowd was ecstatic.
What's more, from second year onward, the rising star who overshadowed everyone else wasn't Tendou anymore—it was Aomine.
By third year, the scoring title at Teikō no longer belonged to Tendou. It was Aomine who stood at the top.
This match had been scheduled for the following evening, giving both teams maximum ti to rest and recover.
The showdown was coming.
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