Kaijo High – Coach Takeuchi's Office
Kota was briefing Takeuchi about what happened during the second "Generation of Miracles" meetup. After all, the coach needed to know what was going on—even though Kota practically ran the show at Kaijo these days, it was better to keep the coach in the loop.
"So that's pretty much it. The practice game is set for this weekend in the evening."
"The day after tomorrow?"
Takeuchi rubbed his chin, nodding. "Alright. I don't need to tell you what to do—you know what's at stake."
Kota smirked. "Of course. I'll handle everything."
...
"Alright, that's it for today! Practice dismissed!"
Kota blew the whistle and clapped his hands, then turned to two freshmen.
"Yuki, Takumi—stay for a moment."
The two rookies exchanged confused looks.
From the bench, Kise crossed his legs, grinning. He already knew what this was about but didn't bother giving Yuki any hints—he left everything to Kota.
"You guys free this weekend? There's a practice game."
Kota went straight to the point, watching their faces closely. If they weren't available, he wasn't going to force them—this wasn't some military drill.
Takumi blinked. "Practice game? Like… with the upperclassmen?"
Kota wagged a finger dramatically. "Nope. External practice game."
"External??"
Both freshmen looked stunned. Takumi glanced at Yuki, but the usually reserved Yuki seemed oddly calm.
"Who's the opponent, Kota-senpai?"
"Well… let's just say they might be your future rivals."
Kota chuckled at their puzzled faces. "Alright, I'll stop messing with you guys. It's a bunch of first-years from other schools. The best of the best."
Anyone getting scouted for this had the potential to be the next Generation of Miracles. You didn't get invited unless you had at least five-championship potential.
"Wait… just me and Takumi?" Yuki finally spoke up, his voice carrying a hint of excitement Kota wasn't used to hearing from him.
What the… this guy had a competitive side?
Kota raised an eyebrow but smiled. "Yep, just you two. I handpicked you. Don't let me down."
He even gave them a little fist-pump before casually patting Takumi on the shoulder.
"C'mon, genius" Kota said to Kise as they walked out, "ramen tonight? Miss Masako's busy, told me to grab whatever."
"Ramen again? Let's try that eel place on the east side—five-star reviews!"
"Eel, huh… she'll yell at me again for that… Ah, whatever, I just won't tell her."
As the two senpais left joking around, the gym fell silent.
"You heard that, right, Yuki?" Takumi muttered, still touching the shoulder Kota had patted like it was some holy blessing.
Yuki smiled awkwardly. "Yeah… I heard."
The kid was trying not to roll on the floor from excitement. A practice game… a chance to pass to Kise-senpai… this was better than Christmas.
Takumi, meanwhile, was frozen solid:
I'm… going to play in a game with Kota-senpai? I can catch passes from him?
Both of them had the same thought:
No way we're sleeping tonight.
Too bad neither knew Kota and Kise were just going to watch. Their "teammate fantasy" would have to wait for summer.
Then Takumi's phone rang. Unknown number.
No way it's Kota-senpai… right?
"Hello?"
"Yo, Takumi, it's Kota."
Takumi froze. "Wait—Kota-senpai?!"
Was this real life? Did the basketball gods hear his prayers?
"Remember" Kota said, "don't go all-out in the practice game. Keep some tricks hidden. Tell Yuki too."
"Oh—oh, yes sir!"
When the call ended, Takumi was still holding the phone like it was a sacred artifact.
Yuki looked on, jealousy written all over his face. Man… I want Kise-senpai to call me too…
Later, Kise asked, "Kota, how'd you even get Takumi's number?"
Kota shot him a look. "I'm the captain. Knowing everyone's contact info is basic leadership 101. What if someone's late for a game? You call. Simple."
Kise sparkled with admiration.
"As expected of Captain Kota! Holding this team together like a pro!"
Kota smirked, rubbing his nose proudly. He had memorized everyone's number—well, the important ones. The rest were written down somewhere.
Meanwhile, other schools were giving similar calls to their own rookies. This "rookie training match" co-organized by Kota and Akashi, was about to gather the strongest first-years since the Generation of Miracles—a future all-star lineup, some of whom would eventually face off on the world stage.
But that was a story for another day.
Sunday Evening – Tokyo's Biggest Basketball Arena
"Up next—the rookie training match featuring the top championship-contender schools' first-years! Players, bow and greet each other!"
Kota stood at center court with a whistle, grinning.
Turns out Akashi forgot to hire referees. So, naturally, Kota volunteered.
From the stands, Aomine muttered, "Can this guy even ref properly?"
Kota instantly blew the whistle. "Hey, you in the stands! One more word and you're getting a technical foul!"
Aomine: "…."
Kise laughed. "Relax, Aominecchi. Kota once confused the refs in the finals. He knows the rulebook inside out."
That didn't make Kuroko and Kagami feel any better, judging by their dark expressions.
Meanwhile, Akashi sat calmly, eyes scanning the court—but he kept glancing at Kaijo's rookies, especially Yuki. Something about that kid screamed "trouble" for the future.
"Alright, everybody, lineup for greetings! Ever watched a real game? You bow first!" Kota barked, clearly enjoying his temporary power trip.
"Please take care of us!" the rookies shouted, bowing awkwardly.
Yuki was already sweating bullets.
Great… total strangers as teammates. What if I mess up?
Takumi, on the other hand, was staring at Kota like a puppy waiting for approval. He'd already forgotten Kota told them not to go all-out.
Because the teams were mixed, everyone quickly introduced themselves:
"Kimura Taisuke, first-year center, Shutoku."
"Ōhara Takumi, first-year power forward, Kaijo."
"Yuki Hashimoto, first-year point guard, Kaijo."
"Nagano Satoshi, first-year small forward, Yosen."
"Oyama Tomoya, first-year shooting guard, Seirin."
The other side, meanwhile, was already arguing over positions.
"You're too tall to be a point guard!"
"Says who? Tall guys can dribble too!"
"Yeah, but we need big men inside—understand basketball much?"
"You calling me dumb, shorty?"
Kota facepalmed. The "other rookies" were already a circus act.
"That short one's from Too Academy, right?" Kise whispered to Aomine.
"Yeah… kid's talented but mouthy" Aomine admitted. "Name's Igarashi Yuuei."
"And the tall guard?"
"Rakuzan's rookie, Hirakawa Takeshi. Big guy, famous in middle school" Midorima adjusted his glasses, rattling off scouting reports like a human database.
Akashi finally spoke: "Hirakawa, play power forward."
"Ha? No way I'm— …Fine."
The second Akashi looked at him, Hirakawa shut up and moved to power forward. Absolute control, as always.
Both teams finally ready, Kota grabbed the ball.
"Two ten-minute halves. No free throws—it's a practice game. And keep it clean. Anyone gets hurt before the Interhigh, the senpais will kill you."
He looked meaningfully at Yuki and Takumi again. Winning didn't matter; staying healthy did.
"Alright… jump ball on my whistle!"
The tip-off: Kimura vs. Yuya, both Shutoku rookies.
The ball soared.
The first-ever Rookie Cup, sponsored by Akashi and refereed by Kota himself… had begun.