Chapter 66: The National Tournament Begins

We've reached 300 Power Stones—what does this mean? Bonus Chapter! --- After several matches, the National Tournament was finally about to begin. On this day, the Teikō team took the subway to Kyoto, this year's host city for the championship. Compared to the qualifiers, the main event garnered even more attention. Fans from all over the country made the journey to Kyoto, waving banners and cheering for their regional teams. During this time, another episode of The Generation of Miracles aired in the real world. Now that Kuroko had officially joined Teikō's first string, screen time for Tendou and the others had noticeably increased—no more piggybacking on others for attention. This gave the audience a more direct look into the personalities of these young players. That said, the latest episode didn't earn Tendou much popularity—just training and slice-of-life content. Most of it featured Kuroko marveling at how intense and fulfilling the first-string's training was, painting a picture of a young boy walking the road toward his dream. After all his hard work, Tendou's stats had grown as follows: Strength: 86 Speed: 85 Stamina: 89 Vertical: 86 Mental: 92 Mid-Range: 85 Three-Point: 88 Layup: 85 Ball Handling: 90 Post Moves: 90 Offensive Rebound: 79 Defensive Rebound: 86 Steals: 99 ...and more. His overall average surpassed 85, making him elite by national standards. From a system perspective, his stats had already reached the upper limit of what an "ordinary genius" at this stage could achieve. To go even further would require the awakening of a Generation of Miracles-type talent—pushing average stats past 90, along with special talents that break through the system's stat cap. In short: Tendou had already reached the level of the "Uncrowned Kings." And since he possessed two such limit-breaking talents—"Cleave" and "Monster"—he could easily take on any of the current Uncrowned Kings with no problem. ... Today marked the opening match of the National Tournament. The organizers scheduled a "team parade" to introduce the players to the national audience. After all the formalities and hype, half the day flew by. By the afternoon, the opening match finally began. First up was the host team from Kyoto. Yeah, yeah, "random draw" and all that—Tendou didn't buy it for a second. Thanks to info from Momoi, the Teikō crew learned that Kyoto's #1 seed had drawn the weakest team in the tournament for the opening game. The result didn't disappoint the hometown crowd—Kyoto took the win by 10 points. Then it was Teikō's turn, slotted in for the second game of the day. Their opponent came from Kanagawa Prefecture. And as Tendou glanced at the opposing team's lineup—he spotted a familiar figure: Kasamatsu Yukio, a third-year and future captain of Kaijō High. Short-tempered, but solid as a rock. ... Inside the locker room, Shirogane Kōzō wore a serious expression. Though things had gone smoothly up to this point, the main tournament wasn't something to be taken lightly. It's like comparing the preseason to the regular season—or even the playoffs. Not the same. Especially when today's opponent hailed from Kanagawa, the second-most competitive region after Tokyo. Their star player, Kasamatsu Yukio, had already been scouted and confirmed for Kaijō High—a respected powerhouse. A scoring guard who could also facilitate—a true combo guard, which was still a rare breed in this era. Naturally, Shirogane's gaze fell on Tendou. The task of guarding Kasamatsu would fall to him today. He didn't give a long-winded motivational speech—the players were already focused enough. Overdoing it would only be counterproductive. Tendou changed into his #14 jersey, just like Kobe, strapped on his elbow sleeve, bounced a couple of times, and was ready to go— Only to be grabbed by Shirogane. "Coach?" "Don't get nervous. Just play your game. Trust the work you've put in—hard work never lies." You seem more nervous than I am. Tendou could feel the slight tremble in his coach's hand. Can't blame him—one-game elimination is intense and unforgiving. One slip-up, and an entire year's effort goes up in smoke. Tendou smiled and slipped on his iconic sunglasses—the ones he always wore when showing off. "Don't worry, Coach." "I'm the strongest." ... 『6666666!』 『Yoroshiku onegaishimasu Q-tama!』 『It's happening! The Nationals are finally here!』 『Is this the first basketball anime to actually get to the Nationals? SD only got to the prelims and ended there—still hurts, man.』 The viewers had long since stocked up on snacks and drinks—no one wanted to miss Tendou's National debut. — As they emerged from the tunnel, the roar of the crowd hit them like a wave. Tokyo vs. Kanagawa—an age-old rivalry. Kind of like the old-school showdown between Beijing and Shanghai, or Guangzhou and Shenzhen. As the top two cities in the country, people had been comparing the two since forever. Now their teams met in the national tournament? You bet the hype was real. Of course, the players themselves didn't carry that kind of emotional baggage—they just wanted to win. There were 64 teams in total. Half would be eliminated in the first round. Meaning, the winner moves into the Top 32, then Sweet 16, Elite 8, Final 4, and eventually the Championship. No fluff. No filler. The game started immediately. ... Right out of the gate, Murasakibara went for the jump ball—and promptly committed a foul. Again. The team all turned to look at him with deadpan stares. Disdain was written all over their faces. Murasakibara pouted in protest. Kasamatsu Yukio's expression only grew more serious. The future Kaijō captain always looked like that—unless he was yelling or smacking someone. Cold. Calm. Unshakably composed. After receiving the inbound pass, he slowly dribbled up the court, giving his teammates time to get into position. Today's Teikō opponent had two key threats to watch for: Kasamatsu Yukio, the floor general. And their center—a 196cm, 90kg beast. That unit of meat, Kumamoto Iwa, took up position in the paint and looked so bulky even Murasakibara seemed skinny next to him. Their first play? An entry pass into the post. Murasakibara bodied up on defense—he might've been thinner, but he could still hold his ground. But to everyone's surprise— Kumamoto didn't go for a power move. Instead, he spun smoothly and hit a hook shot without even jumping. The ball went in. Murasakibara stood frozen. This was the first time he'd seen someone score without even leaving the floor. --- 500 Powers Stones = +1 Bonus Chapte