Kuroko: Mahoraga - Chapter 57: You'd Better Show Some Respect! (Patreon)

Some people said the Uncrowned Kings were lucky.

After all, heaven had given them extraordinary talent, the kind that appeared once in ten thousand people.

In almost any era, players like them would have shone brilliantly.

And yet, more often than not, people spoke of them with pity.

Because the Uncrowned Kings had been born in the era of the Generation of Miracles.

If their talent was one in ten thousand, then the Generation of Miracles stood on a completely different scale, closer to one in a million.

Whenever people discussed the Generation of Miracles, someone would inevitably bring up the Uncrowned Kings and sigh.

Three years had passed, and their junior high careers were almost over.

Yet despite all that talent, they had no real honors to show for it. Only a famous title.

Before this game, Eikichi Nebuya had even seen more than one media outlet start emphasizing the word “Uncrowned” in their title with open mockery.

For someone who had been praised as a genius his entire life, that label hit hard.

The moment Nebuya saw it attached to his name, he exploded.

How was he supposed to accept that?

He had already intended to take the National Tournament seriously. Now he was even more determined to burn everything he had on this final run.

“Come on, Masato!”

...

The crowd was still buzzing from Nebuya’s explosive opening dunk.

The poster had instantly fired up a large part of the audience.

“Holy shit, that was insane!”

“See that? That’s the strength of an Uncrowned King!”

“Kawari’s players look like kids next to Nebuya!”

“I told you this game wasn’t going to be easy!”

“Okay, they’re definitely strong, but aren’t you opening the champagne a little early...?”

“...”

Nebuya’s dunk had caught Masato’s attention too.

He could feel the intensity coming off his opponent and how much this game clearly meant to him.

Ishida stayed on the floor for a moment after getting knocked down.

He was not hurt. He was just stunned.

This was the first time an opponent had made him feel completely outclassed physically.

Kawari had already played against Makoto Hanamiya, another Uncrowned King, but Ishida had never guarded Hanamiya directly.

Until now, the title had never felt especially real to him.

But now...

“So this is what an Uncrowned King is like.” Ishida shook his head in disbelief.

He was watching Nebuya retreat on defense when Masato came over and offered him a hand.

“You good?” Masato asked.

Ishida hopped in place a couple of times, then grinned and nodded.

“Good. Then pay attention and really feel this matchup. You don’t get opportunities like this very often.”

To Masato, facing strong opponents was the fastest way to improve.

For Ishida, this was a chance to grow.

When Ishida nodded seriously, Masato wasted no more time.

“Inbound it.”

The moment he received the ball, the easygoing expression on Masato’s face disappeared.

This time he did not slow the pace. He pushed the ball across half court immediately.

A Butai defender stepped up to meet him.

One thing stood out about Butai’s roster. They were muscular.

The guard matched up with Masato was no exception. He was the heavy, physical type.

Most players would have trouble breaking down someone built like that. The pressure alone could make driving lanes feel cramped.

Against Masato, however, the difference in level was too great.

He did not even slow his advance.

The moment the defender moved up to pressure him, Masato went between the legs.

The dribble was clean and compact, almost textbook perfect.

Fans familiar with Masato immediately held their breath.

They knew what was coming.

Sure enough, the defender was thrown off balance after a single exchange.

At that level, he was not even good enough to serve as a speed bump.

The sudden attack caught Butai completely off guard.

Masato kept his speed and drove straight toward the rim.

Butai’s center saw him coming and stepped up.

From the side, Nebuya rushed over to help as well.

Two massive defenders rose in front of Masato like a pair of gates blocking the lane.

Masato did not hesitate.

If anything, he accelerated.

In the blink of an eye, he was already in the paint.

At full speed, Masato launched himself into the air, gripping the ball in one hand above his head.

Nebuya and the center jumped with him.

“You’re not dunking that!!!” Nebuya roared.

Then both defenders realized something was wrong.

Masato was still rising.

He climbed higher and higher until he was clearly above them.

Before Nebuya could process it, a massive force crashed into his body.

His balance disappeared, and he started falling backward.

“BOOM!!”

Masato hammered the ball through the rim.

He stayed hanging from the basket with his right hand, his legs lifted slightly beneath him.

Then he extended his left index finger and pointed down at Nebuya, who was frozen in shock directly beneath his legs.

Masato’s eyes were cold.

“You’d better show some respect.”

The warning in his voice was unmistakable.

Masato released the rim and landed.

“And that strength you were talking about? I didn’t feel it.”

Masato was not the type to throw around empty threats. He preferred to let his basketball speak for him.

But when a teammate was provoked or humiliated, he had no reason to stay quiet.

In the past, he would have answered by lifting the team through his play.

Now that he was captain, he was willing to respond even more directly.

Without giving Nebuya another look, Masato turned and ran back on defense.

His teammates were completely fired up and followed him while shouting in excitement.

The stands were even louder.

Masato’s smooth drive and two-man poster had been more shocking than Nebuya’s opening dunk.

The whole arena erupted.

“Holy shit, that was crazy!”

“Oh my God, Masato looked like he was flying!”

“He dunked over two people?!”

“This is my first time seeing him live. No wonder everyone keeps hyping him up!”

“Masato’s strength doesn’t look any worse than Nebuya’s!”

“...”

On the other side of the stands, Satsuki Momoi had come to watch as well.

She covered her mouth with both hands, eyes wide with surprise.

“Masa got even stronger again!”

It was no wonder she was shocked. Masato seemed to improve almost every day, and she had not watched him play in person for a while.

Since Teiko was also playing on opening day, Kise had dragged Murasakibara over to watch too.

Even Murasakibara looked mildly surprised by Masato’s poster dunk. The hand that had been continuously feeding potato chips into his mouth actually paused for a moment.

“Masa-chin’s pretty strong,” he commented before going right back to eating.

Kise, meanwhile, clenched his fists and stared at the court with a serious expression.

After a moment, he murmured, “I really hope we get to play you soon, Kumoicchi.”

“This time, I won’t lose.”

...

Back on the court, the rising roar of the crowd finally pulled Nebuya out of his daze.

Even after coming back to himself, the image of Masato dunking over him kept replaying in his head.

He had to admit it. Masato was strong.

Nebuya shook his head, forcing the scattered thoughts out of his mind. His gaze gradually sharpened again.

For this game, he was willing to give everything he had. Even his life.

With his teammates watching him anxiously, Nebuya spoke with absolute conviction.

“Feed me the ball. I’ll take us straight through them!”