FOURTEEN

Days of rigorous training ensued tiring the boys to near death as the demon coach stood with a proud look on her face. During this time, Takumi had only watched from the sidelines and gave a few tips now and then. Of course, the two who took the tips most seriously were Kuroko and Kagami who had witnessed the boy's strength in person.

Eventually, the day arrived for the first preliminary match and the boys were both filled with excitement and nervousness. For the seniors, this would be the year they get revenge for their previous defeat but as a whole, this first match was the start to them becoming the best players in Japan.

Arriving at the venue via riding the train, the team registered their names and entered the court. The Shinkyo team were already there and gave Seirin various looks of glares, disdain or completely uncaring. Seirin didn't seem to care or notice the opposing team's looks and proceeded to warm-up.

A couple opposing team members noticed the arrival of Takumi which prompted them to tense but they later grew confused when the former took a seat on the bench and pulled out his phone looking completely lax. He wasn't wearing a jersey either making them realise he wasn't a player.

"Looks like we only need to worry about their number ten." muttered the Shinkyo captain.

Papa looked at the Seirin members and scoffed. He made his way over no forgetting to throw a condescending look at Kagami who frowned in response. Right then, Papa bumped into something and look around before looking down to see a small blue-head boy staring up at him.

He lifted Kuroko and scolded, "Children aren't supposed to be on the court."

"He's our teammate," another voice popped up. Papa turned his head to see Takumi grinning at him. "Kuroko Tetsuya. Best remember that."

Papa put the boy down and glared at Takumi before walking away. Meanwhile, the team were shivering in laughter from when Kuroko was called a child and only stopped when the phantom expressed his annoyance.

"But...they are really looking down on us aren't they?" Koganei asked rhetorically.

"They won't be for long," muttered Riko. Her eyes were ablaze with determination as were everyone else's. "But I guess it's good they underestimate us. They won't know what hit them."

Takumi hummed in agreement. There was no need for him to interfere in this match since Seirin won with not too much trouble so he just sat back and enjoyed the show.

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The two teams lined up and bowed before getting into position. Kagami and Papa got ready for the tip-off at the centre line. As soon as the ref threw up the ball, both players jumped with Papa getting the ball thanks to his overwhelming height and wingspan.

Kagami growled but quickly chased after him and he managed to catch up. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to stop the shot which went it giving Shinkyo 2 points.

"Shit."

One of the Shinkyo players snorted, "Did these guys really beat Kaijo? Must've been a fluke."

Kagami would've attacked the boy had Izuki and Hyuga not stopped him.

"Calm down, don't let their provocation get to you. Besides, this is just the start of the game." said Hyuga slapping Kagami's back.

"Hai,"

The match started again and it was Seirin's ball. Kagami had two defenders on him so Izuki didn't pass to him and instead threw the ball to Hyuga who took a shot at the three point line but was blocked by Papa. He clicked his tongue and hurried back to defend.

Kagami broke away from the two defenders but still could not stop the shot.

"Damn," he cursed.

From the side, Takumi glanced at Riko and poked her rib causing her to jump.

"Heuk! You picking a fight?" she glared.

"Not at all, just...you seemed a bit tense. Dad er Papa is a tough opponent with his height and wingspan but Kuroko can counter him." said Takumi. "Like I said, that guy is no where near the generation of miracles and the team has the potential to beat him."

Riko was silent before clicking her tongue and muttering in a quiet voice, "I know..."

Back on the court, Seirin had managed to score two baskets thanks to Kagami and Hyuga, bringing their score to five points. Unfortunately, they still hadn't stopped any of Papa's shots so there was still a slight gap. The boys were not in a panic though but Shinkyo seemed to think otherwise as some players still taunted them.

Then, it was time.

Kuroko stepped out on court making Papa scoff and glare.

"Why did they send him out? What can a kid do?" he asked sarcastically.

This time, it was Kagami who held back a smirk and when it was Seirin's ball, Izuki threw it towards Papa who blinked.

'What? Did he make a mistake?'

Before he could catch it, another form appeared out of nowhere and bounced the ball off the court and it went up to Kagami's awaiting hands. The red-head smiled and dunked down on the rim.

"It seems that 'kid' might give you some trouble." smirked Kagami. Papa was still in a state of shock before he snapped out of it and glared. Meanwhile, Kuroko asked to stop being called a kid.

The match continued onwards and the Kagami-Kuroko duo were unstoppable with Kuroko's invisible passes and misdirection coupled with Kagami's raw prowess and talent. Shinkyo had long stopped their taunts seeing the match was slowly becoming worse for them. Through all of this, Papa was still able to score while the other players passed him the ball and defended against Seirin.

At half-time, the scoreboard was 30 to 35 with Shinkyo hold a five point lead.

The boys walked back to the bench and plucked down before taking a swing at their waters and wiping their sweat with towels that Takumi handed out like a good manager.

"Kuroko, we're taking you out for the third quarter. Koganei, you're in." instructed Riko. Initially she was planning to go with Furihata remembering his pleasing performance during the Kaijo match but decided to send Koganei instead. They were both good support players but it was better to send someone more experienced for their first match.

"What about 'Dad' coach? Kagami can't stop his shots," Fukuda asked.

"No need to worry about that. I'm sure Kagami has remembered our training," the brunette narrowed her eyes at the ace who flinched and nodded. "Good. Start applying that from now on. Once we make it to the last quarter, I want you to go all in."

"Yes coach!"

And then, the second half began.

Riko sat down and sighed before taking out a notepad and jotting something inside. She paused all of sudden and looked at Takumi.

"Takumi-kun, did you see? Kagami-kun's jumps,"

Takumi nodded. "Yeah. They're getting higher aren't they?"

Riko nodded, "I thought it was my hallucination but it seems it wasn't. I noticed it a bit as well at the end of the Kaijo match. It's like the more the game intensifies, the higher he starts jumping."

"You're correct. Like the generation of miracles, Kagami also has a special gift but it has yet to come to bloom yet." Takumi admitted.

Riko's eyes widened, "You mean..."

"Yes. You would've come to the conclusion by yourself but I might as well tell you now." Takumi smiled, "Tiger's special gift is his intense jumping power that, if nurtured correctly, can become a powerful weapon that rivals the gifts of the miracles."

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A/N: Another chapter up. I'm sorry about the poor match description but I swear I tried my best.