As the tournament continued, Kirisaki Daiichi and Teikō Middle School tore through their opponents and advanced all the way to the finals.
And the final matchup was set.
Kirisaki Daiichi versus Teikō Middle School!
The news sent the entire nation into an uproar.
Ever since the opening round of the National Tournament, everyone had been looking forward to seeing these two teams face each other.
After all, both Kirisaki Daiichi and Teikō Middle School had dominated their way into the finals.
It didn't matter what kind of players, coaches, or tactics the other schools had. None of them had been able to pose a real threat to either Kirisaki Daiichi or Teikō Middle School.
Every match had been a sweep, all the way to the championship game.
With the hype surrounding both teams already at its peak, tickets for the final had sold out long before the next day arrived.
Even so, countless people still planned to show up at the venue just to watch.
After all, this matchup was simply too exciting to miss.
...
At that moment, inside Kirisaki Daiichi's gym.
Aside from Miyamoto Tokima, everyone else was going through their training in an orderly fashion.
Today's session wasn't particularly intense. They were just doing enough to stay sharp.
After all, tomorrow was the final against Teikō Middle School.
This time, they weren't facing just one member of the [Generation of Miracles].
They were facing four.
No, five.
There was also Taiga Kagami.
And that wasn't all.
They also had to deal with one Shadow and two of the [Uncrowned Kings].
A lineup like that was more than enough to make them cautious.
Even with Miyamoto Tokima on their side, they still wanted to fight with their own strength.
Footsteps echoed through the gym.
Miyamoto Tokima slowly walked onto the court, his gaze sweeping over everyone.
"Everyone," Miyamoto Tokima said. "Tomorrow is the final. Are you ready?"
"I've been ready, Tokima," Shuzo Nijimura said with a grin. "It's about time I showed Aomine and those younger guys my secret weapon."
"Same here." Shogo Haizaki grinned. "I'm going to make sure Kise gets a good look at what I can do."
"You guys are already talking big?" Makoto Hanamiya thought for a moment, then said, "In that case, tomorrow I'll show Akashi just how vicious my trash talk can be."
Miyamoto Tokima could only stare at him.
Makoto Hanamiya really never changed.
"All right," Miyamoto Tokima said. "Get some proper rest later. Tomorrow's the final battle."
Everyone nodded and shouted in unison, "Yeah!"
...
Meanwhile, at Teikō Middle School's training court.
Shintaro Midorima was taking shot after shot like a machine.
Nearby, Daiki Aomine spun a basketball on his finger, an eager smile on his face.
"Tomorrow's finally the showdown with Miyamoto and the others. I'm getting fired up already."
"Yeah!" Ryota Kise said with a smile, hugging a basketball to his chest. "I finally get to play against Miyamoto again."
"Don't get careless," Seijuro Akashi said as he dribbled. "Tomorrow will be a tough match."
BOOM!
The thunderous sound of a dunk rang through the gym.
Taiga Kagami landed hard and grinned. "Even if they're a tough opponent, we'll break through them tomorrow."
"That's right!" Ryota Kise laughed. "Kagamicchi's right. Miyamoto and the others are definitely strong, but we're not weak either."
Seijuro Akashi smiled gently. "Then tomorrow, let's go in fully focused."
Everyone smiled.
"Yeah!"
...
Time passed quickly, and before they knew it, the next day had arrived.
The day of the final between Kirisaki Daiichi and Teikō Middle School.
That morning, Shintaro Midorima woke up early.
After preparing a simple breakfast, he checked the time and turned on his horoscope program right on schedule.
"Hello! Welcome to today's Morning Horoscope. Let's see how the signs rank today!"
"Now, let's see who takes first place..."
"Wow! It's Cancer! Cancer has the best luck today. Everything you do will go twice as smoothly!"
Shintaro Midorima's expression didn't change, but as he ate breakfast, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.
"Today's second place goes to..."
"..."
"Unfortunately, Aries is today's unlucky sign and ranks dead last..."
A hint of delight flashed through Shintaro Midorima's eyes.
The corners of his mouth rose so high he could barely keep them under control.
Never in his life had Shintaro Midorima believed in fate as much as he did today.
Today's fortune was accurate.
Extremely accurate.
"Don't forget your lucky item today. Glasses! They'll help everything go twice as smoothly!"
Hearing the voice from his phone, Shintaro Midorima finally stopped trying to hide his smile.
The lucky item was glasses.
He had them.
Miyamoto Tokima didn't.
And he wore glasses on the court too.
Which meant his lucky item would be with him every second of the game.
Miyamoto. Today, fate is completely on my side.
Every shot I take is going in.
...
The other players were also going through their own routines.
Seijuro Akashi drank his morning tea while reading, calming his mind.
Ryota Kise went for a run to loosen up his body.
Taiga Kagami ate a full meal to fuel himself.
Daiki Aomine looked through Mai's photo spread and thoroughly enjoyed the view.
Everyone was making their final pre-game preparations in their own way.
As for Tetsuya Kuroko?
His presence was so faint that nobody could find him.
Teikō Middle School wasn't the only team preparing.
Kirisaki Daiichi was doing the same.
Shuzo Nijimura watched a morning comedy sketch and laughed loudly.
Shogo Haizaki played video games to get himself into the right mood.
Makoto Hanamiya studied [The Proper Use of Eloquence].
Atsushi Murasakibara...
He was still asleep.
As for Miyamoto Tokima, he was also sleeping soundly with a girl in his arms.
And just like that, everyone spent the morning their own way until afternoon arrived.
The day of the final.
With only one hour left before the game, spectators had already begun lining up to have their tickets checked.
Outside the arena, the crowd stretched as far as the eye could see, packed with people who had come to watch the championship match.
Perhaps because of all the people unable to get inside, a giant screen had even been set up outside the arena.
It appeared to be there to broadcast what was happening inside.
Beneath the screen, the words "Miyamoto Technology" stood out prominently.
As spectators continued filing through the entrance, the players from Kirisaki Daiichi and Teikō Middle School changed into their uniforms in their respective locker rooms.
Once they were ready, both teams headed toward the court for their pre-game warm-ups.
The final showdown was about to begin.
...