30 Chapter 29

You can see how much the loss to Ichigo impacted the members of the Generation of Miracles. They are all determined to prove themselves and regain their former glory. For them, defeating Ichigo would be their ticket to reclaiming their status as the top players. However, a major hurdle they face is that they'll all attend different high schools, making it difficult to challenge Ichigo together.

Despite this challenge, they see it as an opportunity to determine who among them is the best player. They believe that by defeating each other, they can demonstrate their superiority and show everyone that they are better than Ichigo.

In their minds, Ichigo is the ultimate rival to beat. It's not just because he defeated them in the championship, but also because they recognize his potential to improve, just like they do. For them, taking down Ichigo, who is regarded as the "King" by the public, would be the greatest honor they could achieve. By dethroning the "King," they would claim the crown as the best.

This is the goal that unites the members of the Generation of Miracles: to be the ones who can overthrow Ichigo, also known as the "King of Miracles." As a result, they have been working extremely hard. While others may not see their efforts, they have been practicing relentlessly. They not only train in their school gyms but also seek out courts near their homes to practice in private, away from the prying eyes of their fellow members.

Akashi, in particular, has gone the extra mile by renting a dedicated gym for his training and practice. He was deeply affected by their loss, as it was the first time in his career that he experienced such a defeat. In his mind, he believes that they lost because he relied too heavily on his teammates. If he had taken complete control from the beginning, he is convinced that they would never have suffered such a defeat.

In high school, he is determined to assemble a team and assert his dominance, ensuring that he never suffers a defeat like the one against Ichigo. He plans to have complete control over the team and his teammates, expecting them to obediently follow his every order and fulfill his every desire.

He won't make the same mistake he did in Teiko. In Teiko, his teammates were all incredibly talented, but he lacked control over them the way he wanted. However, in high school, he has the opportunity to choose his teammates, ensuring that he can avoid repeating that mistake.

Amidst the competitive drive of the entire Teiko team, one person has mixed emotions about their current situation: Kuroko Tetsuya, the phantom sixth man of Teiko.

Initially, Kuroko was shocked by Teiko's unexpected loss to his friend, Ogiwara's team. In his mind, he thought that this loss might help his teammates and friends rediscover their passion for basketball. And to some extent, he was right.

His friends regained their passion, especially Aomine, who used to believe that no one could challenge him in middle school, making him invincible. The defeat to Meiko, particularly to Ichigo, widened his perspective, which had been narrow due to the dominance of the Generation of Miracles.

Currently, Aomine has set a new goal to surpass Ichigo. He is now practicing hard, a change from his past behavior of skipping club practices and only showing up for games shortly before they started.

And for that, Kuroko was thankful for Ichigo, Ogiwara, and the entire Meiko team. As for Aomine, the loss to Ichigo was seen as a positive outcome. However, what Kuroko keenly noticed was the change in Akashi after that defeat.

On the surface, Akashi appeared the same, with his cool and collected demeanor. But Kuroko observed that after the loss against Meiko, he became much colder than before. While Akashi had always been distant towards strangers, especially those who didn't earn his respect, now it seemed like he looked down on the people around him.

It was as if he couldn't trust anyone, not even his own teammates—his fellow Generation of Miracles—who had been by his side since middle school. They were more than just teammates; they were friends. But now, even the members of the Generation of Miracles were subject to his cold demeanor.

What bothers Kuroko the most is the feeling that Akashi is changing for the worse. Kuroko doesn't know what to do about it. He wants to help Akashi, but he's unsure of how to proceed. It's as if Akashi has become a different person since awakening his ability, and the defeat from Ichigo has only made things worse.

Time passed, and the one-on-one between Kise and Aomine came to an end, with Kise's loss. "Argh, I was so close to figuring it out!" Kise exclaimed, scratching his head in disappointment.

"What are you even trying to figure out? You've been saying that for the past couple of days. What is it?" Aomine asked, perplexed. Kise would always make this remark after their one-on-one games, but he never shared what he was trying to figure out.

"It's a secret!" Kise replied teasingly, grinning at Aomine. "If I completely figure it out, it will be a game changer for me. It could be my trump card in defeating you or even Ichigo. But for now, I'll keep it to myself until I master it," Kise added confidently.

"Hmph, you wish! No matter how hard you practice, you'll never beat me," Aomine stated arrogantly.

As the two of them bantered back and forth, it was time for them to head home. Coach Sanada finished his session with Murasakibara, who had a tired expression on his face.

The coach dismissed them, and one by one, the players packed their belongings and left. As the main players of Teiko prepared to go home, Kise suddenly remembered something and looked towards Kuroko, asking, "Hey Kurokocchi, can I ask you something?"

Perplexed, Kuroko tilted his head and replied, "What is it, Kise-kun?"

"I just wanted to know if you've already made a commitment about which high school you'll go to. If not, I want to recruit you," Kise said.

Aomine interjected, saying, "Hey, do you think Tetsu would be willing to play with you? If there's anyone he'd choose to play with, it's clearly me, his teammate since the first year."

Aomine turned to Kuroko with a confident smile and asked, "What do you think, Tetsu? Do you want to play together?"

Kise, feeling slighted, retorted to Aomine with an aggrieved expression, "Hey, I'm the one who asked him first! Surely, Kurokocchi will prioritize me, right?" He looked at Kuroko expectantly.

Before the argument between Aomine and Kise could escalate any further, Kuroko quickly stepped in and positioned himself between them. He firmly told them, "Hey, stop it, guys. I'd be happy to play with either of you." Kuroko's smile radiated his relief that the two of them were returning to their usual selves. They both looked at him, their banter coming to a halt, hoping to be the one chosen to play alongside Kuroko.

Seeing the two of them calm down and anxiously awaiting his decision, Kuroko added with a wry smile, "But I've already promised my childhood friend that we would play together."

"So I can only say thank you for the offer, but I'm sorry," Kuroko said as he bowed his head.

Upon hearing that, the two of them stopped. Kise, still wearing a smile, said, "It doesn't matter if you play with your childhood friend. We can still team up. What do you say? How about I go to the school of your choice?" he asked expectantly.

"I'm sorry, Kise-kun, but it would be better if we don't team up in high school because I have a goal that I want to fulfill," Kuroko stated.

"What goal? What does it have to do with us teaming up?" Kise asked, perplexed by the connection between Kuroko's goal and their partnership.

"I want to beat all of you, the Generation of Miracles, plus Ichigo, with my own team," Kuroko said with conviction.

Upon seeing Kuroko's determined face, Aomine laughed. After his laughter subsided, he spoke to Kuroko with a challenging smile, saying, "I'd like to see you try, Tetsu! But know this, I'm going to be the best as I beat all of you."

Kuroko smiled upon hearing Aomine's declaration. "Don't worry, Aomine-kun. I'm going to make my team the best," he declared with conviction.

Aomine's smile widened as he presented his fist to Kuroko for a fist bump. "Then don't disappoint me, Tetsu!" he exclaimed. Seeing Aomine's extended fist, Kuroko reciprocated the fist bump and nodded.

Seeing both of them with happy expressions and proclaiming their declaration to each other, Kise felt grievous and disappointed by Kuroko's choice. However, he felt helpless as there was nothing he could do about it. He could only sulk on the sidelines and drown in his disappointment.

"Why?" Kise said, his voice filled with sulking. "I just want to team up with Kurokocchi," he added, faking sadness. Aomine and Kuroko noticed his sulking but chose not to console him. Instead, they silently distanced themselves, turning their backs as they headed towards the lockers to pack up and go home.