Episode 7: メドレーリレーとマッチ！Relays and Matches!
The Magic Six and their allies returned to the Miracle Palace where they found Akashi and Murasakibara finally on their feet again thanks to the powers unleashed from the Naismith Crystal Rod. Kise and Takao joined up too just moments after.
However, Akashi was rather frightened as he remembered the horrible deeds from long ago but what shocked him the most was…
"How could this be?! How is it that I killed Midorima's father!?" he shook.
Murasakibara kept him close and said, "It wasn't your fault back then…not when the war corrupted all of our souls."
"But still, I was the villain and betrayed all of you guys! And now we have Midorima about to make the same mistake that I made!" he replied, looking at the others with great worry.
Kise lowered his head for a moment while Aomine answered, "We'll stop him. I know we will."
"That's enough for now," replied Kuroko, "We'll deal with our past sins later. Aomine is right, we have to stop his plans before he can make his trip back in time."
"But what I don't understand is…" said Kise, "If he was able to travel to the future with Theagenes, why is it more difficult to go backwards?"
"Probably because going back is a huge price…" suggested Rei, "From the sound of it, he wants to change things…which will lead to an alternate reality than how it is already."
"It's worse than that," replied the blonde, "Takao told me what his plans were."
"What is he going to do?" asked Nagisa.
"…he plans to kill Makoto's father…your king," said Takao, looking at Makoto, "And…to kill you, Akashi…but in your past form as Eiji."
The group gasped as Rin turned to Makoto, "That means you wouldn't be born nor your siblings!"
"Ran…Ren…" breathed Makoto, his heart feeling heavy and frightened, "He's going to reconstruct the family!"
Rin remembered something and said, "Now that I think about it, the other night, I ran into Daigo. He told me that he knew about my family… turns out he claims to be my uncle."
"EEEHHH!?" they all gasped.
"He was the eldest brother of the Matsuoka family," explained the red hair, "But I still don't know what happened between them. But anyway, he got injured and I need to talk to him. He might know something."
"I'll go with you," said Haruka.
"H-Haru…" he replied.
"Let us go with you," agreed Alexa, "This is our problem as our families have been hiding secrets from us."
"I'll call the hospital and see if he's been admitted in," said Kagami.
The groups turned to see several of the police forces coming in as Shun Izuki arrived to them.
"We're going to set up guards around here and keep you safe, Kuroko-sama," he said, "It's best that you guys stay here as we have to pinpoint where Midorima is hiding."
"It's worse than that," replied Kagami, "He's got the orb and he now controls Theagenes."
Shun's eyes widened a little, "That's…bad. Very, very bad."
"The Magic Six must roam into the city," replied Akashi, "They got a mission that is to be done ASAP. The rest of us will stay here locked in until we can make our next move."
"Are you guys going to be okay?" asked Makoto.
"We're a team…just like you guys," smiled Kise, "We'll be fine!"
"Let's go then," said Rin, "We have a hospital visit to attend to."
"Kagami, go with them," ordered Kuroko, "Just in case."
Kagami nodded and went out with the Magic Six and Gaardus, heading out to the Sportsbrooke Clinic.
Flashback 1: Aqua Duniya
Note: The ages around here are 18 and 19 years old
Rin touched the wall and lifted his head up from the water, "HARUUU!"
Haruka soared his way into the water, unleashing the freestyle across the pool. The others smiled as they knew that this was going to be their first ever 6-Person Medley for the upcoming "Aqua Duniya Swim Fes".
The first 3 years of the festival were a nice success but it wasn't all easy to host an all-week event. However, with more of the kids wanting to swim and taking lessons, it was much easier to promote and to celebrate their world of endless water.
Alexa got on the diving block, waiting patiently but ready as Haru made his way close. As soon as the fingers brushed on the wall, Alexa jumped in and flew his way across the pool. To their surprise, he was finally moving at the right speed, moving faster and faster and making the flip turn properly and returning back.
Makoto and Rin helped Haruka to rise out of the pool while the others wondered if his Suiei magic was on; but it wasn't as they didn't notice a glow in his aura. Alexa made it back and breathed out as he could feel his heart racing.
"That was amazing!" gasped Nagisa as Rei nodded with a smile.
"H-how did I even managed to…?" began Alexa, shocked.
"Your heart," said Makoto, helping Alexa out, "You were able to feel your emotions with confidence and with the water…or at least that's what Haru-chan would say."
"Say why don't we head out to the beach?" asked Nagisa, "We can practice more out there and…"
"I think some of us are hungry," shrugged Rei.
"Yeah, food sounds good too Rei-chan," agreed the blonde.
Rin chuckled at Nagisa's endless energy before saying, "Hey um…I just want to say thank you."
"For what?" asked the others.
"Allowing us as a team to become what it is," replied Rin, trying hard not to blush as much.
Makoto smiled and said, "Seeing that we are much stronger like this, we'll have a great show for the audience."
"Yeah but I feel like I forced all of us into doing this," answered the red-head, "It just felt awkward that doing the Medley with Sousuke, Momo, and Nitori…even though we did a great performance, I still felt a bit silence in Sousuke."
"Didn't you guys made up from the past?" asked Alexa.
"…I rather not talk about it," said Rin, "Besides, Sousuke did smile for one thing, saying that he was happy to do this at least once."
"Sounds like you guys did make some peace," answered Nagisa.
"You're right," agreed Rin, "Still a long way to go but…better than nothing."
The six made their way to the Hawakoto beaches in peace as they mastered their magic to transport themselves into the mists.
When they arrived, they saw the beautiful sunset taking the horizon in all bright fields of crimson, orange, pink, and violet.
"So beautiful!" smiled Rei.
Nagisa jumped behind the megane in a surprise while Rin and Haruka sat on the sands with their feet in the water. Makoto and Alexa lied down as well, looking at the beautiful clouds.
"I love it here," said Alexa, "I hope we never have to leave this place."
Makoto chuckled and replied, "We'll make this kingdom the best place to live."
Rin on the other hand though, was curious if this place was the only known land that existed. Clearly the only other lands there were, the twin islands of Easton and Weaston.
"Hey you guys, we should play a game or two!" said Nagisa, "How about a game of tag!?"
"Too childish…" replied Rei, "I mean our birthdays are coming up…"
"Well if you say so," chuckled Nagisa as he licked on Rei's ears, causing him to blush, "Maybe this will do instead for our coming-of-age?"
"N-NAGISSAA!" he shouted.
The others chuckled at the two. Eventually, they all sat together side by side as the sun continued to set down for the night.
"We don't have anything to camp out here," said Makoto.
"Actually we took care of that," replied Haruka, pointing to a secret cache that he and Rin kept materials for tents and other supplies from the kingdom inside. It took about 40 minutes or so to set everything up but they made a mini campfire and the tents were all next to each other with some space in between.
At one point, they roasted some marshmallows and shared random crazy stories and their sights that they see while swimming. Clearly, this was nice to have some time for themselves in peace.
Hawakoto Palace – Tachibana Sector
A tall, 6'5" man arrived in one of the hidden areas of the castle. His hair was as green as the envious heart he possessed with a vow as dark as the shadows that innate for the last several years.
"My, my," he muttered, looking at the walls of the palace, "Such pretty…what a fantasy…exactly what I visualized."
Shintarou smirked and walked his way through silently, trying to navigate through the palace and looking around. He was given a warning from Theagenes that his discovery of the past will attempt him to make him grow more jealous and vengeful.
"Like I'd care that a half-brother has everything?" he smirked, thinking back to the conversation, "He's got far more than that…"
He made his way over to the main level where he found a pathway that led to the gardens. He walked out and saw the Sakura Tree blooming peacefully. One of the petals fell in his hand. He gripped it and the petal turned into ashes.
Midorima made his way up to the upper levels of the Tachibana area where he saw the closets that had garments and robes and other royalty fancy wears. He walked into another room that belonged to Makoto where he saw pictures of the Magic Six and their swimming days.
"Such madness," he muttered as he brushed his hand over a photo of the team, "Did Misa ever told him about me?"
He grabbed the door open to Makoto's closet and found all sorts of outfits. Grabbing one, he quickly changed to try it on and see. Realizing that it was a little bit small, he snapped his fingers to adjust the bust size and it fit comfy.
"I'm gonna keep this," he smirked, "He can have one less article clothing and he wouldn't even noticed."
Midorima shifted up his glasses and headed out the room.
"This kingdom is too much goodness…it has the purity of light even in the night skies," he muttered, walking past the room where Ran and Ren slept.
Midorima walked back to the entrance sector and made his way down the stairs that led to the crypt of where Misa rested. His eyes widened a little as he could feel her presence in spirit. Walking inside, he could feel his head spinning a little but fought it off to focus on his task.
The crypt had a marble top which was sealed from revealing the body inside.
"Queen…your highness, Queen Misa Tachibana…it is I," he said, "Too bad you're not awake to see me again."
He didn't hear the footsteps of King Tachibana walking in but heard, "WHO DARES TO WALK IN THERE!?"
Midorima turned violently around as waves of shadow energy struck through the room. His facial expression changed from shock to an evil smirk.
"It is I, your other son…Shintarou Midorima-Hanagata-Tachibana," he said, "Though I am only a half-son to you and to this wretched family."
"H-how is that possible?!" asked Tatsushisa, "You survived all the traps?!"
"You don't know?" replied the green-haired man, "Only those who share blood of the royal family can walk freely in this palace. And besides…"
Midorima took out a letter and said, "I found this from Theagenes when I snooped around. It was written by your beloved wife long ago. He promised me that I would find my origins in return that I would be associated with someone…"
"And who is that?" asked the king.
"Why would I tell you," laughed Midorima, "But soon…you will hear from me again…and then…your happiness…will be turned into dust."
Tatsuhisa readied his water powers while Midorima just stood there saying, "You can't attack me, I'm only here as a phantom."
He's bluffing, I will stop him, thought Tatsuhisa, Misa…I don't understand…what is this child? If only I could get that letter and see!
Tatsuhisa was about to unleash his blast when Midorima vanished as his "1 hour visit" to this place expired. As much as he wished to investigate more about this man, he had a kingdom to maintain with the others.
Midorima woke up back in the shop as Theagenes asked, "Had fun?"
"It was about to," he grumbled, "How could that be an hour?"
"That was the deal," replied the dark magician, "Now you know the truth."
"When will they arrive?" asked Midorima.
"In a few years," said Theagenes, "They will come here 1 year after a storm. However…"
Theagenes snapped his fingers and used a sort of magic to put Midorima back to his normal self, putting a timer inside to when he will remember all of this. For now, he had to stay focus on his basketball with the others and maintaining the team.
Twirling his hand, he transported him back to his room to sleep.
Present Day: Sportsbrooke Clinic
Daigo barely opened his eyes as he could still feel the injuries taking him but he sensed a group of people. It turned out it was the Magic Six and Kagami along with a strange blue bird.
He had no idea what he was going to do or to say; his heart was filled with mixed emotions of hope and vengeance. Seeing Rin was like a fragment of his brother which fueled his anger but it somehow led to hope and belief that maybe there could be a way to at least see him one last time.
He sat up on his bed as Rin asked, "Are you alright?"
"I…I'm not sure," he replied, "Honestly I want revenge right now…to your father. But it hurts…my heart to even think about it. I lost everything…my love for my brothers…my future…everything gone in a blink of an eye."
"Do you have any intentions to kill?" asked Alexa.
"…Initially I did," said Daigo, "All of you and your families. But…what's there left for me anyway? If I destroy it all, there'll be no place to return to. If I leave it all alone, I am still an exile."
"You don't have to go on that path," replied Rin, "If it bothers you so much…why?"
"Because they loved me when we were kids, swearing to never call me a monster!" he replied, "I am cursed with a power that is far beyond dangerous than water!"
"What magic is it?" asked Gaardus.
"…Time," said Daigo, "I was born with the power to move time forward and backwards on anything and everything. I met someone in a dream long ago not after I first found out this power…telling me there are 3 taboos.
"To not permit time travel, to keep this sacred power safe in me until I pass away…and…to stop time."
"Midorima plans to go back in time," said Makoto, "Do you know that?"
"…as part of the taboos, I must not permit that. However, the time-space key…is part of the ingredient," he said, "I don't know what the other pieces are. But clearly he is after someone."
"We know who he's after," replied Makoto, "He's after me and someone else from their past…the Generation of Miracles."
"Ah yes…I am familiar with the old legend…" said Daigo, "I met someone shortly after I was exiled here…someone…a spirit who was a descendant to the man of basketball…"
"W-who?!" asked Kagami, "Who is this person?"
"John Edwin...the middle child but the older brother of the Naismith family," he revealed, "But that was long, long time ago…however, the children have seemed to pass down their name to newer generations here and they were guarding something…"
"Guarding something?" asked Kagami.
"Knowing that their lives were to expire…they were looking for someone who would be responsible for guarding the Zone Gate…and they found Kuroko…or I should say…Kaede Rukawa," he explained.
Daigo turned his head to Kagami and said, "You…you remember that, don't you?"
"…When I was 'him'…Hanamichi, I've had a bit of a salty relationship…however, after he was titled to become the Guardian, I had to give him all my support," replied Kagami, "But that doesn't mean that I won't support him now as Kuroko. He clearly fought hard to protect the powers inside. As the Savior, it is my duty…to protect him."
"But why is Midorima turning to the dark side?" asked Alexa.
"…He's obtained a dark sense of hatred for years," said Daigo, "I watched him when he and the others played basketball during their Teikou years…he kept a normal composure on the outside…but his heart was turning as black as a lonely soul."
"How can we save him?" asked Kagami.
"…only the true power…of the Legendary Solar Crystal can heal it," he revealed, "After arriving into this world, I followed John to the Sportsbrooke Metro Library in the forbidden section where clues from the past were stored. I read through the books and discovered the poem that detailed about the past and future."
"What did it say?" asked Nagisa.
"One will become a descendant to the Marvels but will face a darkness which may break the team apart," he said.
"So that's…" gasped Makoto.
"The prophecy may come true if we don't stop him!" finished Haruka, "If it is true to its word, he will not only destroy us but also his own teammates!"
Forest Hills
"I'm still missing something," muttered Midorima as he looked at the three objects; the time-space key, the silver orb, and the frog token.
He picked up the orb to summon Theagenes and demanded, "What is the fourth item?"
Theagenes kept silent, trying to evade some time but Midorima shouted, "WHAT IS THE FOURTH ITEM!? YOU IDIOT! YOU SAID THAT I NEEDED THESE OBJECTS TO GO BACK IN TIME!"
"Foolish child," growled Theagenes, "You will certainly pay for manipulating the darkness like this!"
"SHUT UP!" replied Midorima, holding the orb tightly, "Tell me the fourth item or I will crush this orb to your death."
"…the heart of your brother…" said Theagenes.
"The heart?" asked Midorima, "Wait, are you saying his actual heart or…?"
"No," he replied, "It's the Suiei Heart that embodies his Suiei God, Suiei Tachibana. It's the final ingredient."
"As I have suspected," said Midorima, "But for some odd reason, I cannot sense it anywhere. I'm sure he has it well hidden in his body. I will rip it apart if that's what it leads to. Now go decorate the arena and get the word out."
A splash of water dropped in the West Sportsbrooke as Kisumi returned back. He had no idea where the Magic Six was at but he began to hear rumors from the community.
"Did you hear? There's gonna be a big basketball match!" gossiped one of the girls.
"Yeah! I heard it's gonna be a match between the visitors and the Generation of Miracles!" chuckled another.
"Oh don't be silly, the Miracles will crush the visitors in a single round, why are they making a big fuss about it?" asked another.
Kisumi gasped as he realized that the town was beginning to rally up a game with the Magic Six and the Miracles. Something did not seem right in the picture. While it was true that he desired basketball more than swimming; why was it that the Magic Six were being pushed into this sport that they possessed little to no talent in?
Flashback 2: The Medley Relay of the Aqua Duniya Water Fes (3rd Annual)
Day 5: The Medley Relay Teams
There were a total of 5 teams that signed up for the Six Divisions of this special medley relay (the rest of the other teams did the traditional 4). While this competition had not much of a special prize or what not, it was a beta to see if the swimmers enjoyed this type.
Besides the Magic Six as their own group, other teams were composed of the following:
Group B: Sizzling Stars
Momotarou Mikoshiba – Back
Nitori Aiichirou – Breast
Kazuki Minami – Butterfly I
Tooru Iwashimizu – Butterfly II
Takuya Uozumi – Freestyle I
Shouta Nakagawa – Freestyle II
Group C: Tiger Fish
Matsuura Shirou – Back
Ikuya Kirishima – Breast
Akirou Hachiro – Butterfly I
Shiina Asashi – Butterfly II
Shirahama Kenchi – Freestyle I
Kamuki Ikki – Freestyle II
Gou read through the remaining teams list and nodded to herself while she sat down next to Chigusa, "Looks like the Magic Six are up facing new teams."
"And familiar ones too," agreed Chigusa.
"I've got to meet a bunch of them," said Gou, "They were all so amazing with their muscles!"
"That's definitely you," she chuckled.
Men's Locker Room
Alexa looked at himself in the mirror as he was feeling a bit nervous. All the practice and hard work now put to the test. He turned to see Makoto with a smile.
"You feeling alright?" he asked.
"I'm a little nervous, but I'm happy," smiled Alexa, "To swim with my loved ones…and you especially."
"If you ask me," said Rin, stretching the googles for the snap effect, "I'm all fired up for this!"
"I'll definitely show off my beautiful butterfly!" agreed Rei.
"I can't wait to see you riding the waves Rei-chan!" smiled Nagisa.
"I'm just surprised they approved for this race," said Haruka, "Though maybe it's because it's our destiny after all."
"Why you think fate is always favoring us?" asked Makoto, trying not to feel too upset as he knew what fate did to him and Alexa several years ago back in the purification.
"Mako-chan?" asked Nagisa.
"Something the matter, Makoto-senpai?" asked Rei.
Makoto shook his head and answered, "Nah, I'll be alright. It's just been a stressful few weeks with the training and all. I'm grateful to be swimming with all of you."
"For the team, forever!" agreed Rin.
The teams went out to the outdoor Hawakotobi Pool where they prepared themselves in the lanes; Makoto vs. Momo vs. Matsuura.
"You can make it Mako-chan!" cheered Gou and Chigusa.
"Go get 'em Momo!" shouted another team fan.
"You got this Matsuu!" cheered Awlida and Anne.
Despite the common rivalries, they all loved their kingdom and this world. Finally, at the whistle, the race begins…
Makoto moved swiftly across the waters with Momo not far behind followed by Matsuura. The other teams were gaining of them as well. Makoto looked up at the skies as he could feel himself suddenly in a quiet place where he could hear a soft noise of the orca.
"Hey there," he smiled as the sunlight shined above with rays of energy flowing inside of him.
I-Is this my power, awakening, he thought.
Makoto made the flip turn successfully, driving his way back as the teams cheered on. Nagisa prepped himself on the block with a chuckle.
"Get ready to battle, Ai-chan, Iku-chan!"
Nitori blushed a little while Ikuya grunted with a bit of a hiss. Nagisa shrugged it off and waited for Mako-chan to arrive safely.
As soon as Makoto touched the wall, he shouted, "NAGISAAA!"
The penguin swimmer jumped in as Ikuya and Nitori followed in after Matsuura and Momo respectively returned seconds after.
The blonde could feel the darkness of Ikuya and the innocence of Nitori making way through the waves. However, that didn't stopped him when his mind flowed into a beautiful vision of his teammates soaring across the skies as if they were transcending time-space.
He turned to see a bunch of penguins joining him as well while Nagisa flipped on the wall and soared his way back to the others.
"Hehe, you're up now sexy butterfly," smirked Rin.
"R-Rin-san!" blushed Rei, "Did Nagisa teach you this too!?"
"Maybe," he chuckled, "Sexy Orca…Sexy Dragon…Sexy Dolphin…and Sexy Penguin."
"Well you better be a sexy shark for Haruka-senpai," replied Rei as he smirked with his googles ready, taking on the starting block. He was up against Kazuki and Akirou for the First Round of Butterfly.
Nagisa reached his hands to the wall and shouted, "REI-CHAN!"
The megane jumped in as the Magic Six were still in the lead but it was a close between them and the Sizzling Stars. Rei unleashed his fury of the butterfly stroke as he made his way across.
"Gosh I hope his goggles don't start to slip," said Nagisa.
Rei though was feeling a tingling of energy flowing in his body as his mind was already seeing things beyond this world. He saw himself running with Nagisa and the others not far behind happily, knowing that their relationship was destined and finally taking its place.
I won't fail you, Nagisa-kun, he thought as he flipped and made his way back.
Rin readied himself and got on the block as the megane approached to the wall. The red-haired did the snap stretch on his goggles and as soon as the megane touched and shouted his name, he soared his way in.
"GO RIN-CHAN!" shouted Nagisa.
"RIN!" cried Makoto.
Nagisa got Rei out of the pool as they watched the competition getting fiercer. However, Shiina was catching up quickly as Rin sensed a presence trying to take away the first place. He could only hope that his propelling off the wall on the flip turn will get him to speed.
Rin could feel an electric flow on his skin as he saw the galactic universe before his eyes with the stars shimmering so brightly; it was like all that existed stood before him. He smiled and prepared himself for the wall to flip.
Meanwhile, Haruka readied himself as the race was at the 2nd half of the competition. Rin carefully timed himself as he made sure to touch the wall at the right moment as Haruka prepared to dive in. Rin and Haruka practiced a new technique that could be proven risky for the tournament. It was something that Toraichi taught him long ago when he used to swim around with his friends.
At the soft touch of the wall, just microseconds before, Haru has to jump in, thought Rin.
Time seemed to slow down as Rin could feel his hands about to touch the wall, worried that he and Haru would screw up. However, the method work as he looked up and shouted, "HARUUU!"
Haruka dove in and unleashed the freestyle before everyone's eyes. The tsundere felt the world spinning around him as he saw himself and the others swimming side by side, smiling at him and calling out his name.
Alexa got himself ready on the block as Makoto smiled and said, "You GOT THIS!"
Seconds later, Makoto gasped as he saw the symbol of Alexa's back, the same dark symbol that he and a few other people could only see. Rin held his hand and said, "It's not his birthday…"
"I-I know," he whispered, "But it's painful."
"Mako-chan?" asked Nagisa, getting concerned.
"You guys we have to keep cheering for Haruka-senpai and Alexa!" shouted Rei.
"Right!" said the others as they waited for Haruka to reach the wall. As soon as he did and shouted his name, Alexa dove in finally, making the final cut to win this race with his teammates.
Hours Later
Makoto walked his way back to the Purification Hall as he looked over the exact spot where it all happened that night. Despite their team won today's race; he was still heartbroken by the fact that the countdown was taking its toll.
He turned to see Rin and said, "What are we going to do?"
"…I wish I knew," replied Rin, "But that doesn't mean you can't give up."
"I've been searching for answers in every textbook we have held here," answered Makoto, "I can't live like this!"
"Nagisa and Rei have been worried too," said Rin, "I don't know if Haru does too but it's obvious that they know you're hiding something from them."
"It has to stay silent Rin," replied Makoto, "If you tell ANY of them…"
"I won't, I swear it!" he answered, "But that doesn't mean you can't be holding this pain for much longer!"
"Until the day I remove the mark off of Alexa, I must keep silent," said Makoto, resting his own fist over his chest, "That night was my fault and I should've taken action when I hesitated."
The two stared at the waters as they wondered how such an evil could take one of the things they loved.
Present Day: Miracle Palace – Outside
Yukio Kasamatsu, Kousuke Wakamatsu, Shun Izuki along with many other officers and guards circled around the palace in order to keep the Generation of Miracles safe inside. Meanwhile, several search parties were dispatched to hunt down Midorima.
It was not going too well as they could hear the people gossiping away about an upcoming basketball tournament.
"No one is even noticing the danger they are in," said Kousuke.
"Hopefully an emergency broadcast by GMS will shake things a little," replied Shun, "I've sent the detective to the studio and report our findings."
"You think the Magic Six can get rid of this darkness?" asked Kousuke.
"From what I've heard about then; their powers are far too dangerous but it may be the only thing we have left to save this town," replied Shun.
Yukio looked up to the skies as he could only predict how much time there was left before everything could begin again…
Flashback 3: Murasakibara's Arrival in Sportsbrooke (5 Years Ago)
The giant, purpled-hair boy stopped his tracks to see the magnificent city with the endless food plazas in one of the areas downtown. He was grateful to have finally arrived here after going through the painful desert.
He sat down at a bench to chill off when he saw a slushie machine nearby. Hoping for the right money he has from saving, he made his way over and picked out a strawberry lemonade flavor. Once it was done, he sat back down when he saw a group of boys staring at him.
"What?" he asked.
"Ohhhh it's just as it was foretold!" smiled the blonde.
"Is your name Murasakibara Atsushi?" asked the red-haired.
"And just how do you know me?" asked the taller boy, narrowing his eyes.
"We've been waiting for you," said the dark-blue haired boy.
"Umm…" began Murasakibara, "What could you possibly have me interested in?"
"Well you are new to the town," said Midorima, pushing up his glasses, "You'll need someone to show you around the city."
"What I want is a great food court, a potential business opportunity for my family, and perhaps a school that whose clothes can fit my size," he answered.
"That and more," said a voice.
They turned to see Kuroko and his dog, "My name is Kuroko Tetsuya. We are a basketball team that needs one more member at least in order to become official for our academy."
"B-basketball?" asked Murasakibara.
"Well you got the extraordinary height for it!" said Aomine as he looked up to the face while stretching his neck.
"It's only a simple game of running and dropping it in," he shrugged.
"But perhaps you can be a hand for us," said Akashi.
"Look, I came here in this town to start a new life," replied Murasakibara, "I have no interest."
The group watched as he walked away, heading deeper into the metro.
"It has to be him!" said Akashi, "I saw his face in the future!"
"As did I," replied Kuroko, "His heart isn't ready yet."
"Well something's going to have to change," shrugged Kise, "Maybe he'll wind up at the school?"
"Who knows?" shrugged Midorima.
The tall boy returned home finally after looking around town. It was still early in the day and he was already hungry again. He walked over to the fridge when he heard some crows screeching away.
He saw 4 crows on the balcony outside of his apartment. Annoyed, he grabbed a wooden spoon and shooed them away.
"Ugh, those nasty flying rats," he muttered.
Murasakibara went to the closet and changed his clothes. He wanted to explore more of the town by doing a long jog across the neighborhood, hoping to find some more great food along the way.
Taking the common roads, he jogged his way across the city, leaving the metro and heading east. This area was filled with some of the wealthier looking houses and a more of a stable, peaceful environment.
What caught his attention was a music that someone was playing. It was some sort of a thin tube instrument with the fingers that the musican was playing.
Theagenes looked at him and smiled, "Ah…you've arrived."
"So it was you," said Murasakibara, "Theagenes. Did you tell those boys about myself?"
"Oh they knew about you for as long as they can remember," he chuckled, getting up, "They have simply forgotten, that's all."
"Forgot about what?" asked the taller boy.
"Kinda a long, tragic story," shrugged the magician, "But I don't understand why you're not in school. Was the town not what you expected?"
"Oh it's what I want…but…" began Murasakibara.
"Ahhh, your heart wants to achieve in this town," replied Theagenes, "I can help you make that wish come true. Though it would come in a price I'm afraid."
"And what is that price?" he asked.
"For you to attend to the academy of course," said Theagenes, "You got lots to learn and a team to reunite with."
He grunted in reply but said, "And you will promise me that? Let my family and the business here?"
"Of course, with all of my heart," replied the magician.
1 Week Later:
Theagenes looked at the assembled team of the boys standing before him; at long last, the prophecy was finally taking in its place.
Kuroko Tetsuya – Kaede Rukawa
Ryouta Kise – Ryouta Miyagi
Daiki Aomine – Minori Kishimoto
Atsushi Murasakibara – Nobunaga Kiyouta
Midorima Shintarou – Toru Hanagata
Seijuuro Akashi – Eiji Sawakita
At last…the Generation of Marvels…finally reunited as the Generation of Miracles!
"The time has come now, all of you," said Theagenes, looking at them, "You all possess great talent in this sport. While it is true that your origins still lie a mystery as none of you can remember…but when that time comes, that power inside your heart will grow."
Present Day: Sportsbrooke
All was quiet in the Miracle Palace ever since the police force arrived and became extra security forces. Kuroko and the others (excluding Midorima and Kagami) were in the Temple of Time, trying to locate a prophecy or some clues that could hopefully save their friend.
"I can't read this ancient language!" sighed Kise, "Only Midorimacchi knows about this!"
"He has done lots of translations indeed," agreed Aomine, "Tetsu-kun, did you find anything?"
"Afraid not, it's still the same words as before," he said.
"I'm going to make something for us to eat," replied Murasakibara, "Hopefully it can help us…"
"No one is going anywhere," hissed a dark voice.
The group turned to see Midorima but something about him was darker this time; his hair was almost as black as a lost soul with eyes filled with hatred and envy.
"M-Midorimacchi!" gasped Kise.
"What the hell is going on with you?!" growled Aomine.
"I am one step closer to accomplishing what I need," he smirked, "However, none of you guys seem to accept the fact that I am promoting the match. Already there's gossip around the city."
"We have no intentions to play against our guests!" said Akashi, readying his emperor eye, "They do not have any experience in basketball!"
"Try using your emperor eye but it won't affect me," replied Midorima, "In fact, I shouldn't even be called Midorimacchi or Shin-chan any longer."
Swirls of shadows exploded out of his body, blasting them to the wall.
"My name is Kurorima…Black Kurorima…The Dark One has granted me and accepted my loneliness."
"How the hell did you even get back into the fortress!?" asked Kuroko.
"Oh this is just my soul, my physical body is elsewhere at the moment," he replied, "Walking in again would probably be fatal but I can at least do this to give you guys…an order. And if you don't meet to agree the terms…this whole town will suffer again like last year once I let the magician off his leash."
"T-Th-The Dark Curse!" gasped Akashi, "How dare you!"
"Once I get back in time, I'll be sure to visit your older self a proper goodbye," said Kurorima.
Akashi called upon his emperor eye but was blasted down again by the attack.
"Now, I'll give you gentlemen one week to decide. On the seventh day, you are to either be at the stadium…or to be dead in my feet," said the dark man, vanishing to rejoin his corpse, "See you soon darlings…"
Kuroko grunted and called upon his Naismith Crystal Rod, summoning Takao to appear.
"Go find Kisumi!" said Kuroko, "We have to set up a meeting as soon as possible.
Takao bowed and transformed to his bird form, flying away as fast as his wings could carry.
The Magic Six, Kagami and Gaardus made their way through the city as they saw several of the people looking at them and gossiping. Kagami investigated the situation and gasped at the news.
"A-a basketball match?!" asked Kagami, "Is Midorima really that persistent!?"
"Well Kisumi did promise us to train us, but why now though when Midorima is being evil about it?" asked Nagisa.
"I don't know, but I need to return to the palace," said Kagami, "You guys head back to the loft. Take my keys and stay there."
He gave a spare set of keys to Gaardus who then absorbed it safe inside its body. Kagami rushed off while the Magic Six headed in a different direction.
The two returned to the loft when they saw Kisumi and Takao waiting for them.
"H-how did you guys get here?!" asked Nagisa.
"We figured it was best to hide out here," replied Takao, "Besides, I was entrusted by them with an extra key too."
"Kisumi, did everything go well back home?" asked Makoto.
"Yeah, Hayato is happier to be back, the others will watch him and he'll begin his swimming training too," he said.
Takao heard his headset going off. He put it on and noticed it was Kuroko calling.
"Hold on a sec guys," he said, walking to a different room.
The Generation of Miracles and Kagami sat down as Akashi called Takao through the headsets, connecting them to the speakers in this room. Time was of the essence in order to stop Midorima's plans from being fulfilled.
"Hello?" asked Takao.
"Can you hear us?" replied Akashi.
"Yeah," he answered.
"Good. We're all here now except for Midorima. I have no idea where he's off to now but we have been working on a plan," said Akashi.
"And what will that be?" asked Takao.
"We're going to do what Midorima is saying, to get the basketball game a go…HOWEVER," began Akashi.
"We will try to get as not as many people to go in case it is a trap and more hazards occur," said Kise, "Clearly he might try to hurt the people in this town."
"Are the Magic Six safe?" asked Kuroko.
"Yeah, we're all in Kagami's Loft for now as a safehouse," he answered.
"Seeing that it is dangerous for us to train the Magic Six, we must have Kisumi do the basics for them," said Kuroko, "We have to make it look like we are training them so Midorima does not cause more harm.
"However, when that night of the game happens, we will be on a team against them but we will then take the opportunity to attack Midorima should he show up."
"You think he'll actually show up?" asked Takao.
"I'm sure he's after something. We have to make sure that he does so we can trap him down," replied Kuroko.
"Please put Makoto on the line," said Akashi, "We have something to tell him."
Takao nodded and handed the microphone over to him.
"Hello?" asked Makoto.
"We have an important task for you. Listen carefully," began Kuroko, "You will be training basketball with the others but if my hunch is correct, Midorima is after you for a very specific goal. Perhaps if you don't show up at the court right away, maybe he will and might try to make some threats. As soon as he does that, you enter in and we'll assist you right away to confront him."
"…I understand," he said, lowering his head down for a moment.
"Mako-chan?" asked Nagisa.
"I know it sounds very risky but we have to try to lure him into the crowd and hopefully we can work this out together and try to do the best we can to get him back into the light," replied Kuroko, "By the way have you been able to summon your Suiei God yet?"
Makoto eyes widened a little in shock but he simply replied, "No. They have not."
Gaardus kept silent about this while Rei and Alexa looked at Makoto a bit suspiciously. Makoto smiled and reassured them that he will certainly get them when the moment is right.
After the talk was over, Kisumi said to them, "We'll start tomorrow morning, 5 A.M."
"EEH?!" gasped Nagisa and Rei.
"We don't have a lot of time to schedule for training," replied the pink-peached hair boy, "You all need to at least master a few basic techniques."
"Don't worry, I'll assist you too!" smiled Takao, "The Generation of Miracles are counting on me as well."
The two got up and wished them a good night before heading outside. Once they were far away enough, Kisumi looked at Takao and said, "It's going to be a crazy operation."
"Tell me about it," sighed Takao, "This is the exact same plan that Kuroko and Kagami did one year ago."
"This happened before?" asked Kisumi.
"That and far worse," he said, "Back then, Kuroko had no one to support him except for a few people. He had to hunt down Kagami, Teppei, Kiyoshi, Shun and the others. They were scattered across the city and he was only given a week to form his team."
"And what about you?" asked the pink-peached hair.
"I think they'll get it through," smiled Takao, "The Magic Six are a team of determination, I can feel it."
Forest Hills
Black Kurorima looked at himself in the mirror as he was much darker than he was before. The transformation of his body and powers were due to the increased amount of jealousy and revenge he had over to Makoto and the family.
If only the war never happened, he thought, if only…
He got up and grabbed the orb and summoned Theagenes to appear. The magician arrived in the scene.
"Keep an eye on them," said Kurorima, "Make sure they are practicing. And as for the Generation of Miracles, I know they have no choice so they'll be practicing too."
"What are you doing exactly to make this game turn into a disaster?" he asked.
"Oh it'll be a simple basketball match," chuckled Kurorima, "But then I will step into the room and take down Makoto before everyone's eyes and steal his Suiei Heart. With that, I'll perform the time-traveling spell."
"And you plan to commit those murders?" asked Theagenes.
"I will rewrite history…entirely," said Kurorima, "I will put the others somewhere horrible…absolutely horrible…a place where the only happy ending…shall be mine!"
~Episode 7 END~
~Episode 8 PV~
Alexa: Wow are we really going to learn basketball?
Kuroko: This will be important for you, not only the sport but how we work with it.
Kise: As much as I am worried about this, I'm excited to play a match!
Makoto: You think you guys can sweep off our feet?
Rin: They'll probably handicap us first before unleashing their talented powers in this sport.
Rei: Wait a sec, you guys, something's going on!
Nagisa: W-who's there!?
Takao: Next Time, Free!, Episode 8: Operation Phantom - Part 1: The Dark Curse, Midorima, don't do this to yourself! Don't repeat the same darkness that nearly destroyed Sportsbrooke last year!