Prologue: The Prophet Returns
The storm began quietly.
No lightning. No thunder.
Just a name whispered during a late-night bracket reshuffle:
"Yuuto Kanzaki."
Unranked. Unscouted. No history in national records.
And yet when Coach Anzai heard it, he dropped his clipboard.
Because Yuuto Kanzaki wasn't just a player.
He was the Prophet.
The one who vanished years ago—after altering the final score of a tournament no one remembered anymore… except the ones who'd seen the future fall apart.
Dreams and Echoes – Rukawa's Awakening
Rukawa had a dream.
He stood on a polished court under purple lights. Thousands of spectators filled invisible stands. The ball in his hands felt too light, and his body moved without sound.
Across from him stood a boy in white—silver hair, calm eyes.
Yuuto Kanzaki.
Rukawa tried to drive, but Yuuto moved first.
He passed the ball.
Before it even left Rukawa's hands.
He woke up sweating. Silent. But shaken.
"…Kudo," he whispered in the dark. "Who is he?"
Pre-Game Strategy – Shohoku vs. Hakkenden High
Our next opponent was Hakkenden High.
We studied their footage, looked at their sets, and focused on shutting down their floor general—a flashy kid with a killer floater.
But when we arrived at the gym, the lineup had changed.
The flashy point guard?
Benched.
And standing in his place, wearing #0…
Yuuto Kanzaki.
I stared at him from across the court. My hands trembled.
It wasn't just that he looked familiar.
It was that I remembered being him.
Not as Kudo Hirata. But from my old life.
Yuuto Kanzaki… was the name I used as an online gamer.
As a strategist.
And in my old world, I wrote a basketball fanfiction starring him.
He was my own creation.
But now he was real.
And he was looking right at me.
First Half – The Prophet Plays
Tip-off. Game on.
And Yuuto didn't dribble.
He glided.
His movements weren't just smooth—they were inevitable. He anticipated screens before we set them. He avoided traps we hadn't even called yet.
Mitsui passed to me on a curl.
Before I turned, Yuuto was there.
"Too slow," he said softly, stealing it clean and lobbing it for a smooth alley-oop to his center.
Shohoku fell behind: 11–2.
"He's reading us," I said.
"No," Rukawa muttered. "He's remembering us."
That's when it hit me.
Yuuto had pre-existing memory of this timeline.
He wasn't just another transmigrator.
He was a simulacrum—a creation coded into the Clocktower system to test us.
He was my shadow.
Sakuragi's Frustration – The Variable Falters
Sakuragi was not happy.
"WHY IS THIS NOBODY BEATING ME?!"
"You're forcing it," I said.
He huffed. "He's small! I can crush him like natto!"
"Not if you fall into his pace."
But he already had.
Sakuragi got two offensive fouls trying to muscle past invisible screens.
Rukawa's iso plays were stonewalled. Mitsui's shots rimmed out.
Akagi was triple-teamed on every board.
At halftime, the scoreboard read:
Hakkenden 35 – Shohoku 24
Locker Room – Coach Anzai Speaks Truth
We sat in silence.
Coach Anzai finally stepped forward.
"You're all playing like the game is broken."
"It is," I said. "He's—cheating. Predicting us."
"No," Coach corrected. "He's reflecting you. Your patterns. Your habits."
He looked at me. "Kudo. You play like a conductor. But sometimes, the music needs chaos."
He turned to the team. "If he's a Prophet… then become something unwritten."
I stood.
"Time to break our own story."
Second Half – Shohoku Unleashed
We came out silent.
No play calls. No signals.
Just instinct.
Sakuragi, usually predictable, began freestyling. A pump fake into a spinning bounce pass to Kogure. Yes, Kogure.
Akagi, instead of posting, ran off-ball cuts.
Mitsui—of all people—attempted a floater in the lane.
And Rukawa?
He stopped moving.
Just stared Yuuto down.
Then laughed.
"Can't predict someone who doesn't think," he muttered—and drove left, bounced it behind the back to Sakuragi for the dunk.
We were back.
Shohoku 51 – Hakkenden 49.
The Clash – Kudo vs. Yuuto
With four minutes left, Yuuto called for iso.
Against me.
The gym was dead silent.
"You wrote me," he whispered as we squared up.
"I didn't bring you here."
"But you gave me life."
I gritted my teeth. "Then I'll be the one to end it."
He drove.
I guessed right.
He spun.
I stepped early.
He pulled up.
I jumped—
—and blocked it.
I grabbed the ball midair, crashed down, and lobbed it cross-court to Rukawa—
swish.
Shohoku 53 – Hakkenden 49.
Final Moments – The Future Fractures
With one minute left, Yuuto stood still, breathing hard.
"You've changed the outcome," he said. "The timeline is destabilizing."
"Good."
"You'll regret this. The Clocktower doesn't lose."
I held his gaze.
"Then we rewrite the rules."
He smiled sadly. "That's what I said… before they erased me the first time."
Then he walked off the court.
Shohoku wins by default.
Aftermath – The Disappearance
Yuuto Kanzaki never checked out of the gym.
His locker was empty. Uniform gone.
No one saw him leave.
When I asked the officials, they claimed they never saw anyone wearing #0.
The stat sheet didn't list his name.
Even the footage?
Corrupted.
But I remembered.
And so did Rukawa.
And so did Coach.
Evening Rooftop – Bonding Amid Chaos
We gathered again under the stars—Sakuragi, Mitsui, Akagi, Rukawa, and me.
Sakuragi was holding a bag of rice balls to his face. "I'm STILL mad that kid didn't talk trash. That makes it worse!"
Mitsui sighed. "You tried to headbutt him. I don't think he could talk."
Akagi looked thoughtful. "That player… he wasn't just good. He was impossible."
Rukawa, unusually quiet, said:
"He moved like a memory. Not a player."
I finally spoke.
"He was something I created. Once. A long time ago."
Everyone turned.
"But someone else made him real. And now he's gone."
There was a long silence.
Then Sakuragi said, "So you're saying you made our enemy?"
"…Yeah."
He stood up.
"Then next time, make one with worse hair."
We all laughed.
Even me.
Shohoku Status Update – Mid-Tournament Surge
Name
Role
Change
Kudo Hirata
Strategist / Creator
Facing consequences of imagination turned real
Sakuragi Hanamichi
Variable PF
Unstable, but anchored by friendship
Rukawa Kaede
Ace SF
Dreaming of realities he hasn't lived
Mitsui Hisashi
SG Anchor
Emotional center and humor buffer
Akagi Takenori
Captain
Beginning to question the rules of their world
Yuuto Kanzaki
Memory / Prophet
Timeline anomaly erased after re-entry
Closing – The Crack in the Sky
That night, I stepped outside for air.
The stars looked… off.
One of them flickered red.
And above Shohoku, a small tear shimmered in the sky—like static in a television screen.
The Clocktower wasn't waiting anymore.
They were coming.
And this time?
They were bringing my worst ideas to life.
[Next Time on Benchwarmer Chronicles — Chapter 40: "The Red Sky Protocol"]
As a tear in reality opens above Shohoku, bizarre events begin affecting the court. Players from alternate timelines begin arriving—some allies, some enemies. Kudo must prepare the team for the strangest match of their lives.