First quarter finishes with Seirin in the lead, 8-23. Kuroko is subbed out to conserve his energy, leaving Kagami to deal with Papa alone. With five minutes left of the last quarter, Seirin is in the lead by a close margin (51-60). Kuroko is subbed back in. Kagami finally manages to block Papa's shot, and Seirin win the match 67-79. Seirin go on to crush their next few opponents. Realizing too much confidence is brewing, the team is taken to watch a Shutoku match (the team of Midorima Shintaro). Shutoku wins, 153-21. Seirin realise they will face two of the "three emperor teams" on the same day, with Seiho in the semifinal and Shutoku in the grand final.