[Name: Akito Shigure]
[Position: Point Guard, Small Forward]
[School: Teikō Junior High (National First Division)]
[Height: 176 cm]
[Offensive Attributes]
Close Shot: 80
Mid-range (CIC): 105
Three-point Shot: 105
Dunk: 52 → 99
Layup: 60 → 96
[General Attributes]
Passing & Control: 95
Strength: 50 → 78
Anti-Interference: 70 → 78
Vertical Jump: 62 → 100
Speed: 85 → 87
Dribbling: 75 → 77
[Defensive Attributes]
Rebounds: 60 → 88
Blocks: 60 → 86
Shot Contest: 80
Steals: 85
[Unlocked Slam Dunk Players:]
Normal Data Player: Kazuo Yu
Normal Data Player: Nobunaga Kiyota
[Kazuo Yu's Skills:]
Mochizuki Retreat
Stationary Soft Three-pointer
Breakthrough Soft Shot
Full Acceleration
Pass Interception & Block
Ultimate: Freeze Moment
[Nobunaga Kiyota's Skills:]
Flying Block
Sudden Retreat
Layup
Full Acceleration
Dunk
Monkey Jump
Ultimate: Reverse Back Dunk
After unlocking his second Slam Dunk Mobile Game Player, Akito Shigure's attributes were updated again. Through this, he finally understood the system's attribute mechanics.
Simply put:
When multiple Slam Dunk players are acquired, the system automatically selects the highest value for each attribute from among all the unlocked characters and assigns it to the user.
Thanks to this rule—and a bit of luck—
The two players obtained through the "Newbie Bonus" event, Kazuo Yu and Nobunaga Kiyota, complemented each other's attributes almost perfectly, with very little overlap.
Suddenly, Akito Shigure had become a remarkably well-rounded player.
While Akito was momentarily dazed by the system update, Hugh Morrison had already stepped off Court 1, his expression cold.
Hearing the buzz among the rookies discussing him and that other guy—Shigure—Hugh couldn't help but feel irritated.
He didn't like the attention.
Even worse, being compared to someone else rubbed him the wrong way.
It wasn't that he didn't like basketball—
His aversion came from Coach Genzo Platinum, the old man himself.
When it came to the game...
He was confident—not just among rookies, but even against the so-called First Team. He didn't believe he'd lose to any of them.
"They're insane... These two are just too good!"
"The Second Team seniors got completely crushed. Aren't those two strong enough for the First Team already?"
"Maybe, but the First Team tryouts don't just judge based on 1v1 matches, right?"
"Yeah. Their styles are so different. One's all defense—blocks and brute force driving to the rim. The other plays more finesse—steals, shot contests, and deadly three-pointers."
"I wonder... Who's actually stronger between them?"
Not only the rookies and Second Team members were asking that question.
Even the assistant coaches from Teikō, tasked with observing and recording the games, were curious. But in the end, the decision would come from Coach Genzo Platinum.
"I don't think the Second Team players were able to show their full abilities," one assistant noted.
"Should we bring in the First Team for a test, Coach Platinum?"
Genzo Platinum shook his head.
"At the First Team's level, a simple 1v1 match is meaningless."
He then motioned with his hand—pointing first to Hugh Morrison, and then to Akito Shigure.
"Isn't this perfect?" he said.
"It's rare enough to find one raw gem of this quality. And now, we've found two."
The rookie evaluations continued.
And that's when Naoto Sanada, one of the First Team coaches, approached Akito Shigure.
Akito's impression of this glasses-wearing middle-aged man was... not a great one.
Later, when Seiji Akashi took over as captain after Coach Platinum's illness, Coach Sanada had been completely ignored.
It was from that moment onward that the Generation of Miracles' attitude toward basketball began to shift for the worse.
In reality...
Sanada seemed like a strict, serious coach.
But under the weight of Akashi's intense pressure and the brilliance of the Miracle Generation, he lacked the backbone to resist. He never fought back.
When Daiki Aomine first began to break out and stopped showing up to practice, Coach Sanada simply let it slide.
That alone proved he wasn't cut out to lead.
But then again...
Akito sighed.
In Teikō, if your name doesn't have a color in it, you'll never stand out as a coach.
No "color," no authority.
Shaking his head slightly at the thought, Akito accidentally let a flicker of pity show on his face.
Naoto Sanada: "...?"
What was that look just now...? Did he just pity me? Did I imagine that?!
Sanada chose not to dwell on it. He had more pressing matters.
"Akito Shigure. You're playing one more match."
"This one will evaluate whether you're qualified for the First Team."
"Give it everything you've got."
Akito raised an eyebrow.
Looking across the court, he saw Coach Platinum speaking with Hugh Morrison.
At first, Hugh looked visibly annoyed.
But then, something changed. His eyes met Akito's.
Even without any expression on his face, Akito could feel the cold, predatory pressure from Hugh's stare—like a beast deciding whether to pounce.
In that moment...
He knew—
This next match was going to be different.