Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium
When the bus slowly rolled to a stop, Ueno and the others stared at the sprawling sports park before them, unable to hide their shock.
Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium—a super-stadium capable of holding tens of thousands. Its sheer scale alone was enough to intimidate anyone.
This venue was normally reserved for the finals.
Yet today, an exception had been made for the opening round.
The reason was simple.
This was a match involving Teiko Middle School.
It was the Generation of Miracles' first game of the tournament.
As Ueno looked at the packed stands encircling the stadium, a jolt of awe ran through him.
He knew the crowd wasn't here for them. They had come to see Teiko Middle School. Even so, the sight was overwhelming—rows upon rows of people stretching as far as the eye could see.
Among the spectators were not only fans, but players from other schools… even from universities.
This year marked Teiko's third championship run—and the Generation of Miracles' final year before graduation. Every highschool was eager to recruit them.
While Ueno's team was still reeling from the scene, three luxury coaches slowly pulled in nearby.
The doors opened.
The moment the passengers stepped out, the area erupted.
"It's Teiko's Generation of Miracles!"
"Kise is so hot! Kise, I love you!"
"What an overwhelming presence… truly worthy of Teiko."
Unlike the stunned spectators, Ueno's teammates felt something entirely different.
Every face was tense, expressions grim. Even the air felt heavy.
Compared to Teiko's squad—nearly a hundred people strong—their own team barely numbered ten.
As Ueno scanned the Generation of Miracles, his gaze quickly settled on Kuroko.
That familiar sky-blue hair stood out immediately, though there was a faint unease in his expression.
Probably worried about how much his teammates have changed, Ueno thought.
Just as he looked away, Kuroko's pale-blue eyes shifted toward him, confusion flickering across them.
Did someone just look at me…? Or was that my imagination?
"Tetsu, what's wrong?"
Following his gaze, Kise saw nothing unusual and tilted his handsome face curiously.
"Nothing."
Kuroko shook his head and said no more.
Kise didn't press the matter. Instead, he turned to the surrounding fans, waving and smiling effortlessly—promptly drawing another wave of excited screams.
Inside the Stadium
Coach Shane led them to Damu Middle School's assigned locker room.
After changing into the black Damu jersey, Ueno sat quietly in a corner, observing his teammates.
Compared to the others, his adult mentality—tempered by years of real-world experience—made him far more composed.
While anxiety was written plainly across their faces, Ueno remained calm.
Coach Shane swept his gaze across the room and sighed inwardly.
The Generation of Miracles loomed like an insurmountable mountain, crushing the confidence of every team their age.
But when his eyes landed on Ueno's steady expression, a trace of surprise—and pride—rose in his chest.
Ueno Juri was his proudest student. The hardest worker he had ever coached.
A few minutes later, an announcement echoed through the stadium:
"Players from Teiko Middle School and Damu Middle School, please take the court for warm-ups."
Ueno drew in a slow breath.
Beside him, his teammates turned pale, their unease impossible to hide.
In his previous life, Ueno had played basketball—purely for fun.
But in this world, basketball was played with something closer to superpowers.
It was an entirely different sport.
As they headed toward the court, Ueno—walking at the rear—froze for just a moment before quickly recovering.
Now, however, excitement and disbelief shimmered in his eyes.
Ding~
Sign-in system activated~Sign in now?
The cold electronic voice nearly made Ueno laugh out loud.
A system?
That was huge.
Suppressing his excitement and glancing around to make sure no one noticed, he answered silently.
Sign in.
Ding~Sign-in successful.Reward: Enhanced ZONE.Next sign-in available in seven days.
Ueno blinked.
ZONE? An enhanced version?
Wasn't that the biggest cheat in the entire world of basketball?
Even Kuroko, the protagonist, lacked the talent to enter that state.
ZONE—an extreme condition where latent abilities were fully unlocked, pushing power, speed, jumping ability, vision, and reaction to their absolute limits.
Yet entering ZONE required not only overwhelming talent, but a heart that truly loved basketball.
Realizing that his first reward was ZONE, Ueno almost laughed.
A moment later, though, his smile turned wry.
ZONE placed an enormous strain on the body. With this physique, he wasn't sure how long he could last.
One minute—at best.
Possibly not even that.
In the original story, Aomine and the others had already been capable of entering ZONE.
Akashi Seijuro had forbidden its use in middle school precisely because the burden was too severe.
Moreover, ZONE amplified power based on one's baseline ability.
Right now, Ueno's physical condition and technique were only slightly above average—far below the Generation of Miracles.
Well, at least we won't be completely crushed, he thought.
Even with ZONE, he knew he couldn't defeat the Generation of Miracles outright.
After all, they could enter ZONE too.
But one question lingered.
What does "enhanced" mean?
"System," he asked silently, "what is Enhanced ZONE?"
Replying to host:Enhanced ZONE increases all abilities to 120 percent.
One hundred and twenty percent.
Shock and excitement collided.
Ueno's lips curled upward.
All he needed to do now was raise his baseline.
Fortunately, the original owner of this body had been a training fanatic with solid talent. Otherwise, even being average would've been impossible.
With Enhanced ZONE, Ueno was confident he could finally score against the Generation of Miracles.
After all, ever since Teiko won their first national middle school championship,no opposing team had scored a single point against them—except during garbage time against their bench players.
Drawing a deep breath, Ueno stepped onto the court.
This time, he was ready.
Ready to stand against the Generation of Miracles—
And perhaps… to create a miracle of his own.