"Aiden Frost!"
"It's really you—how can you be zoning out at a time like this?!"
Zane Carter, who seemed to be drifting in some dreamlike trance, suddenly heard a voice—strange yet oddly familiar. The moment the voice dropped, he felt someone shaking his shoulder.
Zane slowly opened his eyes and saw a face looking both nervous and slightly irritated.
Weird...
A face that was both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time.
And from this angle…
This guy is really tall.
"Dark-haired...Shane?"
After thinking for a moment, the name popped into Zane's mind and slipped out of his mouth. But as his awareness kicked in, Zane—or rather, Aiden Frost—immediately realized that if this wasn't a dream, then he must have traveled through time.
And judging by all the sensations and realism—yeah, this wasn't a dream.
"Aiden, snap out of it! This is the entrance tryout for the elite Teiko Basketball Club!"
"Do you see that old man over there? I heard he's the head coach of Teiko."
"They say he never shows up for rookie tryouts, but he's here today in person. If we do well, we might just break into Teiko's freshman ranks on the first test. This could go down in Teiko history!"
Aiden Frost: "!?"
Wait—what?!
Elite school... Teiko?!
Kuroko's Basketball?!
And... if this is a club tryout...
Aiden, still in a daze, suddenly felt a rush of information slam into his brain. The next second, he whipped his head around and scanned the group of freshmen lining up for the test.
"No way...?"
Shane Kurono followed his gaze and raised an eyebrow. "What? What are you looking at?"
Aiden said nothing.
There was no Generation of Miracles in sight.
Just as he was thinking that, his eyes finally locked onto a familiar figure—still much younger than he remembered. At that moment, the awkward-looking boy was being shoved into the newcomers' line by none other than Coach Silas Silver.
It was Bryce Hawkins!
No wonder the Generation of Miracles weren't here—they were a year ahead.
Which meant...
Aiden focused, digging through the manga memories of Teiko's past roster.
Bryce Hawkins was already known as the top power forward in the country.
His friend standing beside him—first-year Shane Kurono—was already 6'1". In the original series, before the Generation of Miracles rose, Shane had stood side by side with Shawn Rivers to lead the team.
Later on, when the Miracles dominated the starting lineup, there was still one other name that had stuck out—a gloomy guy with long black hair and bangs that covered his eyes.
Somehow, maybe thanks to the time-travel bonus, Aiden's memories had become sharper. The previous generation of Teiko, barely mentioned in the manga, was now crystal clear in his head.
Finally, Aiden spotted the quiet guy not far behind him. He didn't know his name yet—but that face, he recognized.
So then...
Counting himself, there were four of them.
These were Teiko's core players before the Generation of Miracles.
Aiden: "..."
Wait a minute.
Why am I counting myself in?
Did I just accept this too quickly?
Is it the influence of the original body's memories… or something else?
Just as Aiden was stuck in a speechless daze, the time-travel essential finally appeared—a system prompt. First, a grin crept onto his face… and then he froze completely.
---
[Player's Road to Glory logged in — 'Slam Dunk Mobile Game System' has been loaded!]
[Newbie Benefits (1/2) loading…]
[Acquired General Data Player: 'Thomas Udairo']
[Player Attributes Updated…]
Name: Aiden Frost
Position: Shooting Guard
School: Teiko Junior High (Grade 7)
Height: 176 cm
---
[Offensive Attributes]
Mid-Range Shot: 105
Three-Point Shot: 105
Layup: 60
Dunk: 52
Close Shot: 80
[General Attributes]
Pass & Control: 95
Strength: 50
Stamina/Balance: 70
Jump: 62
Speed: 85
Dribbling: 75
[Defensive Attributes]
Rebounds: 60
Blocks: 60
Contest: 80
Steals: 85
---
[Unlocked Slam Dunk Player: General Data Player 'Thomas Udairo']
[Skills: Moonstep Retreat, Soft Stand-Up Three, Breakthrough Soft Shot, Full Acceleration, Intercept and Block, Ultimate: Freeze Moment]
---
Aiden: "..."
Slam Dunk mobile game?
Honestly, Aiden had never played it.
These kinds of games always felt like cash grabs to him, so he was naturally skeptical.
And more importantly…
Would this even work in the "Kuroko no Basuke" world—where everything was pure science fiction basketball?
Also... who the hell is Thomas Udairo?
With a slightly anxious expression, Aiden opened the system—still basic in layout. He clicked on "Unlocked Skills" in his profile and then tapped on the skill preview for Thomas Udairo.
And then—
Aiden had to admit: he had spoken way too soon.
Slam Dunk and Slam Dunk Mobile Game were nothing alike.
In fact, after getting the mobile game treatment, even the characters from the original Slam Dunk had been enhanced into sci-fi-level ballers.
For instance, his newbie bonus player was Thomas Udairo, a shooting guard from Tsukutake High in the Slam Dunk universe.
His move "Moonstep Retreat"?
A diagonal feint into a sudden stepback—he could literally backpedal from the free throw line all the way to the three-point arc in one motion!
The burst of speed was insane. The retreat looked more like a full-on sprint.
And then there was the ultimate move.
---
[Ultimate Move · Freeze Moment]: Charge forward with a sudden burst of speed. After a split-second freeze, execute a powerful stepback. Any defender within range who can be knocked down… will be.