Akashi Asuka allocated all of his remaining points into Agility.
And with that,
A brand-new stat panel was officially complete.
============
Host: Akashi Asuka
Height: 197.2 cm
Weight: 83.6 kg
[Finishing]: Drive Layup – 67 | Drive Dunk – 73 | Under-the-Basket Finishing – 66
[Shooting]: Close Shot – 68 | Mid-Range Shot – 58 | Three-Point Shot – 53
[Ball Handling]: Passing – 64 | Dribbling – 65
[Defense]: Lateral Quickness – 70 | Steals – 60 | Blocks – 81 | Rebounds – 73
[Physical]: Speed – 70 | Strength – 81 | Jumping – 67 | Stamina – 67
[Reaction]: Reflexes – 76 | Agility – 74
[Innate Skills]: Brutality (Manifesting...) | Clear Mind (Manifesting...)
[Grind Points]: 0
============
Spreading out the points evenly was meaningless.
First, Akashi had to plan for the future. Attributes like passing and dribbling, he could train those himself later on. With his previous-life basketball experience as a foundation, his progress would likely be faster than even a cheat code.
Second, without a solid core stat to build around, it wouldn't matter whether he was slightly better or worse, either way, he'd be completely outclassed by his next opponents.
And third, this was the most important point, the system had already warned him:
Even if he could "cheat" his way to more stat boosts later, Akashi would still need to tailor his growth around the natural talents of this current body.
In other words…
In this sports world with light sci-fi elements, Akashi Asuka could not become an all-rounder like he was in his previous world.
This time, he would have to choose a single direction, and go all in.
,
"Players of Kaijo Junior High, the second half is about to begin. Please prepare to return to the court."
A staff member appeared at the entrance and made the announcement.
"Alright!! Watch me lock that guy down this half!"
Tsugawa Tomoki jumped up, clapping his hands with fiery determination.
But besides him…
The rest of the team only looked up briefly before slowly rising to their feet, eyes dull, lacking even a trace of fighting spirit.
Seeing this, Akashi Asuka realized, those three were probably done for. Useless for the second half.
So he beckoned.
"Tsugawa, come here. I need to talk to you about something."
Tsugawa looked puzzled but still walked over. "What's up, Akashi?"
"I want you to switch defensive assignments in the second half. Can you do that?"
"Huh? Why?"
"Forget the details. Just tell me, do you think you can stop him?"
"No problem. Leave it to me!"
Tsugawa thumped his chest confidently.
Truthfully, switching defenders mid-game wasn't a great move. And now, Tsugawa was basically the only usable player left on the team. The others, not just the players, even the coach, had clearly given up on the match.
============
Tweet~~!
The referee's whistle blew as both teams returned to the court.
When Akashi stepped back onto the hardwood, the first thing that caught his eye was the scoreboard in bright red:
52 – 26
The first half had just ended, and Teiko was already doubling Kaijo's score.
To be clear, Kaijo wasn't some no-name underdog. They were one of the top eight in the nation. Any school that could make it this far wasn't weak by any stretch.
Before the "Generation of Miracles" rose to prominence, Kaijo had been one of Tokyo's elite teams, with even a national Junior High championship title in its history.
"Tch... Talk about being born in the wrong era."
Akashi Asuka browsed through the original host's memories and sighed.
Then he turned his gaze to the far side of the court.
And there they were,
Five boys, each with dramatically different hairstyles, bright red, golden yellow, deep blue, electric green, and royal purple. Their faces stone-cold as they walked toward the court like war machines.
"…Should I dye my hair too after this match?"
Akashi touched his own thick, jet-black hair, feeling a bit hopeless.
Because in this world's logic, if you didn't have a wild, flashy hairstyle, you might as well forget about being a top-tier player.
He scanned Teiko's bench a little longer.
Compared to those five, Akashi was more interested in their sixth man, the one known as the Phantom.
But no matter how hard he searched, that player was nowhere to be found.
"He really is the 'Phantom Sixth Man'..."
Akashi exhaled and clapped his hands.
"Alright, guys. Let's finish this last match of Junior High together."
Akashi wasn't Kaijo's captain, but maybe because he'd gotten used to being the "ace" in the previous world, the moment he took command, not a single teammate questioned it. Everyone just followed along naturally.
Or maybe…
They simply didn't have the energy to care anymore.
"Hmm?"
The Teiko players immediately noticed something strange.
They clearly remembered, the center on the opposing team had been broken by Murasakibara in the first half. By the end, he had completely stopped resisting.
But now, during halftime,
That same center looked like he had regained his confidence. Not only that, he even had a smile on his face.
"Interesting."
Akashi Seijuro narrowed his eyes at the smile on Akashi Asuka's face. For the first time in a while, a flicker of surprise passed through his otherwise icy gaze.
Back when the Generation of Miracles were only first and second years, opponents would still show a range of emotions on their faces.
But ever since they became third years, every player they faced showed nothing but despair.
That was what happened when a team became too dominant, and when mixed with adolescent hormones and rapid growth spurts, well…
The "Generation of Miracles" gradually began spiraling into madness.
Some developed full-blown split personalities.
Some were delusional narcissists spouting "the only one who can beat me is me."
Some, like the two-meter-tall tsundere, claimed to hate basketball, even though they secretly loved it more than anyone.
Looking back now,
Akashi Asuka suddenly realized something disturbing.
In the Generation of Miracles, the more mentally unstable someone was, the stronger they seemed to be.
On the flip side, the two relatively "normal" ones? They practically never won a single major match in the original story...
Good grief.
So power in this world is tied to how broken your psyche is?
"Beeep~~!"
"The halftime break is over. Will both teams please return to the court?"
"Teiko Junior High vs. Kaijo Middle, Nationals Top 8 Qualifiers, second half begins now!"
==========
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