Try Outs Part I

The classroom was filled with glee as each of the students were introducing themselves, their dreams, and their hobbies. Shinoda in particular was perking his ears to determine who were the basketball players in his class. It would be great if I could become friends with them. We can apply at the basketball club together!

Shinoda kept glancing at the colorful-haired group who were sitting close to each other. They had just finished their introductions, but Shinoda felt that he should've known who they were. Unbeknownst to him, God had deleted his memories about the characters of the world he has traveled in. He knows that he has reincarnated into the KnB world, and had retained the previous skills he has accumulated in his past life.

But despite being reincarnated into a world he is familiar with, he is unfamiliar with the characters in it. Thus, Shinoda couldn't help but stare at the group. His yellow eyes were filled with wonder, and this caught the attention of one of them.

"Oi," The dark-blue-haired teen glared at Shinoda. "What's the problem? You kept looking at us." He raised an eyebrow as he questioned the blond. Shinoda was about to reply when his name was suddenly called by the teacher to introduce himself.

Without a hesitation, Shinoda stood up at went to the front of the classroom. "Hi everyone!" His voice was energetic as he looked at everyone in the room. "My name is Shinoda Hyokishi. My dream is to become a professional basketball player, but my current goal is to join the basketball club of this school." Everyone inside the room could hear the confidence and determination in his voice.

His introduction grabbed the attention of the Generation of Miracles who were now staring at him in interest. A grin appeared on Aomine's face as he watched Shinoda walking back to his seat that was near them. "Hey, you play basketball?" Shinoda nodded in reply.

"My name's Aomine, are you good at it?" Shinoda could hear the challenge, and with a grin, he replied, "You have to see it later then." Other teens who had colorful hairs were also listening in to their conversation. A redhead youth who was holding a pair of scissors, grinned as he glanced at Shinoda. "Hmmmm… Interesting." Meanwhile, A large purple giant yawned as his growth spurt still made him feel sleepy

 Green haired boy with glasses turned to Shinoda, "You're trying out for the basketball club?" Shinoda glanced at the fingers of the kid, basketball calluses could be seen at the green-haired youth's fingers. "Yeah! I'm planning to apply later."

Although they were strangers, they couldn't help but feel that they would see each other often in the future. The rest of the class went by smoothly. Shinoda made new friends and enjoyed talking with them.

My life is getting smoother, but I am still missing something. Shinoda knew that his life wouldn't be complete without basketball. Soon… Shinoda closed his eyes as he imagined the paint of the court, the tall basket, the perfect center circle at the middle.

As soon as class ended, the students were excited to hang out with their new friends or return home to their houses. However, it was different for the Shinoda and the boys who had unique hair. Shinoda noticed that they were heading in the same direction – to the school's gym. They're probably applying to join the tryouts of the Teiko basketball club.

"Man! I can't wait to join the first string!" Aomine's excited whisper was heard by Shinoda who was standing beside him. The applicants for the club were now standing in a straight line at the side of the court. In front of them was the current captain of the club.

The captain looked intimidating as he explained to them the structure of the club. "Being an elite school with a high-leveled basketball club, many students apply for a position in this reputed team. Unfortunately, not all can join." He stared at everyone with narrowed eyes. "The first string of the club is the main team of the club, the strongest and most important one. The second string can be considered reserves for the first string, even though they play their own matches too."

He suddenly paused in emphasis for his next words. "The third string is somewhat a dumpster where the players end up in after being rejected from both the first and the second string. That is why you must give it your all in this tryouts if you don't want to be stuck in the third string." Behind him were second-string members as the first strings were practicing for an upcoming match.

"For this tryout, I expect that all of you have already grasped the fundamentals of this sport. So we will proceed to a scrimmage. All of you will be divided into teams, and we will be judging you based on your speed, skills, mental state, and capabilities." His words carried a warning to the applicants who were now sweating in fear and nervousness. But Shinoda wasn't experiencing any of those, instead, he could feel his blood boiling due to excitement.

The captain glanced at the manager who was holding a file that included all of the applicant's information. Things were getting serious. They were given the mechanics on how to pass the tryouts. And Shinoda was teamed up with the green and purple-haired boys in his class earlier. On the other hand, Aomine and the redhead classmate were in the same team as the seniors that included the captain as well. This was because of the lack of players and to make it more time-efficient.

It didn't take long until it was now Shinoda's team vs the captain's team. All 10 players were now standing in the middle of the court, their hearts palpitating before the game had even started. When the referee's whistle sounded, Shinoda could feel the blood in his body pumping faster.

His goal was to only win the game, and get the ball into the basket as many times as he could. Murasakibara was quick to get the ball for his team after the toss. With swift feet, Shinoda took the ball and dribbled it towards the opponent's court.

Before he could get closer, Akashi appeared beside him. And stole the ball immediately. Tsk. I should have been more careful. Shinoda knew that his opponents were strong, it looks like he has to use his technique early on.

Everyone was adamant to show off their skills to be accepted into the basketball club. Murasakibara had shown his defense, Midorima had already exposed his shooting skills as he performed 3 pointer shots again and again. And Aomine's speed and agility impressed the seniors and the captain as he defended against Shinoda.

"Shinoda!" Murasakibara called out as he tossed the ball towards Shinoda who caught it with ease. It was time. Shinoda decided as he stared at the basketball goal behind Aomine. The dark blue-haired teen smirked at the blond. "I thought you'd be good at this." His taunt didn't disturb Shinoda one bit.

A small smile appeared on Shinoda's face as he whispered, "Thunder Breathing first form, Thunderclap and Flash." Aomine shivered as he felt something in Shinoda change. His whole body froze as he felt his goosebumps forming on his skin as if electricity was in the air.

The others in the court could feel the shift in the atmosphere as well. But no one was prepared to see Shinoda's skill as he performed his technique. "W-What on earth?" The captain muttered in shock as he saw Shinoda moving at a fast speed as he evaded the defense of Aomine.

Gritting his teeth, Aomine tried to defend against Shinoda, but it was no use. The dark-blue-haired teen gasped as he saw little streaks of lighting as Shinoda passed through him, the orange ball in his hand. D-Did I just imagine that?! Aomine couldn't even mutter a word as he experienced how powerful Shinoda's skill was.

Akashi, who was standing in the distance, had abandoned his usual unemotional face. Shock and awe were present as he stared at the impressive form of Shinoda. "I thought I heard thunder." Everyone knew that the game had now changed because of Shinoda. The seniors grinned in excitement to play with the new guy, while the Generation of Miracles were trying to wrap their minds on what they saw.

Shinoda grinned as he gripped the rough orange ball in his hands. "Now the game is truly beginning."