Extra Basket-Chapter 147 - 134: Loan Shark (10)

Ethan stood across from Leonel, eyes sharp. His chest rose with each breath, but his mind was razor-focused.

(Watch everything. Every cut. Every glance. The timing of their screens. Their spacing. The pass delay. Their reaction time.)

(This isn’t a battle of force. This is chess. And I’m finally at the board.)

....

Inbound to Leonel.

Evan tried to press, but Leonel slid past like vapor, barely touching the ground.

A brush screen from Noah gave Leonel a sliver of space.

Then it happened again.

Zip!

A no-look bounce pass slipped right between Louie and Coonie perfectly timed.

Malik caught and flushed it with a windmill.

BANG!

Score: 36–39.

Ayumi flinched. Lucas gritted his teeth. On the bench, Jeremy held his breath.

....

Ethan didn’t flinch. He raised a hand. "Inbound!"

The ball was passed to him.

Leonel met him near half-court.

The Maestro vs. The Analyst.

Ethan didn’t try to blow past Leonel. Instead, he read. How he moved, the way he leaned slightly left, the flicker of his eyes before he angled his foot.

(You anticipate based on my shoulders... Got it.)

Ethan drove right faked then spun into a back pass to Louie.

Louie shot the mid-range jumper.

Swish.

Score: 38–39.

Leonel narrowed his eyes.

(So you’re not here to score. You’re here to observe...)

....

Next play.

Leonel advanced again.

This time, Ethan didn’t try to stop him.

He just mirrored. Matched rhythm. Counted.

(1... 2... pass... delay 0.7 seconds before the shooter receives... Jace gets it at his left hip. He rises in 1.1 seconds. If I move early, he’ll fake. I have to break that sequence.)

Jace received it. Went for a step-back three.

But this time, Coonie anticipated. Ethan had shouted mid-play:

"Right shoulder. Now!"

Coonie leaped hand up. Tip! Ball deflected.

Louie recovered.

Fastbreak.

Back to Ethan.

Bounce pass to Aiden, cutting baseline.

Layup.

Score: 40–39. Vorpal regains the lead.

....

The crowd stirred.

Commentator’s voice echoed:

"What a smart recovery! Vorpal’s coordination suddenly looks tighter — they’re reading plays before they happen!"

Leonel caught the ball on the next inbound, his expression a shade darker now.

He dribbled slowly. Watching Ethan.

Ethan returned the stare.

(You see the court like time slows down... But what if someone’s watching you, frame by frame?)

Leonel shifted gears. A blur of speed.

Ethan moved too not to block, but to funnel.

He forced Leonel slightly right, toward Coonie.

Trap.

Leonel spun.

But Ethan anticipated.

Swipe!

Fingertips touched the ball.

Loose!

Aiden dived and grabbed it. Another possession stolen.

Ayumi gasped.

"Ethan... he’s dissecting them..."

....

On the bench, Ryan leaned forward.

"Holy crap. Is this what it means when Ethan says he’s gonna ’analyze’ someone?"

Lucas smirked. "Yup. That’s his game."

On the next possession, Ethan walked the ball up. Still calm.

He wasn’t just playing.

He was mapping.

Like a conductor orchestrating his team’s tempo.

Pick. Slide. Swing.

Coonie curled off a screen. Layup.

Score: 42–39.

...

Blazing Fox called a timeout.

Coach Rios stepped onto the court, eyes flashing.

"Leonel. What the hell is this? You’re getting read out there."

Leonel looked away; jaw tight.

"He’s not fast. Not strong. But he’s... reading my rhythm. Like a goddamn metronome."

Jace frowned. "You want me to break formation?"

Coach Rios shook his head. "Not yet. Let’s see how far this kid thinks he can ride logic."

...

Meanwhile, on Vorpal’s bench, Ayumi handed Ethan a towel.

"You good?"

Ethan wiped his face, nodding.

"I’ve figured out two of their trigger sequences. They’re layered, but I can disrupt their tempo. Still... it’s not enough to win."

Lucas asked, "Then what will?"

Ethan looked up, eyes burning behind his sweat.

"We need emotion to match their instinct. Heart to match their experience."

"And you’re gonna lead that?" Coonie asked.

Ethan stood. Ball in hand. Voice steady.

"Well....."

....

Back on the court, the crowd leaned in.

Whispers turned to claps. Claps into cheers.

The game wasn’t just a match anymore.

It was a war of understanding, instinct vs. intellect.

And Ethan had just drawn first blood.

Score: 42–39. 2nd Quarter, 3:47 Remaining

Vorpal Basket leads

..

Back on the court, the air was electric.

The players took their positions sweat dripping, lungs heaving, eyes sharp.

The crowd leaned in.

Every bounce of the ball echoed like a drumbeat.

Whispers turned to claps. Claps into cheers.

This was no longer just a game.

It was a war of understanding.

Instinct vs. Intellect.

Emotion vs. Calculation.

And Ethan Albarado the "Brain" of Vorpal Basket had just drawn first blood.

.....

Leonel dribbled at the top of the key, slower this time. Measured. Controlled.

(He’s watching... analyzing... then acting. So I’ll change the rhythm.)

He didn’t wait for a screen this time. Just attacked.

A sudden burst.

Ethan slid in, but Leonel spun, planted, and kicked the ball out—

Straight to Jace. Catch. Rise.

Three-pointer — clean.

Score: 42–42. Tie game.

Ethan grunted. (Damn it... They adjusted faster than expected.)

...

Louie caught the inbound from Coonie.

Jace stepped up to pressure him this time.

Louie didn’t hesitate. He tapped into his fullest speed.

A blur.

He blew by Jace quick cross, into a stepback just enough space.

Pull-up jumper.

Swish.

Score: 44–42. Vorpal leads.

...

On the other end, Malik set a hard screen on Louie. Aiden tried to switch, but Leonel faked the drive, then lobbed it toward the rim.

DeShawn Briggs rose up like a skyscraper — SLAMMED it with authority.

BANG!

Score: 44–44.

Ryan shouted from the bench, "THEY NEVER STOP PRESSING!"

Ayumi stood, her clipboard clutched tightly.

(They’re not just skilled. They’re relentless. How do you stop a team that punishes you every possession?)

.....

Ethan jogged up the court again, ball in hand. His thoughts raced.

(They’re starting to quicken their sets. Their actions are compressed into 4-second reads now... This is no longer about pattern-breaking. This is about endurance — mental and emotional.)

He signaled with his hand — a new play.

"Stack Alpha. Cut baseline. Slip screen."

Louie nodded and moved first.

Ethan waited... then threaded a bounce pass right through Leonel’s legs.

Louie caught it in stride and scored with a reverse layup.

Score: 46–44.

.....

But Leonel Blaze didn’t blink.

He walked the ball up like a predator circling his prey.

"You’re smart," he said to Ethan. "But this isn’t chess anymore."

"It never was," Ethan replied, steady. "This is war."

Leonel smiled.

"Then allow me to unleash hell."

....

He motioned.

Jace ran a stagger screen. Malik posted deep. DeShawn hovered above the arc. It was a decoy. All of it.

Leonel didn’t pass.

He attacked.

Coonie and Kai tried to collapse.

Too late.

Layup. And-one.

Bucket. Foul on Kai.

The ref blew the whistle.

Score: 46–46.

Crowd roared.

Free throw.

Leonel stepped to the line, calm as ice.

Shot clean.

Score: 46–47. Blazing Fox leads again.

...

On the bench, Ryan stood up. "We need to answer now! They’re heating up!"

Lucas said serious. "I’m going back in."

Ethan raised a hand. "Not yet. Let me crack it. I just need one more piece."

...

The next possession was fast.

Ethan passed to Aiden.

Aiden to Kai.

Kai tried a floater rejected by DeShawn Briggs like a fly swatted from the air.

Leonel grabbed the rebound and launched a full-court pass to Malik.

BOOM! Two-handed slam.

Score: 46–49.

....

Timeout — Vorpal Basket.

Coach Rios of Blazing Fox didn’t even move from his seat.

He looked satisfied.

The pressure was on again.

...

In the huddle, the Vorpal players gathered.

Their breaths came fast. Tension high.

Ethan crouched in front of the group, drawing on the whiteboard furiously.

"Listen, their patterns are broken. Leonel’s improvising now. They’re not executing structure anymore, they’re playing pure instinct. That’s harder to predict."

Kai said, "So what now?!"

Ethan looked up, eyes serious.

"We stop trying to control the storm."

Lucas stepped forward. "Then what do we do?"

Ethan stood. Turned to Lucas. And nodded.

"We become the storm."

....

Final minute. Second quarter.

Ethan and Lucas checks back in. So does Brandon and Evan. And Ryan.

Their eyes locked.

One final possession before halftime.

The arena buzzed.

Lights hot.

Crowd wild.

But Vorpal Basket wasn’t backing down.

They were just getting started.

Score: 46–49. 48 seconds remaining.

To be continued...

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