Extra Basket-Chapter 159 - 146: Rest before the game

August 9, 2010 – Evening

Location: Local park basketball court golden hour

The sun was low, casting a gentle amber light over the half-court. The chain net jingled faintly with the breeze. The concrete beneath their shoes was warm from the fading heat of the day.

Ethan Albarado stood at the free throw line, breathing steadily. His shirt clung to him with sweat, but his expression was relaxed. He had just wrapped up a private evening drill session not for himself this time, but for someone else.

Across from him, catching her breath and wiping her forehead with her sleeve, was Charlotte Graves, older sister of Lucas, and easily one of the most quietly determined people he’d trained lately.

She straightened, letting her basketball roll away as she stepped closer.

"Thanks for the training you did for me," Charlotte said softly, eyes flicking up to meet his.

Ethan blinked, then gave a small smile, the kind that barely tugged at the corners of his mouth.

"Well... you’re welcome," he said, looking at her calmly, his tone warm but casual.

Charlotte reached into her gym bag and pulled out a cold sports drink. She hesitated for half a second, then offered it to him.

"Here," she said.

Ethan took it without thinking, cracking it open and drinking as if it were just another break in the day. He didn’t notice the faint flush rising on Charlotte’s cheeks.

She watched him.

The way his eyes stayed focused. The way his presence was solid — not loud, not flashy, but always there. Steady.

"Um..." she began, her voice slightly shaky.

"You must have a girlfriend... I mean, the way you are—"

Ethan nearly choked.

"Me? A girlfriend?" he repeated, laughing a little.

He looked at her, genuinely confused. "Nope. I don’t have one."

Charlotte blinked.

"...Seriously?"

Ethan took another sip of his drink, still oblivious, then shrugged.

"I don’t really think about that stuff. Basketball’s already a handful, you know?"

Charlotte looked away quickly, trying to hide the pink spreading across her face.

"R-Right. Yeah. Of course."

She kicked a loose pebble. The air between them was quiet for a second.

Then Ethan smiled at her again, easy and honest.

"You’ve improved a lot. Next time, you might actually cross me up."

Charlotte laughed nervously, brushing her bangs back behind her ear.

"I’ll hold you to that."

From a short distance behind the court fence, Lucas Graves leaned against the chain link, a crooked smile on his face. His black hoodie was slung half-off one shoulder, arms crossed lazily.

He was watching them.

His sister blushing, fidgeting.

Ethan clueless, cool, sipping a drink like he was breaking down game tape.

The two of them walking side by side.

Lucas smirked.

"I feel like... like some kind of Cupid right now," he muttered under his breath.

Next to him, Louie Gee Davas was crouched like a cat on a ledge, sipping juice through a straw, clearly having seen everything too. "Bro. You are a Cupid bastard," he said, half-laughing.

"Let’s go with them," Louie said suddenly, starting to rise.

Lucas raised a brow, shooting him a deadpan look.

"Let them, idiot."

Louie pouted, sipping louder.

"Hmph. I want to bond with Master Ethan."

Lucas blinked. "...Master Ethan?"

Louie straightened with a proud little nod. "I am, after all, his number one disciple."

He even placed a hand dramatically over his chest like some ancient monk claiming lineage.

Lucas burst out laughing.

"Bro, you’ve been watching too much anime again."

Louie smirked, unbothered.

"Call it what you want. But when I dropped that no-look pass earlier, who do you think I was channeling?"

Lucas rolled his eyes, still grinning.

"Definitely not Ethan. He doesn’t yell ’LET’S GOOOOO’ every time he passes."

Louie shrugged with pride.

"That’s my original flair. Master Ethan gives the fundamentals. I provide the seasoning."

Lucas shook his head, pushing off the fence and heading the other way.

"You’re hopeless."

"Nah," Louie replied, jogging to catch up beside him. "I’m hungry. Let’s grab snacks. Tomorrow, we storm Roanoke."

Lucas nodded, his expression sobering just slightly.

"Yeah. Tomorrow’s war."

As they walked off, the warm glow of the court faded behind them...

But something brighter had already been lit —

a fire inside every member of Vorpal Basket.

...

As Lucas and Louie strolled down the path behind the gym, the late afternoon breeze brushing the trees above, they rounded the corner near the vending machines—

—and stopped.

Ayumi Brooke stood there, a water bottle in hand, mid-sip.

She blinked.

He blinked.

For a moment, the world paused like the gym, the court, even the air itself forgot to move.

Ayumi’s eyes locked with Lucas’s, and time turned to glass.

His hair was tousled, a little messy from practice. His hoodie sleeves pushed up to the elbows, a soft smirk tugging at the edge of his mouth.

Just... Lucas.

Her childhood friend.

But lately... he looked different. Taller. Sharper. Calmer.

Maybe it was the sweat. Or the lighting. Or maybe just the fact he wasn’t a dorky kid anymore.

Her cheeks betrayed her before her brain could.

A soft blush bloomed across her face like a splash of rose paint.

She turned abruptly, almost spilling the water down her chin.

"Ah—L-Lucas! I didn’t see you there!"

Louie squinted, then smirked wide.

"Oooooh... what’s this? Manager-sama acting shy?"

Ayumi shot Louie a death glare. "Sh-Shut up, Louie!"

Lucas just blinked, confused but then that trademark lopsided grin spread across his face.

"You okay, Ayumi?" he asked, tilting his head slightly. "You look... kinda red."

Ayumi nearly choked on her water.

"N-No, I’m fine! Totally fine! Why would I be red? I mean—I was running! Fast! So it’s just... circulation!"

Louie leaned in close to Lucas’s ear and whispered, "Master Ethan’s romance density has passed onto you..."

Lucas elbowed him lightly. "Shut it." But his ears turned just a little pink.

Ayumi fidgeted with the cap of her water bottle, then spoke up with more control.

"Coach Brooke—uh, I mean me.... Manager...I was just checking the final roster submissions for tomorrow. You guys ready?"

Lucas gave a small nod.

"Yeah. We’re ready."

His voice was calm. Solid.

And something in it made Ayumi’s chest feel strange.

Louie, now munching on a Pocky stick he probably stole from Coonie’s stash, interrupted the silence.

"Sheesh, just date already."

"LOUIE!" both Ayumi and Lucas yelled at the same time.

But they were both smiling now. Just a little.

And as the three of them stood there awkward, loud, warm, and absolutely alive, the sun finally dipped below the trees.

Tomorrow was the Division Cup.

Tonight... still had a little magic left.

...

Meanwhile the neon lights of Club Neon Mirage pulsed like a heartbeat, bathing the walls in violet and electric blue. Music thumped like war drums. Teenagers from various schools crowded the dance floor, letting off steam before tomorrow’s big tournament.

At a corner booth, Brandon Young leaned back with his arms crossed and a deadpan stare on his face.

"Ryan," he said, "for the love of basketball, sit down."

But Ryan Taylor gold chain swinging, shirt just slightly unbuttoned, and a dumb, glittering grin on his face was already mid-dance with two girls from Ridgeville Prep.

"Brooo!" Ryan shouted over the music, "We play better when we loosen up! Trust me — I’m scientifically built to drop dimes after dancing!"

Brandon sighed, dragging a hand down his face like he was aging by the second.

"You’re scientifically built to get me in trouble. We have a game in less than twelve hours, idiot."

Ryan winked as he twirled one of the girls, pointing at Brandon with the confidence of a man who believed wholeheartedly in chaos.

"That’s why you’re here, B. My life coach. My parole officer. My personal anchor to reality."

Brandon blinked.

"I’m twelve seconds away from anchoring you to the floor."

Ryan gave a smug smirk. "Aw, don’t be like that. You know we always kill it after I party the night before. Remember the last tournament?"

"You scored four points and fouled out in the third quarter."

Ryan paused. Then: "...Yeah but my layup was sexy."

Brandon stood up, towering over him.

"Let’s go. Now."

Ryan groaned like a child being dragged away from the arcade.

"You sound like my grandma, bro..."

Brandon grabbed the back of Ryan’s hoodie like he was picking up a misbehaving toddler.

"That’s it. Come on. Back to the hotel. Manager Ayumi’s gonna murder us if we show up looking like sleep-deprived zombies."

Ryan waved goodbye to the girls. "Ladies, I’m being kidnapped by this fine specimen of a man! Pray for me!"

The girls laughed. Brandon didn’t.

As they exited the club, the city lights glowing behind them, Ryan stretched his arms and grinned.

"Hey, B."

"...What?"

"We’re gonna win tomorrow, right?"

Brandon didn’t smile but his voice softened.

"We better. I didn’t drag your sorry self out of that club just to lose."

Ryan chuckled. "Fair enough."

They walked on, side by side, just like they had since childhood.

A little rowdy. A little reckless.

But ready.

Always ready when it counted

..

August 9, 2010 – 8:33 PM

Location: School Gym, Lights Dimmed

The court was quieter than usual.

No dribbling. No squeaking sneakers. No shouting.

Only the steady hum of the overhead lights and the occasional creak of the bleachers.

The entire Vorpal Basket team sat in a circle at center court, shoes off, legs stretched, backs sore from the day’s training but eyes sharp.

Ayumi Brooke stood behind a whiteboard, flipping a marker between her fingers like a wand. Her clipboard lay beside her, pages scattered with scrawls and diagrams. Her ponytail was slightly loose from a long day.

Ethan Albarado was seated on a basketball, arms resting on his knees. The unofficial captain. The voice of their heartbeat.

He looked at all of them one by one.

Lucas, arms behind his head, chewing on a lollipop stick.

Louie, spinning a ball lazily on his fingertip like it was bored of gravity.

Evan, focused, silent, watching Ethan like a soldier watches his general.

Josh, tapping a rhythm on the hardwood.

Ryan, leaning back with a towel over his head.

Aiden, calm, observant, unreadable as always.

Jeremy, a quiet fire in his gaze.

Kai and Coonie, side by side, whispering something and trying not to laugh.

And Ayumi, behind them all... watching with pride.

Then, Ethan stood up.

And spoke.

"Alright. Listen up."

The noise died immediately.

"Tomorrow... is the Division Cup."

He held up one finger.

"Sixteen teams. One trophy to move into another step. One chance. No second take. No redo. It’s all or nothing."

Lucas gave a low whistle. "Damn. That’s dramatic."

Ethan ignored him and kept going.

"We’re going in as the fifth seed. No one expects us to win. They think we’re just a fluke team with one lucky win against Blazing Fox."

Josh scoffed. "Let them think that. Makes the punchline funnier."

Louie cracked his knuckles. "I got five new moves ready. Six if I invent one tonight in the shower."

Ethan nodded once.

Then his voice softened.

"But I’m not asking for tricks."

"I’m asking for heart." freeweɓnovel~cѳm

He looked directly at Jeremy.

"For all of us... this isn’t just a game. For some of you, it’s redemption. For others, it’s proving something. To your family, to your past, to your own damn self."

He pointed at his chest.

"But for me? It’s this."

"Basketball saved my life."

The room went still.

"And tomorrow. I’m giving everything back."

There was a beat.

Then Ayumi stepped forward, flipping the whiteboard.

The match bracket was shown.

Game 1: Vorpal vs Roanoke Storm.

She tapped the name.

"Kagetsu Renjiro."

"The Human Thunderclap," Ethan muttered. "#23."

Louie leaned forward. "How do we stop him?"

Ethan looked at them all, eyes burning now.

"You don’t stop a thunderclap."

"You survive it."

"And then you hit back like lightning."

Lucas stood, slapping his fist into his palm.

"Let’s go, baby."

Josh stood next. Then Evan. Then Ryan. Then all of them.

Ayumi smiled as they formed a circle again this time standing.

Palms together in the center.

Ethan raised his voice.

"We’re not just players. We’re not just names on a bracket."

"We are Vorpal Basket."

"And tomorrow—"

"WE SHOW THEM WHO WE ARE!"

They all shouted, voices overlapping:

"ONE TEAM!"

"ONE HEART!"

"VORPAL!!"

As the lights dimmed and they packed up for the night, no one said much.

But the fire in their eyes burned bright.

Tomorrow wasn’t just another game.

Tomorrow... was a storm.

And Vorpal was ready to dance in it.

To be continue

This 𝓬ontent is taken from fre𝒆webnove(l).𝐜𝐨𝗺