Extra Basket-Chapter 161 - 148: Division Cup Vorpal vs Storm (2)

Time: 6:01

1st Quarter

Vorpal 8 – Roanoke 7

The squeak of sneakers and roaring energy made Hidden Valley Gym feel like a gladiator arena. But Coach Richard Halter stood stone-still on the sidelines, arms crossed, eyes narrowed.

He wasn’t watching the ball.

He was watching Ethan Albarado.

The boy hadn’t sat since tip-off. He paced like a chessmaster preparing a counter-offensive. Every substitution, every rotation—it had purpose. Precision.

Coach Halter’s brow twitched.

"So he subbed out Evan Cooper... and Ryan Taylor..."

"And sent in Louie Gee Davas and Kai Mendoza. Bench players with bite."

(Not because the starters were tired... but to break our flow.)

He glanced toward Louie, who was grinning wide as he shuffled into a defensive stance. And Kai, who was trailing Kagetsu’s every move like a hound reading scent in the wind.

"You’re shadow-marking Kagetsu already?"

He smirked faintly.

"You want data. You’re sacrificing early points to study our habits."

"Smart... maybe too smart."

Halter’s gaze turned to Ethan.

"That’s your game, isn’t it, kid? You let the fire burn just enough to measure the heat before you pour the water."

He didn’t call a timeout. Didn’t bark new orders.

He wanted to see what else Ethan had planned.

Behind him, Kagetsu caught another lob from Flash Daniels and spun mid-air for a slam—

—but Louie rotated from the weak side just in time, leaping—

SLAP!!

Louie got a hand on it. Not a clean block—but enough to alter the dunk into a clank off the rim.

Brandon grabbed the board.

Ayumi stood up from the bench, eyes wide.

"That’s new!" she whispered.

"Louie rotated like a veteran."

Ethan just nodded.

(Read. React. Rotate. Faster now.)

Coach Halter exhaled deeply.

"He’s built them up. Trained them to play outside their natural positions. Even Louie... he’s not just a shooter anymore."

(So what are you planning to unleash next, Albarado?)

He finally turned and said to his assistant:

"Have the bench stretch. This one’s not going to be decided in the first half."

And in his mind, for the first time that day, a small twinge of excitement flickered.

(A middle schooler coaching like this... maybe this game won’t be a formality after all.)

...

The crowd held its breath.

Midcourt cleared.

All eyes locked on two players at the wing.

Lucas Graves vs. Kagetsu Renjiro.

Roanoke’s #23 held the ball low, fingertips brushing the leather like a pianist preparing for a final note. His legs were coiled. His expression? Ice-cold.

Kagetsu bounced once, twice, and smiled faintly.

"Let’s see if you can keep up, copycat."

Lucas said nothing. His golden eyes stayed sharp.

The gym echoed with a single sound—BOOM.

Kagetsu launched into his first step.

...

🎙️ Commentator Jamie (excited):

"AND HERE WE GO! Kagetsu going iso! This is a test of wills right now—The Human Thunderclap versus the Copy Phantom!"

🎙️ Color Analyst Coach Doyle:

"Watch the spacing. This isn’t just offense. This is Kagetsu trying to break his rhythm down and rewrite the tempo of the game!"

....

Kagetsu jab-stepped.

Lucas didn’t flinch.

Then—THWAP!

A brutal crossover.

Left-right. Then behind-the-back. Then into a lightning-quick inside-out dribble.

(He’s fast... but I’ve seen this before—)

Lucas shadowed him step for step.

Kagetsu blinked. For a half-second, Lucas was still with him.

He attacked.

Explosive second step. Left foot past Lucas’ hip.

(No time to reach—have to redirect. Pivot—NOW!)

Lucas spun with him, hip-checking slightly, keeping just enough space to recover.

Kagetsu gathered.

He elevated.

Higher.

And higher.

(What...!?)

It was like he was climbing invisible stairs.

Lucas jumped.

"THUNDERCLAP!!!"

BOOM!

But it wasn’t a dunk.

Kagetsu switched hands mid-air, fading back like a ghost, and fired a twisting finger roll as Lucas flew by—

SWISH.

...

🎙️ Jamie:

"OH MY GOD! He faked the jam and laid it in?! THAT’S INSANE!"

🎙️ Coach Doyle:

"That vertical is unnatural for a middle schooler. And the body control? That’s next level. Lucas played that near-perfect and still couldn’t stop it."

Lucas landed, teeth gritted.

(He’s not just explosive... he’s skilled. Smart.)

He turned to look at Kagetsu jogging back on defense, that same unreadable face staring straight ahead.

No celebration.

No words.

Only the storm in his steps.

Ethan stood on the sideline, eyes narrowing.

(Thunderclap, huh? Then we’ll answer lightning with a storm of our own.)

Time: 5:12 — 1st Quarter

Score: Roanoke Storm 9 – Vorpal 8

The ball was inbounded.

Kai Mendoza brought it up the court, sweat on his brow, eyes scanning. Louie flared out to the left. Brandon set up in the paint. Lucas hovered at the corner. Josh curled along the baseline.

But Ethan on the sideline wasn’t barking orders.

He stood calm.

Arms crossed. Eyes sharp. Watching.

(I need more. Their defense is syncing with Kagetsu’s tempo — like they’re moving on instinct. I need to see the cracks. The tempo breaks. The tells.)

"Let them run the motion," Ethan said to Ayumi quietly.

She looked up from her clipboard, blinking.

"But—won’t they...?"

"Yes."

"We’ll give up points. But we’ll get something better in return."

....

🎙️ Jamie (commentator):

"Interesting! Vorpal’s spacing looks a little loose this time down. You’d expect them to tighten up after that Kagetsu highlight—but no! They’re... probing?"

...

On the court:

Louie called for the ball.

Kai swung it to him.

Louie took a single dribble and hesitated.

Tyrese Caldwell rotated instantly, body low, denying the drive. Kagetsu subtly shaded over, almost baiting Louie to attack.

(They want us isolated... they collapse hard if the drive starts.)

Louie kicked it back to Kai. Kai took a dribble in but Tank Malone slid over, walling off the paint like a walking fortress.

Brandon rotated screens but Malik Okafor anticipated it before it even connected.

Nothing. No gaps.

Josh got the ball at the wing tried a quick crossover and jumper — BLOCKED by Tyrese.

Roanoke recovered.

Fast break started.

Marcus "Flash" Daniels tore down the court, goggles bouncing as he passed midcourt like a blur of lightning.

One bounce pass.

Kagetsu caught it mid-stride and

BOOM.

TWO-HANDED SLAM.

The backboard shivered.

🎙️ Jamie:

"THUNDERCLAP STRIKES AGAIN!!! That’s Kagetsu’s second highlight in a row!"

🎙️ Coach Doyle:

"And I’ll say it — that was a trap. They baited Vorpal into slow movement, then ignited their counter. Dangerous stuff."

Score: Roanoke 11 – Vorpal 8

Time: 4:42 – 1st Quarter

Back on the sideline, Ayumi’s eyes were wide.

"They’re everywhere. Every pass has a hand near it. Every screen’s already rotated before it even hits—how are they...?"

Ethan was still silent. Still focused.

Then, finally, he muttered:

"They’re not just playing zones. They’re playing zones with memory. It’s like... their defense records how we move, then speeds up their response on each pass."

Ayumi blinked.

"So... what do we do?"

Ethan’s hand flexed once, his breath steady.

"We force them to overwrite."

"Make them remember too much."

He turned to the bench.

"Coonie. Jeremy. Sub in next dead ball."

Then Coach Fred Mason straightened his loose, wrinkled polo shirt and stood up with a dramatic swagger, as if cameras were zoomed in on him. His whistle bounced uselessly from his neck. Clipboard? Blank. But the confidence?

Oh, it was overflowing.

He clapped twice, loud enough to pretend he’d been coaching the whole time.

"Alright, alright! Sub ’em in!" he shouted with an exaggerated nod.

He glanced at Ethan beside him, grinning.

"Good call, Assistant Albarado. Heh. I was thinking the same thing."

Ethan gave him a quick sideways glance.

Didn’t say a word.

Didn’t need to.

"Jeremy! Coonie!" Fred barked, as if he’d decided it himself.

"Time to execute... the double inbound perimeter flex!"

Ayumi looked at Ethan and mouthed:

"What’s a double inbound perimeter flex?"

Ethan just exhaled through his nose.

(It doesn’t exist.)

🟦 Substitution:

Out: Josh Turner (#8), Brandon Young (#15)

In: Coonie Smith (#6), Jeremy Park (#42)

.....

🎙️ Jamie (commentator):

"New faces on the court for Vorpal, Jeremy Park and Coonie Smith checking in! Let’s see what the bench squad brings!"

🎙️ Coach Doyle:

"Interesting rotation. This isn’t for firepower — it’s for disruption. Ethan’s up to something."

....

On the court:

The lineup now:

Lucas Graves (#10) – SF

Louie Davas (#5) – SG

Kai Mendoza (#31) – PG

Coonie Smith (#6) – Forward (swing)

Jeremy Park (#42) – Forward

It looked like a weaker formation at first glance — no big center. No Evan. No Brandon. No Josh.

But this wasn’t about strength.

This was about decoding the algorithm.

Ethan’s voice cut through from the bench:

"Double swing! Mirror loop! Play loose — burn their memory!"

Coonie grinned wide.

"Yesssir! Time to scramble!"

...

Vorpal inbounded.

Suddenly chaos.

Louie cut left, then doubled back right at the last second.

Lucas faked a backdoor, then curled outward.

Kai never passed immediately he dribbled twice, then swung it late.

Jeremy posted up briefly, then vacated without touching the ball.

Coonie crashed in, then floated out.

It was messy.

It was fluid.

It was intentional noise.

...

🎙️ Coach Doyle:

"Ohhhh that’s clever — they’re feeding the defensive AI false patterns. Vorpal isn’t looking to score right away. They’re forcing Roanoke to second-guess every rotation."

🎙️ Jamie:

"You can see Roanoke twitching a little. Tyrese hesitated just now on the switch, and Tank over-hedged!"

...

Then the snap.

Kai tossed a skip pass over to Coonie.

One dribble.

Mid-range pull-up.

SWISH.

Score: Roanoke 11 – Vorpal 10

Coach Halter narrowed his eyes from the Roanoke sideline.

"Hmph... so he’s forcing us to think..."

"You sly little blonde..."

Ethan still didn’t celebrate.

He turned to Ayumi, who was scribbling madly.

"That was Pattern A."

"They delayed their memory cycle."

He pointed at the court.

"Now we test Pattern B next play. Then break it open."

Ayumi looked up, eyes wide.

"We’re not fighting fire with fire..."

"...we’re flooding their engine."

Ethan nodded once, quietly.

"Exactly."

...

Possession: Roanoke

The ball was inbounded to Marcus "Flash" Daniels, who zipped up the court like lightning wrapped in sneakers.

Crossover. Hesitation. Blur.

But Vorpal didn’t bite.

Kai stayed composed, body low.

"Read it, don’t race it," he muttered under his breath.

Coonie slid in with a hedge textbook.

Flash was forced to pull it back.

He passed to Kagetsu Renjiro on the wing.

Kagetsu caught it with one hand, spun it behind his back, and locked eyes with his defender.

Lucas Graves.

The two stared each other down.

One explosive phenom.

One silent mimic.

The gym’s atmosphere shifted.

From noise... to tension.

Kagetsu’s thoughts:

(The copycat. Lucas Graves... I’ve seen the tape. He can mimic moves just by watching them...)

(But that won’t help if I keep evolving mid-sequence.)

He took one dribble forward strong.

Lucas slid with him, mirrored angle.

Another dribble inside step.

Lucas didn’t flinch.

Then Kagetsu’s foot twitched.

Inside-out. Cross. Hop Step —

Rise.

Lucas read it but half a second behind.

Too late.

Kagetsu exploded upward.

His legs coiled like springs —

His palm kissed the ball, eyes locked on the rim—

And then—

SLAM!!

BOOOOOOM!!

The entire gym shook like thunder.

...

🎙️ Jamie (commentator):

"OH MY GOD! THE HUMAN THUNDERCLAP WITH AN EARTHQUAKE DUNK!!"

🎙️ Coach Doyle:

"That vertical... that second gear... it’s not just athleticism. That’s trained instinct. Lucas was almost there but Kagetsu’s elevation is unreal!"

...

Lucas landed a second later, gritting his teeth.

His thoughts:

(Damn... that vertical...)

(I saw the footwork... even the step... but his lift... it’s another world.)

Kagetsu landed with a calm expression.

He looked at Lucas and said coldly:

"You can copy movement..."

"...but can you copy my limits?"

Ethan watched from the bench, eyes narrowed.

His thoughts:

(So that’s his opening warning. Kagetsu’s not hiding anymore. He wants to draw us into a rhythm war — but a violent one.)

He glanced at Lucas, who wasn’t shaken. Just... learning.

Ayumi whispered:

"Lucas missed the read?"

Ethan shook his head.

"He recorded it."

Score: Roanoke 13 – Vorpal 10

Possession: Vorpal

Louie grabbed the ball at the baseline.

Ethan stood and said only one word.

"Strike."

To be continue

This 𝓬ontent is taken from fre𝒆webnove(l).𝐜𝐨𝗺