Ben was determio put ao the vicious cycle he was imprisoned in. And, the path to freedom lied with winning this basketball game!

  Unfortunately, his performance was mediocre at best. He mostly passed the ball to others and occasionally stole the ball from those he marked, but that’s all. He hasn’t scored a single point the entire game.

  I have to get at least one shot in. At least one. Ben was determined. He had to show Mike how serious he was about pying petitively.

  While Ben was busy w on his ce, the game had already reached a critical point. The score turned 20-20. Both sides were one point away from victory!

  Things developed this way thanks to the rule Mike enforced at the st sed. By removing 2-pointers from the game, everybody had to crowd around the basket. It shifted the game toward being more close tact.

  Uhese ditions, Mike’s group evehe odds with their teampy. They pyed lots of basketball together, so they knew how to effitly maneuver around the small area while cooperating.

  “Okay!” Lars received the ball and got ready to shoot. As, Mike was already there, jumping right in front of him!

  You’re not getting this shot! Mike procimed strongly with his intense gre from above.

  Dang it! Lars was sure he had this one in the bag, but Mike was blog the basket from view. In that case, I’mma just go around ya!

  Lars celed the throw and drove the ball to the side. But, another enemy was already waiting for him there!

  SMACK! Larry stole the ball and ran away with it.

  “Gotcha, bitch!” Larry drove the ball away from the three-pointer lio create some distance from Lars.

  “Okay, safe.” Larry sighed in relief once he stepped out of the danger zone. He couldn’t score from here, which sucked ass, but it also meant nobody was going to be too gung-ho about stealing the ball from him all the way out here.

  That’s how chaotic this game had bee. Nobody had even a moment to rex. It was necessary to step out of the battlefield to get any breather at all.

  Alright, I o pass now. Larry sed the area food targets. But, the enemy had no iion of giving him much time to do so.

  She’s already here!? Larry cursed. The enemy chick caught up to him while he was dribbling! Even beyond the three-pointer lihere was for anybody!

  You’re not getting anywhere with that ball. Kai went for the attack.

  Shit! Larry backpedaled while dribbling. I don’t have time to deal with her. I o get the ball to somebody who score...!

  “Larry! Behind you!”

  “Ah!?” Larry’s back hit against a wall! At least, it was something as big and as immovable as a wall!

  A s!? Larry grit his teeth. His back crashed into her than Lars, who followed up from behind to block Larry’s retreat path.

  It erfect pincer. Lars was blog the retreat path, while the girl was assaulting Larry from the front. He stood no ce.

  “James! Try to get this one!!” Larry tossed the ball aside. He didn’t have the luxury to ascertain James’s exact location, so he simply threw the ball in the general dire.

  It was a me py but there was no other choice. If he didn’t get rid of the ball somehow, the two attackers would’ve stolen it from him. It was better to send the ball to the unknown tha Lars or Kai get their hands on it.

  “Whoa!” James excimed as he chased the ball. “Phew. Somehow got that shit. Man, that pass sucked.”

  “Oh, zip it.” Larry breathed in relief. One way or ahe pass got across. The match wasn’t over it. It was still anybody’s game here.

  If anything, the odds strongly favored their side now. With the ball in James’s possession, this was a great ce to initiate a strong attack!

  That guy was a clumsy goof ihing except for passing. But, at the same time, he was godlike in that one area. So, if he skillfully gets the ball across to somebody in a good position, it might end the game right there!

  Man, what a stuffy situation. James’s eyes shifted from side to side. With everybody packed so tightly around the basket, it was hard to get a proper pass across.

  . James urged his friends with his eyes. Shake off your marks already. Make my life a little easier here.

  James zily dribbled the ball as he searched food pass route. This was a critical py so he couldn’t do anything stupid.

  I won’t hear the end of it if I mess up here. James gulped. He could already imagine himself being the new punchbag of the group instead of Ben. Mike be scary like that sometimes. I gotta be careful.

  The weight of this responsibility ressuring his shoulders. It’s like he was carrying a boulder on his back.

  Man, this ain’t funny. we end this already? James shook his head. Dang, their marking is too tight. Speaking of which, where did Ben go- ack!

  SMACK! Ben stole the ball from his distracted oppo!

  “W-Whoa!” James jumped backward in surprise and slipped. “Fuuuuu!” He nded on his bottom.

  Crap! Not like this! James shouted internally. In the most critical moment, he ended up looking like the biggest of all time! Nuuuuuu!

  B-But, it’s only Ben. It’s alright. He ’t score. James tried to vince himself as he hurried to get on his feet. He’s probably just going to pass anyway. The others ha.

  But, trary to his expectations, Ben was running forward with the ball. It almost looked like he was driving it toward victory...!

  I have to get it in. Ben ighe screams of his ag muscles and drove the ball forward. No matter how exhausted he was from all the activity today or how hard his legs threateo buckle over, he had to help his team win!

  Ben has been passive about his problems for a long time now. Enough was enough. Nothing will be resolved as long as he keeps averting his eyes from the problems. As scary as it was, he had to face his problems head-on and do something about them!

  Ben drove the ball past the three-pointer line and found a nice shooting position. From here, he could deliver the winning shot!

  “BEN!” Larry roared as he jumped in to block. “YOU PIECE OF SHIT! DON’T YOU EVEN DARE!”

  “A-Ah!” Ben flinched. His legs froze in pce. As always, these roars shook him to the core.

  The loud curses were pregnant with malice. They bmed Ben for the sin he itted against his friends.

  But, it was an old sin. Hasn’t Ben already repented enough!?

  “S-Shut up!” Ben shouted in response. His raspy voice wasn’t even half as intimidating as Larry’s but his soul was r like lion. He ’t blo time! I get the shot in!

  Ben erased Larry’s loud existence from his mind. There was only Ben and the basket there. o worry about anything else.

  Ben raised the ball and released it in an arc. It was the est shot he had fired today. His normally shaky arms were surprisingly stable during the shot.

  He had many opportuo get the ball into the basket today but he failed every time. Whenever he had a golden opportunity, Larry’s curses assaulted him and threw him off.

  But, not this time. Ben was fident in his own vis. I’ve served my sente’s time to end this!

  The ball approached the basket and... didn’t get in. But, it didn’t bounce away either. It nded on the rim and rolled around and around.

  Everybody was anxious. This could very well be the decisive shot of the game.

  Ignorant to that tension, the ball was taking its sweet time to decide where it was going to nd. It circled along the rim again and again, without getting in and without falling off. It was stu a neverending purgatory.

  Get in! Ben prayed. Stop stalling and finish it already!

  As if heeding Ben’s orders, the ball finally made its call. It received Ben’s passionate spirit and decided to ahe boy’s determination.

  “One point,” Yuel announced. “We won.”

  It was over. It was really finally over.

  “Ah...” Ben colpsed on his knees. His leg muscles hurt. Breathing ainful. But, he finally did it. He he shot! The team won! At long st, he broke away from the miserable cycle!

  “YOU DAMBALL!” Larry stomped toward Ben with ched fists.

  “Ah...” Ben uood the ining danger but he was too exhausted to respond. Hit me all you want. If that’s what really going to make you feel better, then go for it. I’ll accept it, as long as it’ll finally put ao this.

  “Hey, dude. Chill.” Lars stood between them.

  “Shut up!” Larry waved an angry fist. “You wahis shit in his stead!?”

  “Nah, ’t say I’m into getting punched, haha.” Lars ughed it off. His fident smile didn’t show a single hint of . Naturally, that only further served to ighe enemy’s fury.

  “You piece of shit-!” Larry shot a punch! Or, at least he tried to. His arm refused to jump forward for some reason.

  “Give it a rest.” Mike grabbed Larry’s trembling arm.

  “Watcha stopping me for!?” Larry roared. “What, did you already five that damball or something!?”

  “It’s not that,” Mike said. “It’s bad sportsmanship to fight after a match, don’t you think?”

  “Heh, since when do you care about ‘sportsmanship’?”

  “Right, I don’t,” Mike admitted. “I’m stopping you for your own sake.” He threw a cautious g Lars. “Look at us, then look at this guy. Do you see a difference?”

  “Huh? What?” Larry cocked his head. “Are you talking about how he’s smiling like an idiot?”

  “No, it’s about the sweat,” Mike whispered. ”Look at us, all drenched like greenhorns without stamina. Meanwhile, this guy looks perfectly fi’s almost like all of this was just a warm-up for him.”

  “Huh, you’re right...” Larry swallowed his spit.

  Even though Lars was the one who terrorized the court the most, the guy looked pletely unfazed by everything that transpired. This intense game was nothing but a child’s py for him, or at least that’s how it looked.

  “To be ho,” Mike whispered. “I’d gdly gang up on him a him to a pulp. But, with how tired we are and how fihat dumbass looks, we might actually lose.”

  “You gotta be shitting me.” Larry couldn’t believe that Mike, of all people, would say something like that. Out of the entire gang, the leader was the most adept at fights. He wouldn’t wuss out against some random dumbass.

  “It’s just a gut feeling,” Mike said. “The guy acts all friendly, but I see the glint in his eyes. If you go up against him for real, he’ll not hold anything back. He’ll trash you fully, smiling while doing it.”

  Lars was like a beast wearing human cloth. Most of the time, he was ag like a friendly harmless goof. However, if something makes the beast e up to the surface - it’ll ravage everything in sight. At least, that’s what Mike’s gut was telling him.

  “Just drop it,” Mike said as he stepped forward. “I’ll hahe rest from here. They might’ve won, but so what? We didn’t promise them anything anyway.”

  “Heh, that’s true.” Larry nodded with a snicker. With a st desperate card up his sleeve, Mike was going to try to gain an advantage in this situation once again.

  But, wasn’t that just the most cliche of developments? A vilin who had lost the fight but stubbornly refused to accept defeat until the very st moment. Somebody like that was bound to pull o trick at the very end.

  Thankfully, it was such a predictable development that somebody already prepared a line of py against it...

  DarkestCymore