Game

In the distance, beneath the shade of a large oak tree, three beautiful girls with a noble bearing watched the main court with interest. Amongst them, a relatively tall brunette stood at the forefront.

If Tylem saw this brunette, he would realize that her appearance was exactly how Kaden had described her. Tall and beautiful with a pair of memorable sharp eyes.

"Maia, what was that boy's name again?" Ava flipped her beautiful long brown hair to the back. The girl possessed an aura that made others feel inferior.

"It's Tylem." Maia, a cute girl with twintails and freckles, replied. With a careful voice, she probed, "How come you're interested in that boy? It's rather unusual—"

The moment she said these words, Maia realized her massive slip up. However, it was too late to take it back.

"Maia, when was it ever your turn to judge my actions?" Suddenly, Ava's voice turned cold, her phoenix eyes fierce.

"I-I'm, sorry." Maia quickly bowed. "Please forgive me."

"You're lucky I'm in a good mood today." Ava dropped the matter, continuing, "So those other two are Martin and Arian? The basketball athletes Loki told us about?"

"Yes, they're interested in joining Onel. In our school, the two of them are quite respected and well thought of." Priscilla, a sophisticated-looking girl with thin-framed glasses, confirmed.

"Hmm." Ava nodded, returning her gaze to the main court.

* * *

"Upon scoring, the opposing team gains possession of the ball, where a new round starts again outside the three-point line."

"Furthermore, after gaining possession of the ball from the other team mid-round, the ball must first be taken beyond the three-point mark before a basket can be scored."

"Also, two-pointers count as a single point, while three-pointers are worth two points. Furthermore, three fouls in total from your team and it's an instant loss."

"First to ten points. Is that clear?" Martin repeated. "Let's not worry about flipping a coin or a jump-up. You guys can take the first possession."

In this game of two-on-two, both teams would score in the same basket hoop. It was a half-court game. Moreover, there was a well-known, respected third-year student named Leno who was acting as the referee for the game.

Martin 'generously' passed the basketball to Kaden, who finally caught it after fumbling around a bit. Starting at the centerline, he was feeling uneasy.

"We start now." Martin turned his back on Kaden.

When the spectators saw this, those who had believed in an upset had their hopes dashed with a blatant reality check.

"Shit." Kaden bounced the ball, afraid to even take a step.

"It's fine if I kneel, but Tylem is a different story." Kaden worried as his hairs stood on edge. "I can't let him down no matter what."

Meanwhile, Tylem was calm and collected. Martin and Arian both retreated to the three-point white line, where the battle would begin.

Kaden was at a loss until the sound of the loud cheers made it to his ear.

"Kaden, we're rooting for you guys!"

"Tylem, show them that our class is no joke!"

From within the spectators, several classmates of Tylem and Kaden were present, including a bunch of boys and Katie.

"Go get them, Tylem!" Katie rooted for her classmates while doing a cute pose.

Within the boys from Tylem's class, even Arthur was present and cheering.

The situation with Tylem, after lots of thought, had opened up his mind. If he never made a move, how could he expect his life to ever change?

What was the point in getting angry with unrelated others, the bystanders?

[If I can't even stand up for myself, I don't have the right to complain.]

Later in class, Arthur realized this from replaying the scene over and over again in his mind of Tylem taking care of Colt in a split second, which looked effortless.

Within Arthur, a new thought arose: [Once I do the hard stuff, it will become not that hard…]

"Even if I fail, it still means that I tried. In that time, I will have progressed, and it will become less hard compared to what it was in the beginning."

"Go Tylem and Kaden!" Raising his fist, Arthur screamed with all his might.

"Guys…" Kaden's fear dissipated into thin air.

However, make no mistake, the cheering for Arian and Martin's side was just as loud, perhaps even more. This bet had drawn a lot of attention.

"You seem to have woken up now." Tylem smiled.

"Don't mock me!" Kaden brightly laughed. "Let's take them down, bro!"

"Way ahead of you, Kaden." Beneath the bright sunlight, Tylem's figure seemed to distort, and in the blink of an eye, his shadow appeared beneath the basket.

"Fast." Everyone watching was in awe.

For a seventh-grader, Tylem was indeed unbelievably fast, but it was still within the realm of possibility. The 'distorting' was an effect, a false illusion.

Hiding the true extent of his capabilities, Tylem would not reveal everything here in front of all these prying eyes. It would remain as the trump card within his sleeves.

Tylem's hand was raised high in the air, and not even a whole second had passed before the ball was in his firm grasp. Kaden and he shared excellent chemistry.

"Shit, he passed us!" Martin was in disbelief; he hadn't even reacted to the sudden change. However, Arian was less surprised; the large fist back then was even faster.

Right now, there was enough distance between Tylem and the two basketball athletes for him to do a simple layup.

"Swish."

Score!

It was a game of mere seconds. Tylem and Kaden had scored against two national-level middle-school players. That was an irrefutable fact.

"Hell yeah!"

"Tylem and Kaden, that was so damn awesome!"

The united cheers of Wesley's form class took over the court. This simple show of strength had drawn all momentum to their side.

Even the girls who were massive fans of Martin and Arian were excited.

It was a heart-moving scene taken straight out of a movie, which brought out their youthful hopes and dreams.

"Big Bro… you're amazing." Lynne's heart was both shocked and proud. Right now, she wanted nothing more than to cheer for her brother. The brimming desire was so bad, but her reputation would bring nothing but sadness to Tylem.

In the court, the sole two students who had a different, negative expression were, of course, Martin and Arian.

The latter was angry that he was now entangled in an even greater mess because of his friend's loud mouth. Now, their famed basketball skills were being questioned.

It was tied directly with their future.

"Here, take it." Tylem walked up to Martin with a smile, passing the ball to him.

This casual smile mocked the very depths of his heart. For Martin, it was no longer just a game for status and pride; his very being was under question.

"Fuck's sake, wake up, Arian!" Martin roared. "We can't lose here."

With that one display, Martin believed Tylem was unguardable; that speed was godlike.

"You can't disappear on me, mate." Martin cried out. "I can't do this alone."

"Fine, listen closely. I have a plan." Arian sighed. In the end, the two of them were stuck on the same sinking boat together, sulking would do them no good right now.

Arian took the ball from Martin, continuing, "When Kaden has the ball, double team him. Don't let him pass at all. Just isolate Tylem from the game."

"Great idea. Under our guard, this slow pig wouldn't even be able to move." Martin praised. Since the time the two became friends, Arian was the intelligent one.

It was basketball, a game filled with rules. If Kaden fouled them while trying to make the pass, it would be their victory in the end.

"Good." Arian nodded, returning to the three-point line.

It wasn't long before Arian stood at the three-point line, a calculative look across his good-looking face. The new game plan would set in motion now.

Unless Tylem was some sort of super being, he would not be able to even touch the ball from now on. It was not an honorable win.

However, Kaden fouling out would still be their win.

Martin and he just needed to keep the ball safe…