Chapter 21: We are Vorpal!

Lucas wiped his face with the towel, still catching his breath.

His entire body felt heavy.

His lungs burned. His legs ached.

He had pushed Absolute Mimicry way too far.

"(Shit… I might not make it through the entire fourth quarter like this.)"

Then—

Ethan walked up to Lucas, his expression unreadable.

Lucas was still catching his breath, his body heavy, his muscles burning from exhaustion. Absolute Mimicry had pushed him past his limit.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead, only to see Ethan standing in front of him…grinning like he had just won the lottery.

Lucas narrowed his eyes. "Sup, Michael. What's with that face?"

Ethan's grin widened. "Yo, Lucas."

Lucas crossed his arms, confused. "hmmm?"

Ethan reached into his pocket—or at least, that's what it looked like.

Then, out of nowhere, a small, white pill appeared in his palm.

"Take this."

Lucas stared at it. "The hell is that?"

Ethan smirked, tilting his head. "It's a Stamina Pill. One pop and you'll feel like new."

Lucas blinked. "What?"

Ethan kept his expression serious. "Like I said. A Stamina Pill."

Lucas scoffed. "Are you trying to make me an idiot?"

Ethan sighed, waving a hand toward him. "Look at yourself, dude."

Lucas frowned.

"You can barely move at this rate."

Lucas knew Ethan was right.

His legs were sluggish, his arms felt like lead, and his breathing was ragged. If he kept playing like this, he'd collapse before the game was over.

But still—

Lucas narrowed his eyes at the pill. "This is crazy. There's no way a pill can just restore stamina like that. That doesn't even make sense."

Ethan tilted his head, his smirk growing. "Oh? And you think this pill doesn't make sense?"

For a moment, Lucas wanted to argue.

Then—

A memory flashed in his mind.

An old man.

A strange pill.

And the unbelievable power he gained from it.

Absolute Mimicry.

Lucas's heart pounded. "Wait a damn minute…"

He grabbed the pill from Ethan's hand, gripping it tightly.

His throat felt dry.

"Where did you get this?"

Ethan's smirk didn't waver.

"Some old man sold it to me."

Lucas's stomach dropped.

He gulped.

"(Could it be… the same old man?)"

His fingers tightened around the pill as his mind raced.

"(That old man gave me Absolute Mimicry… If Ethan got this from the same guy… does that mean… this pill is real?)"

Lucas stared at Ethan. "Did you try this?"

Ethan nodded without hesitation. "Yeah. Tried it once. Worked like a charm."

Lucas's grip on the pill loosened slightly.

His instincts were screaming at him.

His logic told him that this was too suspicious.

But his body—his exhausted, drained, completely burnt-out body—

was desperate.

Lucas sighed.

He stared at Ethan, shaking his head.

" If this doesn't work, I swear I'm going to sue you."

Ethan chuckled, hands in his pockets. "Fair enough. But if it does work… you owe me."

Lucas groaned, then—

Popped the pill into his mouth.

Swallowed.

And then—

His entire body shocked awake.

His lungs no longer burned.

His muscles no longer ached.

His legs felt light.

His mind felt clear.

His exhaustion? Gone.

Lucas's eyes widened in shock. "(No way…!)"

He clenched and unclenched his fists.

Tested his legs.

He felt strong. Fast. Explosive.

Like he had just stepped onto the court completely fresh.

Lucas turned to Ethan, still processing what just happened. His body felt brand new—no exhaustion, no fatigue. It was as if the last three quarters of non-stop basketball had never happened.

He clenched his fists, testing the power in his grip. His legs felt light, ready to explode with speed. His breathing was steady, no longer ragged.

This was unreal.

Lucas's golden eyes widened as he turned to Ethan, disbelief plastered all over his face.

"What the hell did you give me?!"

Ethan grinned, hands in his pockets, looking smug as ever.

"Like I said, just a Stamina Pill."

Lucas's jaw went slack. His mouth hung open, stunned beyond words.

Ethan raised an eyebrow, then smirked.

"Your mouth can fit a whole pineapple at this rate."

Lucas immediately snapped his mouth shut, scowling (embarrassed a little bit). "Shut it…."

But the disbelief was still there, lingering in his expression. He stared at Ethan, eyes narrowing slightly.

"Why did you give this to me?"

Ethan's smirk faded slightly, his expression growing more serious. He lifted a hand and tapped his chest with his index finger, right where his heart was.

"Because I need you."

Lucas blinked.

Ethan's voice was firm. No jokes. No sarcasm.

Just the truth.

Ethan then turned, glancing at their teammates.

Ryan Taylor, still clenching his fists.

Brandon Young, his expression determined.

Evan Cooper, wiping sweat from his face, his gaze locked onto Ethan.

Coonie, Jeremy, and Kai—watching from the bench, holding their breath.

Then, Ethan looked back at Lucas, his eyes sharper than ever.

"And you need me. We both need each other."

Lucas inhaled slowly, the words sinking deep.

Ethan tilted his head toward their teammates.

"They need us both."

Lucas felt something stir inside him.

A strange feeling.

Not just motivation.

Not just adrenaline.

But something more.

For the first time—he felt like he truly had a partner.

A teammate he could trust.

Someone who understood him.

Lucas clenched his fists. His golden eyes burned with renewed determination.

He looked at Ethan and nodded.

"Yeah… they need us."

Ethan's smirk returned. He lifted his fist.

"Now, shall we go and kick their ass?"

Lucas grinned, his exhaustion completely forgotten.

He lifted his own fist, bumping it against Ethan's.

"Yeah. Let's kick their ass, partner."

And just like that—

The final battle was about to begin.

….

he timeout buzzer blared through the gym, signaling the end of the break.

The court was waiting.

The battle was about to resume.

Lucas and Ethan stood side by side, eyes locked onto the Orlando Hoops players, who were already stepping back onto the court.

Alec Storm, Mason Hayes, Julian Cross, Ethan Blake, Jaxon Wells—

The Elite Five.

Each one a monster in their own right.

But Ethan and Lucas?

They weren't backing down.

They couldn't back down.

Ethan glanced at Lucas, who was rolling his shoulders, testing his fully recovered stamina.

"You ready?"

Lucas cracked his neck and smirked. "Better than ever."

Ethan let out a short chuckle. "Good. Because we're about to make history."

Lucas grinned. "Absolutely."

Coach Corson, standing at the Orlando Hoops bench, crossed his arms as he watched them with sharp eyes.

"(They look different…)" he thought. "(That little break—did they recover? No… this energy… it's something else.)"

Alec Storm bounced the ball once, his signature cocky smirk still there. But his eyes told a different story.

He saw it too.

Something had changed.

"(Tsk. They're fired up.)" Alec thought, narrowing his gaze.

The energy had shifted.

It was their turn to strike.

...…..

After seconds

Brandon Young stepped up to take the inbound pass.

He scanned the court.

His eyes found Ethan.

And without hesitation—he fired the pass straight into Ethan's hands.

Ethan caught the ball cleanly, immediately feeling the weight of Orlando's defense crash down on him.

Alec Storm. Right in his face.

Ethan smirked. "Here we go."

Alec's stance was low, his footwork ready.

Ethan exploded forward.

Alec matched him instantly.

The two raced up the court, step for step, neither giving an inch.

Ethan crossed left. Alec mirrored.

Ethan shifted right. Alec followed.

Ethan hesitated for a split second—then burst forward.

"Tch!" Alec clicked his tongue as he barely managed to stay in front.

But Ethan wasn't done.

Lucas cut in, setting a hard screen.

Alec saw it too late.

"Damn it!" Alec crashed into Lucas, momentarily losing his balance.

Ethan used that moment to drive past him.

Straight into the paint.

Jaxon Wells stepped up—his towering presence blocking the path to the rim.

Ethan didn't slow down.

He wasn't stopping.

He leaped—

Jaxon's arms shot up—

Ethan adjusted mid-air—

And at the last second—

A behind-the-back pass.

Straight to Lucas, who was cutting from the right.

Lucas caught it.

He had a clear shot.

Without hesitation—

He rose.

The crowd held its breath.

The ball left his fingertips.

Swish!

Three-pointer.

The gym erupted.

Orlando Hoops – 87

Vorpal Basket – 73

Ethan landed, turning towards Lucas, who was already staring back at him.

Lucas smirked. "Nice pass."

Ethan grinned. "Nice shot."

Alec, still catching his breath, gritted his teeth.

"(Damn it… these guys…)"

Coach Corson narrowed his eyes.

The storm had changed direction.

And now—

Vorpal Basket was coming.

...…

The gym felt electric.

Sweat. Adrenaline. Pressure.

Ethan Albarado closed his eyes.

Blocked out the noise.

The roaring crowd. The echoing footsteps. The bouncing ball.

And then—

📢 [LEADERSHIP COMMAND ACTIVATED!]

All teammates now instinctively follow your plays and commands with higher efficiency.

• Improves teamwork and trust.

📢 [TEAM SYNERGY CARD ACTIVATED!]

All teammates' attributes boosted by +2 for 10 minutes.

Ethan exhaled.

(With this… I can change the whole rhythm of the game.)

When he opened his eyes—

Everything felt slower.

Like time itself had adjusted to his mind.

Across the court—

Alec Storm dribbled up, calling out loudly.

"ISO OFFENSE!"

His voice boomed through the gym.

Ethan gritted his teeth.

(I knew it. They're running the 1-4 High Isolation.)

It was one of the most dangerous offensive sets.

Alec at the top, four teammates spacing the floor—giving him complete freedom to attack.

The plan was obvious.

Clear out. Let Alec work.

Let him break his defender one-on-one.

No screens. No distractions.

Just a battle of skill versus skill.

And Alec was elite at it.

Ethan's mind raced.

(If we let him dictate the game, we lose.)

But then—

A memory hit him.

A different court. A different time.

Back when he was Jonathan Brandit.

Back when he was a former high school basketball genius.

Back when he knew how to shut down elite scorers through analyzing and studying for years.

Ethan's eyes snapped open.

He knew exactly what to do.

He turned to his teammates—voice sharp.

"LUCAS! RYAN! SHRINK THE FLOOR!"

Lucas and Ryan immediately adjusted, cutting off driving lanes.

Alec's eyes narrowed.

"Tsk… they're clogging the paint."

He wasn't used to this.

Most teams backed off.

They let him operate.

But Vorpal?

They were pressing him.

Making the court smaller.

"COOPER! SHADOW HIM!" Ethan yelled.

Evan mirrored Alec's every move, pressing up hard, forcing him toward his weaker hand.

Alec felt the pressure immediately.

He crossed left.

Evan stayed glued.

He hesitated.

Lucas stunted at him, momentarily cutting off his vision.

Alec's grip on the ball tightened.

"(Shit…)"

The ISO wasn't working.

He glanced at Julian Cross on the wing.

(Kick-out?)

No.

Ryan was already there.

The rotation was too fast.

The moment Alec stopped to read the defense—

Ethan exploded forward.

A perfectly timed double-team.

Alec's heart dropped.

He tried to pass—

But Ethan's hand was already there.

Tip.

Loose ball.

Ethan lunged.

Alec dove.

Bodies crashed.

The ball bounced wildly—

Before Lucas snatched it mid-air.

Fast break.

Lucas took off.

Jaxon Wells sprinted after him—

But Lucas was faster.

He drove.

Took one step—two—

And kicked it back to Ethan.

Ethan caught it at the three-point line.

Wide open.

(This is it.)

He rose up.

Fired.

The ball spun perfectly—

SWISH.

The net barely moved.

The crowd ERUPTED.

Alec lay on the floor, breathing heavily.

He watched the scoreboard flash—

Orlando Hoops – 87

Vorpal Basket – 76

(They're coming back… Fast.)

Coach Corson's fingers twitched.

"(Tsk… Plan A failed…)"

He clenched his jaw.

"(Damn it…)"

Because right now—

This wasn't the same Vorpal Basket.

This wasn't the team they had been dominating all game.

This team…

Was playing like monsters.

Ethan turned to his teammates, raising his fist.

"WE ARE VORPAL!"

The gym shook with cheers.

Because for the first time—

Orlando Hoops felt the pressure.

To be continue