The Ace vs. The Benchwarmer

Ryota gripped the basketball tightly, staring at Rei, who stood in front of him like an unshakable wall. The gym was mostly empty now, with only a few teammates loitering around, pretending not to watch. The stakes were low for Rei this was just another practice session. But for Ryota, this was everything.

"Okay, System. Help me out here."

> [Quest: Don't Get Skunked]

Reward: +1 Stamina

Penalty for Failure: Coach Will Think You're a Lost Cause

Ryota took a deep breath. One basket. Just one more basket, and I can walk out of here with my dignity intact.

Rei clapped his hands. "Let's go, Sakamaki. Show me this 'lucky streak' of yours."

Ryota dribbled the ball, feeling a strange awareness in his movements. His speed had increased slightly from his last quest reward, but it wasn't anywhere near enough to get past Rei.

"If I can't break past him, I just have to shoot over him."

Ryota took a quick step back, pretending to hesitate. He faked a drive Rei barely reacted.

"Damn it, he's not falling for anything!"

But just as Ryota pulled up for a shot, Rei's hand shot forward like lightning. Smack!

The ball was swatted out of the air. Ryota could only watch as it bounced away.

Rei casually jogged over, picked up the ball, and grinned. "Yeah, no. That's not gonna work on me."

> [Tip: A Defender's Momentum Can Be Used Against Them]

"Momentum?" Ryota thought, retrieving the ball.

Rei passed it back to him. "Come on. You got one shot in earlier. Show me that wasn't a fluke."

Ryota narrowed his eyes. If he's reacting that fast, I can't just go for a normal shot. I need to make him move first.

Dribbling carefully, Ryota studied Rei's stance. He knew that trying to drive past him was a death sentence. Instead, he dribbled to the right just enough to make Rei shift slightly.

Then, in a split-second, he stepped back and launched a shot before Rei could recover.

The ball sailed through the air. Swish.

Ryota's jaw almost dropped.

Rei raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

> [Quest Complete!]

+1 Stamina Earned!

Ryota clenched his fists, suppressing the urge to shout in victory. I did it!

For the first time, he had beaten Rei on his own terms. Even if it was just one shot, it counted.

Rei exhaled through his nose, a slight smile forming. "Not bad, Sakamaki." He bounced the ball back to Ryota. "Again."

Ryota wiped the sweat from his forehead. His arms were sore, his legs were shaking, but something inside him was burning.

"One more."

With a determined grin, he took the ball.

"Let's go."

Ryota's heartbeat thundered in his ears. The rush of scoring against Rei the Rei Kisaragi sent an unfamiliar surge of confidence through his veins. But he wasn't stupid. Rei was still the better player. That last shot had only gone in because Ryota caught him off guard.

"If I don't mix things up, he'll shut me down completely."

Rei cracked his neck, settling into a defensive stance again. "I'll give you credit. That step-back was clean." He smirked. "Too bad it won't work twice."

Ryota swallowed. Yeah. Figured you'd say that.

[New Quest: Score Again Against Rei]

Reward: +1 Dribbling

Penalty for Failure: Rei Will See You as a One-Trick Pony

Ryota blinked. Why does this system give me the worst possible penalties?!

Shaking off his nerves, he dribbled the ball and took a small step forward, watching how Rei reacted. As expected, Rei didn't bite on any fakes this time. He was watching Ryota, analyzing every movement.

"If I can't trick him with my shot, then I need to do something unpredictable."

He glanced at the stats on his system screen.

[Player: Ryota Sakamaki]

Shooting: 3

Dribbling: 1

Passing: 1

Defense: 1

Stamina: 2

Speed: 2

Jump: 1

"Damn, my dribbling is still garbage."

Rei watched him carefully, one hand low, ready to swipe the ball away. He was daring Ryota to try something dumb.

"Screw it. Let's test my new speed stat."

Instead of going for another shot, Ryota sprinted to the right.

Rei reacted instantly, sliding into position but at the last second, Ryota slammed his foot down and spun back to his left.

Rei's eyes widened as his momentum carried him just a little too far There it is!

Ryota had a small opening. Not much, but enough.

Without thinking, he pulled up for a mid-range jumper.

The ball arced high Swish.

Ryota's mouth fell open. Holy crap, I actually pulled that off?!

Rei stood there, blinking.

The gym was dead silent for a moment. Even the few teammates who had been watching from the sidelines were stunned.

Finally, Rei exhaled. "…Okay. Now I know you're not messing around."

[Quest Complete!]

+1 Dribbling Earned!

Ryota felt a subtle change in his hands his grip on the ball felt slightly more controlled, his dribbles a little smoother.

Rei shook his head, chuckling. "Alright, that was solid. But let's see how well you do on defense."

Ryota's stomach dropped.

"Oh no."

Rei casually stepped back and tossed Ryota the ball. "Your possession is over. Now it's my turn."

Ryota hesitated. "Uh… maybe we should"

Rei smirked. "You scared?"

[New Quest: Stop Rei From Scoring]

Reward: +1 Defense

Penalty for Failure: Rei Will Call You a Traffic Cone

Ryota nearly cried. WHY IS THIS SYSTEM SO CRUEL?!

Rei dribbled the ball once. His stance was loose, relaxed completely confident.

Ryota gulped and dropped into a defensive stance.

"Okay, System… just don't let me die."

Ryota bent his knees, arms out, trying his best to look like a real defender instead of someone who was about to get cooked. Across from him, Rei casually dribbled the ball between his legs, watching him like a predator sizing up its prey.

"Okay, okay, don't panic."

The system had given him a challenge stop Rei from scoring but let's be real. Stopping the ace of the team with a Defense stat of 1? That was like trying to block a hurricane with an umbrella.

Rei smirked. "Ready?"

"No," Ryota muttered. Rei took off.

It wasn't just speed it was control. His first step was so quick that Ryota barely registered it before Rei was already past him.

[Warning: Opponent's Speed is Significantly Higher]

"NO KIDDING!"

Ryota scrambled to recover, forcing himself to turn and chase. Rei, however, wasn't even going full speed. He slowed just enough to toy with Ryota, waiting for him to react before shifting his weight and cutting in the opposite direction.

Ryota stumbled his feet tangled, his balance wobbled.

Rei chuckled. "Try to keep up, Sakamaki."

[Tip: Focus on the Core, Not the Ball]

The message flashed in Ryota's vision. Core?

Suddenly, something clicked. Instead of watching Rei's hands or feet, Ryota locked onto his midsection the one thing that couldn't fake a direction.

Rei took another step to the right. Ryota followed.

Then Rei faked left Ryota didn't bite this time.

Rei's eyes flickered with mild surprise. "Not bad."

Ryota didn't have time to celebrate, though Rei still had full control. He suddenly exploded forward, cutting past Ryota with a single, fluid motion.

"Damn it, he's too fast"

Rei soared toward the hoop, effortlessly lifting off the ground for an easy layup."No, not yet!"

With everything he had, Ryota lunged, throwing his arm out.

For a split second, the ball was within reach.

He slapped it. Thwap!

The ball hit the backboard weirdly, bouncing off course.

Rei landed, raising an eyebrow. "Huh."

[Quest Complete!]

+1 Defense Earned!

Ryota was too busy gasping for air to process the notification.

Did I just did I just stop him?!

Rei picked up the loose ball, inspecting it. "That was… unexpected." He turned to Ryota with an amused look. "Guess you can play defense."

Ryota leaned on his knees, panting. "Trust me, I'm as shocked as you are."

Rei laughed, spinning the ball on his finger. "Alright, I'll admit it you're not the same guy who sat on the bench all season."

Ryota blinked. Wait, was that… a compliment?

Before he could say anything, another system message popped up.

[New Quest: Earn Coach Tanaka's Recognition]

Reward: Unlock New Skill – [Fast Reflex]

Penalty for Failure: Extra Laps at Practice

Ryota groaned.

"This system really won't let me rest, huh?"

To be Continue.