Chapter 1: Leonz

"Defence!" (Leonz)

Standing on the basketball court with nine other players, one player stood out above the rest on the court. Not because he was skilled or influential, but just because he was ridiculously loud. Like, the 'please shut up' kind of loud.

He had black hair and black eyes, and everything he did on the court screamed energy. That game in particular, from the very moment the point guard in the opponent team touched the ball, he was right in his face.

His name was Leonz.

Leonz followed the ball, feeling sweat drip from his chin as he followed the point guard relentlessly full-court. Full court pressing, where the defender would pick up his mark even if he was on the other side of the court. Tiring work, but at least it annoyed the other Point Guard.

Leonz saw an opportunity and reached in. The opposing Point Guard (PG) saw his movements and shifted his dribble slightly away from Leonz before hopping back to create some space between them.

'BEEEEEP!' (Whistle)

The opposing PG looked around, confused before he looked down at his feet. Leonz clutched his fist in victory, having won that single bout.

"Backcourt violation, red ball!" (Referee)

After stepping over the line, the opposing PG had been pressured and forced to make a thoughtless mistake, accidentally stepping back across the half-court line.

"Focus boys! We gotta go for a run!" (Leonz)

Unlike Leonz, the rest of his team was moving sluggishly. They were dripping with sweat, so much so that their red jerseys were completely soaked. Leonz stood at the half-court, watching as his teammates barely jogged over to inbound the ball.

"Boys?" (Leonz)

He sounded unsure, and what seemed like the quietest part of the day, he stopped moving. One of his teammates walked over to him, holding his shoulder as he leaned in to speak to Leonz.

"Just stop, we aren't winning this anyways." (Teammate 1)

Leonz looked down at his feet, his fists balled. He felt there be something mixed in with the sweat as it dripped down onto the ground.

"We aren't making it to the top, stop deluding yourself." (Teammate 1)

"B-" (Leonz)

One of their teammates inbounded the ball. No one moved, no one bothered playing the game of basketball anymore on that court. Leonz simply stood there, unable to form proper words.

'BEEEEEEEEEEEP!!' (Whistle)

The whistle was instantly followed by cheers. But to Leonz, those cheers were just mocking him.

Someone patted him on the back before dragging him off the court.

"C'mon champ, let's get cha out of here." (Teammate 2)

Leonz did not say a word as he was pulled into the locker room, none of his teammates in a good mood. They had just lost, and it was the very first time they managed to play some form of professional basketball, as well as their last.

'Teammate 1' sat down beside him. He was the team's PG, and Leonz was the Shooting Guard (SG). 'Teammate 1' patted Leonz on the back, knowing full well how badly Leonz would take their defeat.

Somewhere off to the side, someone spoke up.

"Let's be honest, we were never that good to begin with. You're not as good as you show yourself to be, Leonz." (Teammate 3)

"Hey!" (Teammate 1)

'Teammate 1' stood up, but Leonz pulled his jersey to force him back onto the seat. Leonz rubbed his face with a towel before looking up, still feeling slightly quivery.

"I know." (Leonz)

"Forget this! Forget all of this man!" (Teammate 2)

He threw his stuff onto the ground in frustration. All of them were frustrated, not just Leonz. They had all worked hard just to lose, they weren't even a match.

"Let's just go and hang out and have fun instead. Why should we brood over this shit?" (Teammate 2)

Match between Yomi Middle school and Tilt Middle school.

Final score: 99-31

Leading scorer for both teams:

Yomi Middle school, #11 SF Leonardo Cave (18 points).

Tilt Middle school, #22 SG Leonz Lovehart (12 points)

Leading rebounder for both teams:

Yomi Middle School, #3 C Devonte Paymor (23 rebounds).

Tilt Middle school, #22 SG Leonz Lovehart (6 rebounds)

Leading assists for both teams:

Yomi Middle school, #00 PG Hanz Davis (7 assists).

Tilt Middle school, #22 SG Leonz Lovehart (4 assists)

Leading blocker for both teams:

Yomi Middle school, #3 C Devonte Paymor (6 blocks).

Tilt Middle school, #22 SG Leonz Lovehart (3 blocks)

Leading steals for both teams:

Yomi Middle school, #11 PG Leonardo Cave (3 steals)

Tilt Middle school, #22 SG Leonz Lovehart (6 steals)

Team field goal percentages:

Yomi Middle school: 54% FG%.

Tilt Middle school: 21% FG%

About a week after…

Leonz laid on his bed, staring at the ceiling to his room. Now that there was no more basketball to be played, he had nothing else to do. He was graduating middle school that year, and he was unsure of whether he wanted to continue basketball in high school.

'Beep… beep…' (phone)

Leonz picked up his phone and brought it to his ear.

"Hello?" (Leonz)

It was the middle of the day, and he had no idea who could be calling him at this time.

"Yo, Leonz. Wanna hang out for a bit? Kinda bored at the moment." (Friend)

Leonz sighed, but instead of the tired kind of sigh, it was more of the 'guess I got no choice' kind of sigh.

"We have finals, you know?" (Leonz)

Leonz was already on his way out.

"So where you down to meet at?" (Leonz)

Leonz was outside of his house, having grabbed his wallet on the way out. He slipped on a lazy pair of slippers as he locked the door behind him.

"Probably the nearest Starbucks?" (Friend)

Leonz had already changed his walking course to head towards that exact location.

"Again? You don't even drink coffee there." (Leonz)

Leonz was joking around for the most part as he plugged in his earpiece and slipped his phone into his pocket.

"The waitress there is hella cute though." (Friend)

Leonz shook his head as he walked.

"You ain't getting nowhere man. Guess I'll meet you there." (Leonz)

Around ten minutes later, Leonz walked into the establishment. It was relatively empty in the shop. Leonz walked in, feeling the blast of air conditioning hit him.

He looked around for a moment before spotting his friend. He was a nerdy-looking guy, someone the girls might try and stay away from. He wore thick glasses, and from what Leonz could tell, the guy was practically blind without his glasses. His name was Kent, one of Leonz's closest friends.

Kent wore a simple green hoodie and track pants. Leonz knew Kent was not one for sports, but he sure knew how to talk about sports.

Leonz walked up to him.

"What's good?" (Leonz)

They high-fived before Leonz sat down across from Kent. Kent had a laptop on the table. Leonz pointed at the laptop.

"What's up with this?" (Leonz)

Kent looked over the laptop and shrugged.

"Well, the results from the middle school season is out, so I just wanted to check it out." (Kent)

"Don't remind me man." (Leonz)

Leonz groaned as he looked towards the counter, where a pretty lady stood behind. They were still technically kids, they were allowed to ogle. Leonz contemplated getting a drink, but Kent started talking before he could get up.

"Just wanted to check the awards and stuff." (Kent)

Leonz looked at the laptop, not interested in his failed season.

"Bet the Bats won, huh?" (Leonz)

Leonz had played against most of the teams, and his team had always been blown out without a question. They played so badly that most teams would let their worst players play to get some experience and preserve their starters for actual games. Even then, they found ways to lose most of their games.

"No, actually." (Kent)

Leonz raised an eyebrow, surprised.

"The Bats lost in the finals against the Gladiators. I heard the Bats' best player was injured halfway through the game." (Kent)

"Injured? How bad?" (Leonz)

"Sprained ankle, nothing too serious, I think." (Kent)

Leonz just shrugged it off. It was part of the sport. Injuries should be expected, and to be injured in the finals of all things was just unlucky.

"So the Gladiators won? Congrats to them." (Leonz)

Kent scrolled with his mouse before he continued speaking.

"Well, the Gladiators obviously won the championship, but there're also the individual awards." (Kent)

Leonz made a face, not interested in knowing about how far away he was from attaining any of those awards. Maybe if he had been able to play more games, he would have made more of an impression. However, his season had been cut short in such a disappointing fashion.

"The MVP is Asher Monegotomy from the Bats, the one who got injured." (Kent)

Leonz shrugged, not interested in stopping Kent from talking. He knew his difficult it was to change Kent's mind.

"Finals MVP went to Miles Farnar from the Gladiators, no surprise. The Defensive Player award went to…" (Kent)

Kent had just started rambling on while Leonz spaced out. Leonz knew he was never going to win any of the awards. The only one he had hoped of achieving was the Defensive Player Award, the one given to, you guessed it, the best defensive player.

Leonz eventually snapped back to reality when he heard Kent mention something interesting.

"In view of the enrolment into high school, the media made a ranking for all third year middle schoolers." (Kent)

Leonz had gotten off his seat, and was standing beside Kent. Kent, shocked by Leonz's sudden movement, almost fell off his chair.

Leonz started looking through the list, scrolling down as he muttered to himself.

"C'mon, c'mon…" (Leonz)

He stopped scrolling after some time and stared at the screen for several seconds. Kent nudged him aside and looked at the screen for himself.

'

No. 43: From Tilt Middle school, #22 SG Leon Lovehart.

Although his season was cut short due to the early loss in the road to the championship, his skills are definitely there. In the one game Lovehart played, he had shot 4 for 6 three-pointers. He's a sharpshooter and a tireless defender, defending up until the very end. This is a promising prospect, but there are concerns on his consistency as we were only able to view one of his games. There are also obvious flaws to his gameplay, especially since he is a ball-dominate guard. However, if any high schools wish for a sharpshooter, it certainly is not a mistake to pick up Lovehart.

'

Leonz punched the air in excitement.

"Hell yeah!" (Leonz)

He had not gotten high enough to be considered a star, but at least he was on the radar. Ranked number 43 or not, he was going to take it.

"Is rank forty-three that good?" (Kent)

Leonz pointed towards the screen excitedly, a big smile on his face.

"I'm being recognised! That's all that matters!" (Leonz)

Kent adjusted his glasses as Leonz plopped back down onto his seat. Kent faced Leonz uncertainly.

"Are you… aiming to continue basketball in high school?" (Kent)

Leonz grinned confidently and pointed at his good friend.

"I got nothing else going for me, so I might as well." (Leonz)

Besides, he just loved the game.