Rhythm Breaker!?

A new round of offense began. The score was 15-14 for Lars's team. After the previous clean two-pointer, it was now the enemy's turn to attack.

James collected the ball under the basket and opened with a calculated pass. Since Lars was tightly marking Mike, the only option was to pass to Larry.

"Got it- Agh!" Larry exclaimed as the ball jumped out of his hands.

It's not like he failed to receive the pass, he wasn't an amateur like that. And, James's pass was definitely not shabby either.

No, somebody straight up smacked that ball out of Larry's hands. It was Ben!

"You piece of shit!" Larry roared.

"S-Sorry." Ben averted his eyes as he apologized. [But, I did nothing wrong. I'm your opponent, so I'm only doing what I must.]

The ball hopped all the way back beyond the three-pointer line. It was heading back to James.

"Heh, nice!" James jogged toward the incoming ball. Since Larry had already touched the ball beyond the line, it meant this offense became legal. So, all James had to do was to casually collect the ball and score.

"Run to the ball, dumbass!" Mike barked. "She gonna take it!"

"Wut?" James turned his head in confusion. Just then, a black sports cap flew right past his eyes. It was that new chick that subbed in!

[Got it!] Kai snatched the ball before James. While that lazy bum was leisurely jogging toward the ball, Kai gave the sprint of her life to get the ball ASAP.

"Crap!" James hurried to confront the opponent. "You guys got no chill, huh. Welp, that's no biggie."

Perhaps James was late to grab the ball but that wasn't the end of the world. All he had to do was steal the ball back from the girl, then everything will be alright.

If anything, he was thankful to that tryhard girl. She went out of her way to collect the ball for him.

[Thanks for the service. You're doing a great job as my lackey, huehue.] James snickered as he blocked the girl's path.

[What's with that stupid smile?] Kai narrowed her eyes. That idiot was smiling to himself for some reason. He clearly didn't register Kai as an opponent.

[You're going to regret this.] Kai started dribbling. First to the left, then to the right. The ball went from side to side in random patterns.

Naturally, the opponent paid attention to every motion with great interest. He carefully followed the ball with his eyes. From left, to right, to left, to right. He didn't want to give Kai any openings.

But, it wasn't just his eyes that followed the ball's movements. Ever so slightly, his feet also moved along with the ball's direction, to be ready to give chase the moment Kai starts driving.

The movements were so minute they were practically invisible to the naked eye. But then, how did Kai notice them?

[I can hear them.] Kai perked her ears to the max.

Squeak. Squeak. The sound of the opponent's sneakers was loud and clear for her sensitive ears. From that, she could tell this opponent was jumpy. He was eagerly waiting for the right moment to launch an attack.

[This is good.] Kai smiled confidently. This was the sort of movement she expected from an experienced player. In order to be able to follow and steal the ball at a moment's notice, it was necessary for the guy to stay on his feet like this.

However, against Kai, these minute movements will be that bastard's undoing, for she could hear each and every twitch the guy made. So, by moving the ball from side to side as she pleased, she could manipulate these tiny movements. She affected their direction and their timing.

With the ball in hand, Kai was in total control of her opponent right now. The guy was like a dancing puppet to the tune of her moving ball. And so, via repetition, she made the opponent lock into a certain rhythm that made him easy to read.

[That's a nice pattern.] Kai nodded. [Next, you gonna move my right.]

The guy was expecting Kai to move the ball to the right. Why? Because that's the pattern she had established thus far.

Therefore, at this exact moment, she'll break through the left side!

"Ah!" James jumped. "No, you don't- wha!?"

Something was off. James tried to respond to the chick's sudden change of directions but there was an odd resistance. He commanded his body to move to the right, yet it wanted to move to the left regardless.

"What the heck is- whoa!" James felt his body falling backward. Did he just slip!? Nah, no way. He wasn't an amateur like that.

And yet, he was definitely falling backward. "Dang!" He landed on his butt. "Agh! It hurts, dang it!"

"Heh." Kai sneered as she confirmed her opponent's downfall. Her trick worked even better than she expected. [Looks like this guy is pretty damn weak in 1v1s. I'll remember that.]

With nobody to stand in her way, Kai immediately went for the shot.

"One point," Yuel announced. It was 16-14.

"Damn, James!" Mike ranted. "What the hell was that!?"

"C'mon, man." Larry cracked a laugh. "You're already out of gas? We still got lots of points to score."

"Haha, no problem." James got himself off the floor with an awkward smile. "I just slipped, that's all. It not gonna happen again, word."

"It better not." Mike shot a glare at James, to make sure that idiot understood the gravity of what he had just done.

"H-Haha, I'll get the ball!" James hurried to start a new offense.

For most people who saw this exchange, it was easy to take James's words at face value. ["He just slipped."] That's probably what most of them thought about that incident.

But, as always, there was one intellectual here who understood this deep exchange in its entirety. By accessing the forbidden records sealed at the edge of the universe, this man could discern the entire truth of the incident.

[It was... the Rhythm Breaker!] Vincent announced loudly to an imaginary crowd in his head. ["Nani!? Maska! What is this ougi!?"] Such flabbergasted reactions resounded from the audience in his head.

[I can't believe I have the opportunity to catch such a brilliant play on film!] Vincent's eyes glittered as he confirmed that he captured the entire exchange with his phone. [It'll be worth applying some of my Videocraft on this later to create the ultimate evidence!]

Indeed, that was an amazing showcase of a new Personal Skill. It was the one and only Rhythm Breaker! A natural upgrade for her Rhythm Reader.

First, Kai used her Rhythm Reader to read the opponent's rhythm. She forced James to move from side to side with her fast-paced dribble, to make him reveal all his quirks.

Then, once Kai had the entire pattern figured out - she struck in the opposite direction! While James's body was naturally trying to move to the left, Kai's sudden attack urged him to move to the right. At that moment, a conflict was born!

A body that was trying to move to the left versus a brain that commanded to go to the right. Due to that momentary clash between mind and body, James lost his balance and failed to go in either direction. That was the true nature of this new skill, the Rhythm Breaker!

[Such a magnificent high-level skill!] Vincent hyped it up to no end. [If she can master this technique in Classmancers as well, she'll become a true force to be reckoned with! Taking on the regionals will no longer be a dream for this underdog team!]

While Vincent was absorbed in commentating the events to an imaginary audience, the game moved onward. It was the enemy's turn to attack now.

"Change of plans," Mike announced. "Larry, you mark the chick. James, you'll handle Ben."

"Haha, c'mon now." James produced a dry laugh. "I know I'm no pro, but even I can handle a girl, ya know."

"Kek, right." Larry snickered. "We saw how you 'handled' her just now. That was some pro ass slipping, haha."

"It's not just that," Mike said. His sharp eyes conveyed he wasn't in the mood for jokes. "She might be a girl, but she's not all talk. You saw how fast she went for the shot right after tripping James? She's more competent than Ben, at the very least"

"Heh, I bet she is." Larry nodded. "Ben is just a meatball. He can't move his 200-kilo ass that fast, haha." The trio cracked a laugh.

"Change marks as soon as you get the chance," Mike ordered.

"Got it!" James collected the ball under the basket to start an attack. "Oh? You coming at me again?"

The one who stepped in to intercept his pass was none other than the girl who embarrassed him a moment ago.

"Heh, get lost."

"How about 'no'?" Kai stretched her arms to the sides. Perhaps she wasn't allowed to attack the player initiating the attack, but she was allowed to block his passes.

[I need to at least touch the ball.] Kai thought.

Outright stopping the pass will be difficult. But, if she at least knocks the ball off course a little, the ball might become loose and end up in anybody's hands. That's what Kai was aiming for.

To pull that off, Kai had to carefully follow the dribble motions and listen to every twitch her opponent made. By piecing all this information together, she should be able to read the guy's intentions.

"Ya know," James said. "Being stared like this by a girl is kinda embarrassing."

"Sounds like noob problems. A veteran player wouldn't be distracted by nonsense like that."

"Hah. You sure can talk, bitch." James's face contorted for a moment, but he plastered his usual smirk over it. [Relax, bruh. She's just trying to get under your skin. Gotta stay focused here.]

James checked his passing options.

As usual, Mike was a difficult target. That dang Lars guy didn't give him any room to breathe.

Though, Mike did the exact same thing to Lars when the enemy had the ball. They were at each other's throats the entire game, refusing to let go of their marks for even a millisecond.

[So, I gotta pass to Larry.] James concluded. [Meatball is trying to mark him over there but he ain't gonna stop my passes. On the other hand, this chick can be a problem, so let's do this smart.]

And so, the plan was set in motion.

"Mike!" James raised the ball and glanced in Mike's direction.

[To the left!] Kai jumped to cover the left flank. She didn't have the time to fully deduce the opponent's intentions from his movements, but thankfully the guy made his plans public. He was loud and clear about it.

[I got it!] Kai was certain.

[Get rekt, bitch!] James turned in the opposite direction and sent the ball flying to Larry!

[A feint!?] Kai grit her teeth. [Shit, I totally fell for that one! I underestimated him.]

Based on their earlier 1v1 exchange, James seemed like a weak opponent. But, this smooth feint implied otherwise. His 1v1 skills were wack but his passes were a whole different level.

That's probably why the enemy leader ordered his teammates to switch marks. This James scrub wasn't going to beat Kai in 1v1 but his passes were a valuable asset, so the enemy wanted to keep him safe.

Instead, Kai will have to face the guy who was (probably) stronger in 1v1s. Or, maybe he was just less valuable in general for their team, who knew. Either way, Kai couldn't sit in place while the ball was getting farther and farther away from her.

[Looks like we'll get to face each other faster than I expected.] Kai darted after the fleeing ball. [I won't let you shoot]

The pass neatly landed in Larry's hands. However, just as he was about to shoot, a hand stretched in front of him!

"Ben, you piece of shit!" Larry dribbled to the side to avoid the fat blockade. [You can block some shit, I'll give you that. But, your fat ass ain't gonna keep up with my speed!]

Larry easily maneuvered around the slow defender and assumed shooting position once again. But, just as she raised the ball, another opponent appeared! This time, it was that chick who wore a cap indoors!

[Dang, this girl be fast.] Larry clicked his tongue. [James did a clean feint on her but she's already here. I don't like where this is going.]

There were also these weird plays this girl pulled off. Like, the way she tripped James on his ass, and the way she delivered a pass right under Mike's nose. No to mention, her smooth movements had this "aura" about them.

[I get now what Mike was saying when he told us to swap marks. She might be a chick, but I can't be too careless against her. She might actually snatch the ball if I don't proceed carefully. So...]

Larry jumped for a shot.

"No, you don't!" Kai jumped to block it. Thanks to the momentum from her sprint, her leap had an explosive burst to it. She reached high enough to block the ball!

[Yep.] Larry nodded to himself. [Had a feeling it'd be dangerous to shoot right away. Good thing I was born smart, kek.]

The jump was a feint. Instead of shooting, Larry sent the ball flying sideways from his jumping position. "James, back to you!"

"Shit!" Kai cursed. [Another feint!? These bastards sure know how to play. Damn!]

"Got it." James collected the ball and delivered it into the basket.

"One point," Yuel announced. The score was 16-15. It was too close to comfort but Lars's team still had the lead.

[Ben, quick! Get the ball to me!] Kai motioned to Ben as she ran to the outskirts of the three-pointer line.

[Okay!] Ben nodded in response and hurried to collect the ball under the basket. Then, he passed the ball without delay.

"Whoa!" Larry jumped. [Already starting!? Shit, where's the girl!?] He looked around in panic. The girl was a few meters away from him and she already had the ball!

[You're slow.] Kai drove the ball forward to increase her chances of scoring. Then, she stopped in place and jumped.

"Damn you!" Larry stretched his long arm but he was too far...

"One point," Yuel announced. 17-15. They regained their safe lead again.

"Shit." Larry clicked his tongue. "That's some dirty trick you pulled there, girl."

"Dirty? That's how you play basketball. If you're too slow to keep up - you'll be left behind."

"Heh, can't argue with that."

Kai had some experience playing 3v3 basketball, so she knew the importance of speed for this game mode. Both teams were focusing the half-court, so there was nonstop action. As such, initiating fast attacks after losing a point was an integral part of gaining momentum.

[These bastards sure can play but they're rough around the corners.] Kai concluded.

Truth to be told, the idea of going up against members of the basketball club sounded a little intimidating at first. There was no telling how Kai's skill will hold up against these boys who practiced the sport regularly. But...

[I can do this.] Kai was convinced after this play. With her and Lars carrying the team, as well as Ben supporting from the side, they had a very real chance of victory!

[Today, I'll pay you back.] Kai glared at Mike.

For how long has she been waiting for this moment? Ever since that bastard tackled her a long time ago, the vengeance inside her has been heating up. By now, it has already passed its boiling point by a long shot. She'll never forget that moment for the rest of her life.

Kai was the captain of the Classmancers club. It was her responsibility to take care of the other members, but she failed to do anything for Ben for all this time.

However, that'll end today. By winning this game, Kai will finally fulfill her duty!

[I have Yuel and Lars to thank for this opportunity.] She smiled wryly. [I've been thinking long and hard about how to confront these bastards, but the two mad lads just went ahead and challenged basketball players to a basketball match. Isn't that just the epitome of madness? Heh.]

Yes, it was crazy. Everything about this situation was insane. But, here they were, representing a MOBA club by duking it out in basketball. And, they're going to win!