Duels Aren't Everything

After Kai lost the ball and allowed Mike to score, it was time for a new attack.

[I'll get him this time!] Kai dashed outside the three-pointer line. "Ben!"

"Tch!" Mike quickly gave chase. He was the closest one at the moment, so he had to mark the girlie for now.

Unfortunately, he was too late. By the time he got to his target, the girl had already received the ball. The way she constantly urged her teammates to move was worthy of a little respect, but just a little.

[I better yell at Jay too so he speeds things up.] Mike thought. [Anyway, time to wreck this girl again and even the score.]

It was their second confrontation. A duel between the two "captains", so to speak. Though, as far as Mike was concerned, Lars was the real leader of that team. Meanwhile, this girl was just a mild annoyance, nothing more.

[What's with that smug?] Kai daggered the bastard with her glare. [You think you've already won, huh?]

A wave of heat passed across Kai's body. She felt blood swirling inside her like a storm. This time, she was going to mop this-

"Heeeey!" Lars's voice interrupted her thoughts again. "Over here, dude!"

Once again, Lars looked like a good target for a pass. Larry was already marking him, but it seemed Lars had no trouble shaking that mark off. Kai could probably get the ball to him quite easily. Yeah, she definitely could, but...

[Sorry, but I have to do this.] Kai dribbled the ball as she glared at her opponent.

"Oh?" Mike sneered as he towered over her. [She still thinks she can beat me? She's dumber than I thought.]

Mike thought all that but he didn't say it out loud. It could serve as a nice provocation, but it was a little risky. This was a convenient situation for him, so why tell the girlie she was committing a grave mistake?

In fact, the possibility of the girl passing the ball to Lars was a little scary. Larry was a decent defender but he won't be able to keep up with Lars. So, if the ball reaches Lars right now, it'll result in two points for the enemy. Mike had to prevent that at any cost.

"C'mon," Mike urged the girl with a smug. "Show me what you got, [girlie]."

"Oh, I'll show you." Kai dribbled the ball from side to side again. But, this time, she made sure to create extra space between herself and the opponent. It'll be bad if Mike goes for another sudden steal, so Kai had to be on her toes against that.

[I dunno what she's doing.] Mike thought. [But, it's a fact she somehow tripped both Jay and Larry. Well, Jay is a dumbass, so even a grade school could whoop his sorry ass in a 1v1. But, Larry knows his stuff. He wouldn't just slip on his ass like an idiot.]

Taking all that into account, it was clear this girl had some sort of trick up her sleeve. She probably went for some unexpected move that confused the defender. There were a few players with weird techniques like that in the basketball club so it wasn't anything new. Sure, it was a little surprising that this girlie like her had a weapon like this, but that's about it.

[I'll just crush her before she gets a chance to pull anything.] Mike charged forward.

[I knew you'll come.] Kai carefully dribbled away from the assaulter. [You're acting like I'm trash but it's clear you're wary of what I can do. A classic coward who's pretending he's confident.]

It was becoming more and more apparent that Mike's arrogance was just a facade he wore to provoke her. In truth, the guy was scared shitless of her high-level technique. That scum was like a cornered animal that lashed at its attacker out of fear.

[What an annoying guy.] Kai clicked her tongue. [I thought being recognized as a 'strong player' always feels good, but he's somehow turning it into a nasty experience.]

That contradiction between Mike's attitude and his actions was off-putting. He insisted to call Kai trash, yet he cautiously played against her as if she was strong. As a result, Kai didn't get any of the benefits of being recognized as a "good player". Her opponent didn't show her any respect but neither did he lower his guard against her. It somehow became a lose-lose deal.

[He won't give me enough time to establish a rhythm.] Kai concluded so after evading Mike's third attack. She tried to set up her technique time and again, but Mike refused to give her any time to breathe.

[I'll just have to break through!] Kai went on the offensive before her opponent got another chance to attack. She drove the ball forward in a diagonal, smoothly maneuvering around the wall in front of her- WHAM!

"Ah!" The tall wall caught up to her in an instant! What's more, the bastard snatched the ball right under her nose!

"Hmph." Mike sneered. [That's all you got, girlie? Lame.]

"Keh!" Kai grit her teeth. [Am I going to lose to him even in a sports game!? No way!]

This wasn't over yet! The enemy hasn't scored yet. Kai still had a chance to reclaim the ball!

[She's sure quick.] Mike found himself mildly impressed. For a girl, this chick sure had some smooth moves. She could almost measure up to boys at her level. But, the keyword was "almost".

[You can mop Jay and you can give Larry some problem.] Mike admitted. [But, you got nothing on me, girlie!]

Relying on nothing but his raw strength and speed, Mike broke past the weak blockade in front of him. He drove the ball past the girl and went for the goal!

"One point," Yuel announced. 17-17. The score was tied once more.

"Hah... hah..." Kai panted. Her nails dug into her knees and her teeth threatened to grind each other to dust. [Why!? Why can't I...]

Kai did her utmost, she really did. She pushed her ability to the limits when she confronted Mike. And yet, the guy got past her as if it was nothing.

Why? Why couldn't she beat him!? This was her chance to take revenge! Finally, she had an opportunity to beat this bastard!

And yet, Mike reigned supreme once again. He was sneering at her powerlessness, just like last time. Nothing has changed. Kai was still weak and helpless against this gang leader.

[Some "captain" I am.] She bit her lip.

In the end, she couldn't do anything for her club. Even when given such a golden opportunity to do something meaningful, Kai couldn't handle it.

Why? Why was she so powerless when it counted the most? She wasn't a weak player, right? No, she definitely wasn't. And yet, every single time, she found herself in these helpless situations, like some damsel in distress.

[I hate that shit.] Kai cursed. She was a competitor like everybody else. She didn't come here to be crushed like a bug. And yet, when it counted the most, that's exactly how her battles went down

It was a similar outcome to what happened in the recent scrimmage, where she failed to defeat Renegade no matter how many times she tried. This time, she failed to defeat Mike. Why? How could she mess up every important duel so badly?

[This guy is a bastard. A bully. A total scum.] Kai ranted. [Yet, I can't even defeat some trash like that.]

In the end, everything came down to raw skill, and Mike's was simply superior. Maybe if Kai practiced basketball more regularly, she could've held her ground better against him. But, that was irrelevant at this point.

Kai was right here, competing against Mike's gang at this very moment. She had to somehow triumph over the opponents with her current skill, as inferior as it was. Such was the harsh reality of this unjust situation.

[What else can I try on him? How do I get past him?] Kai was drawing blanks. It felt impossible. The skill gap between them seemed infinitely large. She couldn't defeat that bastard...

"Yo!" Lars's loud voice pulled Kai back to earth. "Kai, don't worry! That dude is pretty dang good. Just pass over here, quick! We'll take 'em down together!"

"Ah..." Kai blinked. There was a dark cloud hovering over her mind but Lars's words made it vanish.

[Yeah, what the hell am I doing?] Kai slapped her own cheeks. What was she getting so worked up about? She couldn't beat Mike in a 1v1, so what of it? It's not like that fact was going to decide the entire game.

[I'm the captain.] Kai repeated to herself. [But, it's not like I gotta beat everybody myself. Lars seems better than me at basketball, so I'll leave Mike to him. We gotta win this one as a team.]

Stuff like "getting revenge" and "restoring her pride" - they didn't matter. The team gathered here today to solve's Ben situation once and for all. Kai's personal feud with Mike didn't matter in the grand scheme of things.

[And, to think that Yuel lectured me about this very topic just earlier today.] Kai smiled wryly. [I guess I can be a slow learner sometimes.]

This situation reminded her a lot of the recent scrimmage. Kai got too heated up about confronting Renegade. In her attempt to prove herself superior, she dragged the entire team to ruin.

That's exactly what she was doing right now. By challenging Mike twice in a row she allowed the guy to score two points for free. The team has been holding onto such a nice advantage until now, but Kai ruined everything. What the hell was she doing!?

[I gotta stop doing this shit.] Kai took a deep breath and rearranged her thoughts.

Mike didn't matter. Getting revenge didn't matter.

[Actually, no. Scratch that.] Kai shook her head. [That's not how I actually feel. I can't deceive myself.]

Getting revenge on that bastard definitely mattered. No matter how childish it might've looked, Kai had to repay that bastard for everything he has done.

Alas, she was unable to deliver that revenge with her own two hands. But, that was alright too. Instead of tackling this difficult task alone, she'll achieve it with the aid of her teammates!

"Ben, quick!" Kai motioned.

As usual, she rushed her teammates to initiate fast attacks. But, this time, she didn't hurry to get beyond the three-pointer line. After all, it's not like she was planning to score by herself. Nah, she was going to play the support from here on out.

"Here!" Ben passed the ball as soon as he got it. The enemies weren't ready for this fast development.

Mike was clearly expecting Kai to get past the three-pointer area before receiving a ball, so his mark wasn't too tight yet. That's a big part of why Kai asked for this quick pass in the first place.

"You know you can't score from here, right?" Mike leveled the question as he jogged toward her. "You have to get outside first."

He didn't hurry to lock Kai down but he was cautious nonetheless. That duality of his nature was irritating to no end.

[Of course I know I can't score from here.] Kai didn't bother wasting her breath answering. The question was probably meant to distract her. This was no time to entertain Mike's nonsense.

[Alright, let's see.] Kai carefully scanned the half-court. While Mike was over here, Larry was the one responsible for marking Lars.

But, Lars was clearly leagues ahead of that guy. In fact, the mechanical monster was probably a league or two ahead of everybody here, especially with his superhuman "half-court snipes".

Mike was the only one who could keep up with Lars one-on-one but Kai successfully lured the final boss away. That opened up possibilities.

[This makes things easy.] Kai nodded to herself. She merely had to deliver the ball to Lars and the rest will happen naturally.

[So, I only have to get the ball past this bastard.] Kai shot a glare at Mike. Given the guy's skills, he was probably good at intercepting passes too. But, that's only as far as "generic" passes were concerned.

[Not to brag or anything, but I'm pretty confident in my passes.] Kai carefully raised the ball and gripped it in a peculiar way. It was time for a little bit of trickery.

Boys often relied on their speed and strength when playing basketball. They liked showing off how "cool" they were by overwhelming the opposition through raw strength. Kai understood that sentiment all too well, so her playstyle was definitely tainted a little by that "macho" attitude.

Nevertheless, as a girl, she also had plenty of experience playing against fellow girls. And, that's how she learned that girls handled themselves quite differently from boys. Instead of relying on individual strength, girls prioritized team play.

Personally, Kai wasn't a big fan of that playstyle. More often than not, she resorted to overwhelming the other girls with an aggressive playstyle.

However, one day, she had the honor to play against girls from the school's basketball team. Long story short, they schooled her.

These girls passed the ball all over the place and forced Kai to chase it like a dog. And, whenever she tried to break through, they ganged up on her and contested her strength via numbers. She wasn't that good at passing back then, so she always struggled to wiggle her way out of these difficult situations.

That experience was what drove her to practice passing. The captain of the basketball team even coached her a little. Thinking back on it, that crafty captain was probably trying to recruit Kai with that gesture. But, Kai was already a part of the Classmancers club at the time, so she wasn't interested.

She did accept the lessons, though. After all, they were free of charge. Thanks to that coaching, Kai became fluent at passing and even developed an unusual passing technique. The captain even said she was "talented", though that was probably part of the scheme to recruit Kai.

[Time to put that "talent" to use.] Kai tossed the ball with a spin.

[It won't get through.] Mike stretched his arm to intercept the ball. It was a quick pass, almost admirable for a girl. But, it was nothing he couldn't handle from this distance.

But, just as he thought that - the ball evaded his hand!

[This shit again!?] Mike frowned. It was the second time he failed to intercept the girl's pass. Something about them was wack and unpredictable. [It's like they got a wild spin. But, if it's really a spin, then the ball should go off course.]

Making the ball spin wildly wasn't rocket science. Anybody could do that to the ball when passing. However, for most people, that'd be a useless thing to do. Accuracy was the most important thing when passing, and a spinning ball was anything but accurate.

Therefore, this wild pass was nonsensical. Sure, it slipped past Mike, but where it was going to go next? Nobody could tell because a spinning ball was always unpredictable. It was questionable whether this pass will reach anywhere remotely close to its intended target.

But, it actually did. Despite being an unpredictable wild pass, the ball found its way to Lars without any trouble!

"Larry!" Mike shouted. "Block his shot like your life depends on it!"

"On it!" Larry had been having trouble keeping up with Lars's quick maneuvers, but he finally caught up when Lars had to slow down in order to catch the ball. He still had at least a second to try to steal the ball before the sniper got his shot!

"No, you don't!" Larry jumped up to cover the basket from the enemy's view. His long arms stretched like polearms and covered all the easy courses. [You're not getting another 2-pointer, not on my watch!]

"Heh." Lars merely smiled at the wall towering over him. "That's some nice defense you got there, dude. But...!"

Lars canceled his shooting form and drove the ball forward instead. It was a feint all along! He pretended to shoot, knowing it'll put Larry on edge and make the dude panic. [200 IQ playz, yooooo!]

Lars maneuvered around the defender and went for a quick shot from there.

"Two points," Yuel announced. 19-17

"Woohoo!" Lars pumped a fist and sent a thumbs up to Kai. "Sick pass, dude!"

"Good shot." Kai nodded in response. It was her second time seeing this super long shot in action but it was every bit as impressive as the first time. Truly, Lars was some kind of basketball god.

At 19-17, the game was fast approaching its showdown. Lars's team had to score only two more points to drive this game to victory. A single 2-pointer from Lars would suffice to bring an end to this battle... or, will it?