Basketball Challenge

With Lars by his side, Yuel found the courage to speak up against Mike.

"As you said," Yuel continued. "Ben has freedom. But, as a club member, he has responsibilities as well. For example, if you skip club practice without notice, somebody will complain, right?"

"Haha, true dat." James was the one to respond. "That dang coach likes chewing everybody out, word." It sounded like he had plenty of experience in the area.

"....." Mike didn't respond right away. Instead, he shot a glare at James.

"Haha, yeah..." James piped down with an awkward smile. He messed up. By agreeing with Yuel's argument, he strengthened the argument's footing. It gave Yuel extra power to continue pushing from that angle.

"Yeah, I guess club members got some responsibilities," Mike agreed against his will. "You gotta attend club practice and all that boring shit."

"Right." Yuel nodded. "But, Ben is skipping that very practice on a regular basis. I hope you agree that this is wrong and has to be addressed."

"Sure." Mike shrugged. "Go scold him, or even smack him for all I care. What does that have to do with us? We're just practicing in our own club, not getting in anybody's way. It's you guys who are intruding without an invitation."

[He's going to keep abusing the "ignorance" card, huh.] Yuel frowned. [I have to admit it's very effective.]

There was one delicate topic that hasn't been touched upon in this entire discussion even though it was the key to everything: the bullying. Lars didn't openly accuse the gang of bullying Ben. There was a very good reason for that, one which he shared with Yuel and Vincent on the way here.

["I got some experience with dudes like that,"] Lars said. ["It's best to play nice with them. If you go all-in and accuse them of bullying right off the gate, you gonna overextend real hard and get ganked real bad."]

Following his own advice, Lars avoided bringing up the topic in front of the enemy, and Yuel has been doing the same. It sounded like a reasonable long-term game plan. Instead of aggroing the enemies right off the bat, it was best to keep them calm.

Mike knew his gang had the numbers advantage in this situation, so he was more than ready for a direct confrontation. The provocative insults he slipped into his arguments were undoubtedly meant to trigger a fight.

Fortunately, Lars played it cool for once and has been thwarting Mike's plans so far. Alas, Mike was quick to adapt. He figured that Yuel and Lars were cautiously avoiding a direct confrontation, so he used that to his advantage. As long as they were hesitating to accuse him, he could keep feigning ignorance on the topic.

[This is difficult.] Yuel frowned. He entered this debate with confidence but now he wasn't so sure he could win.

It'd be easy to attack Mike by exposing him as a bully, but that'd break negotiations off. More than likely, the situation would be reduced to a fistfight at that point. Lars would be the only one with sufficient power to carry in that situation, so it'd turn into a 1v3.

"I understand," Yuel finally spoke up. "I admit, we're intruding into your club activities right now. I'm sorry about that."

"Hmph." Mike sneered. "If you understand, then how about you get the fuck outta here already? We don't have all day to entertain fake athletes like ya."

"It's okay, we'll be leaving soon," Yuel said calmly. "But first, I'd like to clarify something. When we step into your club activities to speak with you, then we're interfering, right?"

"You sure are."

"Then, please tell me how is that any different from what you do to Ben? You come to him during his club hours and drag him away."

"Huh?" Mike's face contorted for a moment. He probably sensed the underline accusation.

[Is this the right direction?] Yuel gulped. [Maybe I took it a little too far...]

This conversation was drawing dangerously close to triggering Mike, it was written all over his demonic expression. It was important to deliver a decisive blow but Yuel had to do it silently like a trained assassin. Unfortunately, he allowed his true thought to slip through his mouth...

"Who drags whom away?" Mike asked in a condescending tone. "Ben comes to help us of his own volition. He's a good homie like that. Right, guys?"

"Yep, totes." James nodded.

"Yeah, Ben practically begs to let him help us." Larry snickered boldly while telling such an obvious lie.

Unfortunately, Yuel and Lars couldn't refute these claims. They had no proof that Mike's gang pressured Ben into hanging with them, even though that was most certainly the truth.

The only decisive argument they could mount with this line of attack was to accuse the gang of bullying, but that was too dangerous of an attack. The chances of overextending were too high.

"It doesn't matter whether Ben sings up for it himself or somebody asks him to," Yuel said. "The bottom line is that Ben skips club activity to hang out with you. And, I'm sorry to inform you, but that interferes with our club activity. It doesn't matter whether you're doing it on purpose or not. The end result is the same."

"Oh, yeah?" Mike shrugged. "How's that our problem? You're Ben's clubmates, you scold him for that shit. It got nothing to do with us."

"Rest assured, we'll scold him properly," Yuel promised. "But, you're the ones who always agree to hang out with him even though you know he got club activities. Yet, instead of acting like the good friends you claim to be and telling him to attend club practice, you let him spend time in your club as if it's alright to skip practice. So, don't you think you're also partially responsible here?"

"Tch, am I supposed to be his mom or something?" Mike scoffed. "He's a big boy, he can do whatever he wants. He's also smart enough to understand where the real sport is at. He knows your club is just a bunch of frauds who pretend they play competitively. But, this basketball club right here? That's the real shit right-"

BAM! A booming sounded cut Mike's sentence short.

A basketball loudly bounced off the ground. It flew in a high arc, then elegantly landed into the sack where the other balls were stored, as if drawn to his family by an invisible force.

"Yo, my dude," Lars spoke up, his eyes locked on Mike. "You keep saying all that crap about 'frauds' and whatnot. Let's not beat around the bush, okay? Basically, you tellin' me you think the basketball club is the hottest shit around while our club is doodoo, right?"

"Hmph. Yeah, that's exactly what I'm saying." Mike wore a smug. Finally, he achieved his goal. He cracked Lars. "I'm saying your club is trash. Hell, even the school thinks that way. That's why they shoved you into the basement."

"Yeah, the school is sure being disrespectful as heck."

"Right? Because they know what's up. Your club is just an excuse to play video games instead of doing some real club activity. You guys ain't no competitive players or anything."

"Are you implying Classmancers isn't a competitive sport?" Yuel frowned.

"Nah, I guess it's kinda competitive," Mike said. "At least, as competitive as a [video game] can get, am I right, guys?"

"Yep." James nodded. "It's a sport for people who are too lazy to move their asses from the chair, haha."

"And people who are terrified of sweating," Larry added with a snicker.

They delivered a low blow, but Yuel and Lars just stood there and faced the attack head-on. These insults were effective but not quite enough. Mike had to push harder to crack these nutcases.

"I guess there are some competitive Mancers clubs out there," Mike continued. "Say, the Leopards are supposedly some serious shit. But, your club? Please. I heard the team hasn't won a single game in forever. They can't even win for shit during scrimmages, haha!"

"My dude." Lars smiled confidently. "That's some old news you got there. We've just rekt Taurus the other day in our first scrimmage."

"Huh, is that so." Mike frowned. He probably hasn't heard this news. "Who did you fight, again? Never heard of them. Probably another trash team that pretends it has a right to exist."

"Okay, fine." Lars grinned. "Our next scrimmage is against the Leopards. And don't worry, we gonna win that one too. We're going to national this year, yo!"

"Bullshit..." Mike's face contorted. It was evident he had a hard time dealing with Lars's unwavering confidence.

[This is good.] Yuel nodded to himself. The tables have turned. Even though Yuel failed to defeat Mike with words, he bought enough time to help Lars restore his confidence. With the overconfident goof in perfect shape, even Mike was overwhelmed!

"It's okay," Lars said. "You don't have to take my word for it or anything. Lemme prove you we mean business, here and now."

"How, exactly?"

"Well, what did you say about Mancer players, again? They never leave their chairs? They're scared of some sweat?"

"Sounds about right."

"Alrighty, then lemme show why that's bullshit." Lars thrust his finger and pointed straight at Mike. "You and me, dude. One-on-one basketball match. Let's see who's the real fraud in here!"

"You wanna challenge me? In basketball?" Mike raised an eyebrow. Any last traces of smiling vanished from his face.

"Yep, that's what I said! You guys are supposed to be awesome, right? True competitive athletes and all that. So, you gotta be able to mop the floor with some chair-bound sweat-hater from the Mancers club."

"......" Mike just stood there, sizing Lars from head to toe. This turn of events came from left field.

He has been throwing insults to aggravate these idiots and make them snap, but the bastards stood their ground. Even worse, that lunatic over there challenged a member of the basketball club to a basketball match. The guy wasn't right in the head. He gotta be some sort of natural masochist.

But then, why did Mike hesitate? This should be a great opportunity for him. He'd accept the challenge, mop the floor with this grinning dumbass, and then send all these fuckers packing. It was the ideal turn of events for him.

Yet, he couldn't bring himself to accept the challenge just like that. Something about Lars's overbearing confidence was... almost intimidating. Even though this was Mike's turf and he had the bigger gang on his side, it felt like was a strong invisible force was pushing him back.

How good was this dumbass at basketball? Was he just putting on airs to scare Mike? Or, was he legit?

Judging by the guy's sturdy frame, he was probably no stranger to sports. At the very least, he didn't look like a nerd who sat on his ass the whole time playing video games.

But, a good body frame wasn't enough to turn somebody into a basketball player. Like any sport, basketball demanded practice and experience to become good. These were things Mike and his pals had plenty of, for they were part of the basketball club.

Well, Mike wasn't exactly the most enthusiastic member when it came to practice, but he nevertheless practiced every now and then. So, he was clearly five parallel universes ahead of any scrub who never touched a basketball.

Therefore, by all means, Mike should accept the challenge and mop the floor with that clown. Yet, his instincts screamed against it. Lars's confident grin didn't look like a bluff. The guy was convinced he'd easily win this one-on-one. There weren't any cracks in his grin.

On top of that, there was that bizarre bounce a few seconds ago. Lars threw a ball at the floor and it bounced up high, then it neatly landed inside the sack. It's almost as if he aimed the ball right there, taking the trajectory of the bounce into account.

[That's not possible, right?] Mike almost shuddered at the thought. It sounded like something straight out of an exaggerated action movie. It didn't feel real, yet it definitely just happened. As much as he wanted to, Mike couldn't simply ignore that.

"I have no problem beating you one-on-one," Mike finally responded to Lars's challenge. "But, that'll be dumb. Basketball is a team sport. If you're coming at [me], then you're coming at [all] of us."

Mike stretched his arms to present James and Larry as his teammates. He had no intention of taking on this challenge by himself. "If you wanna play, then it'll be against all three of us."

"Okay, I gotcha." Lars nodded. "So, a 1v3? I'm down, yo!"

"Wha-!?" Yuel gasped. [What is he doing!? Did he lose his mind!?]

"Haha, look at this clown." Mike laughed with a hint of contempt. "He really thinks he can take on all three of us together. That's not even what I was suggesting."

"Bruh is mental, haha." James laughed.

"I bet he's the type who dreams about becoming the president or some shit." Larry cackled.

"It's okay," Lars made an irresponsible claim. "I'mma take you all-"

"Time out!" Yuel urgently shook Lars's shoulder and whispered rather loudly. "What are you doing!?"

"What do you mean 'what'?" Lars tilted his head innocently and whispered back. "I'm taking on these dudes, yo. Somebody gotta kick 'em off the high horse, ya know. I gonna prove them our club is every bit as serious as theirs."

"And how is that going to help Ben's situation, exactly? That guy just baited you into a trap by riling you up."

"Nah, it ain't like that. I figured if I show them we mean business, they'll have nothing to say anymore."

"I'm not sure about that..."

"Then, let's ask them." Lars turned to Mike. "Hey, my dude. If I beat ya guys, you gonna let Ben attend the Mancers club regularly, right?"

"Huh?" Mike feigned his usual ignorance. "Since when we're responsible for what Ben chooses to do in his free time?"

"Haha, right, right." Lars changed the question. "What I mean is, if Ben comes to hang out with you during his club time, you'll convince him to go back and practice, right?"

"I might consider doing that." Mike didn't make any promises. "It's not like your silly hypothetical scenario matters anyway. You gonna get stomped real hard if you think you can take on the basketball club in their own court."

"We'll see about that." Lars grinned boldly, without a hint of hesitation in his expression. It was bulletproof enough to make even Mike twitch.

"Ya see?" Lars turned to Yuel and spoke quietly. "If I'mma wreck them at their own game, they'll own up to it. They might be doing all sorts of shady things, but Mike looks like a dude who got pride. He gonna step down once I beat him, I'm sure."

"I'm not entirely convinced, but alright." Yuel sighed in defeat. The situation escalated beyond his wildest imagination. He had trouble wrapping his head around what was going on anymore.

Maybe Lars was right. Mike had been throwing shade at the Classmancers club from the moment they entered the gym. Therefore, beating him at his own game would deliver quite the mental blow. It'd shut him up for good.

[I just hope they won't resort to violence after that.] Yuel gulped. There was no telling what delinquents like these would pull after suffering an embarrassing defeat. They might go ballistic and initiate a fistfight. That'll be the worst-case scenario.

But, Yuel didn't even have the luxury to worry about that kind of outcome. Before anything else, Lars would have to actually defeat the enemy team. At present, his odds were looking grim at best.

"Okay, I understand," Yuel finally responded. "As you said, it might be a good idea to challenge them. But, are you seriously planning to take on all three of them by yourself?"

"Yep, no problem." Lars gave a thumbs up. "I'mma show them the business."

"Are you for real?" Yuel made a face. "I don't know how good they are, but at the very least they're part of the basketball club. They must be practicing on a regular basis. They're not some newbies."

"Yep. They ain't no Bronze rank, that's for sure."

"Right. And yet, you actually believe you can defeat all of them by yourself?"

"Welp, I challenged them, so I gotta own up to it," Lars said matter-of-factly. "I was hoping for a 1v1, but no big deal. Even if it's a 1v3, I'mma win this thing, yo!"

"You're not thinking straight," Yuel criticized. "You should know better than anybody how a numbers advantage works in basketball. In fact, who was it who complained about how defenders always ganged on him?"

"Ah, welp, that's..." Lars shifted his eyes away. His confident smile twitched a little.

Lars loved basketball, he really did. But, there were some problematic aspects to the flow of the game that he didn't enjoy as much. The biggest of them was the way multiple defenders could gang up on the team's best player and shut them down. That's how his team suffered defeat at the regionals back in middle school.

It was frustrating. The enemies quickly recognized that Lars was the biggest threat, so they surrounded him every time. He barely got to touch the ball that game. And, every time he did get the ball, he had to fight through a horde of oppressive defenders. It was hell.

That's when he started wishing for a game in which clear-cut situations like that didn't exist, or at least couldn't be reproduced as often. A game with multiple objectives, in which all team members had active roles they played simultaneously.

That's how he found Classmancers, a game that didn't revolve around the one player holding the ball. In this game, if the enemy focuses all their forces on one teammate, the rest of the team would simply push other objectives. That that was the best stuff ever!

But, right now, Lars was about to compete in basketball, not Classmancers. It was the kind of game where multiple defenders could concentrate all their forces on him to completely shut him down. To make things worse, he almost challenged that trio all by himself.

Even in basketball, there were risks to concentrating all the defenders on one target. If the target could get just one pass through the defenders, the ball will surely reach an unmarked teammate. From there, it'd be easy to score.

But, if Lars takes on Mike's gang alone, there won't even be any teammates for him to pass to. The enemy gang will block him all the time and he won't be able to do squat!

And so, by agreeing to these impossible conditions without thinking, Lars was about to doom them all!