A Hard fought Battle

Jamar stared down Nas after the dunk. Nas began to nod his head, acknowledging the shift in momentum back to Jamar. The game resumed with a new intensity, the physicality soaring to new heights. Bumping and hard checks followed each basket. Sweat poured down, and groans mingled with the cheering of the ever-hungry crowd, both on and off the court. Like gladiators in a coliseum, they dueled, shutting out all the surrounding noise, locked in a battle of attrition.

If not for the absence of fists and weapons, the game would have been labeled an all-out brawl. The finesse was gone; it was now about grit and determination.

"Yeah, I am on all of that, punk ass! Give that!" Nas shouted as he ripped the ball from Jamar's hands.

Nas sprinted toward the basket, aiming for a layup, only to be denied by a crazy chase-down block from Jamar.

"This is a no-fly zone. Nothing is going to come easy in here, my gee," Jamar replied. "You want to score? Shoot from the arc; you might have a chance. Because everything within 20 feet from the basket, I'm all over that."

The scoreboard read:

**Phantom J: 18**

**Nas: 19**

With the game to 21 and Nas in the lead, Jamar had played more defense than ever before. Coach Anderson grinned from ear to ear, seeing the final piece of his puzzle that could potentially lead to winning the high school trophy.

Cheers suddenly increased as Jamar posted up Nas and hit a turnaround jumper. Seeing his intentions, Nas jumped to defend, only to be faked out. With no one in his way, Jamar stepped through and laid the ball into the rim.

"He had Nas lost as he found the basket!" MC Kraken announced. "The score is now tied at 18 apiece."

Play resumed, and as soon as Nas checked Jamar, Jamar lifted off the ground and released a quick 3-point shot, which was in the basket before Nas could defend him.

Jamar could finally see himself completing the mission and leveling up. As he received the ball, he planned to release another shot, only for Nas to swat it away and hit a 3-point shot of his own.

"Ooooh, quick steal leads to a quick 3 points. The game is tied at 20 points."

Nas smirked at Jamar and then asked for the ball. "Game over. It was nice playing with you."

Jamar was confused; he hadn't yet lost the game. It all came down to the last shot. As soon as Nas got the ball, he pump-faked Jamar, who fell for it, and proceeded to head to the basket for the game-winning dunk.

"Game! Nas pulls off a dunk and ends the game!"

A prompt appeared in Jamar's view:

**Ding**

**Mission: Face off against the Ballislife crew**

- **Reward:** 60 skill points, 4 level ups

- **Failure:** System shuts down, you lose your attained height and regress to what you were prior

**Mission status: Completed**

**Sub-Mission: Win against a Ballislife player**

- **Reward:** 60 skill points, 2 level ups

- **Mission status: Failed**

Jamar could only bow his head in defeat. As he lifted his head, he saw Anne with tears in her eyes, rushing forward to hug him. He held her and patted her as she sobbed. He felt a pat on his back and turned to see Nas, who smiled warmly.

"Good game, Jamar. Who's the little one?" Nas asked.

Jamar introduced Anne, his little sister.

"Are you going to break his legs now?" Anne asked, trembling with fear.

Nas looked stunned. "No, why would I do that?" He looked at Jamar, waiting for an explanation.

Jamar explained the misunderstanding to Nas, who then smiled and proceeded to explain the term "ankle-breaking" to Anne.

Nas walked over to MC Kraken and asked for the mic. "I have an announcement to make. Tomorrow is my guy Jamar's birthday. So let's show him some love, Detroit!"

Cheers and clapping of hands erupted. From a corner, the birthday song began and soon spread to everyone watching the game.

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you," they sang.

Jamar was almost moved to tears. While he lost the game, he received a far greater gift. He looked at Anne and said, "This is basketball."