Extra Basket-Chapter 141 - 128: Loan Shark (4)

4:00 PM

Old Midtown Arena

The air inside the old gym was stale, faded banners hung like forgotten memories, and the bleachers creaked under shifting weight as various teams milled about, each hoping for their shot at Blazing Fox.

Ethan stood near the edge of the court, eyes sharp, scanning the space.

He turned to Evan.

"You already called them, right? That we’re challenging them?"

Evan nodded.

"Yeah. I did. But... they said they’re going to draw lots, to pick which team they play today. I mean, a lot of teams challenged them so..."

Ethan’s expression darkened.

"...So you’re saying it’s not guaranteed that we play them today?"

Evan scratched the back of his head.

"I mean... yeah. That’s what I was trying to tell you."

"Are you kidding us!?"

Louie’s voice cut the air like a whip.

He stormed toward Evan, face tight with frustration.

"Ethan’s life and soul are on the line for this, and you’re telling me it might come down to some stupid lottery!?"

Evan winced.

"I didn’t know there’d be this many teams, okay? Blazing Fox is hot right now. Everyone wants to prove themselves."

Lucas frowned.

"Tch... so we might not even get our chance?"

Ayumi, standing beside them with crossed arms, lowered her gaze.

"What do we do now...?"

Ethan raised a hand, calmly.

"Enough," he said, his tone steady but not forceful — just focused.

He looked at them all.

At the frustration carved deep into Louie’s scowl.

At the quiet fear glinting behind Ayumi’s eyes.

At Evan’s slouched posture, the doubt hanging on his shoulders.

Then, Ethan spoke with unsettling clarity:

"We just have to pray to God... that our name gets picked."

For a moment, silence.

The air felt heavier. The gym, louder somehow, though no one in their group made a sound.

Josh finally muttered,

"That’s it? After all that planning?"

His voice wasn’t angry. Just... disappointed.

Ethan didn’t break eye contact.

"If we get picked, we fight. If not, then we have to think of a way... to get picked."

Coonie’s jaw clenched as he stared at the court.

"If we don’t get picked... Jeremy’s debt is going to shit."

Kai cursed under his breath.

"Fk... We just have to pray."

Then Lucas turned, slowly facing Ethan, his voice low and pointed:

"Ethan... You’re going to pay too, you know? You made a deal on that guy’s name, Brick. If this falls through... it’s not just Jeremy. You’re on the line too."

Everyone looked at Ethan now.

But Ethan just nodded, his voice unwavering.

"I know. And that’s why we’re not going to wait for a miracle.

But Ethan just nodded, his voice unwavering.

"I know. And that’s why we’re not going to wait for a miracle."

Lucas furrowed his brows.

"What do you mean by that?"

Brandon and Ryan exchanged a glance, sensing something strange behind Ethan’s calm.

But Ethan didn’t answer right away.

He stood there.

No, he didn’t just stand there.

He was staring forward... but not at anything they could see.

In front of him, a transparent glowing screen hovered silently, the Basketball System Interface.

Only Ethan could see it.

His power. His secret weapon.

And right now, he needed it.

Ethan thought

"(System... can you recommend me some luck? I need to get picked after all...)"

[SYSTEM]: "Affirmative, Host. Initiating Luck Enhancement Protocol..."

DING!

[LUCK BOOST PACKAGE AVAILABLE – COST: 1000 SP]

(Ethan blinked.)

"(Hmm. That’s cheap. I’ll buy it.)"

[CONFIRMED – 1000 SP DEDUCTED]

[LUCK INCREASED TEMPORARILY – SELECTION ODDS BOOSTED 500%]

Ethan exhaled quietly.

It was done.

Whatever force decided which team got picked next, it would now notice them.

He finally turned to Lucas, the faintest smirk pulling at the corner of his lips.

"Just trust me."

Lucas blinked, caught off guard by the sudden shift in Ethan’s expression — confident, almost... assured.

Ayumi stared too. The others stood straighter.

There was something different about him now.

Like he already knew they would be chosen.

..

A low murmur spread throughout the Old Midtown Arena. Teams clustered together in tight huddles, whispering strategies or nervously glancing at the digital board overhead. It was like being at the edge of a battlefield before the first gunshot.

The draw would start in five minutes.

Ethan stood quietly, arms folded, eyes scanning the crowd—but his mind was focused elsewhere.

(System... status?)

[SYSTEM]: "LUCK BOOST ACTIVE – 00:04:58 REMAINING."

(Good... It’s working. All we need is a chance.)

Across from him, Lucas crossed his arms, eyes narrowing.

"You sure about this, Ethan?"

Ethan didn’t look at him, just gave a slight nod.

"I am. We’ll be called."

Ayumi, standing beside Lucas, glanced between them, her voice hesitant.

"You seem so sure. Like... you already saw the future or something."

(That’s not far off...)

But Ethan didn’t say anything.

He didn’t have to.

The confidence in his posture was starting to bleed into the rest of them.

Even Coonie, the most skeptical of the bunch, leaned forward slightly, lips pressing into a firm line as he muttered,

"Guess we just wait then..."

Suddenly, a blaring chime echoed through the arena.

All teams stopped moving.

The giant digital screen flashed in the center of the gymnasium:

[RANDOM CHALLENGE LOTTERY – INITIATING]

From the booth above, a voice buzzed over the loudspeakers.

"All participating teams, please standby. A challenger will be selected to face the Blazing Fox Academy..."

The screen flashed rapidly, names cycling at blinding speed.

One second.

Two.

Three.

Then—

DING!

[SELECTED TEAM: VORPAL BASKET]

Dead silence.

Then someone screamed,

"THAT’S US!"

Lucas’s eyes widened, and his jaw dropped.

"Wait—WHAT?!"

Ayumi gasped, both hands flying to her mouth.

"We actually...?!?"

Coonie dropped his water bottle, stunned.

"Holy—how?!"

Louie started laughing in disbelief,

"No way. There’s no way!"

Ethan didn’t move.

He didn’t need to.

The draw was over.

They were in.

(System... you really came through.)

[SYSTEM]: "Host’s faith is rewarded. Luck Boost completed."

The announcer’s voice thundered again,

"Vorpal Basket, report to Court 1 in ten minutes. Blazing Fox awaits."

The arena buzzed with renewed chatter. Heads turned toward their direction. Other teams whispered, some scoffing, others curious.

Ryan blinked hard, trying to grasp what just happened.

"Yo... did we just—?"

Brandon finished for him,

"—Get the fight of our lives? Yeah."

Lucas turned to Ethan, still trying to process it.

"Dude. That wasn’t just luck, was it?"

Ethan looked at him, finally smiling.

"Does it matter?"

Ayumi shook her head slowly, a spark of realization dawning in her eyes.

"You really are something else, Ethan..."

The team started gathering their gear.

The atmosphere changed, no longer doubtful, no longer hoping for a chance.

Now, they had a purpose.

Kai clapped Louie on the back.

"Time to cash in that 10k debt."

Aiden adjusted his armband.

"We trained for this. Let’s make it count."

Ethan’s mind was focused.

(This is the turning point. The novel said it was supposed to be the Gods Team that crushed Blazing Fox today... but now we’re taking their place. That means we’ve already started altering the timeline.)

(And if we beat them... the future won’t follow the script anymore.)

They marched across the gym, heads held high, standing taller than they had all morning.

The arena lights dimmed slightly as they approached Court 1, highlighting the gleaming polished floor and the figures already standing on the opposite side.

There they were.

Blazing Fox Academy.

Leonel Blaze stood in the center, just as icy and unbothered as the rumors said. His arms crossed, expression unreadable.

Beside him, Jace Holloway casually spun a ball on his fingertip, chewing gum and wearing his trademark smirk.

The rest of the Foxes looked ready. Calm. Controlled. Waiting.

Leonel’s eyes finally landed on Ethan.

No words.

Just a silent stare.

Like a lion observing prey.

Ethan didn’t flinch.

He stared back.

Not as prey. But as a challenger.

The ref blew his whistle.

"Five-minute warm-up. Then tip-off."

Ayumi, standing at the bench, pulled out her clipboard. Her hands shook slightly, but she smiled through it.

"Let’s give them hell, boys."

The team stepped onto the court one by one, soaking in the atmosphere.

Each dribble, each layup in warm-up now carried weight.

Everyone was watching.

The no-name team.

The underdogs.

Vorpal Basket.

"You really trust we can win this, huh?"

Ethan met his gaze.

"It’s not about trust anymore."

He looked up at the scoreboard.

Then back at Blazing Fox.

"It’s about conviction that we will win."

(Let’s see what happens when the Extra takes center stage.)

The soft bounce of basketballs echoed across Court 1, but the tension in the air crackled like static before a thunderstorm.

Leonel Blaze stood motionless at the free-throw line, his eyes locked on the team opposite him, Vorpal Basket.

His arms were folded across his chest, face unreadable, but inside...

(That’s the team that got picked? Out of all the applicants?)

He watched them closely not with arrogance, but with something colder.

Calculation.

Ethan Albarado. The one standing at the center of his squad, calm, grounded, and not flinching even under the weight of the crowd.

(He doesn’t look nervous. He doesn’t look excited either. That’s not normal. That’s... control.)

Next to Ethan, Lucas Graves was spinning the ball on his finger with forced confidence, his eyes flicking toward the Blazing Fox team every so often.

(That one’s acting tougher than he is. But I’ve seen players like him crack the moment pressure mounts.)

Ryan, Brandon, Louie, Josh, Evan — Leonel’s gaze swept over each of them.

(Amateurs. But moving like they’ve been coached well. Someone whipped them into shape fast.)

Then Leonel’s eyes landed back on Ethan.

(He’s the reason they’re holding together.)

Jace Holloway let out a low whistle from beside Leonel, flicking the ball behind his back lazily and watching Vorpal’s warm-up.

"Yo Leon... ever seen a rookie team that confident before?"

Leonel didn’t answer right away.

Jace grinned, stretching his arms.

"They’re not scared, man. I kinda like that. Ain’t it fun when they actually believe they can win?"

Leonel finally spoke, eyes still locked on Ethan.

"Confidence is cheap. I’m watching for decisions."

Jace raised a brow.

"So, what’re you seeing?"

Leonel tilted his head slightly, arms still folded.

"They’re coordinated... surprisingly so."

His brow furrowed just a bit.

"Vorpal Basket... where did I hear that before..."

Jace’s eyes lit up in realization. He snapped his fingers.

"Oh! I know them. They went viral on YouTube last week."

Leonel blinked, finally turning to look at Jace.

"Viral?"

"Yeah," Jace grinned, stretching a shoulder. "Small school. Always lost their games, like, badly. Then out of nowhere they won one. And not just won — crushed a solid team. People were calling it a fluke, but the clips showed some serious skill."

He nodded toward the other side of the court.

"The MVP of that game was that dude — blond hair, kind of calm looking. That’s Ethan Albarado."

Leonel’s eyes narrowed.

"Ethan... Albarado?"

"Yeah. And the other one, the flashy guy with the black hair and gold eyes — that’s Lucas Graves. They said he did some crazy moves. Weird footwork, killer layups. Got people calling him the ’copycat kid’ or something."

Leonel absorbed that in silence.

(So they’re not just randoms. They’ve got noise around them. Albarado... Graves...)

He looked again. fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm

The way Ethan stood, his posture, his stillness, it was unnatural in a way that made sense to Leonel.

It was the stillness of someone calculating every single possibility in the moment.

Leonel muttered under his breath.

"That’s not high school composure. That’s something else."

Jace chuckled beside him.

"You’re actually worried?"

Leonel didn’t answer immediately. Then:

"No. I’m interested."

(They’re not just here to play. They came to change something. That energy... it’s disruptive.)

(If Albarado is the glue, and Graves the spark... then who taught them how to move like that? No team goes from rock bottom to refined coordination in a single win unless there’s a system. Well, that’s just a novel and fiction type of thing.)

He narrowed his eyes further, watching Ethan speak to his team at half court. His movements were minimal, but they reacted fast — nodding, adjusting, understanding.

"They’re not just playing basketball," Leonel said quietly. "They’re running a plan."

Jace raised an eyebrow.

"What kind of plan?"

Leonel’s jaw tightened.

"A dangerous one."

.....

Meanwhile, on the other end of the court...

Ethan glanced toward the Blazing Fox team again. Leonel was watching — not casually, not arrogantly — but measuring.

(He knows.)

(He’s not underestimating us like I hoped. He’s already dissecting us. That means he’s elite... No wasted thoughts. No wasted motion.)

(Leonel Blaze is stronger than the system says. His stats don’t show how cold his mind is.)

(And Jace Holloway — that guy’s no second fiddle. He’s too loose. Players like him explode when the game opens up.)

Lucas walked up beside Ethan, dribbling a ball slowly.

"They’re talking about us."

Ethan didn’t look away.

"Let them."

Aiden smirked.

"Feels weird. Being the underdogs and having the spotlight."

Ethan said nothing.

Then turned toward his team.

"Form up. Game starts in one."

They nodded.

Evan bounced nervously in place.

Aiden keep himself composed

Josh tightened his shoes.

Louie exhaled slowly.

Ryan and Brandon clenched their fists.

They all felt it.

The moment before everything changed.

To be continue