Extra Basket-Chapter 77 - 64: White (20)

Ethan clenched his fists slowly, heart steady.

It was time.

He stood, not like someone rising from exhaustion—but like a switch had flipped. His movements were crisp, precise, his steps silent yet purposeful. Even the way he exhaled seemed sharpened. His gaze zeroed in on Venganza’s defensive setup—an aggressive man-press that shifted like a hive, perfectly timed, perfectly synchronized.

"I have a plan." Ethan said, his voice calm but decisive.

Charlotte blinked, caught off guard.

"What do we do?" she asked, arms still crossed but her tone more alert now, curious.

Ethan turned his head slowly, scanning his team. Their jerseys clung to sweat, their faces marked with fatigue, but they were all still standing. Still waiting.

He met each of their eyes, then said with cold clarity:

"Charlotte. Off-ball fake then cut baseline. Lucas—decoy. Pull your defender out, top-right. Evan, fake screen then curl. Louie, drag your man to the wing. I’ll hit the gap."

Evan raised a hand, confused.

"Wait—wait." he said, stepping forward. "This is too sudden."

Charlotte took a step closer too, eyeing Ethan.

"And," she said, brows furrowed. "You didn’t explain why we should do any of that. What’s the play?"

Ethan inhaled slowly. Then, calmly, he replied:

"Because I’ve been watching their rhythm this whole quarter. They switch coverage every 4.2 seconds. Their weak side help overcommits at the 5-second mark when the ball side loads up. If we break the timing—just once—their whole chain collapses for two seconds. That’s all I need."

His eyes briefly flicked across the court. Venganza’s captain, Vin Cruz, had just turned toward him, gaze sharp and composed, like he already knew Ethan was planning something. Their eyes locked for a moment. Two minds reading the same chessboard.

"And if we’re clean," Ethan added, his voice dropping low, "I can thread it through before their system recalibrates."

Charlotte’s eyes widened.

"...Did you just figure out their gameplay?"

Ethan turned toward her, meeting her eyes with quiet certainty.

"Yes."

A beat.

Charlotte swallowed, eyes narrowing. Then she turned her gaze away, but not before the faintest blush started to creep across her cheeks.

(This boy... no—this man...) she thought, her chest tightening.

(He figured all of that out... not even I—no, even if we brought in a pro-level analyst right now, I don’t think they could’ve picked it apart that quickly. And he did it in minutes... and built a plan on top of it...)

Louie, standing nearby and noticing her dazed look, leaned over with a teasing smirk.

"What, you fallin’ for the captain, Charlotte?"

Charlotte jumped slightly.

"Wh-who would fall for him? Hmph—idiot."

She looked away fast, a furious blush blooming now as she crossed her arms tightly.

Lucas just gave a soft, knowing smile, not saying a word, but clearly amused.

Evan, though, didn’t smile. He was staring at Ethan with a different expression—quiet, reflective.

His hands clenched just slightly by his sides as a thought echoed in his head:

(Just how far... should I push myself, just to walk behind you...?)

Time to tear down Venganza’s perfect rhythm.

Ethan stood tall, his voice calm yet charged with urgency. He addressed the team with precision.

"Now, what we do is exactly what I said. Remember—

They switch coverage every 4.2 seconds. Their weak side help overcommits at the 5-second mark when the ball side loads up. So—

Charlotte, off-ball fake then cut baseline.

Lucas—decoy. Pull your defender out, top-right.

Evan, fake screen then curl.

Louie, drag your man to the wing."

I’ll hit the gap."

He paused, his eyes scanning each of them to make sure the message landed.

"Then, after this move—we shift. Next up... it’s Lucas’s turn."

Lucas blinked. "Yes?"

Ethan turned to him, gaze sharp but steady.

"Use Allen Iverson speed."

Lucas blinked again, confused.

"Allen Iverson speed?"

Ethan nodded slowly.

"You used it once before, remember? So I know you can use it again."

"What do we need it for?" Lucas asked, unsure but already feeling the adrenaline.

Ethan stepped closer, voice dropping just enough for it to be personal.

"You trust me, right?"

Lucas didn’t hesitate.

"Yeah. I trust you."

Ethan gave a rare, small smile.

"Then good. That’s enough. When I shout it—

Use it."

Lucas nodded.

"Got it."

From the bench, Noah’s voice cut in—anxious but hopeful.

"What about me?"

Ethan looked at him, softer now, but no less serious.

"It’s still not your time... Don’t worry. Once I execute my plan against them, I’ll make sure you sub in for me."

Noah swallowed hard.

"O-Okay."

Ethan’s gaze hardened.

"Don’t worry about them... We just need to win this game—to free your family from Greg’s grip."

Noah’s eyes widened, then slowly he nodded, clenching his fists tighter in his lap.

"Right."

And then—

The whistle blew.

Thirty-three seconds.

Evan leaned in.

"Ethan... it’s started."

Ethan’s eyes sharpened.

"Let’s go."

And like shadows moving in sync, Lucas, Charlotte, Louie, and Evan fell in behind him.

Noah watched them from the bench, jaw clenched, heart pounding.

The Ordinary Possession... With Extraordinary Intention

Lucas walked to the sideline and picked up the ball.

Inbound.

The ball arced in toward Ethan, and he caught it cleanly.

He began to dribble up the court.

Each step was smoother. Faster.

[Flow Trigger Card: Activated]

Reaction Speed +3

Rhythm Unlocked

His vision widened. The court flow unfolded in front of him like a tactical map.

Time perception slowed

Decision-making enhanced

He locked eyes with Vin Cruz, the captain of Venganza—calm, poised, arms loose, like a man who’d already seen it all.

But this time, Ethan saw past the calm. He saw the gears turning. He saw the timer ticking.

"(With these cards...)" Ethan thought, his pupils narrowing.

"(I can make the probability of this play succeed higher than ever before.)"

The rhythm of the court was no longer just felt.

He could see it.

Tick.

Tock.

Switch in 3... 2...

"Move" Ethan whispered.

And the play began to unfold.

Now it was Ethan’s time—to break the rhythm that Venganza thought was unbreakable.

.....

Ethan dribbled forward—slow, deliberate, the ball kissing the hardwood in a rhythm that didn’t match the tempo of the game.

No... this rhythm belonged to him.

Across the court, Vin Cruz narrowed his eyes, shifting his stance. The Venganza captain felt it instantly—a shift in the air, a current turning.

Momentum had quietly changed direction.

Vin’s thoughts churned.

(He feels different than before... what is this... a bluff? No. It’s something else—he’s calm. Calculated.)

Out loud, Vin scoffed.

"No matter what you do... it won’t work."

Ethan didn’t flinch. His eyes locked onto Vin’s like crosshairs.

"You can’t score anymore..."

"...because I’m already done."

Vin frowned.

"What?"

Ethan’s voice came cold, precise—surgical.

"Analyzing your gameplay."

Vin’s posture twitched slightly. "...Analyzing?"

Ethan stepped again, now inside the arc, not even glancing at the rim.

"You switch coverage every 4.2 seconds."

Vin gritted his teeth.

"Whoah—what makes you so confident?"

"’Cause I am."

Vin barked a laugh.

"’Cause I am?’ How arrogant!"

But then—

..

The Movement

0:03 seconds into the play — the first disruption.

Charlotte fakes a cut to the top of the key, pulling Kaia Volt, Venganza’s razor-sharp shooting guard, out of the paint.

Then—snap—Charlotte reverses, diving baseline. Kaia hesitates, caught in the bait.

Lucas jogs lightly toward the top-right corner, casual. His body language screams decoy—and Zeke Monroe, the lockdown wing, shades just a little too far toward him.

That’s all Ethan needed.

Evan charges toward Ethan, faking a screen on Vin—but at the last second, curls away like a wave crashing wide.

Dante Cruz, the visionary power forward, calls out the switch, too late. The chain breaks.

Louie slides out toward the wing, and Silas Korrin, the shot-blocking anchor of the paint, follows with slow, heavy steps dragged further from his comfort zone.

And Ethan?

He waited. Watching the gears grind.

Tick. Tick. 4.1... 4.2... switch.

He exploded.

Ethan cut hard left, darting into the seam that had just formed between Zeke and Dante, a gap born from miscommunication.

"NOW!" he called—

Clarity Card surged. Flow Trigger burst.

The court widened.

For exactly 2 seconds... Ethan became untouchable.

1.3 seconds in, he was already inside.

Vin’s eyes widened.

"Where’s the help?!"

Too late.

Charlotte had received a skip pass from Evan, then dumped it behind her back to the cutting Ethan perfectly in sync.

Ethan caught it mid-stride.

He leapt, but his eyes scanned the floor—he wasn’t going to finish this.

His gaze locked on Lucas, and at the last instant, he flipped the ball backward.

Lucas caught it but didn’t dash.

He stood, poised, reading the floor

.

And he saw the look in Ethan’s eyes.

Not yet.

He didn’t use Allen Iverson Speed.

He just caught and faked.

Zeke didn’t bite.

Lucas rotated, reset the ball to Ethan.

...

The Shot Clock Drops — 12 Seconds Left

Ethan stood there, ball back in his hands.

Vin shouted from across the court.

"Dante! Recenter! Zeke—watch the top!"

But it was too late.

The rhythm had already been shaken.

The defenders’ timing... off.

The trust in their own system, fractured.

Ethan turned and fired a quick bounce pass—

Charlotte caught it baseline, wide open.

Kaia dove late—

Charlotte flipped it in.

Swish.

...

On the Other Side

Vin caught the inbound and glared at Ethan.

"You’re breaking the timing... but it’s not over."

Ethan said nothing.

He just looked at Lucas, who was breathing evenly, crouched, waiting.

He nodded once.

Still saving that speed.

The next play? Wouldn’t be Ethan’s.

But when the moment came...

Lucas would run like lightning.

And the next opening?

Wouldn’t be clean. It’d be brutal.

And that’s what Venganza had never faced before:

Chaos designed by genius.

To be continue