Ace of the Bench

The rehab gym was unusually bright that morning, sunlight flooding through the windows and casting long streaks across the polished hardwood. The place smelled faintly of rubber mats and disinfectant, but under that clinical tang there was something else energy.

Yuuto sat at half-court in his chair, bouncing the basketball slowly against the floor. Thump. Thump. Thump. Each bounce echoed, hollow and steady, filling the otherwise quiet space. His injured knee was strapped with a light brace, a precaution more than a necessity, but every time he looked at it, the memory of pain tugged at his confidence.

Marcus, stretching by the baseline, grinned. "You ready to finally stop being a rehab patient and start acting like a ballplayer again?"

Yuuto smirked weakly. "Depends. Are you ready to lose to a guy with one working leg?"

Marcus chuckled, shaking his head. "There he is. The trash talker's been hiding." He grabbed another ball and began dribbling, his movements smooth and effortless. The sound of two balls bouncing at once filled the gym, like the heartbeat of the court awakening again.

The system chimed in Yuuto's vision.

[Quest Available: Mini Scrimmage – Supported]

Objective: Light 1v1 vs Marcus. Use passes, dribbles, and controlled drives.

Reward: +1 Dribbling | +1 Court Vision | Hidden Growth Chance.

Yuuto exhaled, gripping the ball tighter. This is it. My first game since everything fell apart.

Marcus bounced his ball toward Yuuto, catching him in the chest. Yuuto nearly dropped it, fumbling before steadying himself.

"Still got butterfingers," Marcus teased.

"Shut up," Yuuto shot back, spinning the ball in his palms. "I'm rusty, not broken."

"Rusty is just broken with excuses." Marcus winked and took a defensive stance, knees bent, arms wide. His shadow stretched across the hardwood, looming larger than life.

Yuuto narrowed his eyes. "You're enjoying this too much."

"Damn right I am. I've been waiting weeks to roast you on the court again."

The air between them shifted playful, competitive, familiar. For the first time in months, it felt like basketball, not rehab.

Yuuto positioned his chair near the three-point line, crutches leaning against the wall in the corner. He bounced the ball once, twice, then pushed himself upright. His brace groaned faintly as he steadied on both feet.

Marcus arched an eyebrow. "You sure?"

Yuuto nodded. "Support me, don't baby me."

Marcus grinned. "Bet."

Yuuto dribbled carefully with his left, the ball snapping low against the hardwood. His right knee tensed with every bounce, but the rhythm steadied him. He shifted the ball to his right hand, feeling the grooves, the familiar pulse of control.

Marcus closed the gap, arms out. "C'mon, show me something. Don't just stand there like a mannequin."

Yuuto feinted left, heart hammering. Marcus leaned slightly, then recovered. Yuuto pulled back and flicked a pass toward Marcus's chest.

Caught clean.

"Not bad," Marcus said, bouncing it once before zipping it back.

The ball smacked into Yuuto's palms. The impact sent a tremor through his arms, but the fire in his chest flared. He dribbled again, this time crossing from right to left, slower than before but deliberate.

"Better," Marcus nodded. "Now drive."

Yuuto clenched his jaw, took a tentative step forward, and pushed the ball into a slow-motion layup attempt. His form wobbled, knee threatening to give, but Marcus was already behind him, steadying him with a hand between his shoulder blades.

The ball bounced twice on the rim, then dropped in.

Yuuto froze, eyes wide. "I… made that?"

Marcus clapped him on the back. "Damn right you did. First bucket of the comeback tour."

The system pulsed.

[Progress: Mini Scrimmage 1/5 Successful Plays]

They settled into a rhythm. Marcus would play light defense, shadowing Yuuto's movements without full pressure, while Yuuto worked on dribbling, pivoting, and passing. Each exchange carried a mix of seriousness and playful trash talk.

"Your crossover is slower than my grandma," Marcus teased after one attempt.

Yuuto shot him a glare, chest heaving. "Then maybe your grandma should play point guard."

Marcus laughed so hard he nearly forgot to return the ball.

Another possession, Yuuto fumbled a behind-the-back dribble, the ball skittering toward the sideline. He groaned, bending carefully to scoop it up.

"Rust," Marcus said smugly.

"Keep talking, and I'll nutmeg you from this chair," Yuuto snapped.

Marcus feigned horror. "From the chair?! Now I've gotta see that."

They reset. Yuuto's dribble grew sharper each rep. The ball kissed the hardwood with a rhythm that felt more like his with every bounce. His knee still trembled under strain, but his body remembered more than his fear admitted.

By the fifth sequence, Yuuto executed a slow but clean crossover into a drive. Marcus stepped aside, letting him glide to the hoop.

The layup rolled in.

[Progress: Mini Scrimmage 3/5 Successful Plays]

Marcus's grin sharpened. "Alright, enough babysitting. One possession, full defense. You score, I shut up for the rest of the day. You miss, I get bragging rights for a week."

Yuuto's stomach tightened. His leg already screamed from fatigue, his shirt damp with sweat, but pride flared hotter. "Deal."

Marcus crouched, eyes locked. For a second, it felt like a real game the gym alive with invisible noise, the rim towering above them.

Yuuto bounced the ball low, sharp, quick. His left hand guided, his right snapped. His dribble wasn't perfect, but it was alive. He feinted right. Marcus shifted. Yuuto spun left, nearly losing balance, but caught himself.

He planted, lifted, and flicked the layup high off the glass.

Swish.

It dropped. Clean.

Silence hung for a beat before Marcus's jaw dropped. "…Nah. No way."

Yuuto bent over, panting hard, sweat dripping onto the floor. A grin broke across his face. "Guess you're shut up for the day."

Marcus groaned dramatically, throwing his head back. "I hate you. I really hate you."

"Love you too," Yuuto replied, laughter bubbling through his exhaustion.

The system pulsed again.

[Quest Complete: Mini Scrimmage – Supported]

Reward: +1 Dribbling | +1 Court Vision]

[Hidden Bonus: Duo Synergy – Lv.1 Unlocked]

Yuuto blinked. Duo Synergy?

[Duo Synergy (Lv.1): When playing with Marcus Rowe, all pass-related actions gain +5% accuracy. Trust enhances performance.]

He looked at Marcus, who was still sulking theatrically near the baseline. His chest tightened not from pain, but from something deeper. This isn't just my comeback. It's ours.

They collapsed onto the benches, chugging water bottles. Yuuto's knee throbbed with fatigue, but the ache felt different today not a warning, but a reward.

Marcus glanced over, smirk tugging at his lips. "You know… you almost looked like your old self out there."

Yuuto raised an eyebrow. "Almost?"

"Almost." Marcus winked. "Give it a few more weeks, and maybe I'll start guarding you for real."

Yuuto chuckled, leaning his head back, the ball resting against his knees. For the first time since his injury, he felt the court wasn't a place of loss it was a place of possibility.

And sitting beside him, laughing, sweating, and teasing, Marcus reminded him of something the system never could quantify:

He wasn't coming back alone.