Ace of the Bench

Yuto's right eye shimmered inside his pupil, a black and blue star formed, spinning slowly, crackling with hidden power.

Marcus's left eye burned with its own mark a yellow and black star, sharp and violent, glowing like lightning in the dark.

The blue and gold twisted, merged swirling violently in the air between them. Sparks shot across the hardwood, dust lifting from the ground as if gravity was losing its grip.

Marcus grinned, eyes glowing the left one igniting with a golden-black star, rotating faintly like a burning sigil.

Yuuto's right eye shimmered a blue-black star, cold, brilliant, and sharp.

Their gazes met.

The world fell silent.

Then Yuuto said, voice low but charged with lightning:

"Marcus… Formation."

Marcus cracked a grin. "Yeah… let's show 'em."

Their auras collided, spiraling together one sky blue, one gold melding into a massive storm of light.

"ASTRAL-LINK FORMATION!"

The two stared at each other, knowing what this meant.

I'm not losing to you.

I'll break you before I break myself.

The tension spread like wildfire. The players on both teams froze, wide-eyed. The coaches stepped back, hands trembling.

The fans in the bleachers screamed like their throats would tear.

And then

The King moved.

Renji stood near half-court, ball in hand. His smirk faded into something darker, sharper.

"Oh…" he muttered, eyes narrowing as he watched the two stars blaze.

Then his aura exploded.

A titan's roar shook the air, and his aura didn't just flare it transformed. The dark storm of his energy warped and bent until it rose like a towering giant above him, a massive humanoid silhouette forged of raw power. Its head grazed the rafters, its steps shook the floor.

The titan tilted its head back and let out a deafening roar, as though announcing its dominion to the world.

Renji lifted his head, eyes glowing gold. His voice cut through the chaos.

"This just got interesting."

The whistle blew. Thirty seconds remained.

The stage was set three auras burning, three monsters ready to clash.

The gym wasn't just a gym anymore. It was a battlefield.

The scoreboard blazed again, like it refused to die.

Seiryō 146– Shikoku 155.

0:30 remaining.

The gym was a storm. Students stood on the edges of their seats, feet stomping, foam fingers waving. Teachers leaned forward from the sidelines, murmuring, shouting, a collective heartbeat syncing with the bouncing ball. Every eye was fixed on the hardwood battlefield.

On the court, Marcus adjusted his dark blue-and-white jersey, the fabric damp from sweat. His dark blue aura shimmered faintly behind him, just enough to flicker over the polished floor. Next to him, Yūto Kai bounced the ball in rhythm, the leather slapping the court with a muted thump. His light-blue aura shimmered softly, delicate yet steady, wrapping around him like a second skin.

They were nine points down. Thirty seconds from defeat. And yet, as Marcus caught Yuuto's eye, a quiet spark of resolve ignited between them.

"We can do this," Marcus thought. Not as captain, not as leader, but as a teammate.

Across from him, clapped his hands once sharp, echoing.

"We're not done yet!" he barked.

Marcus nodded, his voice hoarse. "One stop. Just one."

Shunjin adjusted his stances, knees bent, the soles of their shoes squealing against the wood.

The air was electric.

Daichi inbounded.

Yuuto's dribble slowed, cautious, knees protected. The pain from his earlier injury lingered, a dull throb, but his hands moved with the precision of muscle memory. He could feel Marcus' aura nearby, steady and guiding, and for the first time, he let himself believe.

Every breath in the gym was stolen by the heat of the moment. The crowd wasn't cheering anymorethey were watching, frozen in disbelief, phones raised, hands over their mouths.

Renji stood at half-court, hands on his hips, sweat dripping from his jawline. The light caught the sheen of his skin, the faint green of his eyes burning like wildfire. His chest rose and fell slowly, like a predator controlling his rhythm before the final strike.

Renji shifted.

The King didn't rush he waited, patient, composed, his green eyes reading every micro-movement. Yuuto hesitated, planted, then darted for the midrange pull-up

Renji was there.

"Too slow," Renji murmured.

The block came with the force of a gunshot. The ball ricocheted, spinning high into the air. Shunjin dove for it—caught it mid-fall—and hurled it to Marcus, who roared and went up strong.

BOOM!

Marcus hammered it through. 146–150.

The crowd erupted again, a pulse of noise and hope.

0:20.

Renji took the inbound this time, jogging casually, smirk returning.

"Not bad," he said, almost fondly. "But it's still my court."

He pointed two fingers toward Yuuto.

"You've got guts, kid. But guts don't beat kings."

Yuuto gritted his teeth. "Then I'll tear down your throne."

Renji's grin widened. "Try."

He broke forward—one dribble, then another—each echo booming through the gym like thunder. Marcus stepped up, chest tight, arms out. Renji faked the drive, spun left, crossed between his legs, and vanished. His acceleration ripped air in his wake.

Shinji rotated to help—too late.

Renji cocked the ball back, muscles flaring like coiled springs.

"Sky Execution!"

He soared over both defenders—a double-poster dunk, the rim bending under the impact. The gym exploded in noise.

148–157.

0:15 left.

Yuuto didn't think he just moved.

The inbound hit his hands; he was already sprinting. The floor trembled beneath each step.

Renji turned, eyes narrowing finally, he was serious.

Yuuto's aura flared again, brighter. He cut through the defense, spun, planted at the arc and shot.

The world slowed.

The ball traced a clean spiral, kissed the rim once, twice

and dropped.

151–157. 0:10 left.

"Alright," Yuuto muttered, breath heavy. "We're taking this back."

Daichi nodded, fists clenched. "No more playing scared."

"Then let's finish it!" Marcus barked, voice hoarse but electric.

Daichi inbounded to Yuuto, who pushed off instantly, cutting through defenders like a blade through mist. The crowd surged to its feet as he faked left, spun right, then dished it to Shunjin at the elbow.

Quick release. Perfect form.

Clang.

Off the rim.

Renji moved before anyone else.

He didn't leap he rose, like gravity itself gave up trying to hold him. His hand swallowed the rebound, palm slamming leather with a resounding thud.

The crowd gasped as he landed, body coiled, eyes glinting.

"Mine," he said softly.

Yuuto darted in, trying to poke it loose

but Renji was already gone.

A single crossover shredded the space between them. His aura flared, green and gold threads swirling around him, radiant and terrifying. Each step he took shook the court. He split through the defense with cruel precision, pulling the ball back with one hand.

"Dragon's Pulse."

He slammed it through the rim with brutal force.

151–159.

Yuuto caught the inbound immediately. He didn't even think. He couldn't think. His body just moved. The ball was fire in his hands, the court a blur beneath his feet.

"Yuuto!" Marcus shouted, breaking ahead.

Renji pivoted, already closing in, his aura flaring like a beast unleashed. Yuuto crossed left, spun right Renji shadowed him perfectly, every step mirrored.

Ten seconds.

Yuuto faked a pass to Daichi. Renji bit, slightly. A window. A sliver of space.

Yuuto lunged forward, chest heaving, and then stopped. Completely.

He looked up at the clock. 5 seconds.

Renji frowned, slowing his pace.

"What are you"

Yuuto planted his foot, twisted his torso, and hurled the ball with everything he had a full-court launch, sailing high through the air like a comet.

The entire gym went silent.

"What the hell is he doing?!" someone shouted.

"That won't reach!" another screamed.

The ball arced higher, spinning, glinting under the lights. Renji's eyes followed it, expression unreadable.

Three seconds.

Then movement. A shadow streaked past midcourt.

Marcus.

He had been sprinting the whole time, reading Yuuto's intent before anyone else.

His legs burned, his lungs screamed, but he didn't stop. He jumped and it wasn't a normal jump. His aura flared dark blue and gold, a streak of raw lightning, and he soared.

Renji's head snapped up just as Marcus reached the rim.

BOOM!

Marcus slammed the ball through the hoop, a thunderclap drowning out the buzzer. The rim shook violently, the net snapped upward like it had been punched by a god.

The scoreboard froze.

Final: 153–159.

For a moment, no one spoke. No one moved. The sound of the dunk still echoed like an aftershock.

Then

"HE DUNKED THAT?! FROM A FULL-COURT PASS?!?!"

"WHAT WAS THAT?!"

"THEY THEY JUST!!!"

Marcus landed, chest heaving, eyes wide in disbelief. He turned toward Renji, who was standing near half-court, expression unreadable… before he broke into a slow, proud smile.

For a heartbeat, the gym was silent. Frozen.

Then the crowd erupted a wall of screams, disbelief, and electricity.

Marcus hung from the rim, chest heaving, sweat dripping down his jaw. He landed, turned to Yuuto, and grinned. "I told you… we don't die easy."

Yuuto's chest rose and fell, eyes blazing. The blue star in his right eye shimmered faintly, reflecting Marcus's golden one.

Renji stood near half-court, spinning the towel around his neck, grin widening despite it all. "Heh. Now that… was something."

His aura flickered like wildfire. He looked directly at Yuuto.

"Next Game… I'm not holding back anymore."

The tension crackled. The air itself seemed alive.

The buzzer had sounded but the war was far from over.