Extra Basket

The air inside the Grand Arena felt different.

Not loud. Not chaotic.

Heavy.

Like even the air was holding its breath.

The giant LED screens flickered, showing the seal of the National Championship. The court gleamed like polished obsidian under the stadium lights, and rows upon rows of spectators leaned forward not screaming yet but waiting.

Hungry.

I sat in the bleachers with Lucas, Ryan, Evan, Louie, and the rest beside me. For once, even Louie wasn't making noise. Everyone's eyes locked forward.

Coach Fred inhaled deeply. "This… this is bigger than anything we've touched."

Then—

The announcer's voice boomed through the dome like thunder.

"NOW ENTERING THE EASTERN TITANS CHICAGO RAPTORS!"

….

Chicago Raptors Entrance – The Storm Chosen

The doors slid open.

Jalen "Flash" Carter walked first.

No smile. No wave. Just a king walking toward his battlefield. His sneakers echoed like cracking lightning, and I swear… for a moment, the air bent around him like time itself was bowing.

Behind him, Tyrese Lang walked with his hood up, gaze cold like a sniper loading his final bullet.

Malik Ryker didn't even look at the crowd because prey didn't matter until it moved.

Zion Vale studied the arena as if it was a chessboard only he could already see 10 moves ahead.

Kobe "Tower" Morales walked last, calm, towering, unshaken, his steps like an executioner marching to the gallows.

Their aura didn't explode.

It constricted.

Like a quiet storm tightening before the lightning strike.

Louie leaned forward, whispering, "Holy… they're not middle schoolers. They're monsters."

Lucas narrowed his eyes.

Evan adjusted his glasses slowly serious.

Even Ryan stopped his usual cocky grin, expression tightening.

And I—

I felt something stir in my chest.

So this… is a real throne contender.

Then the stadium went dark.

Not dim. Black.

A hush.

A single spotlight.

"AND ENTERING FROM THE WEST—THE GODS."

Step.

The air itself went cold.

Zeus stepped out.

White-blond hair under the lights like a fallen emperor, electric eyes scanning the arena not to acknowledge anything.

To measure what belonged to him.

Just his presence alone…

Made the ground feel too small.

Behind him, Hades walked in utter silence, eyes scanning like death choosing who to reap.

Poseidon walked like flowing water fluid, untouchable as the crowd barely registered his movement.

Ares cracked his neck, a grin like a beast freed from its chains.

Chronos walked last, eyes half-lidded, like future and present overlapped only for him.

And with them… something else.

A sixth shadow walked briefly behind the curtains—but did not enter.

Watching. Waiting.

Evan whispered:

"…There's another."

I narrowed my eyes. But before I could focus deeper

Zeus looked directly at our section.

Not at the Raptors.

At us.

At Vorpal.

And he smirked.

The arena finally roared.

Not from excitement

From fear and thrill mixing into something primal.

Lucas exhaled sharply. "…So that's Zeus."

"Remember: watch and learn. By the time you've learned everything, that will be the day no one can beat you."

I didn't know why I remembered that line now.

Maybe because standing in front of me were giants, and I was reminded:

To reach the throne… you have to challenge the gods.

Ethan clenched his fist, eyes burning.

"Watch closely." I said quietly.

"This isn't just a match. It's a declaration of war."

POV – Chicago Raptors Bench Side

The lights reflected off the polished court, creating a mirrored world beneath the players' feet. Jalen Carter stood at the edge of the court, hands tucked in his warm-up jacket, breathing slow each inhale like a coiled storm, each exhale like a silent countdown.

His eyes locked onto Zeus.

Not the crowd.

Not the cameras.

Not the noise.

Just him.

Jalen's Thoughts

(This is the first time I'm seeing you up close, Zeus… last year, you never played. They said The Gods withdrew. Some said it was politics. Some said it was because no one was worth your time.)

(I didn't believe it.)

(I believed you were simply waiting for a throne worth taking.)

Jalen's fingers flexed slightly electric twitch reflex, like his body was refusing to stay still.

(And now… finally… I can prove it. That I am the one who will step on your myth. That I will end every single rumor… every fake ranking… every time someone placed us beneath you just because of your name.)

(The world believes you are untouchable. I don't care.)

His gaze sharpened.

(Zeus… I came here to break your narrative.)

On the other side, Zeus stood with his hands behind his back, posture relaxed, eyes half-lidded like a monarch mildly amused.

He glanced at the Chicago Raptors not with hostility.

With disdainful interest.

Like a lion acknowledging that another predator had entered his territory.

But only one.

His eyes didn't move to Tyrese, Malik, Zion, or Tower.

They moved only once.

To Jalen.

And in that one moment, there was recognition.

Not of friendship.

Not of rivalry.

Of war.

Malik Ryker, standing slightly behind Jalen, muttered under his breath,

"He's not looking at us. He's looking at the throne."

Tyrese Lang clicked his tongue, smirking coldly.

"Good. I'd hate to crush a god who wasn't paying attention."

Zion Vale adjusted his headband, eyes already scanning Zeus's movements like a chessmaster memorizing a new piece.

"Observation complete. That aura… it's real. He's suppressing his own team without speaking."

Tower Morales simply cracked his knuckles, deep voice rumbling like an approaching avalanche.

"Let him have that aura. When the ball tips, aura means nothing. Only dominance."

…

3rd POV – Bleachers (Vorpal Watching)

Lucas watched Jalen and Zeus face each other like two lions at the peak of a mountain.

"…They haven't even played yet," he whispered, "but the court is already splitting into two kingdoms."

Ethan didn't blink.

He felt it clearly.

Two presences heavy enough to distort the court without a single dribble.

Ryan Taylor muttered, chilled despite himself.

"This… isn't middle school basketball anymore."

Evan Cooper exhaled, eyes sharp.

"No. This is throne warfare."

Zeus tilted his head slightly, lips forming a silent sentence.

Ethan narrowed his eyes, trying to read it.

The King of Gods… mouthed a phrase without speaking a word.

"I decide."

And Jalen… smiled.

Not in excitement.

In challenge.

His lips moved too, silently returning a declaration only Zeus could see.

"Not this time."

To be continue