Extra Basket

SCORE: GODS — 67 | RAPTORS — 34

TIME: 3RD QUARTER — 10:00 LEFT

The whistle cut through the silence.

The ball soared high, spinning under the lights like a sun reborn.

And in that instant… Jalen Carter's eyes flared gold.

"Flash World — Full Sync."

The court bent.

Every motion around him slowed, the sweat drops, the referee's hand, even the breath of the Gods.

For a heartbeat, he was alone in motion.

COMMENTATORS (voice trembling):

"It's back, Jalen Carter's Flash World, but sharper! Look at that—he's slicing through Poseidon's spacing!"

"Wait, no, no, Poseidon's adjusting! He's reading the rhythm mid-step!"

Poseidon's dribble defense shifted liquid, seamless. His fingers glided through the air, not to block, but to redirect momentum.

But Jalen's tempo warped again.

His sneakers squealed.

Then vanished.

Flash Step ×3.

He reappeared at the free-throw line.

Tyrese Lang ghosted along the arc, invisible release loading up.

Jalen: "Now!"

Tyrese caught the ball mid-bounce and shot before gravity realized it.

SWISH!

The net screamed with release.

SCORE: GODS — 67 | RAPTORS — 37.

The crowd exploded.

COMMENTATOR:

"Raptors score again! Tyrese Lang with that phantom catch-and-release—Jalen's tempo broke the timeline for half a second!"

Hades smirked, jogging backward.

"Heh. They're finally dancing."

Zeus didn't even turn his head.

"Then let them."

The Gods set up their possession.

Poseidon raised a single hand, the signal.

"Wave Flow — Phase Two."

The ball moved once… and vanished.

A shimmer rippled across the court like water swallowing light.

Evan Cooper, from the bleachers, leaned forward instantly.

"That's not teleportation. That's angle redirection through momentum control—he's bending the parabolic curve!"

Lucas nodded, eyes burning.

"Poseidon's controlling flow vectors. Every bounce follows a gravitational path he creates."

Ares caught the redirected pass like thunder, Warpath igniting across his shoulders.

He charged through Malik Ryker, their collision sounding like two mountains slamming.

BAM!

The rim shook violently as Ares dunked over both defenders.

SCORE: GODS — 69 | RAPTORS — 37.

COMMENTATOR:

"Unbelievable! Ares just broke through a double team! That's raw power meeting divine precision!"

Jalen exhaled. His aura flickered again.

"Alright. Let's push."

He motioned for a full-court spread.

Kobe Morales set the pick. Tyrese flared to the corner. Zion rotated inward, reading the shifts like chess pieces.

But Chronos moved first.

His eyes flickered silver.

Future Sight — 0.8 seconds.

Before Jalen could pass, Chronos' hand was already there.

The ball never left his grip.

Jalen's pupils shrank.

"He read it before I even moved."

Chronos smiled faintly.

"I already saw you miss."

He tossed the ball backward—blind—

Poseidon caught it without looking.

The pass curved midair, bouncing toward Hades at the wing.

Hades (smiling): "Shall I?"

Shadow bled from his feet. His body faded, step by step, until only the sound of his sneakers brushing the floor remained.

A whisper.

A shot.

A flash.

SWISH.

SCORE: GODS — 72 | RAPTORS — 37.

The Raptors' bench rose halfway, disbelief painted across their faces.

Louie: "They didn't even see him shoot, bro, he's just gone!"

Ryan: "No, he's not gone. He's just beyond frame rate."

Ethan remained still, fingers tightening on his knees.

"…Zeus isn't even involved yet."

Lucas's expression hardened.

"He's letting them measure his kingdom."

Back on the court, Jalen wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

His breathing was heavy, but his grin had returned.

"So that's how it is, huh?"

He spun the ball once, flicking it behind his back.

"Then let's see how fast Heaven can fall."

He ignited again. Flash World Overdrive Mode.

Every fan in the arena leaned forward as the light trails wrapped around him like spiraling lightning.

His teammates synced Tyrese, Zion, Malik all moving under Jalen's accelerated tempo.

Fast break.

The Raptors shot up the floor like bullets.

Jalen passed left, then right a flick, a bounce, a curve.

Tyrese caught the feed in mid-spin, pump-faked Hades, and lobbed.

Jalen soared.

For the first time, he reached Zeus's height.

Time slowed.

Their eyes met midair.

Zeus didn't move.

He decided.

The space between them froze.

The ball halted.

Gravity stopped obeying.

Jalen's face twisted pure effort, veins burning like wire.

"Move—dammit, MOVE!"

For one impossible instant, his aura shattered the rule.

He forced the shot through.

BOOM.

The rim bent, the net exploded in sparks of energy.

The crowd lost its mind.

SCORE: GODS — 72 | RAPTORS — 39.

COMMENTATOR:

"HE DID IT! HE BROKE ZEUS'S REALITY FIELD! JALEN CARTER SCORED AGAINST THE GOD OF DECISION!"

Even Zeus blinked, faintly amused.

A whisper escaped him.

"So… the Flash can resist fate."

Hades chuckled darkly.

"He's forcing your law to misfire. That's… human will at its limit."

Zeus smiled calm, almost gentle.

"Then I'll raise it to seventy."

TIME: 1:15 LEFT — 3RD QUARTER

SCORE: GODS — 74 | RAPTORS — 39

The energy shifted again.

Lightning danced in Zeus's pupils.

He walked forward. Just walked.

Every step warped the hardwood, bending like ripples over a pond.

Even the commentators fell silent.

"...I can't—describe—what's happening. The floor's... reacting to him."

Ares grinned like a predator. Poseidon tilted his head. Hades' smirk deepened. Chronos closed his eyes, tracing futures that curved inward, collapsing.

And across the bleachers, Ethan Albarado whispered under his breath, voice trembling with awe and terror.

"…He's starting to use it. The full Absolute Way."

Lucas turned to him.

"Meaning?"

Ethan's gaze locked on Zeus, who was now standing just beyond half-court — ball in hand.

"Meaning…"

He swallowed.

"…He's not playing basketball anymore. He's rewriting it."

Zeus raised the ball.

And the world tilted.

As The air warped like a mirage.

Even the sound of the crowd began to fade, swallowed by something thicker than atmosphere authority.

Zeus stood still at half-court, ball balanced on his fingertip.

The electricity humming around him wasn't lightning anymore.

It was command.

"The Rule of Gods."

The words came out like a calm decree, yet they carried the weight of a sentence.

Ethan's nails dug into the railing.

"He's activating it. Absolute Way… full resonance."

Lucas's eyes narrowed.

"So this is what a world feels like when it's owned."

Even the referee took a step back. The whistle in his mouth fell out.

The court lines blurred.

Three-point arc gone.

Paint area distorted.

The very rules of basketball were collapsing.

COMMENTATOR 1 (voice trembling):

"W-We're witnessing something… we don't have words for… the boundaries of the game itself are bending!"

COMMENTATOR 2:

"The ball's still spinning… but it's not falling!"

Zeus flicked his wrist. The ball curved in midair, looping toward the rim like a comet caught in orbit.

No dribble. No shot form.

Just intent.

SWISH.

The net didn't move. The ball phased through, like reality itself accepted the point.

SCORE: GODS — 76 | RAPTORS — 39.

Jalen's breath came out ragged, eyes wide with disbelief.

"...That wasn't a shot."

Kobe muttered, barely audible.

"Then what the hell was it?"

Zeus finally looked their way, eyes faintly glowing gold.

His tone was casual.

"Result acknowledgment. Why waste motion when I can declare it?"

The Raptors froze.

Every instinct screamed impossible.

Hades stepped closer, aura flickering black and blue.

"You mortals wanted to touch divinity. This is what it costs."

Poseidon's voice was calm, rippling through the silence.

"No effort. Just consequence."

Chronos merely folded his hands behind his back.

"Time doesn't even need to flow for him now."

But Jalen Carter trembling, shoulders heaving refused to bow.

"You think that's basketball?" he rasped.

"You think declaring victory means you've earned it?"

Zeus tilted his head.

"Earned?" He smiled.

"Child. The world itself earns me."

Something snapped inside Jalen.

Flash World ignited again, blue lightning shredding the distortion field for a heartbeat.

Every muscle screamed, but he moved.

"Then I'll make the world reject you!"

He drove right blindingly fast.

Every movement synced into his rhythm. The crowd could barely process the frame.

Tyrese cut left. Zion rotated behind him. Malik surged forward to screen.

For one single possession humanity rebelled.

Jalen spun through Hades.

Shadows cracked.

"Out of my way!"

He feinted right, Poseidon's reflection rippled then crossed under his arm.

Chronos blinked saw six futures Jalen broke all of them by skipping time.

Midair.

The rim glowed in front of him.

Zeus raised a hand.

No aura. No gesture.

Just a thought.

Reality tilted.

The ball twisted sideways midair, deflected by a concept instead of force.

CLANG!

The miss echoed like thunder.

Jalen landed, knees buckling.

He couldn't breathe.

"Why… won't it… follow physics…"

Zeus lowered his hand gently.

"Because I wrote the physics."

COMMENTATOR:

"There's nothing left to compare this to! Zeus isn't countering the Raptors—he's controlling the laws of every play!"

The shot clock glitched for a second.

Then reset itself.

The numbers didn't move anymore.

Ethan's voice shook.

"He erased the timer."

Lucas leaned forward, murmuring.

"He's not playing a game. He's constructing one."

Ryan Taylor, from the bleachers, whispered.

"Then why isn't anyone stopping him?"

Ethan's eyes burned.

"Because no one's ever gone this far before."

TIME: 0:32 LEFT — 3RD QUARTER

SCORE: GODS — 78 | RAPTORS — 39

Ares took the inbound and thundered through midcourt. His steps cratered the floor tiles.

He passed to Hades, who disappeared into shadow then reappeared under the rim, flicking the ball behind his back without looking.

SWISH.

SCORE: GODS — 80 | RAPTORS — 39.

The crowd could no longer cheer properly. Every sound came out as confused gasps and awe-struck murmurs.

Even cameras began to glitch, capturing frames that didn't line up.

Jalen stood motionless, sweat dripping onto the polished floor.

"I can't move him," he whispered.

"Every decision… belongs to him."

In the stands, Ayumi Brooke clasped her hands together.

Her lips trembled.

"Lucas… Ethan… is there anything anyone can do?"

Lucas stared at Zeus.

No answer came. Just a deep, simmering glare.

Ethan's voice was low.

"He's rewriting the language of basketball itself."

He clenched his fist.

"But no king rules forever."

The quarter buzzer finally sounded almost reluctantly, as if even time needed permission.

The Gods walked off the court in silence.

No celebration.

No taunt.

Just divinity leaving the mortal plane.

SCORE: GODS — 80 | RAPTORS — 39.

The Raptors gathered on their side, drenched in exhaustion.

Coach Jenkins knelt before them, eyes firm.

"Listen."

He slammed his clipboard against the floor.

"Don't you dare look at that scoreboard like it's a coffin. You're still here."

His voice broke, but his tone didn't.

"They're gods, yeah. But you're human. You feel loss. You feel drive. That's something they can't copy."

He looked each player in the eye.

"They can control rules. But not will. So give me the one thing they can't touch."

Jalen's fingers trembled on his knees.

"…Will…"

He repeated it softly, as if testing if the word still existed.

Tyrese smirked, voice weak but defiant.

"Guess that means we keep shooting."

Malik cracked his knuckles.

"And defending."

Zion lifted his head.

"And thinking."

Kobe Morales slammed his hands together once.

"Then let's go remind the gods who built this game."

From the bleachers, Ethan exhaled through his nose.

"...Yeah."

His eyes sharpened.

"Now they remember. That the throne isn't given—it's fought for."

Lucas grinned faintly beside him.

"Then the third quarter was their fall."

Ethan shook his head, gaze fixed on the Gods' bench.

"No."

He smiled grimly.

"It was the warning before the storm."

To be continue