CHAPTER 209: CHAPTER 196: FOREST VS VORPAL (21)

Evan paused, the ball steady in his hands, eyes flickering through the defensive web that Forest spun before him.

But then—

He stopped scanning for the open man.

He didn’t search for an advantage.

He looked for Lucas.

Not to call a play.

Not for a nod or a flash of fingers.

But for something deeper.

(Where is he... there. No signal. No call. Just... rhythm.)

Because Lucas Graves wasn’t standing still.

He was already in motion

As if he’d heard a melody none of them could.

Smooth. Silent.

A ghost gliding across the arc.

He curled behind Ryan’s step-in screen like silk through fingers

A motion so fluid it almost didn’t exist.

And right behind him... Elijah Rainn.

Chasing.

Not out of desperation.

But with perfect form.

No panic. No wasted energy.

Eyes sharp. Shoulders squared.

Lucas didn’t care.

He didn’t need separation.

He didn’t even need space.

He only needed timing.

(Trust me, Evan.)

Josh rotated to the corner, drawing Ayden.

Ryan rolled to the elbow—footwork tight, spine firm.

Brandon sealed the paint with a body like stone—arms spread, resolve etched into every vein.

The court shifted.

Tension curled in the air like heat.

Evan dribbled twice to his left.

Elijah’s gaze twitched. A trap?

Snap.

The ball flew.

A line of thread between fate and intention—

Right into Lucas’s chest.

Catch.

Turn.

Elevate.

(You’re still watching, Elijah. Good. Watch this.)

Mid-range.

Over the fingertips.

Over the tension.

Over expectation itself.

Swish.

The net whispered.

70 – 70. Tie game.

No explosion from the crowd.

Not yet.

Only that brief, holy moment—

The second the world held its breath.

Because everyone knew...

That wasn’t just a shot.

It was dialogue.

A conversation spoken in rhythm, instinct, and war.

A response.

And now it was Elijah’s turn.

As Elijah caught the inbound pass.

No words.

No signals.

Just silence.

He walked the ball up the court—slow, composed.

A quiet storm gathering behind steady eyes.

Around him, the Forest formation flowed into place—

Micah fanned out wide to the left.

Kael hovered like a specter to the right.

Ayden crept low, crouched and coiled like a spring.

But Elijah?

He didn’t pass.

He didn’t glance.

He simply watched.

Watched Lucas.

And Lucas... tracked him.

Step for step.

Shoulder to shoulder.

Heartbeat to heartbeat.

No tension in their legs.

No panic in their breath.

They were past that.

This wasn’t speed.

This wasn’t pressure.

This was something deeper.

(We’re alone here, huh?) Elijah thought, eyes scanning through Lucas, not around him.

(Let’s see how far you’ve come.)

Elijah leaned in—just enough to threaten.

Lucas leaned right with him.

Then—

A sudden jab to the right.

A sharp hop step.

Pivot.

Spin.

Clean.

Deadly.

But Lucas didn’t bite.

He slid across with smooth feet, kept his chest high.

His hands didn’t flinch.

His eyes didn’t blink.

He wasn’t guessing.

He was reading.

And Elijah saw it.

He wasn’t being attacked.

He was being understood.

(You’ve grown.)

Elijah’s lips curved into the faintest smile.

Then—

The decision.

Kick-out.

Fast and sharp.

Micah. Left wing.

Feet set.

Catch.

Lucas turned, hand rising too late.

Brandon rotated—

Too slow.

The shot flew.

Arc clean. Release pure.

Bang.

Forest: 73.

Vorpal: 70.

And this time—

The arena did erupt.

Because it wasn’t just a shot.

It was a statement.

A reminder.

Elijah Rainn was still the sun.

Lucas jogged back toward Evan

Eyes calm. Breathing steady.

He slapped Evan’s hand once. No words.

Just trust.

Josh slid into place beside them.

No signal.

No nod.

Just a click like a key turning in an ancient lock.

The triangle formed.

Lucas on the left wing.

Evan at the top.

Josh slipping baseline.

Ryan and Brandon moved in tandem setting a dual screen like stone pillars rising.

Motion.

Precision.

Belief.

The play moved like breath.

Evan snapped the ball to Ryan.

Ryan without even a glance redirected it, pure instinct, to Lucas curling around the wall.

Perfect rhythm.

Perfect timing.

But Elijah read it.

Of course he did.

He jumped the path—quick, sharp, like he knew the ending.

But...

(Too soon.)

Lucas slammed to a stop—

Planted.

Pivotted.

Spun the opposite way.

Elijah’s momentum carried him forward, just enough.

And Lucas—without hesitation—whipped a bullet pass cross-court.

Josh.

Corner.

Catch.

Smooth rise.

Release.

Snap.

Net.

Vorpal: 73

Forest: 73

3:12 left.

And still—

No cheers.

No flexing.

No celebration.

Just three teammates Lucas, Evan, Josh meeting eyes in quiet understanding.

And across from them—

Elijah closed his eyes.

Just for a breath.

Just long enough...

for the silence to speak.

When he opened them again

everything had changed.

He stepped forward, crossing halfcourt.

Micah slid right.

Ayden drifted to the corner.

Kael shifted ever so slightly...

But not like before.

Something was wrong.

Lucas felt it first.

Not a move. Not a sound.

Just a pull like gravity had shifted.

Coach Fred leaned forward, brow furrowed.

Ayumi stood. Instinctive. Alarmed.

"Wait..."

No play.

No signals.

Elijah didn’t speak.

And yet Forest moved.

Flawlessly.

Frighteningly.

Like five bodies moved from one mind.

And Lucas finally understood.

(This isn’t a system.)

(He’s not running plays anymore.)

(He’s running us.)

Kael feinted a screen, but vanished into space.

Micah curled up—baiting the switch.

Ayden rotated. Once. Twice.

Each motion cut coverage like thread.

And Elijah?

He walked.

Slow. Deliberate.

Like he already knew how it ended.

Josh blinked.

Ryan shifted a second too late.

And that was enough.

Elijah passed before the space opened.

No look. No effort.

Just truth.

Laser.

Right to Micah.

Wide open.

Wing.

Three.

Bang.

Forest: 76 – Vorpal: 73

Lucas took the inbound.

No words.

No blink.

Just breath.

And beneath it—

something shifted.

Not fear.

Not pressure.

Resolve.

(Elijah... you always go further.)

(Always one step beyond. And because of that—)

(We rise.)

He turned to Evan already locked in.

To Josh fingers twitching in perfect rhythm.

To Ryan grinning, stance lowered.

To Brandon who gave a calm, slow nod.

And Lucas?

He grinned.

Not big.

Not bold.

Just burning.

"As a team."

Josh echoed, sharp.

"As a team."

Evan followed.

"As a team..."

Ryan thumped his chest once.

"As a team."

Brandon’s eyes flicked to the bench—

To Ethan, towel draped across his shoulders.

Watching.

Waiting.

He gave a quiet nod.

"Like Ethan said."

And Ayumi?

She stood, hands over her mouth.

Eyes shining.

Coach Fred didn’t move.

But the corner of his lip curled.

Just a fraction.

One shared thought rose in them all.

louder than any cheer.

deeper than any speech:

This wasn’t about one man rising.

It was about five standing as one.

They moved.

Lucas passed to Evan—

who didn’t pause.

Just a touch pass forward.

Josh caught it—

faked baseline.

Defense bit.

Kick out.

Ryan caught it at the wing.

immediate dish inside.

No dribble.

Just flow.

The ball snapped around them.

like lightning.

Unreadable.

Unselfish.

Untraceable.

Then—

Back to Lucas.

Wide open.

They’d split Forest apart.

Drew them into noise—

and answered with clarity.

Lucas rose.

Clean.

Controlled.

No doubt.

Swish.

Vorpal: 76 – Forest: 76

The arena didn’t just scream.

It shook.

Because for the first time—

Forest wasn’t just facing players.

They were facing harmony.

Not chaos.

Not brute force.

A system born not from drills—

but from something stronger:

Trust.

Elijah stared from the backcourt. His smile didn’t fade. It widened.

"Now we’re speaking"

Louie leaned forward, jaw slack.

"Yo... that wasn’t a play. That was a language."

Coonie threw both hands up. "Nah. That was jazz. Improv. Basketball jazz. We’re a damn orchestra now."

Kai just muttered under his breath, blinking hard.

"...They didn’t even talk. No signals. No calls."

He sat back, spine tingling.

"That’s what real chemistry looks like, huh..."

Jeremy shook his head, wide-eyed.

"Coach used to say five players on a string.

But that—That was five hearts beating in sync."

Aiden crossed his arms, lips tight, eyes locked on Lucas.

He didn’t speak for a beat.

Then—

"Forest can’t scout this."

Louie turned to him. "Why not?"

"Because trust can’t be analyzed," Aiden said, voice low.

"Only earned."

The crowd was still shaking from the last play.

People were on their feet, screaming, filming, crying.

But in one corner of the bleachers—

Charlotte Graves didn’t move.

Didn’t cheer.

Didn’t even blink.

She stood with her arms folded, eyes locked on her younger brother—fire in her gaze, pride burning through her veins like a second heartbeat.

She had watched every moment.

Every pass.

Every read.

Every rise.

And now—

She smirked.

Voice steady.

Sharp.

Clear.

"My brother will win this game."

The people around her turned, some with surprise, some with silence.

But she didn’t flinch.

Didn’t need to explain.

Because when Charlotte Graves said something—

It wasn’t a prediction.

It was a promise.

Meanwhile on the other side

Jalen "Flash" Carter leaned forward.

His elbows on his knees.

Eyes locked in.

Everyone around him was reacting.

Exploding at the ball movement.

At the chemistry.

At the swish.

But Jalen?

He just grinned.

That cocky, confident grin only a top guard could wear.

"He’s really doing it..."

The court below was chaos and rhythm pass after pass, trust after trust.

Lucas Graves had just tied the game.

No, he’d changed the entire energy.

Jalen’s voice cut through the noise, low but certain:

"Win this, Lucas Graves..."

"...so that I can play with you."

It wasn’t praise.

It wasn’t a compliment.

It was a challenge wrapped in curiosity.

A statement of future plans.

To be continue