In Vorpal Basket's Section – Bleachers

The bench players of Vorpal Basket, Ethan Albarado's team sat in stunned silence.

They had come to study the Gods.

Instead, they had witnessed humanity defy heavenly talented.

Louie's voice was quiet.

"Coach Jenkins' boys… they didn't back down."

Ryan Taylor clenched his fist.

"If that's what a 'loss' looks like… I want it."

Evan Cooper's eyes shone.

"They turned a massacre into meaning."

Aiden White leaned forward, tone firm.

"They gave us the blueprint."

And Ethan—

He hadn't spoken since the final buzzer.

He just sat there, eyes locked on the tunnel where Jalen had disappeared.

When he finally stood, his teammates noticed the faint tremor in his hand.

Lucas called out softly,

"Ethan…?"

Ethan looked back, eyes burning gold under the lights.

"I'm going to see him."

…..

In the Locker Room

The sound of sneakers scraping against the cold tile echoed once—then silence.

Jalen's breath came in ragged bursts. Every inhale was sharp; every exhale trembled with exhaustion and disbelief. His body, once lightning in motion, was now nothing but weight—every muscle screaming, every nerve raw from strain.

He tried to stand.

But his knees refused. His legs, once the fastest on the court, crumpled like paper.

Thud.

His palms hit the floor. Sweat pooled beneath them. The shock of contact jolted through his arms.

"Jalen! Hey—" Tyrese's voice cracked as he lunged forward, catching his captain before he hit the ground fully.

Jalen's head dropped against Tyrese's shoulder, breath hitching. His body convulsednot from pain, but from the flood of emotion that refused to stay buried any longer. His chest heaved as he choked back a sob, but the tears came anyway, cutting through the salt and grit that caked his face.

He wasn't crying because they lost.

He was crying because they gave everything and it still wasn't enough.

"…Damn it…" he whispered, voice barely audible. His fingers dug into Tyrese's jersey, trembling. "We still couldn't touch them."

The locker room was silent except for the uneven sound of breathing—twenty hearts trying to process the weight of what they'd lived through.

Zion sat slumped against the lockers, eyes red. Malik had his face buried in a towel. Kobe

Morales stared blankly at the floor, his massive hands shaking uncontrollably. Tyrese just held Jalen, whispering his name again and again, trying to ground him.

Coach Jenkins stepped forward, his shadow falling across them all. His old hands trembled as he crouched, the clipboard he carried clattering to the floor beside him.

He placed a hand on Jalen's shoulder, voice rough but filled with warmth.

"You did enough, son."

He swallowed hard. His voice softened.

"You did enough."

For a heartbeat, no one moved. The words hung in the air like the last breath before collapse.

Then—

Creak.

The door opened.

Every head turned.

The air shifted not with tension, but with something steadier. Firmer.

And there, framed by the dim hallway light, stood Ethan Albarado.

His presence was quiet but heavy like the calm that follows a storm. His jacket hung loose over his shoulders, and in his eyes burned something Jalen hadn't seen all game: resolve unbroken by divinity.

For a moment, no one said a word.

Even the sound of dripping water seemed to fade.

Jalen blinked through the blur of tears, his vision swimming. His chest rose once, twice—then a faint, broken laugh escaped him.

"…I'm embarrassed now… that you saw me crying, Ethan Albarado."

The attempt at humor barely made it past his lips. It was fragile, cracked—like his voice was holding onto dignity through the pain.

Ethan stepped forward, each step slow and deliberate. His sneakers made soft echoes against the tile steady, grounding.

When he stopped in front of Jalen, he didn't stand over him.

He knelt.

Face to face.

Eye to eye.

There was no pity in Ethan's gaze. No superiority. Just quiet respect—the kind only another fighter could give.

"You don't need to be embarrassed."

His tone was calm, but it carried weight.

Every word came measured, carved from truth.

"You faced the strongest team. And you made them remember what fear feels like."

Jalen blinked, disbelief flickering through his exhaustion.

Then, a weak chuckle escaped him wet with tears.

"Fear?" His voice trembled, half-laughing, half-sobbing. "They didn't even flinch."

Ethan's eyes narrowed slightly, a faint fire sparking behind them. He shook his head.

"You didn't see it. But I did."

He leaned closer, his voice dropping to a low murmur, steady and certain.

"Their eyes changed. You made them feel. And that's rarer than victory."

For the first time since the final buzzer, Jalen's gaze lifted not to the ceiling, not to the ground, but to Ethan.

And in that look, something shifted understanding, maybe even peace.

He exhaled slowly, his trembling hands finally unclenching.

"…I'm sorry…" he whispered. "…I can't fight your team…"

The words cracked open a fresh ache in the room.

Tyrese turned away, biting his lip. Zion's fists clenched. Even Coach Jenkins lowered his head.

But Ethan didn't hesitate.

He rose to his feet not in triumph, but in reverence. Then, he extended his hand toward Jalen. His expression was calm, but the fire in his eyes was unmistakable.

"You've already done more than anyone could."

He tightened his grip on Jalen's shoulder, a gesture of solidarity, not sympathy.

"Now rest."

He paused. His next words came out like a vow.

"Because we're going to win."

The air went still.

Something in those four words ignited the room.

Tyrese lifted his head. Zion blinked through fatigue. Malik clenched his jaw. Even Coach Jenkins's breath caught, as if he'd just witnessed a promise larger than the sport itself.

Ethan's voice wasn't loud. It didn't need to be.

It carried truth, the kind that shakes hearts.

He turned, the sound of his footsteps soft yet heavy, echoing through the locker room like a heartbeat.

At the doorway, he stopped, just for a moment.

Behind him, Jalen's weak laugh broke the quiet again.

"Then I'll be watching…"

Ethan turned his head slightly, enough to catch his smile.

"…from wherever I stand."

Ethan nodded once solemnly before stepping out into the dim hallway.

As the door closed behind him, the light cut a thin line across Jalen's face. The tears were still there. But beneath them… was something else.

Pride.

Not for victory, but for being worthy of the fight.

To be continue

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