บท 305: The Enemy Is Catching Up

"One point!" Vincent flipped the enemy's score for the first time today. At long last, Mike's team scored a point!

With that said, the score was still 8-1 in favor of Lars's team. They should've had an absolute advantage here. Alas, that advantage was more fragile than they realized. It already started crumbling.

Given Yuel's terrible passing skills, Ben was tasked with opening the game for the team. He handled the task surprisingly well, delivering a clean pass to Lars.

Though, part of the reason the ball had no trouble reaching Lars was that nobody bothered to intercept it. Instead, the enemy defenders focused on surrounding Lars.

"You're not getting through," Mike declared as he stretched his arms in front of Lars.

"It's okay." Lars grinned and raised the ball. "I don't need to get- agh!"

"Hey there, what's up?" Larry entered the scene from the side and slapped the ball out of Lars's hands.

"Good one." Mike grabbed the loose ball. They had this one in the bag, or so he thought.

"No, you don't!" Lars was quick to switch gears. Upon losing the ball, he immediately shifted gears toward reclaiming it.

[Tch, he's sure fast.] Mike sneered at the speedy defender who was already blocking the path. Just a moment ago, Lars was on the offensive and about to shoot the ball, but the next moment he was already blocking Mike off. This guy was something else.

[But, you can't carry an entire team by yourself.] Mike didn't bother facing Lars upfront. It's not like he couldn't win this 1v1, it's just that it was an unnecessary risk. It was far smarter to play this safe and ensure they score the next one.

As such, instead of breaking through, Mike passed the ball to James. However, an opponent attempted to intercept the pass.

[It should be around here.] Yuel stretched his arm as he ran toward the calculated destination. He anticipated a pass to James in this situation, so he moved over there ahead of time.

The core of the enemy's offense revolved around getting the ball to James, the best passer. He was the best man for delivering a decisive pass to one of the two attackers, a line of play that was very likely to result in a goal. That's how the enemy has been scoring most of their points thus far.

It was an effective, but predictable, strategy. Therefore, Yuel could anticipate it in advance and interrupt it!

"Ugh!" Yuel gritted his teeth. His fingers just barely failed to graze the ball. He was one step too short to intercept the ball.

"Got it!" James grabbed the ball with no problem. He drove it forward for a couple of steps, then prepared to pass.

This was the most difficult part of predicting the enemy's offense. Who will James pass to? Both Mike and Larry were viable options.

Mike was clearly the superior attacker but Larry wasn't shabby either. Either of them will score given the opportunity.

Unfortunately, Lars couldn't mark both attackers by himself. Especially, since Mike and Larry always positioned themselves on opposite sides of the court for receiving James's passes.

As such, Lars had to prioritize marking one of the options and he chose Mike, the greater threat out of the two. Yuel agreed with this decision.

Meanwhile, Ben was the one who had to keep tabs on Larry. But, unfortunately, Ben didn't have the necessary level of assertiveness to consistently interrupt Larry.

[So, it's going to that guy this time.] Yuel deduced and he was right on the money. The pass traveled toward Larry in a clean, fast motion. Ben was unable to intercept it.

"Alright!" Larry caught the ball. Now, he only had to shoot past Ben's defense.

Ben's defensive skills were surprisingly decent, he even knocked the ball out of Larry's hands a few times. These were all lucky flukes of course, but that Meatball sure knew how to be a real nuisance every now and then.

Fortunately, there was one godlike trick to trample over Ben's defense in an instant. It was an unblockable tech.

"Hey, Meatball! You gonna lemme pass, right? RIGHT? Don't make me beat you up, man!"

"A-Ah!" Ben flinched. His body froze in place.

Larry usually barked more than he bit, but that didn't mean he wasn't capable of turning violent. Ben was used as a human punchbag more than a few times in the past.

[H-He wouldn't do such a thing during a game, would he?] Ben wanted to believe that with all his heart but he simply couldn't. His body turned stiff on instinct. He couldn't properly challenge Larry, not with the threat of violence lingering in the air.

While Ben was fighting to overcome his inner turmoil, Larry passed by him without any effort. And then, he shot toward the basket.

"One point!" Vincent announced as he flipped the score.

In this manner, slowly but surely, the enemy was catching up. Before long, the score became 12-6 in the favor of Lars's team. They still had a great lead but it was shrinking by the moment.

"Man, that point difference." Larry made a face. "Like, we scored the same number of goals, right? But, these fuckers got twice our points. That illegal."

"Yeah," Mike agreed. "These 2-pointers are a problem. We let them score too many." [That nerdy bastard probably had this in mind all along.] He glared at Yuel, the perpetrator who suggested using this scoring system.

At first glance, there was no major difference between the 2/3 system and the 1/2 system. In both cases, shooting beyond the three-pointer line gave one extra point.

However, as this game went on, the difference between the two systems became apparent. In the 1/2 system, that one extra point actually DOUBLED the score. That's why, despite both teams scoring 6 goals by now, the score was 6-12, with the enemy holding double the points.

That wouldn't have been the case in the 2/3 system. Mike was no genius in math, but even he knew how to count.

If they played this exact same game with the 2/3 system, the score would've been 12-18. There would have been a gap of only 6 points between them, which they could've easily closed with just 3 more goals.

[That smartypants probably calculated all that shit from the beginning.] Mike scoffed. [He knew Lars is a freakin' sniper who can shoot three-pointers from anywhere. I totally fell for that shit.]

Was it too late to request a change of rules at this point? Unfortunately, yes, it was. If Mike requests such a thing at this point in the game, it'll make him look like a loser who wasn't confident about winning on his own turf.

His policy was to use every dirty trick in the book in order to gain the upper hand, but not when it tarnished his image. And, unfortunately, requesting a change to the scoring system will definitely make him look bad.

[We just gotta suck it up and keep playing.] Mike concluded. [As long as we keep double marking Lars, he won't get many chances to shoot. We'll catch up in no time.]

While Mike's camp was gradually gaining confidence and momentum, the enemy team was getting flustered over the recent developments.

"Unfortunately," Yuel said. "We'll have to stop relying only on 2-pointers. You need to start mixing them up."

"Gotcha!" Lars flashed his teeth. He had a bunch of other cool tricks so he was fine with that.

[This is the critical phase of the game.] Yuel inhaled and exhaled deeply, trying to stabilize his ragged breathing. [The enemy figured how to shut down our strongest weapon. From here on out, it's going to be a real struggle. I hope an advantage of six goals will be enough to carry us.]

A new round began. Yuel's team started on the offensive, with Ben handling the ball under the basket.

[He's the only one who can handle the opening.] Yuel smiled wryly. It should've been him instead, but he couldn't possibly pull it off. His passing skills weren't good enough to open an attack. The ball always strayed too far from the intended target and it was anybody's guess who'll get it.

On the other hand, Ben's passes were decent. They didn't rival James's clean passes, but they often got the job done.

[Okay.] Yuel effortlessly received Ben's pass beyond the three-pointer line. The team's offense now became legal. They could aim for the goal!

But, who was going to score? Not Yuel, that's for sure. In the first place, the only reason he received this pass so easily was because nobody was marking him.

The enemy team deemed Yuel powerless. As long as he couldn't get the ball inside the basket, he didn't pose a real threat even with the ball in hand.

[That's fine with me.] Yuel thought. [Keep underestimating me all you want. It makes my life easier.]

He examined his options. Mike and James were tightly marking Lars, while Larry covered Ben. There weren't any easy targets to pass to, especially not with Yuel's poor passing ability.

If he had even 10% of James's passing skills, Yuel might've been able to safely deliver the ball to one of his teammates right now. Alas, that was but a pipe dream. He couldn't get the ball to anybody right now.

But, he was used to situations like that by now. That's how things always played out for him, no matter what sport he played. Always underestimated, always disregarded. Both by enemies and teammates alike

But, that was no reason to lose spirit. He just had to be sneakier with his conduct and rely on unconventional tactics.

"Lars! Back!" Yuel called out as he threw the ball to the far back, toward the center of the court.

"Gotcha!" Lars shook off his mark and broke into the lightning speed dash toward the ball.

Mike and James were blocking his front and side, so they weren't prepared for him turning 180 degrees and making a break for it.

"What the-!?" Mike jumped and gave chase. He immediately realized the dangers this play posed.

Normally, passing the ball that far into the back was a dumb move. It set back the team's offense by a lot.

But, what if the team had a professional sniper who could score a goal from anywhere on the court? That flipped the entire situation on its head. All of a sudden, it didn't matter that the ball was far away from the basket. As long as Lars got his hands on it - he'll score!

[No, you don't!] Mike had to prevent that shot, no matter what! He was a little slower than that cheetah ahead of him, but only by a little. [He'll have to slow down to pick the ball. I'll catch up to him then!]

As predicted, Lars had to hit the brakes in order to grab the ball. In addition, it also took him a moment to turn around and take aim at the basket.

In that brief amount of time, Mike caught up to his prey. The bastard was just about to release his shot, but Mike made it in the nick of time!

"No, you don't!" Mike jumped with all his strength to block the shot's path. [You're not shooting any more of these, not under my watch!]

[It's okay.] Lars lowered the ball. [I wasn't going to shoot anyway!] He broke his shooting form and drove the ball past the confused blocker.

"What the-!?" Mike exclaimed. [It was a fake!? Damn!]

Mike jumped real high to block the ball, and the sudden turn of events made him mess up the landing. He strumbled forward after hitting the floor and had to use all his strength to avoid crashing into the floor.

Meanwhile, Lars was getting farther and farther away. It was impossible to catch up to him at this rate.

"Jay!" Mike roared. "You gotta stop him as if your life depends on it!"

"Aye aye, boss!" James planted himself in Lars's way. He had no plans of backing away, even if Lars ends up crashing into him. [I hope he doesn't, tho. It gonna hurt real bad.]

Alas, Lars didn't seem to slow down in the slightest as he was heading in James's direction.

[This dude knows how to block shots.] Lars recalled their past exchanges. [But, he ain't nothing when it comes to stealing the ball in 1v1!]

Trusting that conviction, Lars dashed forward and maneuvered around James, who stood there like a scarecrow with his arms stretched. Maybe dude thought Lars will ram into him or something because he flinched for a moment. That split-second freeze-up decided the outcome of the entire duel.

[D-Damn.] James breathed in relief. [This shit shaved a few years off my life. How can somebody sprint forward like an Olympic champion, but then maneuver around so smoothly? Bitch is crazy.]

James turned around to pursue the attacker but he could tell it was pointless. Lars successfully broke past him and went for the shot.

"One point!" Vincent announced as he flipped the score. It was 13-6.

"Damn, Jay," Mike ranted. "What was that!? Are you trying to become a scarecrow or some shit? Block the guy like you mean it."

"Haha, my bad." James scratched his head apologetically.

"Well, at least it's just one point," Mike said. "C'mon, get the attack started. We gotta take that point back!"

"On it!" James collected the ball underneath the basket. Now, it was his team's offense.

Following Mike's decision, James was responsible for starting the team's offense every time. It only made sense, since James's passes were the best out of three.

[Hehe. I get the easy job.] James snickered. [All I gotta do is pass. From there, my bruddas will handle the rest.]

He passed the ball to Mike outside the three-pointer line. With the offense now turning legal, it was time to score a goal!

But, things were never that easy. The moment Mike grabbed the ball, a wild beast blocked his path.

[Tch, You never rest, do you?] Mike clicked his tongue. Lars was already there, applying pressure.

[I can break through.] Mike was convinced. [But, why take the risk? Let's see if anybody is free.]

Larry was usually the best target for a pass, but Ben was currently doing a decent job marking him. On the other hand, James was practically free since Yuel still hasn't gotten into a position to intercept any pass routes. Therefore, the choice was obvious.

"Jay!" Mike passed the ball back to where it came from.

With how close James was to the basket, even he could score from there. Anybody who attended the basketball club, no matter how lazy they were, had to be able to do at least that much.

But, all of that provided the ball will actually reach him without any accident. And, it just so happened that somebody predicted this pass and stepped in to intercept it!

[I knew it was coming.] Yuel ran forward and stretched his arm. He was slow in marking James on purpose, to lure Mike into throwing this predictable pass. Now, all Yuel had to do was interrupt it and reclaim control of the ball.

"Ah!" Yuel saw the ball flashing right in front of his stretched hand… and then it continued onward, right into James's hands. The interception attempt failed.

"Heh, ez!" James shot the ball as soon as he received it.

"One point!" Vincent announced. 13-7.

"Haa... haa..." Yuel leaned forward to catch his breath. Yet again, he was too late in intercepting the pass. [I baited that pass successfully and I predicted exactly where it was going, but...]

In the end, he failed to reach the ball in time. He was just a centimeter away. His predictions regarding the ball's movements were on point, yet his predictions regarding his body movements were amiss. He didn't move as well as he imagined in his head.

This scenario has been occurring more and more in the recent rounds. Yuel has been failing to intercept passes left and right. He was doing such a great job when the game started, but almost every pass slipped past him.

Why was this happening? The answer was obvious.

[I'm getting fatigued.] Yuel had no choice but to admit that. The game hasn't been going for that long yet, yet his body already started turning to lead. It was so heavy as if he gained twenty kilos during the course of the match.

And, the heavier his body felt, the hazier his thinking became. It was becoming harder and harder to maintain a consistent track of thought and to accurately calculate the enemy's movements.

[I knew it'll happen eventually, but isn't this a little too early?] Yuel bit his lip. [I'm supposed to last longer than this. I exercise every day, so my stamina should be better than this.]

But, apparently, an aerobic exercise like jogging didn't improve his stamina much for anaerobic activities. It's as if the human body had two different types of MP bars, one for casting aerobic skills and one for unleashing anaerobic sorcery. Therefore, even though Yuel increased his Max MP in one area, he remained with a pitifully low Max MP for the other.

[Basketball is such a rough game.] Yuel sighed. Or, at least he thought he did. It was hard to tell with how labored his breathing has become. [There's barely any time to rest in this game. We haven't started that long ago but I'm already spent. I wish we were competing in something else...]

For example, soccer was a game with a much slower pace, mostly aerobic in nature. Players had plenty more time to rest between plays, especially the defenders. In sports like that, Yuel could last for quite a while and make himself useful until the very end.

On the other hand, in basketball, he constantly dashed around while keeping tabs on his mark. The ball moved all over the place and anybody could score a goal at a moment's notice. There was no rest to be had.

[This is the critical moment of the match.]

As time goes on, he'll most certainly become more and more useless for his team. That's usually how things went for him when he tried to participate in team sports back in grade school. Nobody ever wanted Yuel on his team due to how quickly he ran out of steam.

At this point, the match was already a 2v3, [maybe] a 2.5v3 at best. And, things were only going to get worse from here.

[But, I've already signed up for this, so there's no turning back.] Yuel took a deep breath to stabilize himself. He had to keep on going even if his lungs threatened to explode.

[Looks like I can't intercept passes the way I've been doing until now.] Yuel concluded. [And, in general, I feel like I won't be able to pull too many tricks from here forward. I'll have to play by the book.]

The body's fatigue extended all the way to his mind. When the body was tired, so was the brain. It was an unfortunate flaw in the otherwise impressive construct that was the human body.

From here on out, Yuel will have to stick to the basics. He'll closely mark James and will try to make the opponents' lives as difficult as possible. That's all he could do at this point.

The rest was up to Lars. The game will end once the team scores 8 more points. They were already close to the end goal

Therefore, Yuel will just have to keep dragging his body around the court until then. [I wish there was somebody who could sub in for me...]