Extra Basket-Chapter 198 - 185: Forest vs Vorpal (10)

Vorpal 43 – Forest 35

2nd Quarter | 4:19 Remaining

Louie clapped his hands. Once. Twice. Thrice.

Each one echoed like a match striking.

"They think they caught up?"

He bounced the ball once.

"Nah. They just knocked."

Golden-brown eyes focused.

No grin now just fire.

Kai Mendoza leaned in beside him, sweat dripping down his chin.

"You sure you don’t wanna, like... breathe for a sec?"

𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Louie smirked.

"You ever see me breathe on the street?"

Jeremy Park let out a whistle.

"Here we go..."

Coonie Smith rolled his shoulders with a crack.

Aiden White flexed and pointed to the rim like it owed him money.

"Let’s push pace. Run ’til their lungs bleed."

Louie nodded once.

"Fast. Free. Forget the rules. This ain’t their forest anymore—

It’s our jungle."

...

Inbounded to Louie

Louie walked the ball up slowly... baiting.

Forest’s defense reset Elijah watching from the weak side.

Then

BOOM. EXPLOSION.

Crossover left tight, quick.

Behind-the-back flick barely a whisper of motion.

Kai Mendoza trailed hard on Louie’s left hip already anticipating.

Louie stepped into the elbow. Drew help.

No hesitation he dumped it off to Kai on the move.

Bullet pass. Perfect angle.

Kai caught it in stride gathered. Rose.

Forest’s rim protector launched.

BUT—

Fake. Mid-air pivot.

Kai twisted his core used the hang time.

Outlet pass, one-handed slingshot to the corner—

Jeremy Park, feet already set.

Forest’s closeout was a full second too late.

Jeremy: "You gave me too much space."

Pull-up three. No dribble.

Pure.

Splash.

43 – 35.

The bench unit jogged back with grins and chest taps.

Coonie slapped Louie’s back.

Aiden gave Kai a nod.

But Louie?

He just stared at Elijah Rainn downcourt.

Still calm. Still unreadable.

(You slow the fire down... but you don’t stop it.)

But no time to celebrate.

Forest didn’t hesitate.

Mason hugged the sideline, sprinting full-speed with the ball cradled like a sprinter’s baton.

One hard dribble, then a skipped push pass across the court to Elijah angled chest level, tight spin on the ball to prevent a tip.

But Louie was already there.

He didn’t reach.

Didn’t flinch.

Didn’t bite.

He simply stood in Elijah’s path, feet shoulder-width, knees bent, eyes locked—reading.

(You want rhythm?

I’ll break your rhythm.)

Elijah tried to lull him shoulder dip, head fake, a quick in-and-out dribble

Louie didn’t fall for any of it.

He mirrored.

Precise defensive slides, no wasted motion. His hips stayed low, his arms wide, shadowing

Elijah like he’d rehearsed this one-on-one a hundred times in a dream.

No edge.

Elijah peeled off reluctant swung it to Jasper flashing to the high post.

Coonie Smith rotated up instantly hard bump on the catch.

"No easy middies," he growled, chest-to-chest.

Jasper tried to pivot left, then right nothing.

Shot clock winding down.

He settled for a leaning fade from the elbow.

Clang!

Back iron.

Rebound Aiden White!

Snatched it clean with two hands and landed firm.

But by the time his sneakers hit hardwood

Louie was already gone.

Streaking up the sideline like a ghost in transition.

Aiden didn’t hesitate.

Overhand bullet pass, tight spiral, perfect trajectory thrown like a quarterback dropping a dime.

Louie caught it mid-stride just outside the arc

No gather.

No slow-down.

Behind-the-back wrap dribble to split the angle of the closing defenders

Right foot plants.

Left foot crosses.

One controlled bounce.

Both defenders crash toward him one high, one undercutting.

Louie contorts mid-air

Reverse layup, high off-glass, under the outstretched arm—

SWISH.

45 – 35.

The Vorpal bench exploded.

Kai roared from the sideline, towel spinning.

Jeremy screamed, "AYOO—LOUIE!"

Coonie fist-pumped and flexed.

And in the background

Evan stood tall, fists clenched.

Brandon let out a long whistle through his teeth.

And Lucas?

He just leaned forward, elbows on knees, calm in the chaos.

A small smile tugged his lips.

Meanwhile Forest’s bench was tight again water bottles clutched, towels clenched, legs bouncing nervously. Their assistant coach signaled for a timeout, tension rising like heat from asphalt.

But Elijah lifted a hand calm, controlled.

"No."

"Not yet."

He didn’t even look at his coach.

Just raised his eyes to the scoreboard.

(Ten points down. Plenty of time.)

Then he turned his gaze toward center court and there Louie stood.

Hands spread wide.

Feet set like a street brawler.

Chest rising with sweat-soaked confidence.

"C’MON!" Louie roared, voice cutting through the arena like a lightning bolt.

"YOU CAME TO PLAY, DIDN’T YOU?!"

The crowd stirred confused and electrified.

Even some Forest fans couldn’t help but murmur.

Elijah stared at him.

No blink. No smirk. Just studying.

(He’s unpredictable.)

Louie was swaying side to side, loose, springy — like he was back in the streets, not a national-level youth court.

(He’s not just fire... he’s wild fire.)

(But... that means he burns fast.)

Elijah’s jaw tightened.

(So I’ll let him burn himself out.)

(I just have to outlast him.)

He signaled the inbounds.

Forest Ball.

Jasper inbounded to Elijah, who caught it in motion and started walking it up — deliberately

slower this time. Calculated pace.

The others spread the floor, 4-out 1-in.

But something was different now.

The crowd had tilted.

Not in volume in energy.

Vorpal’s rhythm had taken root. And Louie stood at the very center of it.

Elijah nodded to Mason a quick darting signal.

Let’s test it. Let’s see how deep his lungs really go.

Forest initiated a stagger screen on the wing.

Jasper screened Louie hard.

Mason curled behind and received the pass off a pin-down

Coonie switched! Louie recovered late

Mason elevated for a quick three

Too fast?

CLANK!

Back iron.

Rebound ricocheted off grabbed by Jeremy!

Forest scrambled to reset but Vorpal was already gone.

Jeremy flicked it ahead

Louie caught it mid-stride at half-court

He didn’t hesitate.

Hesi. Between. Hesi again. Behind the back.

Kai flared out left, Aiden sprinting baseline right.

Two Forest defenders converged

Louie dipped the shoulder

Slipped between the gap like a thread through a needle

Hung in the air

SWITCH-HAND LAYUP, MID-AIR, THROUGH CONTACT.

AND-ONE!

Whistle blew.

The ball kissed glass and dropped through.

47 – 35.

The gym exploded.

Vorpal’s bench stood as one even Evan couldn’t stop himself from pounding his chest once.

Brandon shouted from the sideline, voice hoarse:

"RUN THAT BACK, LOUUUUUEEE!!"

Lucas Graves leaned forward in his seat, elbows on knees, a half-smile playing across his face.

"Told you," he murmured.

"He’s fire. But he’s learning to breathe."

On the other side, Elijah caught the ball for the inbounds.

Face unreadable.

He handed it off, dusted his palms on his shorts.

Took a breath.

(Okay, Louie...)

(Let’s see how long you last in the fire you lit.)

Timeout still untouched.

Forest would play this out.

Calculated?

Maybe.

But as the ball came back in...

And Louie turned his back to the basket, stalking Elijah like prey...

You had to wonder—

Were they still playing basketball?

Or had they stepped into a jungle?

To be continue