CHAPTER 215: CHAPTER 202: ETHAN’S BACK TO THE GAME

August 23, 2010 – Graves Residence Indoor Gym

The air inside the gym was cool, the polished wooden floor gleaming beneath the soft glow of overhead lights. Sunlight streamed through the large high windows, casting long shadows of the basketball hoop onto the floor. The familiar squeak of sneakers echoed as Team Vorpal Basket warmed up stretching, passing, shooting. The ball bounced rhythmically, a heartbeat returning to its rhythm after a pause.

Ayumi Brooke, the ever-reliable manager of Vorpal Basket and Lucas’ childhood friend, stood at the side, clipboard in hand, ponytail swaying with every note she took. Her eyes weren’t just watching the players—they were tracking Ethan in particular.

At the center of the gym stood Ethan Albarado, his eyes fixed on the rim, spinning a ball on his finger like muscle memory had never left. He wore his black and red training jersey again, the same one he hadn’t worn in over a week—yet it felt like forever.

He exhaled slowly.

"It’s been a long time since I played."

The weight of those words carried more than just time. It carried hospital walls, pain, uncertainty, and a moment where he almost didn’t wake up again.

From behind him, Lucas Graves dribbled the ball before tossing it to Ethan with a smirk.

"Well, you’re rusty now."

There was no malice in his voice just the same friendly jab he always threw when they trained together.

Ethan caught the ball with one hand and turned, eyebrow raised.

"Hey, I’m not. It’s just been a week."

Lucas shrugged as he leaned on his knee.

"Well... can’t argue with that either."

Then he chuckled, eyes softening.

Ayumi scribbled something on her clipboard and spoke without looking up, her voice clear.

"He’s 98% ready. The other 2%? Emotion."

Ethan’s hand paused. He looked at his palm.

The same hand that once trembled under the hospital sheets.

"I’m here now," he muttered under his breath. "And I’m not leaving again."

He dribbled once, twice, then sprinted to the three-point line and pulled up—

Swish.

The sound echoed like thunder in the quiet gym. Everyone stopped for a moment.

Ryan Taylor whistled.

"Guess the rust came off quicker than expected."

Josh Turner muttered,

"He’s still got it."

Ayumi finally looked up and smiled.

"Welcome back, Ethan."

And for the first time in a long time, Ethan smiled back—not out of politeness, but out of purpose.

Ethan’s thoughts:

"(This isn’t just recovery. This is the beginning. I’ve seen what’s coming... and I’ll be ready.)"

Then from the side, Louie clapped his hands and stepped forward, his grin wide and full of energy.

"That’s right... Ethan... leader, what’s the next training?"

He spun a ball on his finger, eyebrows raised with mock challenge.

"We’re not just here to stretch, right?"

Ryan Taylor, stretching out his arms with a groan, added under his breath,

"Oh... I need this..."

His voice had that tired-but-excited tone—like a soldier returning to the battlefield after too long.

Ethan turned to the team, scanning each of their faces—Lucas, Louie, Ryan, Aiden,

Josh, Evan, Brandon. Each of them stood waiting, ready.

The air was tense but eager. The gym felt alive now.

Ethan raised the ball, his eyes sharp.

"We’re starting with full-court endurance drills. After that—transition plays. Let’s move like we mean it."

Lucas smirked.

"Now that’s more like it."

Brandon cracked his neck.

"Let’s go, Vorpal."

They all got into position.

No more waiting.

No more silence.

Just the sound of basketballs hitting hardwood, sneakers screeching, and a heartbeat

returning to the game.

Vorpal Basket was back.

And so was Ethan.

..

Meanwhile, as the training pushed on—

Sweat dripped, sneakers squeaked, and the gym pulsed with the rhythm of basketballs hitting the court.

Off to the side, Coonie Smith, a lanky bench player with a towel draped around his neck, slumped against the wall.

"Shit... so tiring," he muttered between deep breaths, his chest rising and falling like he’d just run a marathon.

Beside him, Kai Mendoza wasn’t talking—just staring.

His eyes locked on Ethan, who was at the free-throw line, still practicing form shots while the others rested.

Ethan’s posture was focused, sharp.

No trace of fatigue in his movement, just steady control.

Kai whispered,

"He’s really something else... to think this is the guy who got shot in the head."

There was awe in his voice. Not disbelief, but respect. The kind that didn’t need exaggeration, it just was.

Jeremy Park, holding his knees and catching his breath, looked up and let out a half-laugh, half-groan.

"Come on... Ethan still didn’t give up."

He shook his head.

"And here I am dying from drills."

They all turned for a second watching Ethan drive again toward the basket in a solo drill, fast, precise, relentless.

The gym lights reflected off his skin, his movement fluid, controlled, determined.

He wasn’t just back. He was reborn.

And the bench knew it too.

Even if they didn’t say it out loud, a quiet realization passed through them:

This wasn’t the same Ethan from before.

He had come back different.

Stronger.

Hungrier.

Like a storm waiting to break loose

..

Ethan’s POV

As I stood there, the sound of sneakers thudding and the rhythmic bounce of the ball filled the gym like a heartbeat.

I looked at everyone—sweating, pushing, growing.

They’ve really improved while I was gone.

But so have I.

My gaze dropped to my hand.

I clenched it slowly... feeling the power, the control, the precision.

That lucid training...

"To me.... It wasn’t just a dream. It was preparation."

Now I’m ready.

Ready to face those monsters the ones who play like titans, who treat the court like their kingdom.

But then...

My eyes shifted first to Lucas Graves, tightening his shooting form in the corner with cold efficiency.

To Evan Cooper, directing plays with a vision sharper than ever.

To Louie, whose energy had become more focused, refined.

And then Brandon, holding down the paint like a wall.

Yeah... they might be the only ones who can go toe-to-toe with those monsters.

But the others?

Coonie... Kai... Jeremy... Ryan... Josh...

They’re not there yet.

They’ll be crushed if we leave them behind.

This isn’t just about the stars.

It’s about the whole team rising together.

"I need to train them too," I muttered under my breath.

"Push them to the edge—make them strong enough to stand on the same court as those prodigies... those geniuses."

I stood still, mind racing faster than any drill we’d run.

A new strategy.

Something that doesn’t just rely on raw talent or stats.

Something... unstoppable.

I looked up at the scoreboard.

Blank.

"Not for long," I whispered.

A new Chapter was coming.

And this time... we’d all be ready.

Meanwhile... Chicago Raptors Training Facility

The gym buzzed with tension.

Sneakers squeaked across the polished wood. Sweat hit the floor like a countdown.

And at the center of it Jalen "Flash" Carter, Point Guard, #2.

Age: 15

Height: 6’2"

Style: Lightning quick. The playmaker. The firestarter.

He dribbled low and fast, the ball a blur beneath his hand, his body barely containing the built-up energy.

Eyes sharp, locked on an invisible defender.

As if he could already see the court of the future.

"(I can’t wait for the game,)" he thought, heart pounding with anticipation.

"(I’ve been waiting for this....)"

Then, as if on cue, he turned his gaze sweeping across his squad.

The Starting Five – Chicago Raptors

Tyrese Lang – Shooting Guard (#3) "The Ghost Shooter"

Age: 16 | Height: 6’1"

Moves like fog. Disappears on screens, reappears behind the arc.

A machine from deep.

Can drop 10 points before you even realize he’s open.

He stood at the corner, casually draining threes without a word.

Malik Ryker – Small Forward (#9) "The Lock"

Age: 16 | Height: 5’10"

Tense. Focused.

A walking full-court press with a steel-core vertical.

Can lock your best player down, then beat you in transition.

He clapped his hands once.

"You better not show weakness," he growled, glaring at a scout team member.

Zion Vale – Power Forward (#8) "The Chessboard"

Age: 15 | Height: 5’11"

Nothing escaped his mind. Every screen, every mismatch, every shift in momentum—he saw it all like a grandmaster.

His movements were never random. They were calculated. And cruel.

He studied the court like a map.

"Switch on second pick. Weak side collapse. We’ll trap them before they even cross half."

Just another strategy in the arsenal.

Kobe "Tower" Morales – Center (#11) "Twin Pillar"

Age: 16 | Height: 6’4"

A glacier in the paint. Silent. Unbothered.

His eyes, half-lidded and cold.

But once he moved there was no stopping the break, no surviving the block.

He dunked without expression.

Turned. Walked away.

Jalen grinned to himself.

"We’re not just the best in Chicago... we’re the ones coming for the world."

He snapped a no-look pass across the gym Tyrese caught it and hit another three.

The sound of the swish echoed.

"We’re not coming to play fair. We’re coming to end the game."

Chicago Raptors were locked in.

And the storm was headed east.

To be continue