CHAPTER 227: CHAPTER 214: VORPAL VS PIEDMONT (4)

Three Vorpal players Josh, Aiden, and Ryan suddenly clustered on the left wing, practically shoulder to shoulder. It looked awkward, almost wrong, like a broken formation. Piedmont’s defenders frowned, exchanging quick glances.

"Bunch set? They tryna screen?" Tank muttered, shifting left with them.

Brick lumbered to seal the paint on that side, while Malik shaded closer, sniffing for a steal.

That was the bait.

Ethan calmly dribbled to the right, away from the chaos.

Lucas’s eyes widened. "Wait... this spacing... oh. He’s pulling a weak-side cut. Just like those old Spurs overloads. Clever, Ethan."

Ethan’s eyes flicked once, twice, toward the jammed left side. Then his wrist snapped, threading the ball through a needle-thin lane toward the baseline.

Josh caught it, eyes going wide. Wide open. A loophole in the wall.

"GO!" Ethan barked.

Josh exploded baseline. Brandon cut hard from the dunker’s spot. The lob floated high over Tank’s desperate reach, Brandon soared and hammered down a thunderous two-hand slam.

Vorpal 35 – Piedmont 37.

The Vorpal bench erupted, stomping the floor. Ryan slapped the scorer’s table so hard it rattled. "Let’s gooo! Loop de Hole, baby!"

Even Coach Fred arched a brow, adjusting his glasses. "He really invented this on instinct? That’s not rookie-level vision..."

....

Next Possession: Piedmont Ball

But Piedmont didn’t flinch. Not once. Tank brought it up, pounding the ball deliberately, shoulders squared.

"Let’s see if you can keep up, flashy boy," Tank thought, lips twitching. "We’re not here to dance—we’re here to suffocate."

The Spartans bled the clock. Malik curled baseline, caught Tank’s feed, and floated one high off the glass.

Vorpal 35 – Piedmont 39.

Their bench clapped in unison again, voices booming: "SPARTANS! SPARTANS!"

Vorpal’s Turn

Ethan wasted no time. He raised his fist, tapped his wrist. Loop de Hole, round two.

Josh grinned, licking his lips. "Round two?"

"Round two," Ethan confirmed.

Again, the cluster dragged three defenders. Malik shaded hard. Brick sealed the paint.

But Ethan wasn’t repeating himself. This time, he faked the baseline pass—then slipped a bounce through the middle of the traffic.

Aiden burst free, slicing down the lane. One step, one layup, clean.

Vorpal 37 – Piedmont 39.

Lucas jogged back with a crooked smile. "You really dreamed this up?"

Ethan winked. "Lucid dream. Best training gym no one talks about."

Lucas shook his head, laughing. "Man’s insane. I like it."

...

Possession by Possession

Piedmont: Malik slows the pace, drops it to Brick. Brick bodies Ryan down, soft hook drops.

Score: 37–41.

Vorpal: Loop de Hole again—Piedmont anticipates, overloading early. Ethan grins, whips a cross-court skip to Josh. Wide open. Three ball. Swish.

Score: 40–41.

Piedmont: Tank and Malik run pick-and-roll. Malik absorbs contact, finishes tough.

Score: 40–43.

Vorpal: Lucas mimics the same grind set, but mid-drive pivots into a fading jumper. Clean as silk.

Score: 42–43.

The gym was alive now, chants and screams colliding like thunder. Every possession tugged the rope tighter.

Meanwhile Bench Reactions

Ryan was screaming himself hoarse. "That’s it! They can’t guard it forever!"

Josh puffed his cheeks, panting. "Bro, do we always gotta bunch up like sardines?"

Aiden slapped his shoulder. "Shut up. It’s working."

Coach Fred leaned forward, voice low. "Interesting... Ethan’s not just reacting—he’s creating. That play... if refined, it could shred greedy defenses."

On the other bench, Coach Ron’s eyes narrowed like blades. "Hmph. Not bad, Vorpal. But how long can you sustain it? Grind beats flash in the long game. By the fourth, their lungs will betray them."

He tapped his clipboard sharply. "Alright boys—next possession, switch early. Don’t bite the bait."

Tank nodded, sweat dripping down his chin. "Got it, Coach. Time to slam the loophole shut."

Score: Vorpal 42 – Piedmont 43.

Ethan dribbled up again, sneakers squealing against the varnished floor. The gym hummed with noise chants, stomps, the echo of Piedmont’s relentless rhythm. Every step felt like chains dragging against the hardwood, each shuffle of the Spartans a reminder: they weren’t here to outrun anyone. They were here to strangle.

The Spartans spread wide, their bodies forming a living wall. Tank’s arms stretched like steel beams, Brick patrolled the paint like a fortress, and Darius crouched low, his grin as steady as his nickname.

Ethan’s jaw tightened, his chest rising and falling.

"They’re catching on. Good. That means it’s time to layer it... not just a loophole—time for a trapdoor."

His grin crept upward, subtle and dangerous, as he raised his fist once more.

The bench leaned forward, recognizing the signal.

Josh licked his lips. "Loop de Hole again?"

Lucas narrowed his eyes. "No... look at his face. This ain’t the same."

The Trapdoor

The cluster began again on the left—Josh, Aiden, Ryan bunching tight, defenders immediately collapsing, not fooled this time. Malik barked out, "Don’t chase the bait! Hold the ground!"

But Ethan wasn’t aiming for the weak side anymore. He dribbled twice, then suddenly snapped the ball backward between his legs. Lucas cut hard from the weak wing—not toward the baseline, but curling back into the middle.

The Spartans turned their heads—just a fraction late.

Bounce. Catch. Pull-up midrange.

Lucas rose, hung, and splashed it.

Vorpal 44 – Piedmont 43.

The Vorpal bench erupted, fists hammering the scorer’s table. Brandon pumped both arms, roaring, while Ryan shouted, "TRAPDOOR! TRAPDOOR, BABY!"

Coach Fred’s lips twitched into a rare smile. "He layered the decoy. Good... damn good."

But on the opposite sideline, Coach Ron slammed his clipboard against his thigh. "So that’s your wrinkle? Clever, but predictable once shown twice. Darius—snuff it out next trip."

Darius only nodded, eyes never leaving Ethan.

On the other end, the Spartans refused to panic. Their possessions were deliberate stabs slow, methodical. Darius dribbled, ten seconds... fifteen seconds... twenty. The crowd grew restless, but Piedmont’s bench clapped in rhythm, feeding the crawl.

Finally, Darius found his seam. He split Evan’s defense with a calm drive, then kicked it to Tank, who bullied his way inside. One bump. Two. Layup off glass.

Piedmont 45 – Vorpal 44.

The Spartans roared approval, chanting "CHAIN ’EM! CHAIN ’EM!"

Ethan’s turn. He signaled again. This time, the Spartans were ready. They over-rotated, preemptively cutting off the bunch. Malik jumped passing lanes, Tank sealed the rim.

Darius smirked. "I told you."

But Ethan’s eyes burned hotter. He shifted gears mid-dribble, slinging a no-look skip pass across the court.

Josh caught it clean. Wide open.

Three. Splash.

Vorpal 47 – Piedmont 45.

The crowd gasped, then roared in unison. The game had become a tug-of-war, momentum yanked back and forth like rope in a storm.

The Exchange

Piedmont: Tyler Brooks backed Lucas down, spun, faded—perfect swish.

47 – 47.

Vorpal: Ethan weaved through the defense, pulled Tank off balance, lobbed to Brandon. Two-hand dunk shook the rim.

49 – 47.

Piedmont: Brick demanded the ball, muscled Ryan into the paint, hook shot kissing glass.

49 – 49.

Vorpal: Lucas slashed baseline this time off the Trapdoor fake, reverse layup dropping smooth.

51 – 49.

The gym exploded. Fans stomped until the bleachers rattled.

Both benches were on their feet, veins bulging, voices hoarse. The noise was relentless—chants of "PIEDMONT! PIEDMONT!" colliding with "LET’S GO VORPAL!" until the gym rattled like a storm cage.

Coach Fred’s eyes gleamed behind his glasses. "He’s improvising... weaving dream and reality into one. If the kid keeps this up..."

Coach Ron’s jaw tightened. "He won’t last. Not at this pace. Their legs will give before the quarter ends."

Ethan wiped sweat from his brow, chest heaving. His teammates looked to him, eyes hungry, desperate.

His gaze never wavered.

"Trapdoor’s open. We keep stepping through until it breaks."

Darius crouched opposite, steady as ever, his grin sharp.

"Let’s see if you can breathe, rookie. Third quarter’s just the beginning."

The ball was inbounded again. The war of minds raged on.

Score: Vorpal 51 – Piedmont 49. Four minutes left in the third.

To be continue