The two silhouettes approached the court where the rest of the team was gathered. Alongside Kobbie stood a dark-skinned guy, about 6.8 feet tall, wearing an unbuttoned black shirt with white details and oversized shorts from the Los Angeles Lakers. His hair, a bleached buzz cut, matched the color of his shorts. Vinny greeted them right away, walking up to them and first shaking hands with Kobbie in their usual handshake. He then gave a brotherly handshake to Alvaro, as they hadn't seen each other in a while. Their reunion was interrupted by Daniel's silly question.
Daniel: "Hey Alvaro, where were you? Why didn't you let us know when you got back from America? How was it over there, and did you bring us any gifts?"
Meanwhile, Hao was silently wondering where Vinny and Kobbie had found this guy he looked like they recruited him from the nearest police station.
After Vinny, Daniel, and Sam greeted Kobbie and Alvaro, Alvaro looked around and noticed two unfamiliar faces. He asked,
Alvaro: "Wait, who are these two over there? One of them looks like he's six years old, and the other one looks like a strong breeze would break all his bones."
Vinny replied, "The tall one is Hao. He plays Division 1, so don't worry about him. The bigger problem is the little kleptomaniac over there. He's only here because Hao invited him. The kid probably hasn't even left his house in ages, let alone played basketball."
Hao was visibly frustrated by what Vinny said, while Ace, aware of his own mistakes, responded,
Ace: "I'm not on the team anymore; I just came to give Hao the money. I'll leave now, so you don't have to keep hating."
Hao, even more frustrated by Ace's words, finally spoke up.
Hao: "Wait, Ace. Vinny, listen although Ace messed up, he got the money and genuinely regrets what he did. Give him another chance because if you don't, I might have to leave the team too. I see that I don't really fit in here. First of all, one guy looks like you pulled him straight out of the nearest police station, two others (referring to Daniel and Sam, who had lit cigarettes) are smoking, and not to mention you, who only speaks negatively about your own team members."
Vinny was about to say something, but Alvaro cut him off.
Alvaro: "Listen, you weigh like 20 kilos-who gave you the right to talk about my friends like that? I don't care if you or the kid play, because I'm at least 100 times better than both of you. So, how about we play a 2v2? If I win, both of you stay on the team, because we need more players. If I lose, you can do whatever you want."
Hao quickly agreed: "Deal. Come here, Ace, let's figure out our strategy. But first, who's going to be your teammate?"
Alvaro asked Vinny, "Vinny, do you want to play with me?"
Vinny, who had wandered over to Daniel to light a cigarette, just waved his hand, signaling he didn't want to play. Then Alvaro asked Kobbie, who agreed.
When Vinny and Daniel saw that Alvaro and Kobbie were teaming up, they immediately knew how the game would end. Meanwhile, Hao was talking to Ace.
Hao: "Listen, I know you don't have the best technique, but that's okay. Just try to pass me the ball whenever you get it. I'll be standing in the paint. Also, try to make bounce passes instead of passes through the air, because Alvaro is my height, so it'll be hard to get the ball past him. Our best option is to nutmeg them with the pass."
Ace: "I understand, but why are you doing this? You don't have to leave the team because of me."
Hao replied, "It's not just about that. If we continue like this, we won't even make it past the preliminary round because our teamwork is terrible. Just stick to what I told you, and it should work."
With both teams ready, they took to the court. As they did, Alvaro took off his shirt, revealing a physique that was clearly on a different level from the rest like that of a professional athlete. Alvaro spoke up,
Alvaro: "We're playing first to 11 points. Your ball, because I know you won't score a single point."
Hao was taken aback by Alvaro's level of arrogance but just nodded to signal his agreement, and the game began.
Hao stood at the three-point line, guarded by Alvaro, while Kobbie guarded Ace. Hao started dribbling, first trying to move left, but Alvaro was playing tight defense, leaving Hao little room to outmaneuver him. Hao looked around and noticed that Kobbie was chatting with Vinny, not even paying attention to Ace. Hao passed the ball to Ace, and as soon as Ace caught it, Hao sprinted past Alvaro and cut inside. Hao signaled for the ball, and Ace passed it to him. Hao went for a layup, but Alvaro quickly caught up, blocking the shot against the backboard. The force of the block knocked Hao to the ground as he collided with Alvaro in mid-air.
Alvaro looked down at Hao and said, "Weak ass boy, you need to eat more than just salads if you want to play against me. Our ball now, so get up."
Ace helped Hao to his feet, while Alvaro tossed the ball to Kobbie and told him to run their usual play.
Hao told Ace: "I'll guard Alvaro. Just try to steal the ball from Kobbie."
Kobbie stood at the three-point line, started dribbling between his legs twice, and on the third move, he did between the legs again but he pushed the ball behind his back with his left hand to the right side (Kobbie use Curry Slide to pass his opponent), causing Ace to stumble. Kobbie then slid left, leaving Ace behind, and threw the ball above the rim. Suddenly, Alvaro appeared out of nowhere, catching the alley-oop. Hao tried to block him, but all he got was a front-row seat to being posterized by Alvaro.