Is he... attempting a dunk?
Everyone watching Zack's move was stunned.
"Hmph, let me show you what real skill looks like!"
Zack roared midair, forcefully slamming the basketball toward the hoop within reach. He could already imagine Evan's face contorted in humiliation when the dunk landed. A smug grin spread across his face at the thought.
A slam dunk—especially during a one-on-one—was an absolute blow to one's morale!
Just as the ball was about to connect with the rim, Evan suddenly appeared behind Zack. Springing into the air, Evan moved faster and jumped higher.
His movements were seamless, fluid, and swift, as if choreographed perfectly.
Bang!
The basketball, only inches from the rim, was abruptly blocked by a powerful force. Zack's expression instantly shifted.
The ball flew out of his hand, hit the backboard, and rebounded with tremendous speed. The ricochet sent the ball straight into Zack's face with uncanny precision.
Smack!
The crisp sound echoed through the court. To someone who wasn't paying attention, it might have sounded like a slap.
Zack, losing his balance midair, crashed to the ground in a daze.
The onlookers from Class 2 stared, mouths agape, at the unexpected turn of events.
"Blocked... then kissed by the ball?"
"No way!"
"Whoa, Evan is incredible!"
Romy Luo and Colette Su covered their mouths in shock, their wide eyes glued to Evan, who stood calmly by the hoop.
"That's amazing! No, absolutely mind-blowing!"
"How is this even possible?"
Hearing her friends gush, Nia tilted her head in confusion and muttered, "Is that even allowed?"
Romy: "..."
Colette: "..."
Allowed?!
Nia's logic was... unique.
Romy sighed, patting Colette's shoulder. "My bad, I didn't train her properly."
Colette shook her head solemnly. "No, I'm partly to blame too."
Nia's cheeks flushed. She wasn't clueless; it was obvious her friends were teasing her. She likely said something wrong again...
It wasn't entirely her fault, though. Growing up, her world revolved around studying, with her only recreational activity being weekend visits to the library. Today was her first time watching basketball, so she had zero understanding of its rules.
Pure novice. Confirmed.
At the hoop, Evan brushed the dust off his hands. "Nice idea, but you fell short."
"You..."
Though Evan's tone was calm, it stung Zack like mockery.
Realizing what had just happened and hearing Evan's dismissive words, Zack was fuming. He felt like strangling someone.
"This is just a casual game; there's no need to get so worked up," Evan said, picking up the basketball from the ground and walking toward the three-point line. "Three more shots, and you'll lose."
"Hmph!"
Zack got up, his face dark with anger. The pain in his rear made him wince, sucking in a sharp breath.
As the captain of the school's basketball team and one of Wellington Academy's most admired figures, Zack had never been so humiliated.
And worse, this wasn't a private match. All of Class 2 was watching. If he lost to the new guy, the story would spread across the school in no time. His reputation would be in shambles!
He couldn't afford to lose. Not today. Not ever.
Evan, holding the ball in one hand, stood at the three-point line and faced Zack. "Ready? I'm starting now."
Without waiting for a response, he dribbled straight toward Zack, ignoring his defense entirely.
The audacity made the onlookers gasp.
"Is he crazy?"
"Wow, this guy has guts!"
"Too cool!"
Zack planted his left foot firmly, blocking Evan's path. He interpreted Evan's boldness as sheer mockery.
Does he think I'm invisible?!
Both moved at lightning speed, neither showing signs of slowing down. They were on the verge of colliding.
Some girls on the sidelines covered their eyes, unable to watch.
At the last second, Evan sidestepped to the left and spun 360 degrees, attempting a breakthrough.
"Not so fast!" Zack shouted, stepping out to block him. His face was now grim, devoid of any trace of arrogance.
Evan's precise shooting and smooth dribbling marked him as a skilled player, and Zack was already at a disadvantage. Down by two points, letting Evan score again would make it nearly impossible to catch up.
But just as Zack anticipated Evan's leftward drive, Evan suddenly halted and switched to the right.
The move was so fast and smooth it left no room for reaction.
Zack's expression shifted dramatically. Instinctively, he stepped right with his trailing foot, but his left foot had only just landed, and his body's momentum was still carrying him.
Rip!
A distinct tearing sound echoed.
Zack's face turned pale as waves of pain shot through his body.
Losing his balance, he collapsed onto the ground, clutching his hands to the floor in agony.
Evan paused, looking at Zack curiously. "Hey, I didn't touch you. Everyone here saw it. No playing victim!"
Zack: "..."
Victim?!
You wish!
...Ow.
"I... I'm just not feeling well," Zack stammered, his voice strained. "Let's call it a day and finish this another time."
Then, he called out to one of his teammates on the sidelines. "Qinglin, help me to the nurse's office. My... my leg injury is acting up."
Qinglin and another student rushed over, helping Zack off the court.
Evan watched him leave, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
A leg injury? That's odd... why clutch your groin? Could it be… an injury of a more delicate nature?
Shaking his head at the thought, Evan walked back to midfield and handed the ball to Nia.
"Your turn."
Nia stared at him, dumbfounded. "Evan, what happened to Zack?"
The moment she asked, she regretted it. Zack had loudly declared his leg injury—she'd heard it too. Why ask the obvious?
"So silly…"
"He?" Evan smirked. "He's hurt, though I'm not sure exactly where."
"Oh."
Nia nodded, her head dipping low again.
Romy's eyes sparkled with admiration. "Evan, you're amazing!"
Colette nodded in agreement, her tone tinged with something unusual. "Your basketball skills are incredible. Even if Zack wasn't hurt, I doubt he could beat you."
"Just decent. Nothing special." Evan's response was modest.
He turned to Nia, who was still looking down, and waved his hand in front of her face. "Hey, Nia, keep playing. I'm taking a break."
Blushing furiously, Nia whispered, "Evan, just call me Nia..."
"Pfft!"
Romy and Colette burst out laughing.
Romy even leaned on Nia for support, gasping, "Nia, he's gone already!"
"Huh?"
Nia looked up, realizing Evan was nowhere in sight. Her face turned a deeper shade of red, resembling a ripe apple.
Seeing Romy's teasing smirk, Nia threatened, "Romy, keep this up, and I won't let you copy my homework anymore!"
"Fine, fine, I was wrong." Romy instantly put on a serious face, draping an arm around Nia. "But come on, who else would you let copy it?"
Colette: "..."
Discussing homework cheating in front of the class monitor? Bold. Very bold.
The spectators gradually dispersed, though a few boys lingered, reliving the action.
"What really happened to Zack?"
"No clue. Maybe he faked it to avoid losing."
"Doubt it. His expression looked real. Maybe his leg injury really flared up."
"Flared up? My foot!" One of the boys who'd been silent spoke up. "I saw it clearly. Zack didn't injure his leg."
"Then what was it?"
The boy smirked. "Didn't you hear that rip? And notice how he was walking?"
"Yeah?"
"It wasn't his leg. He... tore something else."