Sorry for the huge gap between chapters. So I hope this chapter makes up for it.
Chapter 9
The entire club was accumulated around the center court. It was the first of the numerous challenges that were to come over the duration of the camp. To the entire club the first one was like a flare for the ones to come. To elevate matters, the first showdown was between the ace of the second years Jaque and the ace of the main team and first years, namely me Raiju Knight.
Jaque was already waiting on the court. His face made it very clear that he had no respect for me. He spoke with a jeer on his face," So you decide to grace us with your presence, huh, Knight." I let the insult pass. For I had decided to give all my answers to him over the course of the game. Coach entered the court at the same time I did. He spoke with a crisp, clear voice that could be heard by anyone in the gymnasium." Alright boys. I want a clean and fair game. No fouls, especially you Jaque. The game will be a fifteen minutes one-on -one. Points system of a game applies. Jaque, you get first offence, Knight you will start with defense.The one who shoots loses the ball. Am I clear?" I nodded in acknowledgement, and so did my opponent. I wasn't very happy with not getting the first offence but I didn't let it show. I wasn't going to give an inch of satisfaction to my opponent. Coach blew the whistle, and the game began. Jaque turned out to be quite the technical player. His dribbling was pretty good and he kept to a very slow pace. Almost like a fox hiding in his den waiting to strike. I must say he was really good. But in the end that's all he was. While i couldn't steel the ball I didn't let him get past me. No matter what he tried I wasn't going to let him get under the basket. For almost five minutes this stalemate continued. I know it sounds pretty tame, but it wasn't. rather than two beasts trying to beat each other, it was more like a game of chess. He would try and get past me and I would block him the best I could. Both of us were losing our patience but the one to break was him. he tried to force he through and took a hasty shot. This shot marked the end of the stalemate. Since the shot was a hasty one, it rebounded off the rim of the basket. I got the ball. I did what came to me naturally I took a shot. Which went in. The ball went back to my opponent, but by this time he had no chance. I knew his rhythm. It was simple enough. The next exchange was very short. Every exchange between us kept getting shorter for he had no other strategy other than this one. I didn't start with ball possession even once for I stole the ball from my opponent every time and scored points. His eyes no longer had the arrogant and haughty expression it had. His eyes only had desperation written on them now. At the end of 15 minutes he was still scoreless while I was ahead by 18 points. Coach blew the whistle marking the end of the game, but no one cheered. No one had heart to tell the loser that it was a good game. I didn't hold back, not one bit. Some might say that I was cruel but this was something I had to do. It was the quickest way to establish my role as the ace of the Empire. It was a message to anyone who wanted my seat, the jersey number 6. This position is not up for grabs. I walked back to my teammates, they were the only ones smiling in the crowd. King was sitting towel over his head as he prepared for his game. I patted him on his shoulder and said," The opening statement has been made captain. I think it's time the King showed his prowess to the rest of the Empire." he stood up. He was ready his eyes said it all. On the opposite side of the court his opponent, Kaiser stood up as well. As they both walked down to center stage, it truly looked like a showdown between kings. A question popped in my mind,"Who is going to win,........, The chosen King or the Usurper?"
END
Chapter 9
The entire club was accumulated around the center court. It was the first of the numerous challenges that were to come over the duration of the camp. To the entire club the first one was like a flare for the ones to come. To elevate matters, the first showdown was between the ace of the second years Jaque and the ace of the main team and first years, namely me Raiju Knight.
Jaque was already waiting on the court. His face made it very clear that he had no respect for me. He spoke with a jeer on his face," So you decide to grace us with your presence, huh, Knight." I let the insult pass. For I had decided to give all my answers to him over the course of the game. Coach entered the court at the same time I did. He spoke with a crisp, clear voice that could be heard by anyone in the gymnasium." Alright boys. I want a clean and fair game. No fouls, especially you Jaque. The game will be a fifteen minutes one-on -one. Points system of a game applies. Jaque, you get first offence, Knight you will start with defense.The one who shoots loses the ball. Am I clear?" I nodded in acknowledgement, and so did my opponent. I wasn't very happy with not getting the first offence but I didn't let it show. I wasn't going to give an inch of satisfaction to my opponent. Coach blew the whistle, and the game began. Jaque turned out to be quite the technical player. His dribbling was pretty good and he kept to a very slow pace. Almost like a fox hiding in his den waiting to strike. I must say he was really good. But in the end that's all he was. While i couldn't steel the ball I didn't let him get past me. No matter what he tried I wasn't going to let him get under the basket. For almost five minutes this stalemate continued. I know it sounds pretty tame, but it wasn't. rather than two beasts trying to beat each other, it was more like a game of chess. He would try and get past me and I would block him the best I could. Both of us were losing our patience but the one to break was him. he tried to force he through and took a hasty shot. This shot marked the end of the stalemate. Since the shot was a hasty one, it rebounded off the rim of the basket. I got the ball. I did what came to me naturally I took a shot. Which went in. The ball went back to my opponent, but by this time he had no chance. I knew his rhythm. It was simple enough. The next exchange was very short. Every exchange between us kept getting shorter for he had no other strategy other than this one. I didn't start with ball possession even once for I stole the ball from my opponent every time and scored points. His eyes no longer had the arrogant and haughty expression it had. His eyes only had desperation written on them now. At the end of 15 minutes he was still scoreless while I was ahead by 18 points. Coach blew the whistle marking the end of the game, but no one cheered. No one had heart to tell the loser that it was a good game. I didn't hold back, not one bit. Some might say that I was cruel but this was something I had to do. It was the quickest way to establish my role as the ace of the Empire. It was a message to anyone who wanted my seat, the jersey number 6. This position is not up for grabs. I walked back to my teammates, they were the only ones smiling in the crowd. King was sitting towel over his head as he prepared for his game. I patted him on his shoulder and said," The opening statement has been made captain. I think it's time the King showed his prowess to the rest of the Empire." he stood up. He was ready his eyes said it all. On the opposite side of the court his opponent, Kaiser stood up as well. As they both walked down to center stage, it truly looked like a showdown between kings. A question popped in my mind,"Who is going to win,........, The chosen King or the Usurper?"
END
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