chapter 164 part 2
But Stephen Fang, as if he had predicted it, didn't even so much as blink. His arm, as if it had a mind of its own, naturally and easily caught the ball. He was still in the middle of a conversation with Wolverine, "So you're telling me you don't know about a mercenary who can't be killed?"
Only after the ball had settled firmly in his palm did Stephen Fang seem to snap back to reality. He paused for a moment, then turned his head, looking at the basketball in his hand with a bewildered expression, his eyes full of confusion.
"Where'd this ball come from?"
This scene instantly ignited the passion of all the students present! In a flash, cheers and shouts, like a roaring tide, crashed one after another, echoing thunderously across the entire court, seemingly about to overturn the very heavens!
"So handsome!"
"Cool!"
"This is something you only see in movies, right?!"
"It reminds me of a superhero movie!"
"Mr. Fang! You should go play a round!"
"Yeah! Mr. Fang! You must be great at basketball!"
At this moment, Shadowcat also rushed over, pleading, "Mr. Stephen Fang! Can you come join our team and substitute for me? I don't know how to play at all. If this goes on, our team is going to get shut out."
"What's this? Playing basketball?" Stephen Fang looked at Pyro across the court, who was giving him a provocative stare. Just as he was about to agree, Wolverine stopped him.
"Don't mess around with these students. Their basketball isn't like traditional basketball. They get serious at the drop of a hat. It's not necessary."
"Alright then."
Just as he was about to refuse, Pyro suddenly shouted, "What?! Scared to play against me?"
Stephen Fang, as if questioning his own hearing, looked at Wolverine. "That kid is provoking me, right?"
Wolverine also had a poor impression of Pyro. "Yeah, your ears are probably working fine. But you'd best go easy on them."
Stephen Fang nodded. "With you saying that, I'll be sure not to go 'heavy' on them."
He took the basketball and walked to the center of the court. The students on the sidelines whistled. Some had just been in Stephen Fang's class, while others were asking who he was. When they heard that he had used fire to dry up the fountain at the X-Academy's entrance, the students cheered. Because he wasn't a traditional, stuffy teacher; he was more like a senior to this group of mutants.
Stephen Fang lightly tossed the basketball to Colossus and asked, "Alright, how do we play?"
Colossus didn't speak. Pyro, on the side, said, "Simple. First team to score five balls wins. No holds barred. As long as it goes in, it counts."
"That simple?" Stephen Fang looked at Shadowcat, Iceman, and Havok, who was rubbing his waist. "How many points are you down by?"
"Two… two points," Iceman replied.
"Alright then." Stephen Fang turned back and made a 'nine' gesture with one hand and a 'six' with the other toward Pyro's team.
"What does that mean?" Pyro was confused.
"Oh, right, your number gestures here are different from ours. It means I'm going to beat you by ninety-eight balls."
Hearing such an arrogant declaration, the students below the court went wild.
A female student covered her mouth. "Oh my god! What kind of teacher is this! He's totally my type!"
Wolverine frowned. "Don't get any ideas if you don't want him to end up in jail. You're only thirteen!"
"What's wrong with thirteen? My development is no worse than a twenty-year-old's!"
Wolverine was speechless. "Is this really about development?"
On the court, the temperature around Pyro gradually began to rise.
He was furious!
Not even a professional NBA player would dare say they could lead by ninety-eight points in a streetball game.
And Stephen Fang was talking about ninety-eight *balls*.
This was too…
"Fine! You said it! Ninety-eight balls! Let's see how you're going to beat me!"
As Pyro spoke, he took the ball from Colossus's hands and then tossed it to Stephen Fang. "Your ball! You're on offense!"
"Why make it so complicated?" Stephen Fang dropped the basketball to the ground and started dribbling it, indicating that this counted as inbounding the ball.
Pyro snorted coldly and ran straight at Stephen Fang, looking like he was going for a death-charge.
The students below were all shocked by this scene. Was Pyro really this hot-tempered? Was it necessary to foul by ramming into someone?
Facing the aggressive charge from Pyro, Stephen Fang's expression didn't change. With a light flick of his wrist, he tossed the basketball high into the air.
The ball cut a clean arc through the sky. Immediately after, his feet exploded with power, and like a flash of lightning, he took several large strides forward…
*Bang!* Accompanied by a deep, heavy boom, Stephen Fang, as if wielding the force of a thousand tons, charged straight into the oncoming Pyro!
Pyro had no time to react at all. His entire body, like a kite with a broken string, was sent flying by the collision.
With a crisp *smack*, Pyro landed pathetically on the ground. His eyes were wide with a mix of shock and confusion, his head spinning as he looked around, still not understanding what had just happened.
Below the court, the students instantly erupted into deafening cheers.
It was as if they had been waiting for this moment for a long time, hoping to see this kind of hot-blooded, visceral, hard-hitting collision. Now, every one of them was flushed with excitement, shouting at the top of their lungs to cheer them on.
But Stephen Fang, after viciously sending Pyro flying, didn't take the opportunity to go for a shot.
His posture was as straight as a pine tree. He stood quietly in place, staring at Colossus, who was now free from Havok's defense, waiting for this formidable opponent to come defend him.
Colossus's whole body gleamed with a cold, hard metallic luster. His steel body was incomparably tough. The reason he was so "beloved" by others was precisely because of this invulnerable physique.
At this moment, Colossus didn't use any fancy techniques. Relying on his powerful body, he strode forward with unstoppable momentum, charging ferociously at Stephen Fang!
With every step he took, his heavy metal feet stomping on the ground produced a loud "clang, clang, clang."
Faced with a Colossus whose very steps carried the force of a gale, an ordinary person would have probably been terrified, wisely choosing to get out of the way.
At worst, they could just hand over the ball. At least they could save themselves from being sent flying and ending up in a pathetic state.