The basketball court had finally become quieter.
Ethan opened the door of the basketball entrance and walked inside. His eyes were cold and had a chill aura around him.
Players were resting after hard training and other players didn't practice. They were playing basketball on the court.
Ryan was sitting on the bench near the sideline a towel was hanging around his neck and drinking water from bottle. His body felt exhausted after two around of match.
'I definitely need to improve my physical strength…'he thought but as he looked at the entrance there was a familiar figure walking inside.
Black hair, sharp eyes, tall and athletic build. It was Ethan Vale.
But one thing was different: his mood was bad. He walked and caught the ball, everyone stopped looking at him then he said in a cold voice.
"Let's play one v/s ten."
The relaxed atmosphere of basketball disappeared.
The entire court became silent.
"...What?"
One of the players looked at Asher.
Another exchanged confused glances with his teammates.
Nobody understood what had happened.
Asher stared at Ethan for a moment from the Ethan face experience and can tell he was in a bad mood.
He looked around at the other players.
Everyone looking at him and asking same question with their eyes.
What do we do?
Asher sighed inwardly.
Then he gave them a small nod.
Play.
Asher and everyone don't know what happened but one thing is clear: Ethan was in a bad mood.
Every player looked at the Asher and asked with a signal 'what to do now?' He also nodded to them.
Ryan was looking at Ethan 's actions. 'Claire rejected him again, that's why he acted like this.'
Ethan might be difficult to deal with sometimes, but when it came to Claire...
His emotions were obvious.
Asher stepped toward the center of the court.
"Ready?"
Ethan bounced the ball once.
"Start."
The whistle blew.
Tweet!
Ten players immediately surrounded Ethan.
They had the advantage of numbers.
At least...
That's what they thought.
The first defender stepped forward.
Ethan suddenly moved.
Whoosh!
A sharp change of direction.
The defender barely reacted before Ethan had already passed him.
Another player rushed from the side.
Ethan stopped.
Pivoted.
Then accelerated in the opposite direction.
The second defender was left behind.
"Block him!"
Three players moved toward him at once.
Ethan didn't slow down his speed and slipped through the narrow gap between them.
One step.
Two steps.
Then—
Swish!
The ball dropped cleanly through the basket.
The players stared.
"Again!"
The ball was returned.
This time, five defenders surrounded him.
Ethan simply lowered his center of gravity.
His eyes sharpened.
Then he exploded forward.
His movements were fast, powerful, and precise.
Every cut created space.
Every change of direction forced another defender to react.
Within seconds...
He had crossed the entire court.
Bang!
The ball went through the basket.
The players were beginning to understand.
This wasn't a normal practice match.
Ethan wasn't playing casually.
He was releasing all the frustration he had been carrying.
Again.
And again.
And again.
The ten players struggled to contain him.
One minute passed.
Ethan had completely taken control of the court.
Asher watched silently from the side.
"His mood really is terrible today."
Ryan also watched carefully.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Even though he had already played against Ethan once...
Watching him from outside gave him a completely different perspective.
"He's even faster than I thought."
Ethan caught the ball again.
His teammates surrounded him.
But instead of passing...
He charged straight through the defense.
Ethan caught the ball again.
His teammates surrounded him.
But instead of passing...
He charged straight through the defense.
The next second—
Swish!
Another basket.
The entire gym fell silent.
Ethan stood beneath the basket, holding the ball.
His breathing remained steady.
His expression hadn't changed.
And he was dominated entire basketball court alone this was obviously one-sided match from beginning
A few more rounds had been played, and the basketball court was now totally silent.
There were ten players who had been scattered around the court and gasping for breath due to exhaustion. While some were sitting against the wall, others had fallen down on the bench.
Asher was standing there looking at the situation in front of him.
Ten players were challenged by one person and at the end of the 4th match only Ethan Vale stood alone as if he could play another round or two.
Ethan was panting heavily with beads of sweat pouring down his face and his chest moving up and down rapidly.
Even though he had reached his limit, he refused to show in front of them. If a leader shows any weakness then it affects players under him.
Staff come with a water bottle and towel. He picked up water bottle and took a drink
Then he looked around the court.
Nobody spoke.
Ethan simply tossed the basketball back toward the rack.
"That's enough."
His voice remained same as before cold and steady.
He picked up his jacket and walked toward the exit.
Asher watched him leave.
He could tell Ethan was exhausted.
But Ethan's pride wouldn't allow anyone to see weakness.
The door closed behind him.