Racing toward the ball like wolves hunting prey, all five remaining members of room 126 had malice in their eyes; the flames of competition burned and emanated from their irises, such that one could almost feel the heat emitting from them.

Though they all pushed themselves to be the first to touch the ball, it ended up in the hands of the oversized delinquent, standing inches taller than even Ky who was 6'5". Ky used his body to block the blonde delinquent from dribbling toward the basket, but the big man retaliated by backing Ky down.

Like rabid animals, the others clawed at the ball, trying to pry it out of his huge hands, but the boy's grip was too tight. The delinquent backed Ky down using his overwhelming size and strength without the ball touching the ground once. It wasn't long before he was called out by the young man with the bowl cut.

"Hey! That's travel!" Huey whined. With the steel eyes of an assassin, the muscled-up young man shouted down at him with a roar. "Shut the fuck up, bowl cut! Travel? How about we see how far this ball can travel down your pie hole after I'm done I score!"

Huey's eyes nearly rolled out from between his widened eyelids. With every last ounce of his power, the delinquent pivoted his foot and leaped toward the basket, intent on cracking the concrete floor. Ky raised both arms, jumping as high as he could to block the oncoming dunk, but he was no match for the 6'11" beast.

The rim was nearly pried from the backboard as the colossal boy dealt the finishing blow. As he swung from the rim, his pelvis hit Ky in the forehead and threw him on his ass, prompting the giant to taunt him. "Eat my dick, you pussy!"

Kyle Kaito - 0

Huey Harrison - 0

Shane Martinez- 1

Tommy Yarnham - 0

Adam Newman - 0

Klaus Meyer - 1

The rim rattled once more as Shane released it, landing on the ground before kicking the ball, shooting it like a missile across the room.

This guy's a complete dick! Ky thought, tracking the ball with his eyes as it rolled to the other side of the room, landing in front of another competitor. He wore prescription sports goggles and his hair was tied above his head in a top knot.

Unlike Shane, the boy in the goggles showed off his impressive handles as the other boys bolted toward him. The redhead challenged him first, running toward Mr. Goggles as if murder was on his mind. Both boys had smoldering gazes as they drew near each other; however, the red-haired boy's demented smile and fiery gaze faded upon Mr. Goggles hitting him with an advanced dribble move.

The ball was in the boy's left hand for one second, however, as if he was a magician, the ball suddenly disappeared, only for it to reappear in his opposite hand. Seeing the ball teleport between hands, the red-haired boy shuffled his feet, only for Goggles to suddenly cross over to his other hand, dropping the redhead onto the concrete.

WHAT! the red-haired boy thought; he was in disbelief as he was suddenly left in the dust and the boy in the goggles continued toward the other two, though they too were no match for him.

It was almost as if his feet generated smoke as he shifted them to the side, crossing the ball behind his back to get around Huey before approaching Ky and getting around him with a spin move within the same second.

He's so fast! It's like he's doing some movement glitch in ABA2K!

Leaving everyone else behind, the boy in the goggles rolled the ball off his fingertips and into the basket. As the ball went through the hoop, he caught it with his hands, glaring at the others with wicked eyes before tossing it at them as if they were nothing more than ball boys.

Kyle Kaito - 0

Huey Harrison - 0

Shane Martinez- 1

Tom Yarnham - 0

Adam Newman - 1

Klaus Meyer - 1

Shit! There are only two spots left!

Ky thought, clamoring for the ball, only to barely be beaten by Huey, grabbing the ball and making a run for the basket.

God damn it! If I let this kid score, it'll just be me and that weirdo with the red hair! I need to stop him, now!

Tailing Huey, Ky scowled at the bowl-cut boy with, murderous eyes.

I'll stop him! I don't care what I have to do! I can do this!

Side by side, the two stepped toward the basket with thunderous footsteps, the ground trembling beneath their feet as if they were gods causing tremors in the Earth.

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I have to stop him! I have to stop him! Ky repeated in his mind; electricity emanated in his eyes as he watched Huey's every move, studying him like a hawk.

Suddenly, like the sounds of tires squealing, Huey's shoes created a sound that echoed throughout the entire room. The sudden move shook Ky in such a way, that time around him started moving at a snail's pace. Ky stumbled forward and Huey stepped backward, leaving himself wide open a few feet from the three-point line.

No!

Huey's toes parted from the concrete as he held the ball high above his forehead, prepared to flick his wrist and release the ball. Ky tried his best to contest the shot, but their distance was too great. Ky could only watch as his dream started to slip from between his fingers.

𝘾𝙍𝘼𝘾𝙆!!!

Ky's eyes widened as he watched the red-haired boy's fist pummel Huey's jaw, denting his face and knocking out a tooth and some blood to go along with it. Huey was sent flying in the opposite direction, rolling and bouncing on the ground like a ragdoll until he came to a stop, coughing and spitting up more blood as he lay atop the elbow of the three-point line.

Before Ky knew it, the ball was in the red-haired boy's hands and he drove to the basket, scoring an easy layup.

Kyle Kaito - 0

Huey Harrison - 0

Shane Martinez- 1

Tommy Yarnham - 1

Adam Newman - 1

Klaus Meyer - 1

The ball rolled toward Ky until it hit his foot and stopped. He was in disbelief, still glaring at Tom as he walked toward the wall to sit up against it.

"What's wrong with you!? Why did you do that?" Ky asked him; his eyes trembling as his brows furrowed.

Tommy chuckled, and that chuckle transformed into what could only be described as a demented cackle as his wild eyes looked through Ky's soul. He wore a distorted grin before finally giving Ky an explanation.

"Why?" he repeated in an English accent. "Because I can tell by looking at you that you're the weakest player here. If I were to have let him score, then you'd have been eliminated in his stead. Eliminating someone weaker than me won't help me win this competition. That would've been wasteful."

Hearing this nearly floored Ky.

He thinks I'm so garbage, that eliminating me wouldn't even make a difference...

Ky stood in place, gripping the ball tightly as his body fluttered. Anger and adrenaline were coursing through his veins, simultaneously, he was terrified of what was to come and what he'd gotten himself into. He glanced down at Huey who was still on the ground coughing up blood.

I almost feel bad for him... I could've easily been eliminated... Ky thought; his inner voice matching how he'd sound if he'd spoken aloud. However, a second voice chimed in and the world around him was clouded in a black void.

Shoot it! Take his pathetic ass out of the game! Make them regret ever leaving you in this competition!

With wide, trembling eyes, Ky looked down at Huey who was then reaching out to him with his hand as if he were asking for help.

No, not like this, Ky's inner voice of reason said as he stepped toward the boy.

Looking down at Huey solemnly, Ky held the ball tightly.

"I have to do it," he told mumbled. Huey placed his hand atop one of Ky's shoes.

"P- Please..." Huey muttered, begging for Ky's mercy. However, upon looking back up at Ky he felt a pit culminating in his stomach.

With cold, dead eyes, and a scowl so mean that his eyebrows nearly touched, Ky glared down at him; a crooked smile began to stretch across his face. Huey could see a thick, black, smokey aura surrounding Ky; he recognized the feeling in his stomach as the fear of death.

How hard was I hit? Am I losing my mind? he thought, still watching as the black aura enveloped Ky's body. The only thing visible through the fog of death was Ky's face as he spoke with more baritone tonality.

"Get your filthy hands off of me, you're standing in my hotspot!" Ky's voice sent a chilling gust throughout the room like a wave of ice. Ky kicked Huey's hand off his foot before shooting a three-pointer right in his face. The ball soared through the air, falling through the hoop and hitting nothing but the bottom of the net.

Kyle Kaito - 1

Huey Harrison - 0

Shane Martinez- 1

Tommy Yarnham - 1

Adam Newman - 1

Klaus Meyer - 1

Their names were replaced by the projection of the masked man, clapping slowly before announcing the winners. "Kyle Kaito from the United States, Shane Martinez from Puerto Rico, Tommy Yarnham from the United Kingdom, Adam Newman from the United States, and Klaus Meyer from Germany. You five have made it on to the next phase. Huey Harrison, please exit the room and leave the facility. Your journey ends here."

Tears welled in Huey's eyes before they fell down his cheeks and began mixing with his blood. "But... that was a foul. That fucking Brit punched me in the face!" he shouted; his look of anguish and self-loathing had shifted to that of pure rage as he stared daggers at the redhead. "He punched me as I was shooting! I was going to make that shot, but he punched me!"

"Womp womp..." Tommy mocked, skipping over toward Huey before crouching beside him. "I hate lads like you. You're the type to blame everything but yourself for your failures. You're the type that cries to the referee when he doesn't get the whistle. You're the type to point fingers at his teammates after the match."

"You don't know shit about-" Huey tried to speak; however, the sharp, pulsating pain of his broken jaw wouldn't allow him to.

"I know enough. You weren't crying when you were scratching at the arms of the big fella back there. Is that not a foul?" Tommy asked.

"He traveled..." Huey mumbled.

"Whether or not he traveled is irrelevant. You, my friend, fouled him. Therefore, you showed us all that fouling is fair game. You have no one to blame but yourself. Besides, if I had enough time to knock your teeth out..." Tommy picked up Huey's tooth and tucked it into Huey's hand. "... then I had plenty of time to block your shot. Like I said, I wanted the other guy to win. He might be worse than you, but he's not a winey bitch like you. Now, you heard the man, get out of here."

Jesus Christ... Ky thought to himself.

It wasn't just Ky who was baffled; the others watched Tommy with furrowed brows, disapproving eyes, and lips curved downward in aversion.

"This isn't basketball..." Huey muttered. "This isn't basketball!"

A woman wearing scrubs entered the room, accompanied by two men in suits. She approached Huey, inspecting his bloodied mouth. Most of her face was hidden behind her masked face, but her eyes showed pity for the boy. "We need to get you patched up, kiddo. Either you come with me of your own volition or these gentlemen will carry you out. Your choice."

Huey, his head hanging low, rose to his feet with the doctor's assistance. "This isn't basketball..." he kept repeating, all the way through the door.

Those who remained exchanged glances with one other, unsure whether to feel fellowship with their new teammates or something else. Regardless of their feelings, for the time being, these five were the official team of room 126.