The world flickered into focus — bright, blinding, and alive.
Kaito stood on a vast futuristic court made of sleek metal panels that shimmered with lime green energy. Lines of light ran beneath the floor like living veins, pulsing in rhythm with his heartbeat. The hoops floated high above, rotating lazily, their rims glowing the same eerie green.
The air buzzed with static. A deep mechanical voice thundered from nowhere and everywhere at once.
> "Welcome, Player One. Neural sync: 73%. Environment: Evolution Court. Opponent loading…"
Kaito turned, his breath catching as a figure appeared from the fog — tall, armored, and wrapped in black plating streaked with red. Its eyes glowed like molten steel, and the ball in its hand pulsed with a menacing crimson aura.
"Opponent detected: Specter Zero. Difficulty: Adaptive.".
"Adaptive?" Kaito muttered, tightening his grip on his glowing lime ball. "Bring it on."
The figure moved first — vanishing in a blur.
A split second later, the ball slammed through the hoop with a thunderous BOOM! Sparks of green and red light exploded across the floor.
The scoreboard flickered to life:
Specter Zero — 2
Kaito — 0
From invisible stands, a crowd of holographic fans appeared, chanting his name over and over:
"KAI-TO! KAI-TO! KAI-TO!"
Kaito exhaled slowly. His palms tingled. "Okay. Let's play."
He dribbled forward — and felt it instantly.
The lime light beneath his feet pulsed brighter, syncing with his steps. Every movement felt lighter, smoother. His speed doubled; his jump soared higher than any he'd ever managed in reality.
He leaped. The court lit up beneath him as he slammed the ball through the hoop.
The explosion of lime light rippled outward, dazzling and alive.
2–2.
Specter Zero tilted its head, voice metallic. "Skill adaptation detected. Increasing resistance."
It lunged again — faster, sharper, merciless. Kaito barely blocked the next shot, feeling the impact reverberate through his entire body. Sparks of green and red collided midair.
The rhythm of the game consumed him. Dribble, spin, shoot. Dodge, leap, dunk. The sound of bouncing echoing against the metal court was hypnotic.
Each time Kaito made a play, the lime glow surged brighter, as if feeding on his determination.
The scoreboard climbed.
38–38.
64–62.
89–89.
He was drenched in sweat — though he knew it wasn't real. His breathing came fast, his focus laser-sharp.
Specter Zero dribbled low, voice glitching. "Neural sync increasing… Player nearing threshold…"
Kaito smirked. "Guess that means I'm winning."
Specter Zero charged, body flaring red. The floor cracked beneath its feet. It drove toward the hoop for a game-ending slam.
Kaito's reflexes kicked in. The lime veins on the floor brightened under his shoes, spreading outward like wildfire. His body moved on instinct — faster than thought.
He jumped. The air crackled.
WHAM!
His hand connected, blocking the dunk clean. The impact shattered the red glow, sending the ball flying.
Kaito caught it mid-air, twisted, and fired from half court.
Time slowed. The ball spun through the green-lit air — glowing brighter with every rotation — and dropped perfectly through the hoop as the buzzer screamed.
Kaito — 103
Specter Zero — 102
The holographic crowd exploded in a storm of lime-green confetti. The floor beneath him pulsed like a living thing.
He fell to his knees, gasping, smiling through disbelief.
"Victory achieved. Neural sync: 89%. Processing reward…"
A holographic board appeared before him, glowing green and gold.
CONGRATULATIONS, PLAYER ONE
REWARD: 10 ABILITY POINTS
Five shimmering stat bars materialized:
Speed
Strength
Accuracy
Stamina
Confidence
Kaito blinked. "Ability points? Like an RPG?"
The system voice replied:
"Upgrade your weaknesses. Evolve your game."
He stared at the stats, thinking of Coach Johnson's words — 'You're a liability.' And Jake's anger: 'We don't need players like you.'
Confidence. That was what always held him back.
He selected Confidence +5, and spread the rest between Accuracy and Speed.
The moment he confirmed, lime light erupted from beneath him. His veins glowed faintly green. Energy flooded his body, hot and electric. He could feel it — not just power, but clarity.
His heartbeat steadied. His fear melted.
"Upgrades complete. Evolution Level 1 achieved. Trial 1: Passed."
Specter Zero's image flickered, fading into thousands of light fragments. Its voice lingered, distorted but clear:
"You're improving. Don't stop evolving."
Then — silence.
Kaito pulled off his headset with a gasp. His chest rose and fell rapidly. The real world felt dull in comparison — dim and colorless.
He looked down at his hands… and froze.
For a few seconds, faint green lines traced across his skin, glowing like the energy veins from the court. Then they faded.
"Whoa…" he whispered. "That felt real."
He stumbled toward his desk and grabbed his phone. A new message blinked on the screen:
HOOP EVOLUTION UPDATE COMPLETE. NEW ABILITIES ACTIVE.
He frowned. "Active?"
In the mirror, his reflection looked different — sharper, more alive. His posture was straighter, his eyes focused.
He grinned. "Confidence points… huh. Maybe they actually worked."
As he turned to power off his console, the lime glow from his VR goggles pulsed one last time — like a heartbeat.
He stared.
The light flickered — once, twice — and for an instant, a faint red silhouette appeared behind him in the reflection of his window.
Tall. Armored. Watching.
Kaito spun around. Nothing. Just silence.
He exhaled slowly. "Alright, Kaito. You're losing it."
Still, the adrenaline wouldn't fade. That match had been unreal — the most thrilling thing he'd ever experienced. The speed, the power, the rush.
And those Ability Points…
He could feel them.
When he finally lay down, sleep came fast — and with it, a whisper in his mind.
> "Player One. Trial 2 begins soon. Prepare to evolve."
Kaito smiled faintly in his sleep.
He didn't know what the next trial would bring, but one thing was certain —
this game wasn't done with him yet.
And neither was he.