Even with a heart full of passion for basketball, if that love turned into a burden, it would no longer be pure.
“Is that so?”
Lucas stared at her intently for a long moment before speaking again. “Does anyone else have any objections?”
“No.”
The response was unanimous.
“In that case, let’s make Whitewall Mountain the opponent for the basketball club’s first official match. Now, let’s all continue training.”
His gentle voice carried a subtle authority, leaving no room for dissent.
Off the court, Asake sat silently, his gaze fixed on Avira.
She was practicing long-distance shooting with Ashton, tilting her head slightly as she carefully observed Ashton’s form. Her misty eyes carried an unreadable emotion.
“Everyone… is truly remarkable,” he murmured.
Lucas, who had quietly returned to Asake’s side, smiled gently. His soft hair brushed lightly across his forehead, and his amber eyes glowed with a profound calmness.
“To choose such a powerful opponent like Whitewall Mountain for their first match shows incredible confidence,” Asake remarked, a beautiful curve lifting his lips. “Do you think they can win?”
Though phrased as a question, he stated it with the conviction of a declaration.
“We can win.”
Lucas’s reply came without hesitation. “Orson… he’s probably the only person I’ve ever seen who can fully utilize his sixth sense. His basketball skills are uncanny—reading his opponents’ expressions, their gaze, and predicting their movements a second before they act. This ability makes his play terrifying, as though every attempt to conceal one’s intentions before him is futile.”
“George, no matter how tricky the trajectory of the ball, after observing it a few times, he’ll always manage to defend against it. If his latent abilities fully awaken, he will become an impenetrable shield. At that point… scoring against him might be the hardest thing in the game.”
“Ashton… he’s a pure genius. From dunking posture to strength, to the ball’s spin and timing—once he sees it, he can replicate it perfectly and make it his own. His steals, interceptions, and shooting are flawless. It’s incredible to think he only started playing basketball after Avira joined the club. If he fully masters the game in the future, it’s unimaginable how strong he could become.”
Lucas carefully and rationally analyzed each player’s strengths. Finally, his warm, gentle gaze landed on Avira.
“And lastly… Avira. Her basketball has no weaknesses.”
Hearing this, the smile on Asake’s lips widened faintly.
He already knew. Avira’s basketball truly had no flaws, just like Nightrius, invincible and untouchable.
To defeat players like them, one must be even stronger.
But there was one key difference between Avira and Nightrius.
“Say…”
Asake smiled, his clear voice ethereal like the wind. “Perhaps her greatest weakness is… having no weakness at all.”
Lucas froze for a moment, as if something had suddenly clicked in his mind. A flicker of deep thought crossed his amber eyes, vanishing as quickly as it appeared.
Indeed…
Her greatest weakness might really be having no weakness.
That girl…
She knew better than anyone that basketball is not a game for one person. That’s why, from the very beginning, she gathered these people here, preparing them for ultimate victory.
But there was one thing she could not change.
Her instinctive habit was to fight alone.
From these past few days of observation, Lucas could confirm without a doubt that Avira’s skills were extraordinary. Despite being a girl, her stamina, jumping ability, agility, speed, and strength surpassed that of most boys.
Yet precisely because everyone trusted her abilities so much, they overlooked a critical issue.
Her basketball was like a sharp blade on the battlefield—unstoppable, but completely devoid of teamwork.
Once she stepped onto a real court, facing an opponent of equal strength, someone like Nightrius… What would happen then?
That was a significant unknown.
The match against Whitewall Mountain Academy was scheduled for Friday after school.
Due to a sudden engagement, Orson would head to Whitewall Mountain on his own.
By the afternoon, Avira and the others had already left the school.
Bathed in the golden light of the afternoon sun, Eastwest’s campus was filled with the rustling of plane tree leaves swaying in the breeze.
The pathway leading to the school gates was packed with students, gathering as though welcoming celebrity idols. Their chatter filled the air as their eyes followed Avira and Ashton walking side by side toward the gates.
