Hey, King Spike Rules here and her is the next chapter to Spike's Basketball. After storming off, Soraon looks to his past events that lead him to quitting and meeting up with someone from those past hits home more. Meanwhile, Snips and Snails are still struggling to keep up along with figuring out what they should do on the team.
Chapter 10: Past place.
The sun was high up and bright as Soraon walked off the school grounds, his frustration clear on his face looking at the sidewalk and a sigh escaping out his lips.
"Always." he mumbled out loud kicking a can as he walked, "Always putting the star before the other players." He gritted his teeth with memory bowling up in his head.
Soroan was in the middle of a game watching from the bench, seeing the team running around the court and he was itching for a chance to play as his team was trailing slightly for the final quarter as the two-minute coming up witht he ref's whistle.
"Red team, switch." he said with their coach/manger standing with her aviator sunglasses hiding her eyes and her dual hair color of red and yellow make her hair look like it was on fire. Her tan skin was clear under her uniform as she seam to be just staring.
"Soroan, you're going in." her words drew a smile from his face and he quickly threw his team jacket to the bench, moving to her, "Get out there and get a few shots of threes."
"Yes ma'am." He ran out onto the court, looking at his team with his eyes falling onto their captain. He stood over 6'5 and had a dark skin complexion with long white hair, and a number four on his jersey along with the name, Flashlane. Soroan had practiced with him before and he knew how good he was, but he had an energy that made the air fill thick from him just standing there.
"You ready?" he asked holding the ball and Soroan took a moment before realizing he was speaking to him.
"Y-yes sir." Soroan said and got ready to start with holding the ball when the whistle blew. Flashlane moved faster than Soroan had ever seen move and ran after the players, feeling the pressure as the ball flew around and moved like a blur when he saw an opening. Soroan moved into range and the ball met his hands. He looked at the net and took a shot, making it cutting the lead down to two with the rest of the team patting his back and Flashlane flashing him smile as the team went on to get a steal and Soroan took another shot to get them the win as the busser sounded.
That memory of his first win and helping his team get it brought a smile to his face, he helped them get it and they taold him he was awesome for it. And then what happened next soften his anger.
Soroan was with the rest of his team, doing their warm-up before the bulk of practice went underway. As they worked to get loosened up. Spitfire and Flashlane walked out onto the court together.
"Alright guys, line up." She ordered looking around, "I have an announcement before we fully get into practice." She watched the team surround them and looked at each of them through her sunglasses, "Alright, as you all know are startign Shooting Guard Lightning Dash moved away and we need to announce who is going to replace him." She looked at each of them, seeing sweat run down their faces as they wanted to hear it was their nae. Yet, she knew it was only one and she spoke out, "Soroan, you'll be starter Shooting Guard in the next game."
"W-what?" Soroan asked shocked as his teammates cheered and he smiled as he felt ready to help lead the team on for more victories.
Those where better memories of his past in laying the game and helping his team, that is what it started out as. Yet soon after becoming a started, Soraon started to notice a few things off about the team's captain and how he handled things.
"Soraon, what are you doing?" Flashlane asked looking at Soroan in the middle of practicing a hook shot and the ball falling on the court with a thud.
"Oh, I always liked the hook shot and want to try it out to add it to my game." Soroan explained holdign the ball and bounce a few times before going for it again. But the ball was smacked out of his hands and he looked at Flashlane confused as to why he did that.
"You're a shooting guard," he said looking at him, "that is what your good and you should stick to what you know before you lose your spot."
"What?" Soraon asked as Flashlane walked up to him.
"Are whole team can do threes, you're just the one how can do it the most consistently." Soraon was shocked at hearing that and just stood there with his mind on how the captain could talk to him in such a way.
"Hey Mister." a voice pulled Soroan from his memory and looked at a group of kids playing basketball, "can you hand us our ball?" Soroan looked to his feet and saw a ball by his feet. He picked it up and held it, thinking of everything about the game and then that night came up.
It was the finals of the middle school tournament and Soroan's team were in a bad way. The score was 66-36 with only five minutes left on the game. Soroan was shocked, everyone of their plans did nothing to stop this game from being a lose.
"Well, I'm not sure what to tell you guys." Spitfire said looking at them with a sad tone to her voice as she stared at them with sunglasses, "We have five minutes and I'm sure you all know that over thirty points are nearly impossible to to come back from that." The team looked down, defeated as the weight of them failing to continue on was on their heads.
"Captain, we all know this is hopeless." Flashlane spoke up, standing from the bench and looking at the team, "And I know we all put are best into it, well. Almost all." His eyes fell on Soroan and the young man was taken back, a glare forming on his eyes.
"The hell that supposed to mean?" he asked looking back at the captain who was shooting a glare at him.
"You've missed all your shots and didn't get us a single point in this game." he explained and Soroan's blood boiled.
"You didn't get me any openings." Soroan snapped shooting off the bench and getting into his face, "What kind of captain blames a lost on a teammate?"
"One that knows you've been practicing on things other than your shot." he spat back and then other teams started to get in between them as they continued to glare at each other.
"Stop," Spitfire shouted looking at them, "Both of you need to calm down and breath soundly before..."
"You're just a piss pour shooting guard and anyone else can replace you." Flashlane said and everyone remailed silent as Soroan just looked at his captain, the man he respected more than anyone and he was now telling him this. He didn't move or yell back, he simply turned to look at Spitfire, who met his gaze. He was asking her with his eyes about this and she turned away.
"You're not the ace Soroan, Flashlane is." she said and Soroan simply stood there when the whistle blew to tell them their timeout was over. Flashlane and the other starts ran out onto the court, excepted Soroan stayed in place. "Soroan?" she asked and he didn't reply, he just walked off towards the back and left the remaining members in shock as he just didn't want to play. Spirfire chased after him and caught Saroan entering the locker room. "Soroan, are you just going to leave the team like that?"
"You heard him," Soroan took his stuff out of his locker and placed them into his bag, throwing his club jacket at her as he stepped by, "Anyone can take my place, so let them replace me." Soroan didn't wait for her to answer as he walked off, leaving the stadium and his team, having handed in his club resignation papers the next day and never held a ball again.
Soroan remembered that day and how it felt being treated like he was useless, he knew there were backups incase their needed. But it was different than being told he didn't matter. He looked at the kids looking at him holding their ball and then looked at the basket. He thought it over and swiftly took a long shot from where he was t,n the kids were in shock as they had watched him and he smiled back at them as he had made the shot. And then a new voice called out to him in his head, it was the guy catching him peaking in the girl's locker room and helped him spark his love of the game.
"Damn it." Soroan yelled out loud annoyed as the kids all gasped, "Not again, I won't wait three years again, not again."
The next day in the camp and they were doing their best o improve their skills with Spike having a clear bruise on his face as he worked on getting his dribbling perfect as he moved on. As the five continued their practice, Luna and Twilight continued to watch with Luna glancing down at Twilight.
"Are you sure I shouldn't punish Soroan for attacking Spike?" she asked having had this same talk for hours the day before with her after the sudden moment before all of them.
"No," Twilight had answered looking at her charts and then at the team, "I'm sure it was something that could be talked out, we need a shooting guard and he is really good at it."
"But you said no one spot is set in stone and that they need to own it." Luna said looking at her confused.
"I did, but..." Twilight started only for the gym doors to burst open and Soroan stood there in his gym clothes, looking at everyone as they looked back at him. He walked fast, moving across the court and made a beeline for Twilight, who remained quite as she watched him get closer before he was in from of her. She looked up at him as he looked back at her as she asked, "Yes?"
"I need to know something, and I need to know it right now." Soroan started as the others walked around them, Luna looking at him and was ready to step in if he raised his hand again, "Is the ace the only important member of a team?" She stared at him and he stared back as they started a mental battle to see who would win it as they stared.
"The ace is very important to the team." she answered him and he looked at her for a few moments before turning to look at Spike, who was staring at him with a bruise on his cheek. Soroan stepped closer to him and they had a stare down, Mac feeling the need to stop it if anything happened.
"Then Spike, I challenge you to a three-on-three match for Ace of the team." they were all shocked by his challenge as he looked at him in the eyes and Spike simply smiled.
"Sure, a little match wouldn't hurt." Spike answered looking at him and the tension of the room filled as the team looked at each other looking at one another as the two started their match.
TBC.
