Friday nights hit different in Queens.
Under the humming lights of Roosevelt High's gym, the bleachers filled with students, parents, and old alumni who still clung to the glory days. The pep band wheezed through brass notes that were slightly off-key but full of spirit. The cheer squad ran drills in the far corner. Somewhere in the back, a kid sold hot dogs from a half-broken cart with a permanent ketchup smear on the front.
Ethan Cruz wasn't watching any of it.
He was glued to warm-ups.
Eyes darting from one player to the next, scanning. Analyzing. His hoodie was up, like always, pencil behind his ear, clipboard in his lap. He looked like he was taking notes for a calculus test.
But he wasn't.
[VISION MODE - ON]
The court transformed again.
Jalen Bryant - SF
Confidence: 78%
Fatigue: 9%
Shot Rhythm: Balanced
Off-Ball IQ: Average
Zaire Taylor - SG
Confidence: 83%
Fatigue: 13%
Aggression Spike Detected
Predictability: 42%
More than numbers. The System translated movement—balance, timing, angles. Ethan could tell when Zaire was going to pull up before the ball even touched his fingertips.
He could see flow.
Then his gaze shifted to the opposing bench.
PS 89 Tech—a team known more for their robotics club than basketball. Still, they were undefeated. Ethan squinted as Vision Mode honed in on their point guard.
Treyon Ross - PG
Confidence: 92%
Fatigue: 4%
Court Awareness: High
Primary Weakness: Favors Left Drive. Delayed Help Reaction.
He can't handle high traps. Lags on help if the action's fast enough, Ethan thought.
The crowd buzzed louder.
Tipoff was near.
Coach Brown clapped his hands and gathered the team. "Let's go! Lock in, heads up! We've been running clean practices. No excuses. Zaire, Jalen, Rami, Jordan, Micah—you're starting."
The team huddled, then broke.
Coach turned toward Ethan. "Hey."
Ethan looked up.
"You still got that play you talked about yesterday?"
Ethan blinked. "You mean Phantom Drive?"
"Yeah. You showed me that scribble in your notebook. Thought it was a little cute."
Ethan flushed.
Cute?
"But…" Coach scratched his chin. "I wanna see if it works. If we need a bucket out of timeout, I'm letting you draw it."
"You're serious?"
Coach gave a small smile. "One shot. Don't screw it up."
Ethan felt a bolt of energy run through him. It wasn't adrenaline.
It was validation.
[QUEST UNLOCKED: First Real Game Plan Execution]
OBJECTIVE: Call your first custom play during an in-game timeout.
REWARD: +500 XP, Unlock Advanced Vision Mode Tier 2.
He took a deep breath.
Tonight, he wasn't just the bench kid with the clipboard.
He was about to enter the game.
First Half
The game was tight.
Roosevelt led 27-24 halfway through the second quarter. Zaire hit a couple of tough threes early, but PS 89's defense adjusted, loading up on him off-ball. Treyon Ross picked apart Roosevelt's lazy rotations, dishing out assists like they were cheat codes.
Ethan sat perched like a hawk. The System fed him insights in real-time.
Spacing Error Detected (Right Wing)
Correction Suggested: Clear Weak Side to Allow Baseline Cut.
He scribbled notes like crazy. Every few possessions, Coach Brown would glance his way, then shake his head like he was fighting the urge to actually listen.
Then it happened.
3:17 left in the second quarter. Tie game.
Zaire drove hard left—his go-to—but PS 89 had seen it coming. Triple coverage collapsed on him. He forced up a shot. Brick. Fast break the other way.
Coach Brown slammed the scorer's table.
"Timeout!"
The buzzer blared. Players jogged over, frustrated. Zaire shook his head and slapped the towel from his neck.
"We're forcing. Spacing's garbage!" he muttered.
Coach didn't speak right away. Instead, he turned to Ethan.
"You got something?"
Ethan swallowed.
His moment.
He stood, approached the huddle, clipboard in hand.
"Coach, they're jumping Zaire's first step. We're telegraphing our offense. Let's bait the switch and fake a flare."
He sketched fast, lines flying across the board.
"Micah comes up like it's a handoff to Zaire—defense shifts left. But instead, Micah ghost cuts baseline. Jalen flares out to pull the help defender. Zaire acts like he's getting the ball, but clears."
He looked up.
"Micah should be wide open under the rim."
Coach looked at the play.
Hesitated.
Then nodded.
"Alright. Phantom Drive. Let's see it."
Zaire raised an eyebrow. "We're running his play?"
Coach raised a brow. "Unless you like getting triple-teamed."
The players laughed.
Tension eased.
Micah gave Ethan a low fist bump. "Better work, clipboard."
Back on the court
The inbound came. Zaire trotted toward Micah like it was a basic handoff.
Defenders shifted.
Micah faked the screen.
Jalen flared wide—too fast.
The defenders hesitated—just for a split second.
That's all it took.
Micah bolted backdoor.
Zaire bounced it perfectly through the gap.
Layup.
Crowd exploded.
Ethan's heart jumped into his throat.
+500 XP Earned!
Skill Upgraded: Play Design (Lv. 2)
New Ability: In-Game Simulation (Basic)
— Simulate next 5 possessions in real time. Predict outcomes with 62% accuracy.
Coach Brown gave Ethan a look.
It wasn't disbelief.
It was respect.
Halftime
The locker room buzzed. Roosevelt up 38-35.
Zaire pulled Ethan aside. "Yo. That play was fire. You got more of that in your head?"
Ethan nodded. "I've got 17 more."
Zaire chuckled. "Bet."
Coach Brown came over. "You're on clipboard duty second half. I want three potential sets if we get stuck."
Ethan opened his system interface.
Three tabs blinked to life.
Option 1: "Funnel Break" — Anti-zone overload
Option 2: "Mid Ghost Swing" — Mid-range flash to clear help
Option 3: "Chaos Curl" — Quick misdirection curl cut for open look
He saved them all to his bank.
[SITUATIONAL PREPAREDNESS BONUS: +75 XP]
He was grinding XP.
In real life.
Fourth Quarter
PS 89 made a run.
Treyon Ross started heating up. Stepbacks, dump-offs, mid-range assassinations. Roosevelt's lead vanished.
2:14 left. Tied at 63.
Coach Brown called another timeout.
He looked at Ethan.
Ethan tapped into his Simulation ability.
The court blurred slightly in his mind. Players moved—ghost-like echoes of the future.
Scenario 1: Standard set → turnover
Scenario 2: Curl screen → contested shot
Scenario 3: Chaos Curl → open corner three
Ethan pointed.
"Run Chaos Curl. Jalen hits the corner."
Coach trusted it.
The play worked—perfectly.
Wide-open corner three.
Splash.
Crowd went insane.
Final Seconds
Roosevelt up by two.
PS 89 ball. 8.9 seconds.
Ethan's mind raced. He scanned Treyon.
Fatigue: 41%
Decision Delay Detected (High-Pressure Situations)
"They're running ISO left for Treyon," Ethan said quickly.
Coach adjusted the defense.
Treyon drove left.
Help rotated early.
Jalen picked his pocket.
Game.
Over.
The buzzer sounded.
Victory.
Students stormed the floor.
Coach Brown walked over and clapped a hand on Ethan's shoulder.
"Keep your clipboard ready, Coach."
Zaire nodded. "Nah, man. You're not the water boy anymore."
Ethan smiled.
Not because of the win.
But because—for the first time—he wasn't invisible.
[LEVEL UP!]
New Title Unlocked: Junior Strategist (Lv. 2)
New Features:
Player Development Analysis (Assess long-term growth paths)
Motivational Boosts (Unlock during key moments)
Confidence Reinforcement (Stabilize players in slumps)
That night, alone in his room, Ethan looked into the mirror.
No jersey.
No highlight reels.
But this?
This was better.
This was his court now.