Chapter 27

It was the end of May, and the basketball playoffs were in full swing. After a grueling match, the Ponders barely advanced, while Yonder and McGoose's Battleships missed their one shot at a championship, suffering a heart-wrenching defeat. At the time, no one could have predicted that this series would mark Yonder's last highlight moment in competitive basketball. After eliminating the Battleships, Cube Briant regained his form and dominated in the finals. Back then, competitive basketball was truly something to behold, defining the youth of many born in the late '80s and early '90s. Meanwhile, the senior students at Linkon First High School were entering the final stretch of their exam preparations. The weather had grown increasingly stifling. Even the cicadas, usually so noisy in the banyan trees outside the classroom, were starting to sound a little lethargic. When the sun was out, it wasn't so bad, but overcast days were the worst. They were hot and humid, making the classroo