Lucas remained exactly where he was.
The laughter echoed throughout the court, but it didn’t seem to affect him in the slightest.
He didn’t argue.
He didn’t try to defend himself.
He didn’t even bother answering the coach’s question.
Instead, he simply stood there with one hand in his pocket, his expression calm enough to make it seem like everyone else was making fools of themselves instead.
His silence only made the players laugh harder.
Several of them whispered among themselves while openly pointing in his direction.
"Did we scare him?"
"I think he’s already regretting coming."
"He doesn’t even know what to say."
Lucas ignored every single comment.
In his eyes, none of it mattered.
Whether the coach allowed him to train today or not...
It wouldn’t change the outcome.
If he couldn’t practice today...
He would come back tomorrow.
If tomorrow didn’t work...
There was always the day after.
As far as Lucas was concerned, this coach wouldn’t be standing on this court for much longer anyway.
There was no reason to waste words.
Seeing Lucas refuse to respond, the coach frowned slightly.
He had expected the young man to argue.
To explain himself.
Maybe even beg for a chance.
Then he could publicly humiliate him even more.
But Lucas’s complete indifference made him feel strangely uncomfortable.
After a brief pause, the coach walked directly toward him.
He stopped only inches away before casually placing a hand on Lucas’s shoulder, wearing the kind smile adults often used when pretending to give sincere advice.
The entire team fell quiet, eager to hear what he would say next.
The coach sighed dramatically.
"Kid..."
"If you’re really that interested in basketball..."
He looked around at everyone before speaking loudly enough for the entire gym to hear.
"And if all you want is a trophy..."
He gave Lucas’s shoulder a light pat.
"Go buy yourself one."
For half a second...
Silence.
Then the entire court exploded with laughter.
"Hahahaha!"
"I almost feel bad for him!"
"That was brutal!"
"Coach didn’t hold back at all!"
Even a few players doubled over, clutching their stomachs from laughing so hard.
The coach smiled proudly at the reaction before finally removing his hand from Lucas’s shoulder.
He clearly enjoyed being the center of attention.
Lucas, however...
Didn’t even look at him.
His eyes slowly swept across the court, casually observing every player who had laughed at him.
Not angry.
Not embarrassed.
Just...
Memorizing their faces.
Then his gaze suddenly stopped.
Near the back row of the bleachers sat a familiar figure.
Jerry.
The president of Ashford University’s Boxing Club.
The same Jerry who had once stood behind Kai and acted like his biggest supporter.
At this moment, Jerry was leaning back comfortably in his seat, laughing along with everyone else as though he’d just witnessed the funniest scene of the year.
When their eyes met...
Jerry’s grin widened even further.
His expression practically screamed,
Looks like you’ve finally found a place where money can’t save you.
Lucas looked at him for a long moment.
Then...
He simply smiled.
A faint smile.
He slowly shook his head.
Not in anger.
But almost...
Out of pity.
Seeing that smile, Jerry’s laughter gradually faded.
For some reason...
An uneasy feeling suddenly crept into his chest.
He couldn’t explain why.
But it felt as though...
Someone had just looked at a dead man without telling him he was already buried.
The coach stared at Lucas for several more seconds, and the smile on his face slowly disappeared.
Something wasn’t right.
After everything that had just happened~the laughter, the mockery, the humiliation~Lucas still hadn’t moved an inch.
Most people would’ve stormed out by now.
Some would’ve argued.
Others would’ve lowered their heads in embarrassment and quietly left.
But Lucas...
Simply stood there.
Relaxed.
As if none of this had anything to do with him.
The coach frowned.
He had already made it painfully obvious that Lucas wasn’t welcome here.
Yet the young man refused to leave.
Stubborn little brat...
Since embarrassment hadn’t worked...
He’d have to get rid of him another way.
The coach suddenly smiled again.
This time, it wasn’t the smile of someone giving advice.
It was the smile of someone about to set a trap.
He folded his arms and spoke loudly enough for everyone on the court to hear.
"So..."
"You seem pretty determined to stand next to this trophy."
His eyes drifted toward the championship trophy displayed inside the glass case beside the court.
He chuckled mockingly.
"And judging by the way you’re still standing here..."
"I’m guessing buying one isn’t an option after all."
Several players burst into laughter again.
Lucas simply looked at him.
Waiting.
The coach continued,
"Fine."
"You want to join the team?"
"I’ll give you a chance."
The laughter instantly died down.
Everyone became interested.
The coach pointed toward the center of the court.
"One-on-one."
"You versus one of my players."
"If you can score..."
He paused deliberately before holding up one hand.
"...Five points."
"I’ll personally put your name on the team."
"And you’ll travel with us to the tournament."
The players immediately understood what was happening.
Five points?
Against one of Ashford’s starters?
That wasn’t a tryout.
That was an execution.
The corners of countless mouths curled upward.
Some players had already started whispering.
"Coach is evil."
"He won’t even touch the ball."
"Five points?"
"I’d be surprised if he gets one shot off."
Even the players sitting on the bench couldn’t hide their excitement.
They were already imagining Lucas getting completely embarrassed in front of everyone.
Jerry, sitting in the bleachers, crossed his arms with a smug grin.
Now...
This was going to be entertaining.
Lucas listened quietly until the coach finished.
Then...
A small smile appeared on his face.
Deep down, he had known from the moment he walked through the doors that the coach couldn’t actually refuse him forever.
Malcolm had already made that impossible.
Everything happening now...
Was nothing more than one last attempt to embarrass him before being forced to accept reality.
Lucas nodded calmly.
"No problem."
The simple answer stunned everyone for a split second.
Then the court exploded with laughter again.
"Hahaha!"
"Did he actually agree?"
"He’s serious?"
"This guy really doesn’t know when to quit."
"I almost admire the confidence."
Even the coach couldn’t help laughing.
He had expected Lucas to hesitate.
Instead...
The fool had accepted immediately.
Perfect.
The coach slowly turned toward the players before pointing at one of the tallest men on the team.
"You."
"Step forward."