Ismael saw Flynn take the bait and turned to Braiden, who was nearby. Their eyes met and they both smirked, revealing their sinister intentions.
“As for the competition, it’s like bullfighting.”
“Three sets with two wins each. The ball possession switches between the two players three times. The first time is for fighting over the ball, while in the following two times each player gets a chance to hold onto it. Whoever scores more points at the end wins.”
“Since it’s bullfighting, there aren’t as many rules as regular basketball games. It’s pure physical confrontation and can be quite violent but highly entertaining.”
“You might get injured during this game just like in bullfighting but of course you can forfeit anytime you want.”
“Do you understand all of this?” asked the referee looking at Flynn with disdain.
Last year an NBA star came to Niarak for a commercial event where he witnessed Ismael compete against him in bullfighting and won! That match made things difficult for that NBA star while Ismael gained unprecedented fame from it.
They said never challenge someone’s profession with your hobby but Ismael did just that! The referee believed that even though Flynn had some basketball skills, he wouldn’t stand a chance against Ismael who could rival any professional player out there.
“Forfeit? No way,” said Flynn shaking his head coldly. “Since this is man-to-man combat, let me change up some rules: Three sets with two wins each and no quitting allowed!”
The referee froze when he heard those words. Everyone around them also looked stunned as if they were watching a madman speak before them.
“No quitting allowed? Ha ha! You’re pretty bold! But today you’re done for. Mr. Cox has iron elbows like hammers which will crack open your bones even if they don’t break!”
“What do we call showing off? This is what we call showing off! This country bumpkin doesn’t know any better. He wants to save face by thinking his basketball skills are amazing when he doesn’t realize that under Mr. Cox’s iron elbows, all he’ll do is kneel down!”
“The country bumpkin is too proud of himself. Maybe if he watched Mr. Cox play more often, then perhaps regret would have come sooner than later after insulting his wife by bowing down low instead of making things worse now!”
“Mr. Cox, show us what you’ve got so we can scare this bastard into submission once and for all!”
Ismael enjoyed being praised by everyone present especially towards several screaming girls whom he said, “Wanna see me dunk? Ha ha I’ll give ya something worth seeing then!”
He quickly dribbled towards the basket after saying those words aloud.
Boom boom boom…
The whole arena fell silent, and many people took out their phones and opened their cameras.
Ismael strode towards the basket, and when he reached the free throw line, he threw the ball into the air and then jumped high inside the free throw line.
He caught the basketball firmly in mid-air, his body straightened out, legs hooked up.
With one arm swinging in a half circle, he glided like an airplane and slammed the ball heavily into the basket.
“Holy shit! A windmill dunk from within the free throw line! So damn cool, so violent!”
“Oh my god, did you guys see that? The basketball hoop was shaken violently by Mr. Cox’s dunk! How much strength does it take to do that? I really don’t know what scene it would be if this dunk hit that guy!”
“Mr. Cox is so handsome and manly! He’s rich, knows martial arts well enough to fight off bad guys if necessary and has good basketball skills. If only I could marry him… but unfortunately he might not be interested.”
Everyone at scene was shocked by this violent slam dunk. While admiring Ismael’s skills, they also believed Flynn would bleed on court before being humiliated by Ismael!
Madeline listened to everyone’s comments with her heart racing in her throat as she muttered, “Ismael’s technique and strength are too strong!”
“I’ve known Flynn since we were kids. He never touched a basketball. Even when practicing during his time in prison, there is no way he can beat Ismael who plays against professional players regularly.”
“Ismael is holding back some power for sure. I bet Flynn will get hurt.”
It was true that there was a basketball court in prison but only one hour of outdoor activity time per day allowed for playing sports or exercising outside of cells.
Even if Flynn played every day, there was no way for him to win against Ismael who played with professional players regularly.
Scarlet also felt shocked by Ismael’s slam dunk but soon laughed, “My brother-in-law has always been stubborn. Nothing anyone says can change his mind about anything. Just watch calmly. I believe him!”
She knew Flynn had some abilities – when it came to fighting she didn’t think anyone could beat him – but when it came to playing basketball, she couldn’t say for sure whether or not Flynn could surpass Ismael.
Rose frowned slightly as well with a hint of gloom between her eyebrows.
However, Flynn just sneered disdainfully shaking his head, “You’re almost under basket now – this counts as windmill?”
Ismael walked over next to Flynn with a smug smile, “Let’s make things clear. If you can’t handle it halfway through, you’ll have to kneel down whenever you see me from now on!”
“Are we going play or just keep talking? You’ve been yapping non-stop – aren’t you tired?” said Flynn frowning, “Same words to you, I hope you can be a man and compete with me until the end!”
He turned around coldly and walked towards the center of the court, feeling somewhat helpless.
If Madeline didn’t stop him, Flynn would have gone up and crushed Ismael’s hand after he smashed the ball.
Why waste time arguing with this kind of trash and agreeing to do such a boring thing?
Women only slow down their own pace!
Since Madeline stopped him, Flynn could only talk to Ismael on the court!
“Fight for the ball!”
The referee blew his whistle and threw up the basketball high into the air.
Ismael pushed off his legs fiercely like an eagle soaring into sky, firmly grabbing hold of the basketball. However, Flynn had already walked near to free throw line in defensive position.
“What?! This idiot has never played bullfighting before! Didn’t we just say that whoever wins in this first round will have more chances of winning overall? After all, in next two rounds each person will attack separately while holding onto possession of ball they won from first round.”
“Mr. Cox has various attacking methods. When playing as part of team games, he always appears as strongest scorer. Now that he holds onto ball himself, there is no suspense about who will score first.”
Ismael patted his basketball while smiling at Flynn: “It seems like you don’t know much about bullfighting. Let me give you a chance to attack.”
“Otherwise it would seem too unfair for me!”
He handed over basketball right in front of Flynn’s face with a mocking expression.
“Why are you acting like a woman?” Standing at three-point line waiting for Ismael’s attack, Flynn frowned when seeing opponent stopping suddenly, “Save your saliva. I let you take it on purpose!”
“This is what elders do for younger ones. Otherwise, people who know us might think I’m bullying kids!”
Ismael chuckled, “Knowing that you couldn’t win so you didn’t fight back but since ball fell into my hands, then you said let me take it.”
“You really have no shame!”
“Fine! Since you want to end this quickly, then I’ll fulfill your wish!”
He didn’t say anything more but flashed an evil smile at corner of mouth, bent down patting basketball while staring straight into Flynn’s eyes preparing himself for attacking.
Flynn was standing there lazily without any tension, his posture loose without even bothering bending waist slightly.
“You bastard, I won’t let you leave here walking today. I’ve lived these thirty years just so that today isn’t wasted.”
“I’m not afraid to tell you, I’ll pass by your right side. I’m just afraid you won’t be able to defend yourself!” Ismael said with a smug expression, his eyes flashing with malice.