Love, Basketball and Demons

Chapter 12: Triggered

The moon cast a ghostly glow upon the empty football field as Zack stood in the center, shivering from the chill of the late October night. The wind whistled ominously through the goalposts, and he wished he hadn't agreed to this late-night training. As he waited, his breath formed puffs of white mist in the cold air.

"Hey," Rob's voice cut through the silence as he approached Zack, his hands buried deep in the pockets of his hoodie. "I've been thinking about this whole Gluttony situation, and I believe we should focus on your control when you have to think quickly."

"Really?" Zack asked, eyebrows raised in surprise. He was grateful for Rob's support but he also felt like Rob hadn't totally forgiven him.

"Yeah," Rob nodded, his expression serious. "I don't trust Ethel completely. She's hiding something—important information about the exorcists or Gluttony or both."

Zack sighed, staring at the ground, torn between wanting to trust Ethel and knowing that Rob was right. "I know, but we don't have much choice. We need her knowledge to defeat Gluttony."

"True," Rob conceded, "but that doesn't mean we can't be cautious. We'll work on your powers together, and that way we can be sure you are learning everything you can about them, not just what she wants us to know."

"Thanks, Rob," Zack said with a half-smile, touched by his friend's unwavering loyalty.

*

Meanwhile, in Deb's dorm room, Ahmed sat on the edge of her bed, trying to focus on the colorful underwater world unfolding on the screen before them. The Little Mermaid had always been one of his favorites, but Deb's constant interruptions were making it difficult to enjoy the film.

"Ahmed, listen to this!" Deb exclaimed, holding up a thick, leather-bound book titled Shoku Nihongi. It had finally arrived, and she couldn't contain her excitement. "It talks about cleansing evil spirits from the palace using Shinto purifications."

"Uh-huh," Ahmed mumbled, his eyes still glued to the screen as Ariel's melodious voice filled the room.

"Did you know my ancestors were the first to perform these Shinto purifications?" Deb continued, oblivious to Ahmed's disinterest as she flipped through the ancient pages.

"Wow, really?" he replied half-heartedly, praying that Sebastian would soon burst into song and drown out Deb's enthusiastic ramblings.

As Deb dove deeper into the world of ancient rituals and evil spirits, Ahmed found himself longing for the simplicity of a fairy tale where love conquered all, and happy endings were guaranteed.

Under the light of the moon, Zack and Rob stood on the empty football field. The eerie silence was only broken by the distant howls of the wind as it whipped through the trees. Rob tapped away at Zack's phone, installing a heart rate monitor app that he claimed would help them track when Zack began to lose control over his powers.

"Alright, Zack," Rob handed the phone back to him. "Now we can keep an eye on your heart rate and work on your reflexes and control."

Rob pulled off his backpack and began digging around inside of it. He pulled out a folding golf club and a handful of balls, placing them on the ground in front of him.

"Here's the plan: I'm going to hit these golf balls at you, and you're going to dodge them without losing control. Think of it as multitasking under pressure, without the risk of being chased through a park or torn apart by a sin."

Zack gulped at the thought but nodded, steeling himself for the challenge ahead. Rob swung the club, sending the first ball whizzing toward Zack, who narrowly managed to dodge it. The next few balls followed suit, with Zack demonstrating impressive agility as they zipped past him.