105 Basketball Camp

It was the traditional recipe that Hayden used. Except that the fish sauce and chicken stock cubes used in it were made by Hayden himself. Yes, Hayden put that much of effort into his cooking. That's what makes it special.

On the table, the CHORUS members were eagerly waiting for Hayden to finish. The smell seeping out of the kitchen alone was something to die for.

"This is what he means by authentic Filipino cuisine, huh?" Sayuri's refined sense of smell was tingling in ecstasy. "It's amazing… How can such a perfect man exist?"

"And to think he trained all these in a mere six months…" Eun-ha speechlessly added. "What a monster."

A deep laugh can be heard from the kitchen. Hayden came out and leaned on the archway wearing his apron. "It's always experimentation. If you have an idea, do it. Even if it turns out bad, it's fine. It is an experiment. Plus, my Divine Perception makes it a cinch to learn the seamless combination of spices. All of you could probably easily learn from me if you have the determination."

The arrogance that was reeking out of Hayden was thick. It was stunning for the girls. It was a rare event that Hayden was this arrogant. Nevertheless, his arrogance wasn't misplaced at all. He had the right to be arrogant.

"When will it be ready though? We're all starving!" Aiko, one of the gluttons of the group, verbalized her hunger.

The other members followed suit. Hayden chuckled. "Yeah, yeah, it will be out. Even those guys are protesting to me."

Hayden pointed to Dusk and Dawn that had these adorable expectant expressions. The CHORUS members found them cute.

As usual, when Hayden served the food, the girls scarfed it down. Including Dusk and Dawn. Hayden specifically made two pots as the second pot was for them. Hayden gladly watched everyone eat.

'I guess the simple pleasures of life is something that wielders also cherish…' Hayden observed the eleven people sitting with him. The two beauties by his side noticed this.

"Heh, who you eyeing, Hayden-ah~?" Sayuri nudged Hayden with her arm in a teasing tone. "Why are you smiling like that. Eun-ha-ya, Hayden-ah's eyeing our co-members."

"Give the man a break." Eun-ha innocently stared at Sayuri. Taking a sip from her bowl of soup, Eun-ha leaned on Hayden's ears. "But seriously, who are you eyeing?"

All of them chortled with this interaction. Hayden was the first to cease his laughter. 'Good thing I learned cooking… I guess the best way to any person's heart is through the stomach, huh?'

…..

"You want a date with me cooking a dinner?" Hayden rotated his head towards Sayuri. He shrugged. "Eh, sure, why not."

"Be careful, noona." Eun-ha interjected the two's conversation. "His cooking has a deadly charm to it. You might die of love out of him."

"I'll take my chances." Sayuri giggled. Sayuri discerned that Hayden had a blank expression as he looked at the ceiling. "What you thinking?"

"I'm planning." Hayden vacantly replied.

"Plans for our date?" Sayuri innocently inquired.

"That, and many more." Hayden's face didn't move a muscle. "I'm a busy man, alike you guys. I have all these ideas that I want to finish."

"Then why not do it now?" Eun-ha put her phone atop the nightstand. "I mean, time with us can wait. We're here, we won't run away. You're too young to be shackled by us."

"What?" Hayden appeared offended of Eun-ha's statement. He tightened his hug on the both of them and stared at the ceiling. "Time with you guys is the best rest I can ever ask for. Life is like a wave. It can't eternally go upwards. It has to go down and return to its calm state. You guys are that calm state. All these crazy adventures that puts our lives on the line is too dangerous."

The two blushed at Hayden's remark. Sayuri pouted. "What a glib tongue."

"What?" Hayden blinked innocuously. "It's the truth, is it not? We have such time-consuming jobs. I can't possibly trade the time I have for the two of you for some other activity. Besides, when I go to college and oversee the two construction sites in Bicol region for my 'city' and Quezon City for my music label's building, this spending time with you will diminish. I have to cherish it."

"Fair enough." The girls simultaneously spoke. Sayuri complimented, "Heh, what a wise man for your age. You think akin to an old man."

"Am I that old?" Hayden flawlessly imitated the voice of an old man. "I guess I am, huh?"

The two laughed at Hayden's little quip. Eventually, the trio settled down peacefully and slept. While they were sleeping, Dusk and Dawn came in with tired countenances.

All this while, the duo was being passed around by the CHORUS members. Seeing the trio sleeping, Dusk and Dawn laid down by the feet of the bed. Together, the two slept.

…..

Sunday. Hayden and Eun-ha spent the day together in bed. All day, Eun-ha wore a sweater of Hayden. They did a bunch of couples' stuff once more.

Slow dancing, taking selfies, watching movies, serenading each other, sex, teach Eun-ha how to cook with her insistence, check clothes online, playing the piano, and a bunch more.

Hayden also recorded four games within an hour with Daniel, each ended early by Hayden within exactly 15 minutes, and taught Zeke how to be a top laner. With this, Hayden has three people to fill in the gap of Richard's team.

Another interesting thing has occurred in Manila. You know how the fog from Lagusang Itim should settle within 24 hours? This time, the fog settled within 12 hours, with the area being 10 miles in radius, twice than the typical 5 miles.

As Lagusang Itim was a natural event, the PAPPF cannot possibly wipe this out from the memories. The population of the Philippines was too big to modify their memories. As such, the PAPPF simply sought to hide what truly transpired.

Lastly, Hayden has posted his selfies with the CHORUS members. He typed in a few words of gratitude and low-key fanboy statements. The CHORUS members did the same as well. It was an amazing event that made headlines of the celebrity industry and became a number one trend in social media.

As for the two contracted cognizant beasts, he didn't hide them. Maned wolves nowadays were common in the Philippines. Genetically modified black maned wolves were popular as pets too. Hence, Dusk wasn't that conspicuous.

Dawn wasn't strange either. A species nicknamed Small Bears (Scientific name: Ursus Minusculus) have been popular pets since 2040s. Small Bears were basically smaller version of bears. It was popular due to it being essentially a stuffed teddy bear with life. They were also docile, made for the purpose of being pets.

…..

"Why am I going with you again?" In Hayden's SUV, Daniel was sitting on the passenger seat. "I mean, I'm not a basketball player. Why the hell would I join the team?"

Hayden sported a plain black shirt, jeans, and his basketball shoes. Daniel donned a white shirt, jeans, and basketball shoes.

On the back were the two cognizants. Daniel eyed them and was going to ask a question, but didn't. It was a well-known fact to him that Hayden liked animals. And animals liked him back.

They sat there gracefully, befitting to their status as a Hazium and Desrothis. However, it was uncharacteristic for their earth counterparts. Nevertheless, Daniel assumed that the two was just trained by Hayden.

Why wasn't he suspicious of the two at all? Well, Hayden kept many secrets to him. In all honesty, Daniel wouldn't be surprised if Hayden was someone with a double identity. Like that White Fox.

"You're a failsafe. A secret weapon." Hayden didn't mask his intentions. "As they have told you, the eleven members of CHORUS are wielders. What do you expect from this?"

"That there are wielders outside of Philippines?" Daniel asked. He had a shocked visage when he realized what Hayden was saying. "You're suggesting the possibility of fighting wielder basketball players in the Annual Youth Pride."

"Exactly." Hayden nodded. "I can't face them alone, can I? I need to have a backup. Someone who's a fast learner."

"Aw, shucks." Daniel waved away Hayden's compliment, acting coyly. "I didn't know you viewed me that way, Hayden."

"Shut it." Hayden's regular nonchalant tone returned. "I'm doing this in case of a mishap. Don't flatter yourself."

"Tsk, it doesn't hurt to act friendly once in a while." Daniel rolled his eyes.

"This is me being friendly." Hayden scoffed. "And I know that you know me enough for you to understand that that is what's happening here."

"Yeah, just messing with you bro." Daniel laughed.

The ride was spent on useless banter or conversation of strategies in War of Honor. Hayden also let in Daniel of his future endeavors. At the end of the day, a little insight from an outsider remains valuable.

Aside from this, having no friends as a celebrity would be recklessness. Hayden fathomed this fact a long time ago. This was the reason that he was going to produce a star out of Daniel and Zeke.

"Damn, with you, I won't be poor at all." Daniel was surprised of how ambitious Hayden was. "A music label? A 'city?' Where do you plan on getting all the money for this?"

"Let me worry about that." Hayden wouldn't divulge the number of credits on his bank. That would be stupid. There would be many questions that would give Hayden a headache. "As for you, all you have to worry for the moment is practice."

Hayden parked on the parking lot of the Manila Sports Complex. Unlike the regional sports complexes, the Manila Sports Complex was smaller than the size of Hayden's plot of land in Quezon.

That's because most of the sports stadiums were under the ground. Most buildings in modern days are driven underground.

Which is why Puting Araw settled for Makati. Manila was the capital of Philippines. It was a given that towering skyscrapers with underground buildings will be present.

Entering the sports complex, Hayden was in the lead. In his arms were the two cognizants. The sight was cute. Hayden and Daniel were both wearing backpacks. He navigated to the indoor basketball area. As they were 30 minutes early, there was no other person here.

Well, except Sophia and Dominic. Sophia had a tablet clipboard on hand. They were examining the court.

"You're too early." Dominic said without looking at them. He only looked when he detected Daniel. "He's not a basketball player, right? Why is he here? And what are those animals?"

"I want to put him in as a reserve player." Hayden rationalized his reason for bringing Daniel in. "He'll be of great help to the team. One powerful secret weapon. As for these two, they're my pets. Can't leave them at home without supervision."

"I've heard so much about you, Mr. Daniel." Dominic extended his right hand for Daniel to shake. He didn't mind Hayden's eccentric attitude as that was established when he first met Hayden. "I'm Coach Ardiente, Dominic Ardiente. Be relaxed, I'm from Puting Araw too."

"Wait, what?" Daniel exclaimed in surprise. He talked to Hayden. "You didn't tell me the coach is a Puting Araw agent?"

"Eh." Hayden shrugged. He ignored the dazed Daniel, placed down the two, and walked to the locker rooms.

"Wait for me, you fucker!" Daniel caught up to Hayden. "Seriously, dude, what's up with you not giving me this information?"

"It wasn't that important." Hayden shrugged once more. "I mean, he won't be your coach anyways. I will be. I'm the one who's going to whip you to shape in a week."

"Uh…" Daniel was going to protest but decided against it. "How will you teach me?"

"Two words." Hayden smiled coldly. "Spartan training."

Hearing those, Daniel shivered. He had a premonition that this one week with Hayden will be hell. 'However, it will be worth it. This guy isn't that strict…'

Guess we'll see if Daniel would later regret this line of thought.

…..

On the court, Hayden and Daniel was now dressed in basketball jerseys. Hayden's was blue, the national color of the Philippine basketball team. Daniel's was that of jersey for home use as he wasn't part of the team. Yet. Hayden was standing on the free throw circle with a ball in hand.

"In basketball, scoring points is not the most important thing." Hayden spoke with a teacher's disposition. "Being in control of the ball is. With exceptional control of the ball, both your team's offense and defense will increase. Consequently, the first thing I will teach you is dribbling."

Daniel didn't talk. A flame of determination was ignited within his eyes. Hayden could smell the determination. It was evident that chemosignals were more complicated than the extent that Hayden has studied. He was too busy to do so in depth.

"Let me show you real ball handling." Hayden dribbled the ball in his hands. "Try to get the ball from me."

Daniel charged in. Daniel stretched his arms outward. Hayden prevented him from seizing the ball by stretching his arm too and orienting his dribbling hand away from Daniel.

Abruptly, Hayden stepped back. Daniel's fast reaction time allowed him to react. Unfortunately for him, Hayden's maneuver wasn't finished. Bouncing the ball behind him, Hayden changed his dribbling hand and bounced it below Daniel's legs.

Twisting his body, Hayden got past Daniel easily. Daniel was shocked of the agility that Hayden possessed. It was inhuman. Well, he was inhuman as well, but you get what he means.

Behind Daniel, Hayden got a hold of the ball once more. "That's a simple movement that will allow you to take your opponent by surprise. All you have to do is practice. A hard working person will beat a talented person sooner or later."

'But you're a hard working person and a prodigy.' Daniel, Sophia, and Dominic all thought simultaneously. 'Nobody can beat you.'

…..

"Step one. Dribbling." Hayden passed the ball to Daniel. "First, you have to learn to dribble. How will you be able to handle the ball if you don't know how to dribble."

Daniel did a plain dribble on both hands in a cinch. After all, modern console controllers require extreme hand dexterity. All that stuff from 30 years ago? Those are child's play for players in this day and age.

"Next is the crossover dribble." Hayden gave Daniel pointers for the dribble. "That's a menial task. Next is the between the legs dribble."

Daniel did it trouble-free. He was an avid watcher of Hayden. As a wielder and a student of an elite high school, it'd be strange if he didn't pick up a few skills over the time he scrutinized Hayden's one-man practice.

Regardless, Daniel couldn't help but feel that it was too unchallenging. 'What is happening? It's as if I don't need to exert that much effort to learn things…'

"I forgot to mention." Hayden let Daniel dribble the ball as he liked. "You are under the effect of Coach Ardiente's Ability, Mind Force. It allows him to augment your learning speed. That's why you think these tasks are undemanding."

"Oh...." Daniel was enlightened. "That's why."

"Okay, next off is the three basic dribbles." Hayden disregarded Daniel's epiphany. "The speed dribble. The low dribble. And the change of pace dribble."

Hayden displayed the three dribbles for Daniel. "There's also two other types. The behind the back dribble and the backpedal. All the other dribbles are implementation of these dribbles or amalgamations of these types of dribble or extensions."

"So these are what I have to practice?" Daniel asked.

"Yes." Hayden patted Daniel on the shoulder. "You know the drills. You've seen me do all of it. Do 10,000 of each. With-"

"Wait, 10,000 of each?" Daniel interrupted Hayden.

"Did I stutter?" Hayden narrowed his eyes. "If you want to fully ingrain the dribbling into your bones, hard work is a must. Don't worry, this will serve you well. Don't you want to look cool in Scarlet's eyes?"

"Uh…" Daniel couldn't argue with Hayden using that line. He scrunched up his eyebrows. "What is wrong with you?"

"Every bit is wrong with me." Hayden chuckled. "Go to the third indoor court, there's nobody scheduled there. Take these two with you as well"

"Yeah, yeah." Daniel bade Hayden goodbye. He lifted the two cognizant beasts. The two didn't resist. "I better be used in the basketball match."

"Don't worry, you will be." Hayden mysteriously smiled.

On that note, Daniel exited. When he exited, in came the four people that Hayden will be with in the first five.

One was of the average Filipino height with a clean haircut. His body build was thin with hints of muscles and had a light brown skin tone. His face was pretty handsome. This was the prodigal 16-year-old point guard that surpasses his own captain in Makati Scholar Academy in terms of, well, everything. He was Amado Banta. His jersey number was 45.

One was absurdly tall, about a head over Hayden. His body was quite muscular, synonymous with that of a body builder's and had a bronze skin tone. His hair was styled in a warrior's wolf knot. He had a resting bitch face. This was the best 16-year-old center, Alfonso Enriquez. His jersey number was 70.

One was as tall as Hayden and was handsome. Of course, Hayden was more handsome. He had a fit body build with a light brown skin tone. His hair was brown in color and was of neck-length. This was the best 16-year-old shooting guard, Darryl Chavez. His jersey number was 2.

Lastly, one was taller than Amado, but smaller than Darryl. He had a lanky build with a black skin tone. His hair was braided. This was the best 16-year-old small forward, Brando Navarro. His jersey number was 99.

Their attire was the identical blue jersey that Hayden had on.

Hayden recognized all of them as he has faced them on the court in the National Youth Tournament. He beat all of them in a basketball match black and blue. Also, all of them expressed their own admiration of Hayden's skill in the past.

As a sportsman, Hayden thanked them for this. He wasn't an arrogant fuck that would ignore them. If he was going to ignore people, it would be his friends.

Therefore, the four people all high fived Hayden. Hayden obliged without an utterance of a word. If they were going to be in a team, teamwork was necessary.

Behind them, in came fifteen people that were reserves. They wore their own school jerseys instead of the blue.

"Okay, line up." Dominic clapped his hands and shouted. The twenty people lined up, with the first string on the leftmost side. Hayden was at the back of the first five. "Wait, Hayden. Come here."

Hayden shrugged, walking to the side of Dominic. "This guy will not be training with you during individual trainings. He's too skilled for all of you."

Nobody protested, a sign of concurrence on their part. All of them has witnessed Hayden's skill for themselves. They'd be stupid if they disagreed.

Aside from this, Hayden's aura was unreasonably intimidating. As if he can kill them anytime he desires to.

Well, one person was indeed senseless enough. This person was handsome and was as tall as Hayden. His body was similarly fit. He had curly hair. In all honesty, Hayden didn't know him.

"He's not too skilled for us." The youth protested. He radiated arrogance. "Moreover, isn't basketball a five-man sport? Why is he not going to practice?"