2012 · Los Angeles · Training Facility
The word spread before anyone said it out loud.
Core group.
It wasn't written on the schedule.
It wasn't announced.
But when Gu Kai walked into the gym that morning, he felt it immediately.
Fewer people.
Tighter spacing.
Different energy.
The players warming up weren't talking much—but their movements were sharper. No wasted steps. No loose dribbles.
These weren't guys trying to survive.
These were guys trying to win.
---
The coach waited until everyone had finished stretching.
"Same court," he said.
"Different standard."
He looked around.
"If you're here," he continued,
"it means you didn't get cut."
No one smiled.
"That doesn't mean you're safe."
The ball hit the floor.
---
The pace jumped instantly.
Passes were faster.
Cuts were harder.
Rotations came without being called.
Gu Kai checked in at the top.
Across from him stood a guard with longer arms and older eyes—early twenties, maybe. Calm stance. No wasted movement.
This wasn't pressure defense.
This was containment.
The ball came to Gu Kai.
He didn't attack.
He waited.
The defender didn't blink.
So Gu Kai swung the ball, relocated, and cut through the lane—drawing a switch.
On the second touch, he drove.
The lane closed immediately.
Two bodies.
Gu Kai rose, then kicked the ball out midair.
Corner three.
Hit.
No reaction.
They ran back.
---
Next possession.
The defense stayed home this time.
Gu Kai read it early.
He went downhill.
No hesitation.
Contact came at the hip.
Then at the shoulder.
He stayed balanced.
Finished off the glass.
The defender exhaled through his nose.
---
The run didn't slow.
If anything, it got cleaner.
Mistakes were punished immediately.
A missed rotation meant a dunk.
A lazy closeout meant a pull-up.
Gu Kai felt it—
This was real basketball.
No one cared where you were from.
No one cared how you'd looked yesterday.
Only whether you made the next read.
---
Midway through the run, the coach changed the matchups.
Bigger wing on Gu Kai.
Longer reach.
More patience.
The first drive stalled.
Gu Kai pulled it out.
Reset.
He didn't force the angle.
He waited for the defender to lean.
Half a step.
That was all.
Gu Kai attacked the top foot, slid past the shoulder, and rose.
This time, he didn't finish.
He dropped the ball behind him—no look.
A teammate cut cleanly.
Finish.
The coach nodded once.
---
The final possession of the run came with the score tied.
No one called for the ball.
Gu Kai drifted up from the corner.
Caught.
The defender closed hard.
Gu Kai took one dribble left.
Stopped.
The defender overran it by inches.
Gu Kai rose into a short pull-up.
Clean.
The whistle blew.
Run over.
---
No one said anything.
They just checked the score, grabbed water, and reset.
The coach walked to midcourt.
"That's enough," he said.
Then he looked at Gu Kai.
"You see the difference now?"
he asked.
Gu Kai nodded.
"Yes."
The coach's voice was calm.
"Good. Because this is the floor. Not the ceiling."
---
As Gu Kai sat down, the system interface surfaced—quiet, precise.
---
[Stage Mission Update]
[Objective: Establish a Label]
[Status: Near Completion]
[Core Group Recognition: Confirmed]
🟣 Purple Trait Unlock Progress: 94%
[Condition Reminder]
Consistency under pressure completes the upgrade.
---
Gu Kai leaned back against the bench.
His chest rose and fell steadily.
This wasn't dominance.
Not yet.
But it was something just as important.
They weren't seeing how good he could be anymore.
They were seeing how good he already was—
When it actually mattered.
Gu Kai looked back at the court.
This was the group that decided futures.
And now—
He was part of it.