Madrid, Spain – Early March 2015
The tournament was over.
Madrid Juniors had won.
No trophy celebration.
No MVP speech.
Eli just walked off the court.
Still breathing.
Still calibrating.
Midnight – Private Gym Entry
Lights off.
No staff.
Just silence.
Eli walked the court.
Touched every line.
Every arc.
Every zone.
Then began.
Shooting Circuit – 100% Protocol
36 zones.
50 makes per zone.
No rebounder.
No reset allowed.
Swish.
Swish.
Swish.
No fatigue.
No hunger.
No sleep.
Just rhythm.
Handle Flow – Pistol Pete Upgrade
Fingertip taps.
Wall passes.
Blind dribbles.
Breath-synced ladder.
No mistakes.
No noise.
Just control.
Advance Drills – B-Side Activation
Eli moved to the far end of the court.
Marked a 9'6" rim.
No one watched.
Posterization Entry Drill
Low-rim dunk reps
Foam pad contact finishes
Logged quietly
Jump-Fused Burst Drill
Micro-lift launch sets
Breath-synced acceleration
No full-speed reps yet
Intercept Timing Drill
Wall bounce reads
Mid-bounce interception
Logged for success rate
Morning – School
Eli sat in the back.
Took notes.
Breathed.
She leaned over during break.
"You never sleep."
Eli smiled.
"I recover differently."
She didn't ask again.
Afternoon – Team Practice
Luis was back.
Limited minutes.
Still vocal.
Eli didn't speak.
He moved.
Cut early.
Passed late.
Rotated first.
Luis watched.
"You're not loud. You're early."
Evening – Family Time
Eli swept the floor.
Carried groceries.
Read quietly.
No one noticed the posture drills.
No one saw the breath cycles.
No one asked.
Night – Meditation Chamber
Three-hour breath cycle.
No sleep.
No dreams.
Just silence.