Nikola and Kris moved through the small crowd that had formed in front of the tall whiteboard. Players were pointing, mumbling, some nodding in silent approval, others scratching their heads or letting out a sigh.
Nikola scanned the list with sharp focus, eyes darting from line to line until he spotted it:
Team D:
Nikola Kris Julián
At that exact moment, Kris leaned forward and tapped the same line with his finger.
"No way…" Kris muttered, then glanced at Nikola with a wide grin. "We're on the same team!"
Nikola's eyes widened slightly, and a smile broke across his face. "Team D," he said, almost to himself, like he was letting it settle in. "Man, I'm actually really happy about this."
Kris gave him a playful nudge on the shoulder. "Let's go! Time to show them who we are."
Nikola chuckled, his nerves momentarily washed away by the relief of familiar company. "Yeah," he nodded, still smiling. "But first, we need to find Julián."
"Right," Kris replied, now scanning the gym. "Let's hope he's not one of those silent types who disappear during warmups."
Nikola laughed under his breath. "Either way, with you and me on the court, we're not going down easy."
Kris and Nikola weaved their way through the scattered players on the court, stopping every now and then to tap a shoulder or wave someone over.
"Hey, are you Julián?"
"Nope. Sorry, bro."
"Yo, you seen a guy named Julián?"
"I think he's over there, by the bench."
They were halfway through the roster by the time they finally spotted him a tall, lean figure near the far end of the gym, casually dribbling a ball between his legs. He was slightly taller than both Nikola and Kris, with a clean side part haircut.
"That's gotta be him," Kris said, pointing.
They approached, and Nikola took the lead. "Hey, you're Julián, right?"
The guy stopped dribbling and looked up with a friendly nod. "Yeah. That's me."
Kris extended a fist. "We're on Team D with you. I'm Kris."
"Nikola," Nikola added, offering a handshake.
Julián gave both of them a quick dap and smile. "Nice. Good to meet you guys."
He had a faint accent South American, but his English was fluent.
"I'm from Argentina," he added, as if reading their thoughts. "I used to play football, y'know soccer. But in high school, I switched to basketball."
Kris raised his eyebrows. "No kidding? That's a jump."
Julián chuckled. "Yeah, well… it started with streetball. Then I got tall, learned to pass, and the coaches at school told me to give it a shot. Never looked back."
Nikola tilted his head, intrigued. "So what's your thing on the court? Shooter? Driver?"
Julián spun the ball casually in one hand, then passed it lightly to Nikola. "Playmaking. I like to get my guys open, run the tempo, make the game easier for everyone."
Kris grinned. "Sounds like we lucked out."
Nikola nodded. "Yeah. If we all click, this could work out great."
There was a shared silence for a moment not awkward, but filled with mutual understanding. The kind of quiet confidence that only comes when you know everyone's here to prove something.
Julián clapped his hands once. "Alright then. Let's make some noise out there."
With thirty minutes on the clock, the gym buzzed with the sound of sneakers squeaking, balls bouncing, and players calling out to one another. Team D Nikola, Kris, and Julián moved to an open corner of the court to begin their warm up.
Nikola started with some simple dribbling drills, getting a feel for the court's grip and letting his nerves settle with every bounce. After a minute, he began sinking mid range jumpers with a steady rhythm controlled, smooth, locked in. His face was calm, but his focus sharp.
Kris, as usual, brought a bit more energy. He ran quick spot up drills, taking passes from Nikola and launching smooth catch and shoot threes from both corners. A few rattled out, but most snapped through the net. His form was crisp, his confidence brewing.
Julián didn't take many shots at first. Instead, he worked on his handle tight crossovers, behind the back moves, and quick changes of pace. After a while, he motioned Nikola and Kris over for passing drills, testing their chemistry with give and go plays and no look dimes.
They didn't speak much.
But their movement spoke volumes.
A sharp bounce pass here. A clean jumper there. A smile when one of them nailed a tough shot.
They were warming up not just their bodies but the connection they'd need when the real game began.
As the warmups neared their end, the buzz in the gym shifted. The sharp echo of balls bouncing slowly faded as eyes turned toward the front. A couple of staffers rolled in a fresh whiteboard, placing it where everyone could see. Names and matchups were written in bold, black marker, each team neatly arranged in a tournament bracket.
Kumstrim walked to the center with his usual calm, composed demeanor, and raised the microphone to his lips.
"Alright everyone," his voice echoed across the gym, "the matchups are now on the whiteboard. We'll begin with two games from opposite sides of the bracket. On the right, we'll have Team A vs Team B. On the left, it'll be Team E vs Team F. You have five minutes to report to the court. Best of luck to all."
As soon as he finished, the gym broke out into murmurs. Players rushed over to the whiteboard, and so did Nikola and Kris. The two leaned in, scanning the matchups.
"There," Kris pointed. "Team D vs Team C."
Nikola's eyes narrowed when he read the name Fermín under Team C. A faint image sparked in his mind a kid with a long wingspan.
Before he could dwell on it, Kris nudged him again.
"Look who's on Team E."
Nikola glanced over and his eyebrows lifted. It was Jamie.
And on the opposing team, Thiseas.
"Oh," Nikola muttered with a slow grin. "It's the freaks."
Kris laughed. "Exactly. We have to watch that one."
Nikola nodded, already picturing the collision of two physical monsters on the court. "And I don't wanna hear anything about watching Team A or Team B even if they might be our next opponents. I'm not missing this."
"Same," Kris smirked. "Scouting can wait. I'm trying to see a battle."
With that, both of them stepped aside, eyes already shifting toward Court 2 where Jamie and Thiseas were beginning their pre game layups.
The main event hadn't started yet for Team D, but the show was about to begin.
And Nikola wasn't missing a second of it.