Nikola and Kris settled into their spot on the bench, just off to the side of Court 2 prime view. The gym lights reflected faintly in the polished hardwood as tension thickened in the air. Players were taking their positions, stretching fingers, bouncing on their heels. Everyone was ready.
Kumstrim stepped forward once more, microphone in hand.
"Alright, listen up. Matches will be played first to 11. Standard street rules 1s and 2s. Team E starts with the ball. You may begin."
He stepped back, and all eyes turned to the court.
Jamie stood at the top of the arc, the ball gripped firmly in his large hands. His frame looked even more imposing up close, but what struck Nikola wasn't the size. It was his eyes.
Focused. Sharp. Like a beast that had locked onto its prey. There was no hint of nerves, no distraction just pure, silent intensity.
Kris leaned in, elbow brushing Nikola's arm. "Yo… look at Jamie."
Nikola nodded slowly, eyes fixed on him. "Yeah… he's locked in."
"You can see it," Kris added. "The way he's holding the ball… he's not out here to just play. He's here to prove something."
"Probably wants to put Thiseas in the ground," Nikola smirked faintly. "This is more than a game for him."
On the court, Jamie bounced the ball once, twice, before calling for a screen.
And the battle of giants was officially underway.
Jamie exploded off the screen like a bullet from a barrel. His teammate had set it perfectly just enough contact to give him that extra second of freedom. But just as he began to accelerate, another figure stepped into his path.
Thiseas.
Long, broad, and built like a stone wall, he abandoned his man and slid into Jamie's lane. His eyes were locked in, sharp and defiant.
"You're not getting past me," he muttered with a fire building in his voice.
But Jamie didn't blink.
With raw speed and brute strength, he dropped his shoulder and surged forward. His footwork was quick, powerful like a freight train with purpose. In one blink, he was by Thiseas, and now the lane was wide open.
He picked up the ball and took two powerful steps. The gym echoed with the thuds of his feet. Then, he leapt high, almost unnaturally high. His body twisted mid air as he cocked the ball behind his head and BOOM a thunderous tomahawk dunk that rattled the rim and brought gasps across the gym.
From the bench, Nikola's heart skipped.
His hands clenched into fists on his knees. His jaw tightened.
It wasn't just the dunk. It was the way Jamie landed, cool and composed, and jogged back past Thiseas, not even looking at him as he said, "You'll be invisible this game."
The words cut through the court like a dagger, and Nikola felt something tighten in his chest. Anxiety. Jealousy. It bubbled again the same feeling from the drills. The feeling that Jamie's freakish athleticism somehow cast a shadow over everyone else, including him.
Jamie stopped near the top of the arc and turned to his teammate. "Give me the ball up top."
Those words didn't go unheard.
Thiseas's expression twisted, his stoic face now burning with silent rage. His eyes narrowed, and a fire lit inside him. That kind of fire you only see in players who've been disrespected who've been challenged.
"You want to play like that?" he murmured under his breath. "Then watch how I play ball."
Jamie stood at the top of the arc once more, the ball resting in his hands. But this time, things were different. His defender was glued to him pressuring tight, denying him even a sliver of space.
He dribbled casually, shifting the ball from one hand to the other, just enough to keep the defender honest. Then, with a calm nod, he swung the ball to his teammate on the right wing the same one not being guarded by Thiseas.
The court opened just a bit.
The teammate caught the pass and immediately went into motion dribbling between his legs, smooth crossovers trying to shake his man. He was probing, testing, looking for an opening. And just when it seemed like he might back off… he drove.
A sharp crossover left his defender off balance. Jamie's eyes lit up.
He saw it.
The lane was collapsing, and the timing perfect.
He burst forward like a missile, sprinting from the arc with terrifying speed. The player guarding him turned instinctively but it was hopeless. Jamie wasn't just fast. He was relentless. Like a lion closing in on prey.
"Backboard!" Jamie shouted, already in motion.
His teammate barely needed the cue. With a flick of the wrist, he launched the ball high toward the glass.
And then
Jamie soared.
The gym seemed to freeze. Air rushed under his feet as he rose, his eyes fixed on the ball bouncing off the backboard. Like it was planned. Like he'd done this a hundred times before.
SLAM!
He caught it in mid air and hammered it down with a violent force, his body twisting slightly from the momentum. The rim groaned under the impact. Gasps erupted from every corner of the gym.
Even Thiseas couldn't hide his surprise. His eyes widened, breath caught in his chest.
Kris, still seated beside Nikola on the bench, leaned back slightly, blinking in disbelief. His voice came out quiet, unsure.
"…Can we even beat this guy?"
There was a strange pause in the gym not silence, just a stunned kind of awe. The kind you feel when you realize someone isn't just talented…
They're built different.
Jamie landed with a grin and jogged back, not looking at anyone in particular. But everyone knew
It was a warning.
Up in the stands, Hao sat frozen in his seat his eyes wide, mouth slightly open. The roar of Jamie's dunk still echoed faintly in his ears, but his thoughts were spinning far louder than any noise in the gym.
Did we… Did we strike gold with this guy? he wondered, still trying to process what he had just witnessed. That raw athleticism. That explosive lift. That perfectly timed finish. It wasn't just good it was elite. Something you'd expect from a high level NCAA athlete… or maybe even an NBA prospect.
Beside him, Ace leaned forward, his expression far less impressed. In fact, he looked almost offended.
"Yo, Hao," Ace muttered, his voice edged with disbelief. "Did your staff even test this guy for doping?"
Hao blinked. "…What?"
Ace scoffed, waving a hand toward the court. "Come on. Are we just gonna sit here and pretend that what we just saw was normal? That was Michael Jeffrey Jordan level athleticism. MJ in his prime." He gestured again, this time more animated. "How does a guy like that end up in a second tier tryout? No top level team saw him? No academy snatched him up? Either everyone in the scouting world is blind or this guy's juiced."
Hao didn't respond immediately.
He didn't want to.
Because deep down… a part of him agreed.
It was too much. Too good. Too explosive. It didn't add up. But even with the creeping suspicion gnawing at his instincts, he couldn't help but admire it.
"…Maybe," Hao said quietly. "Maybe he is. But even if it's just for today… I want to see how far he can take this."
Ace folded his arms, unconvinced. "If he pulls off one more dunk like that, I'm walking down there myself and demanding a blood test."
Hao gave a short, dry laugh, eyes still locked on Jamie as the game continued.
No matter how unreal it felt… something about Jamie captivated everyone watching.