The echo of Jamie's windmill dunk still rang faintly in the rafters. The scoreboard had already reset, and yet, the damage lingered far beyond numbers.
On the far side of the gym, another match was nearing its conclusion. Cheers, shouts, the sharp bounce of the ball they all felt so distant.
Kris and Nikola didn't bother watching.
They just sat there, motionless, side by side on the bench.
But not together.
They hadn't spoken a single word since the match ended.
They didn't need to.
The silence between them was louder than any voice could have been.
They had both seen it.
Felt it.
That unshakable truth.
A player who did not belong on this level.
No who transcended this level entirely.
Jamie had shattered the illusion they had wrapped themselves in. That hard work, passion, and hunger alone could bridge the gap. That they could rise to the top from these tryouts.
Nikola leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, staring at the polished floor.
A thin sheen of sweat remained on his palms, but it wasn't from warming up.
It was from dread.
From the quiet, suffocating realization
We're not going to make it.
He didn't dare say it.
But he knew Kris felt it too.
Kris sat upright, his jaw clenched, eyes fixed on a random speck on the gym wall.
Not watching the other match.
Not thinking about their strategy.
He was trying to hold himself together.
But inside, it was chaos.
His stomach churned. His chest felt hollow.
Every moment replayed that game on the adjacent court.
The passes. The blocks. The dunks.
That stare. That unrelenting dominance.
Kris had once believed he was born for this.
But now...
Jamie made them look like extras in someone else's story.
"If we play them..." The thought came like a whisper in both their minds.
"If we meet him..."
No strategy. No hustle. No hidden ace up their sleeve could beat that kind of raw, terrifying excellence.
They weren't defeated in a game.
They were defeated in spirit.
Their dreams what once seemed just beyond reach now felt like they were buried beneath Jamie's sneakers, stomped into the hardwood with every drive and dunk.
And so, they sat in silence.
No words.
No fire.
Just the cold, sinking weight of reality
This might already be over.
Up in the stands, Aleksandar sat still, his eyes locked on the court even though the game had already ended.
Jamie had dominated. That much was undeniable. The score said it all.
The atmosphere in the gym had shifted gravity itself felt heavier, pulled toward one player, like planets to a sun.
But Aleksandar...
He refused to let go.
No he couldn't.
"This isn't real," he muttered in his head, fists clenched on his thighs. "He's juicing. That has to be it."
He replayed the dunks. The passes. The speed. The power. All of it screamed unnatural. "No one does that at this level... unless they're on something."
Beside him, Hao let out a low sigh, glancing sideways.
"I don't want to be the deliverer of bad news," Hao said, voice even but sharp, "but I think these tryouts are already over."
Aleksandar blinked, snapping out of his storm of denial.
Hao continued, arms crossed, expression unreadable.
"After that performance? Let's be real. No one's signing anyone but Jamie. Your friend, Nikola... he'll need a miracle. And I can only imagine Luciano's face when he realizes he struck gold."
That was the final straw.
Aleksandar's face twisted into a scowl.
He turned toward Hao, frustration bubbling up from inside.
"Stop it," he growled. "Nikola's not done. He's not. Just because some guy put on a freak show doesn't mean the rest of us should roll over and die."
Hao raised an eyebrow. "It's not about giving up. It's about recognizing reality."
"Reality?" Aleksandar barked back. "Reality is that you don't know Nikola. I've seen what he can do. He's got vision. Grit. You think Jamie's the only one with heart out there?"
"He's not just heart, Aleksandar," Hao said bluntly. "He's heart, skill, and something more. Something none of them can match."
Aleksandar's eyes narrowed.
"No. You're wrong. Nikola's just holding back. Maybe today shook him, yeah, but he'll bounce back. He always does. He's not weak. He's just waiting for his moment."
He forced himself to believe every word as it left his mouth.
He has to prove me right, Aleksandar thought. He has to.
"Besides," he added with a tense grin, "if Jamie's that good... let's see what happens when the pressure's on him. Nothing's over until it's over."
Hao didn't argue further. He simply looked back to the court where Jamie casually sipped from a water bottle near the vending machine, entirely unfazed.
Aleksandar leaned forward, eyes burning.
He wasn't ready to abandon the dream not yet.
Delusion or faith he no longer knew the difference.
But he'd keep believing in Nikola...
Even if no one else would.
The sound of the buzzer echoed across the gym, signaling the end of the game on Court 2.
Team A had defeated Team B, 11 to 6.
Scattered claps followed, more out of courtesy than excitement. All eyes were already shifting. The show had moved on.
Kumstrim stepped forward, picking up the microphone once more, his voice cutting through the noise with practiced clarity.
"Second round matches will begin in five minutes," he announced. "All teams, please proceed to your assigned courts. Good luck."
That was it.
The moment had come.
Kris and Nikola, still seated on the cold bench, felt the words strike them like a jolt of electricity. The trance they had fallen into after watching Jamie's onslaught snapped reality returned.
Nikola slowly stood, his knees stiff, but not from fatigue.
Kris followed without a word.
Their eyes met briefly.
Neither needed to say it.
It was their turn.
They walked in silence toward Court 1, every step heavier than the last.
On the way, they passed by Julián, who was stretching near the entrance. He looked up, noticed their approach, and gave a small nod.
"You ready?" Kris asked.
Julián shrugged with a grin, casually wiping his hands on his shorts. "Born ready."
Nikola didn't respond. His mind was still fractured by the storm that was Jamie. But he forced himself forward. This wasn't the time to dwell.
As the three crossed into Court 1, the lights above seemed just a little brighter.
Waiting on the other side was Team C.
Three players, all standing tall. Confident. Calm.
At the center of them stood a familiar silhouette.
Nikola's eyes locked onto one figure in particular.
Fermín.
That wingspan. That presence. That same aura from before intimidating and unshakable.
Nikola inhaled slowly.
It's him.