Raj had come back in.
Now on the court—
Shubham. Raj. Vishal. Roshan.
Outside—Vedant. Surya. Viraj.
---
Shubham stepped near the line.
Paused. Looked at his team—
"Get ready."
---
Viraj watched from outside—
Shubham… muscular. Never gets angry. Plays steadily. But I still don't know what makes him special. Why is he here?
---
Shubham stepped onto the court—
Moved toward Varun. Applied pressure—
Varun immediately—
"Cover! Hurry!"
Shubham backed off—shifted to the other side—pressure again—
How do I take him out—
But—
He took the bonus.
Returned.
Score — @15: 8 — @11: 6
---
Varun stepped in again.
Shubham and Raj — right.
Vishal and Roshan — left.
Varun—
Focused heavily on Shubham. Again and again.
---
Viraj, watching—
Why does this team want Shubham out so badly? Why specifically him?
---
Vishal observed—
He's doing the same thing Amit did. Targeting Shubham. This is my chance—just like before—I'll catch him the same way—
Vishal let go of Roshan's hand—
Moved toward Varun's blind spot—
He was just about to grab him—
Then—
Varun felt it.
A smooth—
Roll.
Slipped right past Vishal's side—
Effortless.
Vishal—
"What…? How—"
And then he realized—
I did exactly what Varun wanted. He knew I would do this.
But now—it was too late.
Varun crossed the line.
Bonus too.
Score — @15: 8 — @11: 8
---
Shubham — shocked.
Roshan — shocked.
Raj — shocked.
Vedant—head down. Silent.
Surya—just waiting.
When do I go in?
---
And Viraj—
"No…"
Everything clicked in his mind—
Piece by piece—
This team's mastermind… studies the opponent's moves. The patterns they repeat. Then finds a solution to those moves. And after that—forces you to use the same move again. Makes you desperate. Pushes you into it. And then—you get trapped.
That's why they didn't play properly at the start. They were observing. Studying. Noting our patterns. Our habits.
And now—they're using those same patterns against us.
Viraj grabbed his head—
"Now I understand… why defeating this team feels impossible."
A long silence.
"Is it… really impossible?"
---
Then—
Tane's voice echoed in his mind—
"Things don't always go straight. Changing paths… changing conditions… sometimes force you to move differently."
"If a storm comes—bend."
Viraj's eyes tightened.
Yes. I have to play on their terms… or find a path that breaks their entire preparation. A move they've never observed. A move I've never used before.
Slowly—
From his body—
An aura began to rise.
From his eyes. His hands. His entire presence.
Viraj said softly—but with full force—
"Just… one chance. Give me one more chance."
---
— Chapter 15 End —