GODS — 35 | RAPTORS — 15 | 1:02 — First Quarter
The ball bounced back into play like it had a heartbeat of its own. The crowd's cheers didn't rise, they compressed, like air tightening before a storm. Every bounce echoed heavier than it should.
Jalen dribbled up, sweat running down his temple, but his eyes were blazing. "Fifteen points? Then I'll tear it down myself." He pushed forward, each step like a drumbeat of defiance.
Across from him, Zeus.
Not in stance.
Not even ready.
Just standing, arms at his sides… as if defense was optional.
Jalen's sneakers screeched as he halted at the arc, breath sharp.
(Move. Don't think. Move.)
He cut left.
Zeus didn't chase.
He… shifted. A single glide of the foot, like a king adjusting his robe, and suddenly every path Jalen saw rewrote into a dead end.
"Shit—!"
Jalen snapped a crossover
—FLASH STEP. His signature movement exploded, a burst of speed that normally blurred vision.
