CHAPTER 8 — DOCKYARD RISING / THE BEAT MEETS THE SYSTEM
(Dockyard Drifters vs Imperium Reborn — "The Pinoy D-Rose Falls")
10:02 PM — Concrete Beats Semifinals
Rain mist drifted through the floodlights.
The bridge looked alive — steam, noise, heartbeat bass.
Thea's mic squealed, then cleared.
"It's semifinal time! The System versus The Sea!"
The crowd screamed.
Team Intros
Imperium Reborn
PG — Raf Alcantara · "The System Himself."
SG — Nico "Prime" De Vera · "Prime Time."
PG/SG — Diether Alcaraz · "The Pinoy D-Rose."
They strode out in black-and-gold.
Each step sounded rehearsed.
Above, on the overpass rail, Koji Tanaka watched without blinking.
Dockyard Drifters
PG — Mario "Fishball" Dela Cruz · "Five-Peso Magic."
PF — Bornok Rivera · "The Tidal Tank."
SG — Renz "Air" Alonzo · "The Beat That Jumps."
They emerged through diesel smoke and salt wind.
Fishball lifted a skewer like a torch.
Bornok pounded the floor once; thunder answered.
Renz followed — hood off, grin sharp.
"They came from the docks," Thea shouted,
"and they're about to dock a ship called Imperium!"
The bridge shook.
Tip-Off
Bornok won it clean — tap to Mario.
Renz streaked up-court, took the lob, windmill jam. 1–0.
The crowd detonated.
Raf answered calm as a clock.
Prime curled — fadeaway. 1–1.
First Half — Wave vs Wire
Imperium ran geometry.
Dockyard ran weather.
Diether: cross → hesi → hang → lay-in. 1–2.
Renz: stutter → spin → hammer. 2–2.
Raf slowed tempo; Dockyard refused.
Fishball threaded passes through chaos;
Bornok muscled rebounds like dragging nets from sea.
By mid-game: Dockyard 6 – Imperium 5.
Second Half — When the Rose Blooms
Raf whispered, "Shift."
Imperium's formation locked into symmetry.
Diether caught the pass near half-court,
burst once — and vanished.
Two strides, explode—
he lifted so high his knees almost touched his chest.
Back-scratcher dunk, spine arched like a drawn bow.
Water sprayed off the rim.
6–6.
Next play—Euro step, spin, back-scratching slam. 6–7.
Crowd chanting: "D-ROSE! D-ROSE! D-ROSE!"
He stayed blank-faced, mechanical, terrifying.
Another spin-fade jumper. 6–8.
Renz Answers
Renz wiped rain from his eyes.
"Music's dead," he muttered.
Bornok: "Then make your own."
Mario: "Also you still owe that barefoot guy fifteen-hundred."
Renz: "Yeah, yeah — perfect motivation."
He closed his eyes mid-dribble.
No speaker. No bass.
Only breath. Only heartbeat.
Boom ... clap ... boom.
Smile.
Crossover → glide → rise.
Tomahawk over Prime. 8–8.
Diether nodded once. "Finally woke up."
The Air and the Rose
They isolated.
Raf and Bornok stepped aside;
it became rhythm vs rhythm.
Diether first.
Crossover — Renz bit.
Explosive drive — gather mid-air — two-hand back-scratcher through contact. 8–9.
Rain exploded off the rim.
He landed silent.
Renz next.
Step-back — fake — spin opposite.
Elevate backward — 360 windmill. 9–9.
Camera phones stuttered in shock.
Diether: "You dance loud."
Renz: "You land pretty."
They grinned, predators recognizing predators.
Final Sequence
Raf to Diether — floater. 9–9.
Clock bleeding.
Mario dribbled, whispering, "Low tide."
Bornok's screen crashed like a wave.
Renz weaved left, spun right.
Diether chased, half a beat late.
Pause.
Burst.
Off-tempo.
Reverse double-clutch. 11–9.
Buzzer.
Aftermath
Diether crouched, chest heaving for the first time.
Renz stood above him, grinning, drenched.
Renz: "The music's here, bro — you just can't stream it."
Diether: "You finally heard it."
They bumped fists once—respect forged.
Bornok scooped Mario. "WE JUST DELETED THE SYSTEM!"
Mario: "And we still owe Riki 1,500!"
Renz: "Good thing finals got bonuses."
The crowd was still screaming when Thea grabbed the megaphone again, voice half-lost in the rain.
"One last game — the Fan-Favorite Final! Crowd-favorite versus tonight's winners!"
Riki, still drenched on the sideline, raised an eyebrow.
"Crowd favorite, huh?"
Thea smirked. "Your idea, remember? Winner versus the People's Team. Keeps the bridge packed."
Bong yelled, "Translation: we're the encore!"
Teo just smiled faintly. "Then we'd better be worth the ticket."
Above, Koji Tanaka turned away.
Even stone had to respect sound.
Final: Dockyard Drifters 11 – Imperium Reborn 9
End of Chapter 8 – "Dockyard Rising"