The gym was louder than it had ever been.
Every seat filled, every fan pressed shoulder-to-shoulder, waving cardboard signs and shouting like they were at war instead of a basketball game.
From the upper rows came a chant that refused to die:
"Bangis Akong Lubot! Bangis Akong Lubot!"
Riki could only shake his head. Somewhere, the universe was laughing.
Cebu South Tech Titans vs. Flowstate, Manila.
The semifinals.
Thea had returned that morning — hair tied back, wearing her old Cebu South varsity jacket.
Her family filled a row near the baseline, proud but quiet, unsure which side to cheer for.
She ran her thumb along the faded school emblem stitched on her sleeve, feeling the ghosts of her own rhythm.
"You built me," she thought, "but you never taught me how to break."
Riki dribbled near half-court, eyes locked on the floor's shine.
He could feel the weight of it — the expectations, the heat, the memory of all the noise he used to drown in.
Cebu's warmup was like a ritual: identical passes, mirrored pivots, faces unreadable.
Perfection. But no pulse.
Lars leaned over. "They really breathe at the same time, bai?"
Riki grunted. "That's what makes them scary."
The whistle blew.
FIRST QUARTER — The Machine Starts
Cebu won the jump without trying.
Three passes later, their guard — Macky Tumulak — dropped a floater clean through the net.
2–0.
Next play, same pattern.
Every motion pre-measured, every breath synchronized.
Riki tried a screen with Kio, but Lars had already bolted down the lane.
Pass missed. Turnover.
6–0.
Thea didn't shout. She just crossed her arms — cold, focused.
Jax muttered, "They're reading everything we do."
Riki: "That's 'cause we're still doing everything they expect."
Timeout, two minutes in. Scoreboard: 12–2.
Flowstate sat in a loose circle, sweat dripping, lungs already fighting the pace.
Riki leaned forward, elbows on knees. "We stop copying their rhythm. We play ours. No mirrors."
Drei nodded. "Say less."
SECOND QUARTER — The Shift
Riki started walking the ball up.
No more rush. Just breath.
He let Cebu's guards overcommit — dragging them an inch too far, just enough to slip through.
Dribble right, pivot left, and a sudden bounce pass sliced the press clean.
Lars caught it mid-stride and flipped it high off glass.
"Now you move when I stop," Riki said under his breath.
"Copy, paperwork," Lars grinned.
The crowd leaned in. The Machine had skipped a gear.
Flowstate began to breathe in rhythm — each possession a measure, each fake a note.
Riki slowed the clock down until it sounded like a heartbeat.
Kio crashed the boards. Drei hit the corner jumper.
Even the missed shots had rhythm now — controlled, intentional.
By halftime, the gap was gone.
Cebu 39 – Flowstate 37.
Thea walked toward the locker room, clipboard pressed to her chest.
"They're not fighting the Machine anymore," she whispered. "They're remixing it."
THIRD QUARTER — System Overload
Cebu came out angry.
Their coach barked orders — press harder, double Riki, close the lane.
The gym felt tighter, air vibrating with tension.
Jax got knocked mid-air. No whistle.
Riki trapped, forced to pivot. He tossed it late to Lars — too late, too wild.
Lars spun once, twice, pulled up midrange — swish.
Riki: "That wasn't the play!"
Lars: "It went in!"
The crowd broke in half — half cheers, half curses.
Even Cebu's bench cracked smiles.
Next play, Riki didn't call anything.
He just raised a hand. Lars knew.
Fake left. Slip screen. Quick feed.
Layup. Tie game.
Every Cebu pass started wobbling now — one beat slower, one glance too long.
Their rhythm faltered under Flowstate's noise.
By the end of the third: Cebu 55 – Flowstate 54.
The gym couldn't sit still.
FOURTH QUARTER — The Human Machine
Both teams were gasping now.
Every cut stung. Every dribble burned.
But Riki's focus was absolute — eyes bright, movements calm.
He called a motion they hadn't used since the Bridgefire days.
Thea froze at the sight — she knew it immediately.
Ball in.
Dribble right.
Hand-off to Jax.
Back screen from Kio.
Lars cut invisible, late, perfect.
The pass hit him in stride.
Layup.
68–68.
Thirty seconds left.
Timeout, Cebu.
The crowd shook the bleachers.
"Tee-tans!"
"Flow-state!"
"Bangis Akong Lubot!"
Cebu inbounded — missed a quick jumper.
Riki caught the rebound and didn't call timeout.
He pointed once — down the lane.
"Lars," he said quietly, "off-beat."
He dribbled slow, almost lazy.
Cebu collapsed too soon.
Riki passed late — perfect.
Drei caught under the rim. Fake. Jump. Blocked.
Ball popped loose.
Kio tipped it out.
Lars caught it mid-air, baseline, no angle — but he didn't shoot.
He floated.
Saw Drei open again.
Passed in mid-air.
Drei caught the ball under the rim. Fake. Jump. Blocked.
Ball popped loose.
Kio tipped it out.
Lars caught it mid-air, baseline, no angle — but he didn't shoot.
He floated, found Drei again.
The buzzer went off as the ball hit back iron — bounced once — rolled — and fell off.
Cebu South 70 — Flowstate 68.
For a moment, no one moved.
Then the crowd exploded, a roaring sea of blue and white.
Cebu players rushed the floor, teammates screaming, coaches crying into towels.
Flowstate just stood there — tired, soaked in sweat, but smiling anyway.
Lars leaned on Riki's shoulder, panting. "That almost danced."
Riki laughed through the ache. "Almost is enough for now."
Thea walked across the court, clipboard tucked against her chest.
"You didn't beat the Machine," she said softly.
Riki met her eyes. "No."
"But you made it listen."
He didn't answer — just grinned, quiet and proud.
The Cebu South coach approached, shaking Riki's hand. "That was the first time they panicked," he admitted. "Don't lose that noise, son."
As the crowd thinned, Flowstate sat together near the baseline.
Their medals weren't gold, but the air around them felt lighter — alive.
Thea looked at the scoreboard once more. "Two points," she said.
Riki: "That's one song away from perfect."
Outside, rain began to hit the roof, slow and rhythmic.
The chant from the stands turned into something warmer: applause that felt earned.
Flowstate didn't win.
But they became Flowstate again.
End of Chapter 12 — "Machine vs. Flow"