(Araneta Coliseum — Opening Night)
The city was humming again.
Not the sound of traffic or karaoke, but something older — something like pulse.
Outside Araneta, banners hung heavy under floodlights:
GOVERNOR'S CUP II — MANILA CIRCUIT.
Sponsors, cameras, neon flashes.
Students from every district lined the streets, waving signs scrawled with names they'd memorized from livestreams:
"WAVE IS BACK!"
"FLOWSTATE FOREVER!"
"PINoy D-ROSE NATION!"
Inside, the floor glowed.
The court had been stripped, waxed, and reborn — half red, half gold, the lines sharp enough to cut reflection.
The smell of varnish mixed with sweat and cologne.
Riki Dela Peña tied his shoes in silence.
White laces. Double knot.
He could hear the muffled bass of the crowd outside the tunnel.
Every chant had a different rhythm, but they all built toward one name.
"Flow-state! Flow-state!"
Renz stretched beside him, earbuds in, face unreadable.
Bornok was eating something again.
Drei paced the sideline, rolling his neck.
Teo sat perfectly still, eyes closed, like a statue trying to remember how to breathe.
Thea walked in last, clipboard tucked under her arm.
No speech, no notes — just that quiet look she had before things began.
"Fifteen minutes," she said.
Lars pulled his hoodie down and stood. "Feels shorter."
Renz smirked. "Everything does when it matters."
When they stepped out of the tunnel, the noise hit like weather.
Hot, dense, full of names.
Iron Tide was warming up on the opposite end — Marco "Wave" Herrera already calling plays with Tank Cruz pounding the floor.
The Cebu South Tech bench was visible just behind them, all identical joggers and mirrored focus.
And at the far end, sitting in warm gray and white — Imperium Reborn.
Koji Tanaka towered above the rest, unblinking.
Diether Alcaraz sat lacing his sneakers, every movement precise, measured.
The hum of the crowd changed when he stood — a hundred phones rose instantly.
"Pinoy D-Rose!" someone shouted.
It echoed down the walls.
Renz glanced up at him, smirk half-curved. "He's still got fans."
Riki answered without looking. "So do we. Just louder ones."
The national anthem ended.
The lights dropped.
And the governor himself walked to mid-court.
Cameras tracked every step.
His voice filled the dome.
"Tonight, we return to where it all began — the bridge, the floodlights, the dream.
What started as street tournaments has become the new pulse of collegiate basketball.
And in this very court, under these lights — we will find out who defines this era."
The spotlights swept across the crowd — then locked on the eight benches.
"Eight teams.
One city.
One rhythm."
Drums started.
Bass rolled through the dome floor.
The announcer's voice came alive through echo and reverb:
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN... WELCOME TO THE GOVERNOR'S CUP II — MANILA CIRCUIT!"
TEAM INTRODUCTIONS
"From Pasig Tech — the street kings of power, the comeback warriors — IRON TIDE!"
Marco raised a hand, winked toward the Flowstate bench.
Bornok pointed back, mouthing, "Bring snacks."
"From Cebu South Tech — the Machine of Visayas, cold and unshakable — THE TITANS!"
Their whole bench stood in unison — perfect symmetry.
"From State University — the rhythm of Cubao, the soul of the bridge — FLOWSTATE!"
The lights exploded into gold.
Riki walked out first.
No swagger, no wave, just calm.
Renz followed, headphones off now, chin high.
Lars came last, fist-bumping the scorer's table before joining the circle.
The chant started low, then rose like a wave.
"Flow-state! Flow-state! Flow-state!"
Renz felt it in his ribs.
Bornok slapped his back. "We made it, bro."
Renz nodded. "Now let's stay."
In the locker room hallway, teams crossed paths before their separate exits.
Imperium passed by first.
Raf Alcantara gave a curt nod to Thea. "Your team looks ready."
She smiled back. "So does yours."
Diether paused briefly at the doorway, looked at Renz, and said, "See you at the top."
Renz smirked. "You mean the bridge."
Koji didn't say a word — just bowed slightly as he passed Teo.
Teo bowed back.
Two towers acknowledging gravity.
The first whistle of the Governor's Cup II cut the air.
It was sharp enough to silence everything.
Flowstate stood at half court for opening ceremony photos, shoulders brushing, faces half-lit by flash.
Behind them, banners from three years of noise hung like history made visible.
Riki squinted up at the rafters, the weight of it all pressing down in a way that felt good.
Thea called out from the sideline, "Eyes forward, Dela Peña."
He smiled. "Always."
As they huddled before their first game against Thunder Cats, Lars spoke quietly from the back.
"Whatever happens tonight... make it music."
Renz's grin sharpened. "Loud music."
Riki chuckled. "The kind that doesn't stop."
The referee raised the ball.
Crowd on its feet.
The city leaning forward.
Tip-off.
The Governor's Cup began.
End of Chapter 3 — "The Governor's Cup"