The game started up again, and you could see Jaz playing smarter now.

She stopped chasing every single pass like a crazy person and stayed closer to the paint instead, which honestly made more sense for her current role.

The boys looked kind of lost now. Mac had the ball on the wing, holding it way too long, his eyes glued to Jaz, like she was about to do something wild... but she didn’t move at all.

Mac’s face scrunched up in confusion.

What? She’s not coming?

"Watch out!" Drex shouted from the corner, but it was already too late.

Nia’s hand came flying in from behind like a shadow, slapped the ball right out of Mac’s hands, and took off running before he could even blink.

His eyes got huge.

"What the hell?! Where did she come from?!"

Nia pushed the ball forward, passed it to Alicia on the wing, and Alicia took her shot, perfect form, no hesitation, swish.

The girls cheered loud. Drex jogged back, glaring at Mac like he wanted to strangle him.

"The fuck is wrong with you?! You wasted time staring at Jaz’s ass, you idiot!"

Mac threw his hands up, looking pissed.

"Argh!!! You are the idiots! You guys said to wait till she comes to tire her out! That was YOUR plan! She didn’t move! The fuck you want me to do?!"

Drex shook his head, rubbing his temple like he was dealing with the dumbest person alive.

"That doesn’t mean ignore everyone else. Wake up next time damn it!"

The girls jogged back to set up their defense. Alicia was grinning like she just won the lottery, and Nash fell into step beside her, bumping her shoulder lightly.

"Good shot, Alicia. Keep doing that, trust your release even when they get close, and don’t think twice about taking the open shots."

Alicia’s smile got even wider, even though she tried to hide it, she couldn’t. She used to just think about surviving, about making it through the day without getting eaten by the Underground’s life, but now? Now she mattered. The best person in the world actually needed her.

"Thanks..." she said softly at first, then louder, like she was finally believing in herself. "I’ll make them count."

And she did.

The game kept going, and Alicia started taking more threes from everywhere. She’d catch the ball, step into her shot, sweat making her gleam under the light, and then she’d let it fly.

Some missed, clanging off the rim, but some went in, that sweet swish sound making her feel like she was floating.

The score started shifting again, the girls pulling way ahead.

[Girls 55 – Boys 24]

The boys were losing their minds.

"Oh, fuck off! Not her too!"

Alicia was glowing, getting better with every shot. Her moves were sharper, her confidence unstoppable. Even the staff watching from the sidelines started whispering and pointing.

Victoria and Dahlia leaned forward, eyes locked on Alicia like they were seeing her for the first time. It was like a whole new person had stepped onto the court.

And defense? Something changed there too. When Drex tried to drive, Nash shut him down hard, blocking the lane with his body like a damn wall.

That was the signal to go for plan B and pass it to the cuck, Drex tried to find Jinzo like usual, but the second the ball left his hands, Nia slid in from nowhere and tipped it away. Drex’s eyes went wide.

"Where the hell—?!"

Aiko grabbed the loose ball and fired it downcourt, a laser pass that reached Alicia who lobbed it up for Jaz, perfect alley-oop.

Jaz leaped high, slammed it down hard.

The rim shook like it had just been hit by a truck of meat and jiggle physics.

[Girls 57 – Boys 24]

The boys’ plan was falling apart as much as their hope. They kept trying to focus on Nash and Jaz, but now Nia was the problem in defense.

Every time Nash shifted to cut off a drive or help on Drex, Nia would sneak in from the blind spots, slapping balls loose or swatting passes away. She was everywhere, running full speed after every steal, pushing the pace like a damn demon.

Then, in one play, Nia locked onto Jinzo, expecting Drex to pass to him, but Drex pulled up for a three from way deeper than usual. Nia’s eyes went wide.

Shit, She jumped fast, got a hand on the ball, but ended up crashing into Drex, fouling him in the process.

Nia hit the ground hard, wiped sweat off her face with her shirt, frustrated.

"Damn it... misread that one."

Nash walked over, offering his hand, pulling her up gently.

"You good?"

Nia stood, breathing hard, still mad at herself.

"Yeah, yeah. My bad, I should’ve seen that coming..."

Nash grinned.

"Yeah, well, they have no more option so I guess he will start trying more from farther away. Anyway, I like seeing you this fired up. That hustle almost got it."

Nia looked at him, surprised for a second, then a small smile crept onto her face. She twirled a strand of hair around her finger like she was playing it cool.

"Oh? Come on, what’s with the compliments today? Careful what you say. I might give you head as a reward after that."

Nash smirked, leaning in just a little.

"I’d be disappointed with just that. I expect the whole body next time."

Nia’s eyes widened for half a second before she broke into a chuckle, looking way too pleased and suddenly way more fired up.

"You smart bastard. Bet."

She ran back on offense, lighter on her feet, feeling proud as hell. These little defensive plays with Nash? They made her feel closer to him than anything else ever had.

The staff members watching from the sidelines started whispering about it. This whole act wasn’t anything like the Nia they knew.

"She’s not doing her usual distraction stuff? Like, the sexy tease and all that? That’s stupid. It would totally work against that many guys. What the hell is she waiting for?"

The other guy nodded like a bobblehead, scratching his stubble.

"It’s ’cause of Blaze. Ever since she started hanging around him, she refuses to do anything with other dudes. Not even the Midnight Rest quickies, you feel me? You could offer her a pile of cash and she still wouldn’t go back to that old work. If you ain’t Blaze, she won’t even let you touch her. That’s fuck’d up man."

The first guy blinked.

"Oh... damn, what a waste... but, " He suddenly squinted. "Wait... how the hell do you know about the Midnight Reststuff?"

Everyone turned to stare at him like he’d just farted in church. The guy swallowed, looking left and right before lifting a shaky finger.

"Uh... just rumors, man. Heard some things. That’s all."

Up on the railing, Victoria stood like a statue, preferring ignoring them to focus on the anomaly going on the court.

Her golden fingers tapped slowly on the metal, making a quiet tap-tap-tap sound.

Normally, she wouldn’t care about that kind of game, the whole purpose was to make Nash look irreplaceable in a way, but Nash’s newest passive affecting her made her see everything clearer now.

Before, her team’s whole strategy was just "survive and let Nash carry us." But now? After all the crazy shit he told her, here was his plan in action: building a real team, not just a bunch of hangers-on.

They were getting strong, like, actually strong. Strong enough to be top contenders with more than just Nash carrying them. Strong enough to not just exist, but to dominate... and maybe even win. The thought made her eyes narrow just a little more.

And then there was the real problem, Aiko. Like Nash had brought her here to force Victoria to see what she knew all along.

The way she moved with the girls, like she’d been there forever, no hesitation, no awkwardness. Just pure teamwork. It was kinda impressive, honestly.

Dahlia stood next to her, shifting her weight from foot to foot like she needed to pee. She kept glancing at her boss, worried as hell. Victoria was too damn quiet. Dahlia had noticed it too, Aiko fitting in so smooth, like she was made for this team.

It wasn’t a match to make Nash look good, it was a match to show how fusing Baby-Boom girls and their own would make the perfect team.

Was that Nash’s plan all along? She couldn’t tell, but one thing was sure, Victoria wasn’t talking, and that usually meant that she was paying attention to what was happening.

Down on the court, Aiko caught a pass and drove in for a layup like it was nothing. The girls cheered her on, loud and proud. For a second, Aiko felt... weird. Like, it was easy.

It even felt kinda good. She used to think these girls were all weirdos, but playing together like this? Something was changing. She thought about the locker room, about how Nash treated all of them.

Yeah, maybe it was a... Bad feeling? But there was something... Maybe interesting, maybe funny, maybe nostalgic. It wouldn’t be so bad if these kind of moments happened more often, if they played more like during the sleepover.

Miko had a good vibe with Jaz, Rei was kinda into Alicia, with Nia keeping her on check. And Nash was making Hina and Kai crazy. Maybe what made this moment better wasn’t the plan, but everyone being together?

A warm feeling curled up in her chest. She wanted that future. She’d never say it out loud, but... yeah, she liked it.

"Aiko nooo!" Nash shouted, but after she scored. "Ah, never mind. Forgot it was you. Good job mama."

Aiko’s face turned pink, and she muttered.

"I’m so killing you..."

But after that? She played even harder. The staff kept whispering about how naturally Aiko fit in, like she was born to be there.

If Nia was doing most job in the shadow to build up every action, Aiko was completing her by completing them, moving the ball between Alicia, Jaz, or scoring herself.

This wasn’t a dual attack anymore, but an hydra with three heads, and Jinzo wasn’t having it though.

He drove hard for a dunk, muscles straining, face all twisted up with effort, but Jaz rose up to meet him, jumping higher, way higher, and slammed the ball right over his head with a boom so loud it echoed.

Jinzo hit the floor hard, landing right on his ass. Jaz stood over him, looking down, sweat dripping off her chin onto his stupid face.

Jinzo stared up at her, his expression pure frustration. She made a sharp "tch" sound, then ran back like she had just stepped on dog’s shit.

Did she have to make it sound so personal? It was already hard for him to live with it every day, now even worse has he kept getting owned.

Drex was trying his best to hold the team together. He hit threes, called out plays, screamed at the guys when they started falling apart.

"Get it together!" he yelled, veins popping in his neck. "We can still do this!"

But no one believed in it anymore. Mac kept screwing up. He held the ball too long, hoping for the girls to try the old seduction tricks, to at least have something interesting happening to him in this game.

Except now? Nia and Nash stole it clean every time. The boys looked more and more shocked, blaming Mac like it was all his fault.

"I’ll beat your ass later, Mac! I swear I’ll fuck you up!"

This was supposed to be Nash’s game at his weakest. Dude couldn’t even shoot or pass for shit. But defense? Rebounds? He was still a monster.

He moved outside the paint sometimes, snatching long passes with those stupidly long arms and freakish speed. And the guy never seemed to get tired.

Jinzo’s confidence came back a little during their three-point streak, or rather, Drex’s carry, but it had vanished now.

By the end, the girls were destroying them. Like, it wasn’t even close. They moved together like they’d been playing for years.

During one fast break, Jaz had recovered enough energy and the bulldozer was back again, powering through everything.

Alicia found Nia with a perfect pass, and Nia sank the shot with a laugh.

"Watch out, gorilla," Nia teased, grinning. "Don’t break a leg trying to show off too much."

Jaz grinned back while running.

"Shut up. At least I don’t look like someone else. Where’s the bitch in you today?"

Next play, Alicia missed a three-pointer, but Jaz grabbed the rebound and dunked it hard.

"You can thank me later for cleaning up your mess!" she yelled, smirking.

Then Alicia hit the next one, swish. She flipped her hair, all smug.

"See? Just wait for the fruit of my actions. Don’t waste energy running everywhere."

Aiko rolled her eyes so hard it looked painful.

"Focus, idiots," she muttered. But they just laughed and tried to carry her to score more too.

The three jogged back together, Jaz and Alicia bickering while Aiko pretended to hate it.

"You’re all idiots..." Aiko said, but she was smiling, just a little.

It felt good. Like, really good. Playing with them, trusting them... it was like they’d been friends forever.

The final plays were pure teamwork, passes smooth as butter, cuts timed perfectly, defense tight as hell. Jaz dominated inside when she got the ball, Alicia hit open shots like it was nothing, and Nia and Aiko kept stealing passes left and right.

The boys’ long-pass strategy fell apart completely. They had to guard everyone now, not just Jaz and Nash. Their faces went from confusion to frustration to full-on despair. Jinzo looked like he was gonna cry, watching Jaz fight so hard for Nash.

The score kept climbing:

[Girls 62 – Boys 26] ... [Girls 71 – Boys 26] ... [Girls 79 – Boys 26] ...

Finally, the staff member raised his hand high to put an end to their suffering.

"Time!" he shouted. Match is over!" he yelled. "Girls win, 87 to 26!"