The final quarter started with that loud buzzer, totally wrecking the quiet tension in the arena.

Mac and Jinzo were slumped on the bench with the two NPCs, looking like they’d been run over by a truck. Their energy was completely gone. The last NPC dragged himself onto the court just so they’d have five players. Meanwhile, the Raptors looked like someone had taken the fight out of them. Their manager had screamed at them so much about not getting kicked out that they were practically walking on eggshells.

No more rough plays, no more dirty moves.

But that was the worst thing they could’ve done. Because the second they backed off, Blacklist starters went all in.

Nash, who had decided to save his energy, planted himself under the net like a freaking statue. Like, one of those huge ones you see in museums that nobody can move. It was weird seeing him like that, usually, he was all quick and sneaky, slipping past everyone. But now? Total brick wall.

He spread his arms wide, knees bent, taking up so much space that the Raptors couldn’t even breathe near the hoop. Jax, thinking Nash was too tired to stop him, charged anyway straight down the middle, ready for an easy layup.

Nash didn’t even jump.

He just watched the ball with this scary look, like a cat waiting to pounce. Jax went up, sure he had it, then BAM. Nash’s hand smashed the ball against the backboard at the very last second, like he’d timed it perfectly. The whole thing shook like an earthquake.

Nash grabbed the ball before Jax even hit the ground, barely flinching.

"You’re wasting my time," Nash said, sounding bored.

The crowd went nuts. People watching at home were losing it too, flooding the chat with stuff like:

"Wait, since when is Nash playing center?? He just blocked a giant!"

"Bro is carrying the whole team alone. How??"

Meanwhile, over in the Crimson Talons’ hangar, nobody was laughing anymore. The coach rubbed his face like he had a headache.

"Of course he can defend too," he groaned. "At this point, we don’t need a game plan, we need a religion to pray."

The screen in front of them was shaking a little, but no one was moving. Kruger, the guy who usually laughed at everything, was gripping his chair, staring as Nash blocked another shot.

Lena stood nearby, arms crossed, pushing her glasses up with one finger. One of the players gulped, face pale.

"What the hell..." he whispered. "He’s not even tired? How can one guy do everything?"

Like, seriously. What was Nash, some kind of basketball robot?

Nia was the first to move after the defense stopped them. She had promised herself that she wouldn’t let Nash carry everything alone. So when Nash tossed her the ball, her hands were ready.

She caught it smoothly, her eyes darting across the court like she was solving a puzzle. No wild drives, no risky plays. Just patience. Then, boom, she spotted a tiny gap in the Raptors’ retreating defense and fired a pass so fast it barely made a sound.

The ball landed perfectly in Jaz’s hands. Jaz had already sprinted ahead, planting herself right under the basket like a stubborn tree. The moment the ball touched her fingers, she jumped, pushing off the floor hard enough to make her sneakers squeak.

A Raptors player slammed into her, legal this time, but rough, like they were testing if she’d flinch.

But she refused.

She took the hit, her shot bouncing off the rim, but before anyone could blink, she was already back on her feet. She grabbed her own rebound like it was hers by right, then went up again, this time shoving the ball through the net.

Raptors 80 – Blacklist 85

Jaz jogged backward, wiping sweat from her forehead with the back of her wrist. She locked eyes with Nash and gave a small, sharp nod. No words, just a silent I’m fine. Every time she got knocked down, she got back up angrier.

But despite Nash holding the defense together like glue, the points stopped coming so easy. The Raptors were scared of fouling now, so they packed themselves into a tight little wall around the basket. Blacklist’s girls pushed, strained, but nothing was getting through. Alicia tried a three-pointer, her first in a while, but the ball hit the back of the rim with a loud clang, like it was mocking her.

It was gonna be one of those games.

Meanwhile, Blacklist’s remaining NPC was proving to be a comedic masterpiece of absolute uselessness.

At one point, Nia passed the ball perfectly to him on the wing. It was a safe pass, no trouble at all. But the guy freaked out immediately when a huge Raptors defender just took one step toward him.

Like, the dude didn’t even have to do anything, and the NPC already panicked. He practically threw the ball back at Nia like it was burning his hands, then tripped over his own sneakers. The whole arena kind of laughed, but it was that nervous kind of laugh, like when something’s so awkward you can’t help but cringe.

"Who let this guy on the court?!" a fan shouted from way up in the stands.

But Nash? Nash was saving the defense every single time. Like, no joke. Jax tried this fancy hook shot, swinging his arm around like he was showing off, but Nash just stepped up, jumped at exactly the right second, and smacked the ball so hard it flew all the way into the third row.

Then another Raptors player tried sneaking past him along the baseline, but Nash was already there, his huge arms blocking everything. The guy had no choice but to chuck the ball up blindly, missing everything.

Meanwhile, Nash’s brain was working overtime. Like, his body was playing, but his mind was somewhere else, figuring stuff out. He was watching the game like it was some kind of puzzle, trying to find the one thing that would push the girls into that special zone state.

He kept thinking back to all their practice matches, every little detail. What was the trick? His eyes flicked between Alicia, whose shoulders were so tense they looked like rocks, and Nia, who was staring at the ball like it held the secrets of the universe.

Back when they played against the boys, Nash had to talk to them to snap them out of their heads. But this time? Totally different. They weren’t scared, they were trying way too hard, like they wanted to carry everything for him.

They were giving everything to protect him, and that was the problem. Nash realized that in a game this intense, words didn’t mean anything. The only thing that would wake them up was action.

They needed to see results to their efforts.

He took a deep breath, his chest rising slow and steady, like he was resetting himself.

The margin was so close no side could rest. The stadium felt like it was about to burst from tension. Lina and Sarra were pressed together, shaking a little. Sarra had her eyes squeezed shut, hands clasped like she was praying really hard, whispering fast words. Above, Amara was chewing her nails like crazy, eyes wide open, following every tiny sound of sneakers squeaking on the court floor.

Saya sat there with her face all twisted up, angry, but also something else. Her mind was a mess. She hated the Raptors, but deep down, part of her still wanted Nash to fail. Except now, looking at the court, she couldn’t move. She was just staring. Everyone around her was whispering, amazed at what Nash was doing against a team that should have crushed him.

Miles away, in their apartment, Zayela was practically glued to the screen, eyes locked on Nash like she was hypnotized.

"Come on, please, please..." she mumbled to no one.

On the court, Jax was trying to wreck Blacklist’s confidence. As Nia brought the ball up, Jax hovered near the passing lane.

"You bitches can’t score! Look at the clock! Look at your boy, he’s stuck under the basket ’cause he can’t even run anymore! You’re finished!"

The last Raptors defenders shifted, eyes locked onto Alicia and Jaz, ready to smother them if they got the ball. They were sure they could force a turnover.

Then, something changed.

The crowd gasped, then erupted. The whole stadium shook with noise.

Jax’s face went pale. The other Raptors looked at each other, shoulders dropping.

"Oh, fucking come on..." Jax muttered.

Alicia, Jaz and Nia turned their heads, eyes widening, then they grinned.

Nash stood right beside them.