Chapter 420: Titan Drops: Blacklist VS Colossus(3)
On the next play, Nash went absolutely wild. He hit Hall with a double crossover, fake left, then boom, he exploded to the right. The ball zipped between his legs so fast the whole crowd just screamed.
Hall was left frozen, totally off-balance. He tried to scramble back, but Nash was already gone, gliding up for a smooth jump shot.
[Colossus 33-40 Blacklist]
"AGAIN! HE DID IT AGAIN!" the announcer yelled, sounding like he was having a heart attack.
In the stands, Chloe jumped up, screaming her lungs out and chanting Nash’s name. Snow just shook his head and muttered.
"Poor Rain."
Meanwhile, Kai was playing Vex like a fiddle. She was all over him, breathing down his neck, not giving him a single second to breathe.
"Shouldn’t you already be subbed off?" Kai teased, a smug little smirk on her prick’s little face. "Like... you’re getting cooked, sweetie."
Vex didn’t even answer. He couldn’t. He was gasping for air, his lungs burning, and he had to lean on his knees for a second between possessions just to keep from collapsing.
On the next play, Nash got the ball near the three-point line, his back to the hoop. In one fluid motion, he pivoted, putting his back to Hall, and just tossed the ball up over his shoulder. He didn’t even look at the rim. He was still rotating when the ball left his hand, just for the sake of disrespecting his opponents.
Swoosh, right through the net.
[Colossus 33-42 Blacklist]
"How the fuck..." Cross started, looking completely stunned, before he just shook his head in disbelief.
Vex saw Nash take another shot from a crazy angle on the next possession. He saw Kai starting to jump for a rebound, and he just... stayed down. He decided not to jump this time. He figured the shot was too risky and he just didn’t have the energy left to waste on a "maybe."
The ball hit the rim and bounced. Kai snapped it up and shoved it straight through the hoop.
[Colossus 33-44 Blacklist]
The crowd roared. It was a wall of sound, pure shock hitting the arena.
Vex stood there, frozen. He had just been punished for trying to save energy against a girl who doesn’t know what "resting" is. Kai didn’t care that her teammates were scoring; she was playing her own game of attrition.
That was the trap. While Jaz would just smash into people with raw power and dunks, Kai was like a damn rabbit that wouldn’t stop moving. She never let him find a rhythm. Every time Vex tried to settle, she was there, forcing him to rethink every step, every jump, every move. It wasn’t that she was too good, it was that she moved too much in nonsense ways. He was mentally and physically drained.
But sure, it should be a little fine if his teammates could secure some points, right?
Well... that was Jaz’s changing position came into play. She was a wall, way more solid than Rei had been. Her size alone stopped any attempt to drive into the paint from Cross, and with Nia constantly whispering dirty, distracting shit in his ear, the guy was making more mistakes than actual plays.
The game had flipped, Blacklist was doing the impossible, shutting down the Colossus, literal champion. The fans were going crazy, some people who didn’t even know each other were hugging and screaming.
Back at the manor, Zayela literally jumped out of her seat. Sarra was clapping like crazy, and Lina was just screaming with joy.
"WE’RE DOING IT!" Sarra yelled, grabbing Saya’s arm. Saya couldn’t stop smiling, almost surprised, and relieved to be considered part of this shared joy.
"I can’t believe this!" Amara shouted, jumping up to dance with Lina.
On the Colossus bench, things were ugly. A fight broke out between the players during a timeout.
"What kind of shit-game is this, Cross?" Hall spat.
"Shut the fuck up," Cross snapped back, totally pissed.
Vex exploded, pointing at his teammates.
𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞
"You want to blame someone? Look at yourselves! I’m out here guarding three people by myself while you guys are getting played like rookies. What the hell are you doing?"
They kept screaming at each other, throwing blame around, until...
"Enough."
The silence was instant. Only one voice could have this power at this point: Seth.
He looked at them with cold, dead eyes, and for the first time, they all realized that things could be even worse for them.
"You’ve both become liabilities," he said, looking straight at Cross and Vex. "Get out. Now. Put in players who actually know how to play the backcourt." He stood up straight. "I’m taking over this game."
Nobody dared to say a word, nobody could.
On the Blacklist side, Miko and Kai were starting to breathe hard. You could see the fatigue in their legs. Dahlia made the move to swap Miko for Alicia, then she turned to Nash, clutching her tablet.
"Any other change?" she asked.
Nash watched the game for a second, thinking.
"Yes. Put Mai in, Nia will rest."
"Mai?" Dahlia looked surprised. "You want to sub Nia?"
"They’re probably going to chew Cross out after that shitty play," Nash explained. "He’ll stop acting like a clown, so Nia’s ’rage bait’ won’t work as well. And if he is still out there, he’s probably exhausted anyway."
Nia put her hands on her hips.
"Wait, you’re pulling me out now? Right when I was in my A-game?"
"You did the hard part," Nash said with a chill smile. "I’d rather save you for the next strat. For now let’s observe how they react."
The other girls immediately crowded around her, slapping her on the back.
"You handled that guy like a pro, lil Vice," Jaz said, grinning.
"Like, I’m almost proud that I’ve been subbed off for you," Aiko laughed. "You’re a weirdo, but you do have your good sides."
Nia let out a little giggle and stretched her arms way over her head, arching her back just enough to make her chest pop.
"It was nothing," she said with a smirk. "I’m the CEO of bitches down there. Pissing people off during lunch is just what I do."
She shifted her gaze, sliding her eyes over to Nash and reached out, her fingers grazing his thigh.
"But," she continued, her voice getting lower, "since we can all agree I did a great job... what I’m actually thinking about is how my owner is going to reward me. When the game is over, you won’t have to hold back all that ’juice’ anymore, will you?"
The whole group lost it, bursting out laughing. They all looked at Nash with those intense eyes, though he knew his abstinence plan would be dead anyway. And to be fair, if they pulled the win, after a game like that, any guy would be desperate to blow it.
Nash just rolled his eyes, smirking.
"I’ll make up for all the time I had to watch you toy with that guy," he said simply.
Nia leaned in closer.
"You better. Because I’ve spent all day pretending to care about another man, and honestly? It makes my skin crawl."
Nash gripped her hip, pulling her flush against him for a brief second so she could feel exactly how ready he was to deliver that reward.
"Deal," he muttered. "Just wait until I give the green light. I’m going to make sure you can’t walk until the playoffs."
Mai stepped forward then, stretching out slowly. She looked cold and detached, not showing a single bit of nerves despite how high the stakes were. As she passed Nash to enter the court, her hand slid discreetly along his arm.
"I know I’m not the best so... Try not to shine too much without me," she whispered, her voice low, meant only for him.
"I can’t shine without my girls around," Nash replied.
She gave him a smirk and took her position.
There wasn’t much time left in the quarter. Nash figured this was the perfect moment to try something new.
"One last recalibration," Nash announced. "Jaz, rest. Rei, you’re back in. Chio, take Kai’s spot."
Chio’s eyes widened, pointing a finger at herself.
"Wait, Chio who?" she stammered.
"Chio you, dummy," Jaz replied, looking amused by the girl’s confused face.
"No way..." Chio started to babble, her brain still trying to process the news. "I didn’t even think I’d get to play a single minute tonight. Like, seriously, I’m the third at my position. I’m barely on the able to keep up. I thought you’d call Hina or—"
"Chio," Nash cut her off. "Just breathe. Now go get ready."
Chio nodded her head fast, a mix of pure panic and excitement written all over her face.
Nash stepped closer to the small group of girls who were about to head out onto the hardwood.
"Listen, you aren’t here to play because the best players have to rest or some shit like that," he told them. "You’re my girls. Every single one of you. None of you are second-choice fillers. I don’t give a fuck how you play tonight, you’re here because I want to go through this adventure with you. So stop doubting yourselves. Just live it, and go crazy."
The girls’ eyes lit up instantly. It was like a wave of warmth hit them all at once, making them feel seen and wanted.
Nash tilted his head, thinking to himself.
Oops, almost triggered the wrong power there. But this should be enough. Just like she would say, it’s time to play some good jazz.
The two teams headed back onto the court. They had five minutes left in the quarter, and things were about to get intense. Right away, you could see a change in the lineup: Cross and Vex were out, groaning on the bench, and two substitutes had jumped in to take their place.
Seth was staring down Chio. She didn’t waste a second and started pressing him hard, trying to force him to make a move.
Seth was immobile for a second, then... He exploded forward with an insane burst of speed, catching everyone off guard and sinking a shot before the defense could even realize what hit them.
[Colossus 35-44 Blacklist]
For a second, the crowd went dead silent. It was just too smooth, too fast. The way he did it was so effortless that it felt weird compared to the struggle of the rest of the game.
Chio just stood there, frozen for a moment. She looked back at Rei and breathed out.
"Okay, this guy is definitely on another level."
Over on the Colossus bench, the coach slowly nodded. For the first time this quarter, he actually looked relieved, the Emperor had finally decided to step up.
On the other side, Nash was watching. His face didn’t change a bit, but his eyes stayed locked on Seth just a second longer than normal. Seth glared back, and it felt like a silent declaration of war.
Nash smirked.
Terrible timing, he thought.