Chapter 388: A Throne Built on Ashes

Saya stayed there for a long time after the final whistle. She was still panting, hands resting on her scraped knees, just staring at the floor.

Slowly, she looked up at the scoreboard.

[Blacklist 156 - 2 Dust Dogs]

She stared at those numbers. They were just absurd. A small smile crept onto her face.

"What a shitty sport," she muttered. She wasn’t talking to anyone, but she let out a little laugh anyway.

Nearby, Rin was just standing by the three-point line. Her arms were hanging limp, and she was staring at the court, though she probably wasn’t even seeing it. She wasn’t crying or saying anything. She was just... gone. Like her soul had left the building way before the game actually ended.

The twins had basically collapsed. They slid down to the floor near the bench, sitting far apart from each other. For once, they didn’t even try to comfort each other. One of them was whispering something under his breath, just the same insult over and over. He wasn’t even mad at anyone specific; he just needed to say something so he wouldn’t start screaming.

Then there was Kej. He sat alone, his nose still all swollen, mumbling to himself.

"I didn’t do anything to deserve this. Nothing," he whispered. No one was listening.

In the locker room, where Tylo had taken refuge alone a few minutes before the end, far from every gaze, a loud bang echoed against the metal lockers. He punched the metal once, then twice, before sliding down the lockers until he hit the floor.

"Dammit!" he spat out. His voice was shaking because he was finally letting the rage-tears fall. "DAMMIT!"

He stayed there alone, weakly hitting the floor with his fist, crying his eyes out with nobody there to see him or wipe the tears away.

Roam, meanwhile, was just sitting on the floor. He didn’t have the strength to get up. He turned his head toward the other side of the court.

That’s where Nash was. He was surrounded by his teammates, bathed in the bright, white lights of the Central Hangar. Camera flashes were going off everywhere, and the crowd was still screaming his name. Nash just stood there smiling, letting his girls hug him, his head tilted back a bit. He looked like a king who didn’t even have to try anymore because his teammates were plenty enough to do the job.

Roam couldn’t stop looking. Every time the crowd cheered, it felt like something was tightening in his chest, making it hard to breathe.

That’s when Saya walked up to him. She stopped a few feet away, looking down at him with her arms crossed.

Roam didn’t even look at her. His eyes were still glued to Nash.

"Well," Saya said. "It’s over. Officially."

Roam didn’t say a word. He couldn’t stop watching the victory party over there.

"I made my choices," she continued, not waiting for him to even react. "And I regret many things. But you..." She let out a dry laugh. "You spent months watching me spread my legs to save your spot, your little shitty ego, without ever saying a word, without ever lifting a finger. You couldn’t even defend me, so don’t even talk to me about pride."

"Saya—" Roam finally started to speak, his voice sounding broken. He barely turned his head.

"Shut up," she snapped. "I’m not done." She took a step closer. "I actually hope the worst for you, Roam. Seriously. I hope you rot alone in some trashy corner of the Underground. And I really hope the next girls who have the misfortune of meeting you don’t have to go through what I did because of your cowardice."

Roam stayed silent. He couldn’t argue because he knew she was 100% right.

"I’m going to join Nash," she added, a cold smile appearing. "I’m going to work to make sure that the kind of crap I went through, the stuff you let happen because you didn’t have balls, never happens to anyone else in this rat hole."

She turned around and walked toward the tunnel without waiting for an answer.

Roam just sat there. He watched as Dahlia joined Nash, holding a folder and already talking about the schedule for the next few weeks and the upcoming playoffs. It was like a story that just kept growing and growing, and it wasn’t slowing down for anyone.

Roam knew exactly where this was heading. Playoffs. Then probably way beyond that, the Upperworld. The future was like a wide-open highway for Nash, while Roam’s road had just been closed, in the most brutal way.

He’d never make it. Not like this. Not in this lifetime.

As he was staring, he saw Rin crossing the court. She was heading for the exit, but slowed down when she passed nex to Nash and stopped right in front of hiù. Roam could hear every word from where he was sitting.

"Congrats," Rin said with a small, almost sincere smirk. "Seriously." She squinted at Nash for a second. "Did you take something? Like a drug? Because nobody just becomes like this naturally."

Nash shrugged, sounding totally bored.

"Nope. Just hard work."

"Liar," Rin replied, though she didn’t really care. She gave a short laugh.

There was a weird silence between them. Neither of them really wanted to fill it.

"I’m quitting," she said finally. "For good. There’s something simpler, better, waiting for me, far away from these courts."

"Shouldn’t be too hard to find," Nash replied in that same flat tone. "Those kinds of plans are growing everywhere these days."

"Oh yeah?" Rin raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah."

She nodded, hands in her pockets, and then let out a bitter smile.

"It’s kind of like selling your ass, honestly. Except now, I’m actually looking forward to seeing what it’s like... without the ass part."

Nash didn’t say anything to that, just nodded.

"Good luck with your career," Rin said, already walking away.

"Yeah, you too," Nash answered, watching her leave.

Roam heard everything. Every single word of that "friendly" chat between Nash and his former teammate.

He sat there, and an image started popping up in his head, one he’d been trying to push away all night. On the way to the arena, he had actually imagined a life away from all this. No Breakball. No armbands, no balls, no cracked courts or bright lights. Just a simple apartment, a boring but steady job, the kind of plain life he used to hate.

For a split second, he thought that might be enough.

But hearing Rin talk about it like it was a relief made that idea feel unbearable. For her, it was freedom. For him, it felt like a prison sentence. A life without Breakball wasn’t an exit; it was a giant void. He didn’t know how to fill a life that didn’t have the game in it.

He sat there for a bit longer, feeling something inside him completely collapse. Finally, he forced himself to stand up, his ankle screaming in pain with every movement.

He dragged himself toward a narrow hallway leading to the locker rooms.

Well. Okay. It was over. This team, this version of his life, was finished.

But it wasn’t the end of everything. He could start over. He just had to... build it back. Step by step.

First, find some guys. Real talent this time, not just randoms to fill a roster. Guys who were hungry and ready to give everything.

Then, street games. Build a name, bit by bit, in those random tournaments in the sectors. Win credibility one game at a time, with no money and no sponsors, just sweat and will.

It would take months, maybe years. Years of sleeping on rotten mattresses, eating barely enough to stay awake, getting yelled at by scouts who wouldn’t even look at him twice.

And only after that, after proving himself over and over on cracked courts that nobody cared about, maybe, just maybe, he could try out for the league. No guarantees. No promise that anyone would even listen to him.

He tried to convince himself it was possible. Nash had done it, and Nash had started from nothing.

But Nash had something else. A system, a chance, something Roam didn’t understand and probably never would.

Roam had nothing. Just empty hands, a tired body, and the cold realization that the road ahead was going to be way longer and harder than anything he’d ever faced.

His legs finally gave out. He slid down the wall and curled up with his arms around his knees. He just started crying, not holding anything back, his whole body shaking in the silence of the empty hallway.

On the other side of the court, it was a completely different story.

The Blacklist team was huddled together, laughing and hugging. Jaz picked up Alicia and Kai at the same time in one big burst of joy. The crowd didn’t really know how to react, so they just roared and cheered in a confusing mix of noise.

It wasn’t just a win. It was a statement. Blacklist had officially, publicly, and permanently become one of the giants of the league. Nobody would dare underestimate them now.

Up in the stands, far above the chaos, Frank sat still, grunting as he watched.

His eyes scanned the Dust Dogs’ bench, stopping on the obvious absence of a wheelchair that should have been there since halftime.

He gave a tiny nod. Immediately, two men sitting a few rows below him stood up without a word and started making their way toward the exit.

The Blacklist locker room was basically a zoo the second the door closed.

Jaz stormed in first, screaming her lungs out and carrying Alicia on her shoulders like some kind of victory trophy. Right behind them, Kai was still arguing with someone about exactly how many baskets they’d scored, probably trying to claim the credit for himself. Nia and Aiko just collapsed onto a bench, totally wiped out but wearing huge grins, while Rei and Miko just shared a "we actually did it" kind of look.

Then there was Nash. He was sitting a bit further away from the chaos, a towel draped around his neck. He was just staring into space. Usually, the guy was the calmest person in the room, but right now, he looked... off. Like his mind was miles away.

Hina noticed it first. She swayed over and plopped down next to him.

"Hey," she said, nudging him a bit. "You okay? You look like you’re in another dimension."

Nash blinked a few times, finally snapping back to the noise of the room. He gave her a tired little smile.

"Yeah," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I’m fine. It’s just... weird. Seeing them again. After all this time." He let out a short laugh that didn’t really sound happy. "I mean, it’s strange for me too, you know? But yeah. It had to happen eventually."

The room went quiet for a second. The other girls looked at him, and you could tell they were feeling sorry for him.

Jaz didn’t waste any time. She set Alicia down and practically tackled Nash, shoving her shoulder right against his. As a big girl, the impact was immediate, and her warmth was kind of grounding. Alicia and Kai didn’t wait either; they just slid in on either side of him, still sweaty and warm from the game, piling on like they didn’t care about personal space at all.

"We’re right here," Jaz said softly, resting her hand on his knee.

Nia didn’t stop there. She basically climbed into his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her chest against him. "Let us warm you up, Nash," she whispered right in his ear.

Aiko leaned in from the other side and rested her head on his shoulder. Even Rei and Miko moved closer. Pretty soon, Nash was basically buried in a circle of girls, all of them pressing against him as if they could physically push away the stress that was weighing him down.

Nash closed his eyes for a moment, just feeling the heat of them all around him. That distant look finally vanished, replaced by a real smile.

"Okay, that’s better," he murmured. He rested one hand on Jaz’s thigh and let the other slide down Nia’s back.

The other girls just watched with sweet smiles, basically waiting in line for their turn to cuddle.

And that was the exact moment Victoria walked in.

She stood there for a second, looking at the cuddle-pile with a smirk. As soon as she stepped forward, the "party" vibe in the room dropped instantly.

"I get that you want to celebrate," she said. "I waited for you to finish your little revenge story before coming to bother you. But we need to talk. Now, if possible."

Nash sighed and gently wiggled himself out from under the group of girls. He gave them a sorry-about-that smile.

"Where can I find some peace and quiet around here?" he asked, tapping the girls’ shoulders affectionately as he stood up.

"The showers, at the end of the hall," Hana answered, sounding a bit bummed but letting him go.

Chio pouted, crossing her arms over her chest.

"We’re waiting for you, okay? Don’t be long."

Nash gave her a quick wink and followed Victoria out, leaving the girls behind to complain and comfort each other while they waited for him to come back.

The shower room was empty and quiet, their footsteps echoing loudly against the cold tiles. Victoria stopped in the middle of the room and turned around. Her face was serious now, actually, it looked kind of tense.

"There’s something I should’ve told you earlier," she said, getting straight to the point. "A few days ago, I got a message. I didn’t tell you about it at the time."

Nash frowned, trying to remember if he’d missed anything.

"A message?"

"Yeah," Victoria answered. "I kept it quiet because you already had enough on your plate with the revenge thing. I figured it was better to wait until that was settled."

Nash shifted his weight, feeling the vibe change.

"Alright," he said. "I’m listening."

Victoria took a deep breath and held up her phone.

"It was from my progenitor," she said finally. "Lorenzo Perez."