Chapter 37 || Lights Out

Chapter 37: 37 || Lights Out

The game continued without any major interruptions.

Whenever Ken’s team scored, the large teddy bear clapped and danced, celebrating as though they had just won the championship. When the opposing team missed a shot, he did the exact same thing.

Apparently, every outcome was worth celebrating.

On the scoreboard, the numbers read:

20 — 35

The spectators cheered as the players raced across the court, passing the ball and fighting for possession.

Caden cupped a hand around his mouth, rose from his seat, and shouted, "Send those losers home!"

One of Ken’s teammates intercepted a pass mid-flight and immediately lobbed the ball towards him.

SMACK!

The ball landed firmly in Ken’s palm.

He began dribbling, his shoes squeaking against the polished floor as he advanced towards the basket.

BOUNCE. BOUNCE.

His eyes remained fixed on the net.

Two defenders moved in to block his path.

Ken tightened his grip on the ball, then sprang into the air, raising it above his head as though he intended to shoot.

Both defenders jumped after him.

But halfway through his leap, Ken twisted slightly and passed the ball to his captain, who stood nearby wearing glasses and a black jersey marked with the number 04.

The defenders’ eyes widened.

His captain had already positioned himself.

He bent his knees, jumped, and released the ball with a smooth flick of his wrists.

For a brief moment, everything seemed to slow.

The ball sailed through the air, curved towards the hoop, and dropped cleanly through the net.

SWISH!

It struck the floor on its first bounce before rolling away.

The scoreboard changed.

20 — 37

For a moment, the court fell silent.

The timer hit.

0:00

Then the whistle blared, echoing through the hall and signalling the end of practice.

The small crowd erupted into applause.

Ken dropped onto the floor, breathing heavily. Sweat clung to his forehead as he tried to catch his breath.

His captain approached with a smile.

"Nice pass."

He extended a hand.

Ken took it. "Thanks, Captain."

His captain pulled him to his feet, and the rest of the team gathered around them. They exchanged handshakes and congratulated one another on the game.

Then, without warning—

MUSIC BLASTED THROUGH THE COURT.

The players turned towards the source.

At the opposite end of the hall, three figures stood in formation.

Torin occupied the left side.

Caden stood on the right.

And between them was the mascot.

Ken blinked.

"Guys..."

Torin and Caden exchanged smiles.

Then the beat dropped.

All three stretched their arms horizontally, forming a wide T-pose. Their feet remained planted apart, their bodies unnaturally rigid.

On the next beat, they snapped into another position.

One arm bent sharply across the mouth and neck while the other remained extended to the side. Their heads tilted together, and their upper bodies swayed left, then right.

The mascot’s oversized head followed each movement a fraction of a second later, making the whole performance look even more ridiculous.

Torin moved with startling precision.

Caden followed without missing a beat.

In the centre, the mascot moved as though someone had programmed him with a single instruction.

Dance.

Left.

Right.

SNAP!

The three returned to their original positions.

Then repeated the sequence.

The players watched in disbelief.

One of the opposing players frowned.

"Are they... mocking us?"

Ken forced a smile.

"No, no. I don’t think so."

The music continued, and the movements became increasingly abrupt.

Every transition was sharp and deliberate. Each pose lasted for a precise moment before they shifted into the next, with no unnecessary movements or improvisation.

Just three bodies moving in perfect synchronisation.

Then all three brought their hands together in front of their chests, palms pressed against each other as though they were praying.

Their knees bent slightly.

Their upper bodies rocked from side to side.

Torin leaned first.

Caden followed a fraction of a second later.

Code moved last.

The difference was barely noticeable, but it sent a strange ripple through the formation.

The mascot’s enormous head rocked gently from side to side.

Another opposing player stared at them.

"They’re definitely mocking us!"

The captain turned towards Ken.

Ken immediately looked away.

Meanwhile, the crowd was thoroughly entertained. Some spectators cheered, while others laughed at the performance.

There was something strangely intimidating about watching a giant teddy bear perform the same dead-serious dance as two ordinary students.

Without moving their feet, the three abruptly crossed their arms over their chests.

Their shoulders rotated.

Forty-five degrees to the left.

Back to the centre.

Forty-five degrees to the right.

Back again.

Their feet never shifted. Only their torsos twisted, stiff and mechanical, as though invisible hands were turning their bodies at the joints.

The mascot head followed the movements perfectly.

Torin turned left.

Caden turned right.

The mascot remained facing forward for half a beat longer before snapping his upper body to the side.

Then came the beat drop.

Torin drove his right arm forward in a sharp punch.

Caden mirrored him.

The mascot’s padded fist shot forward between them.

All three immediately switched sides.

Left punch.

Right arm pulled back.

Left punch.

Right arm pulled back.

Their bodies leaned into every strike, their heads remaining fixed towards the front. The oversized paws made the mascot’s punches look far less threatening than they should have.

Still, the speed was undeniable.

Each movement landed precisely on the beat.

Then all three flung their arms outward.

A sharp swing to the left.

Another to the right.

Their upper bodies followed, as though they were throwing something invisible away from themselves.

Code’s mascot costume swayed with every motion.

For one brief moment, the enormous teddy bear looked like it was picking a fight with the entire world.

Finally, the three snapped back into formation.

Arms at their sides.

Feet planted.

Heads facing forward.

Stillness.

The music stopped.

Caden and Torin turned around.

Ken stood behind them, holding the phone.

He had switched off the music.

Caden stared at him.

"We were just getting to the fun part."

Torin nodded in agreement.

"Yeah. You shouldn’t ruin the flow of the dance."

Inside the mascot costume, Code let out a quiet sigh.

’I’m just glad this is finally over. Now I can get some—’

A figure stepped directly in front of him.

One of the opposing players, wearing a red vest marked with the number 06, stood with his arms hanging at his sides and a deep frown on his face.

"Got something to say, big guy?"

The mascot stared at him.

’Never mind.’

Caden stepped forward.

"What’s your problem?"

Another player, wearing number 09, joined them.

"What’s with all the dancing? This isn’t some major competition. There’s no need for all this nonsense."

Torin muttered under his breath, "Says the guy who lost."

Number 09 shot him a glare.

Torin promptly looked away and began whistling as though he hadn’t said anything.

A bald player wearing number 12 stepped forward.

"Who invited you three jokers here anyway?"

Ken moved between them.

"I did. They’re my friends. I invited them to watch the game."

Number 06 turned towards him.

"Then don’t invite them next time. They’re ruining the game for us."

Number 12 pointed towards the mascot.

"And another thing. This joker here was celebrating whenever we missed a shot."

He gestured towards the court.

"Isn’t this supposed to be a practice match?"

Torin stared at him blankly.

"He celebrated when your team scored, too. Get over yourself."

Caden nodded solemnly.

"Exactly. It was a fair distribution of celebrations."

He leaned towards Torin and whispered, "If I were him, I’d boo your team."

The opposing players’ frowns deepened.

Ken raised both hands, trying to calm things down.

"You’ve all misunderstood what’s going on. They weren’t mocking you..."

He glanced towards Caden and Torin.

"...Right, guys?"

Both nodded immediately.

"Yes. Right, right. He’s right," Caden said.

Number 09 folded his arms.

"Oh, really?"

He pointed accusingly at Caden.

"Your friend here kept shouting ’In your face!’ whenever you scored against us."

Then he pointed at Torin.

"And this one encouraged him. He was booing us, too."

Torin coughed into his fist.

Number 09 turned towards the mascot.

"And let’s not forget this guy, practically dancing in our faces. Yeah, sure. You weren’t mocking us."

Ken fell silent.

He had no immediate response.

Their captain stepped forward before the argument could escalate further.

"Let’s take a break. Maybe the game has gotten to everyone. We can talk about this another time."

Number 06’s expression darkened.

"No. We’re settling this here and now."

He approached the mascot until he was standing directly in front of it.

"Can you even play basketball, huh?"

He poked at it’s padded belly.

"Why don’t you show us what you’ve got?"

Inside the costume, Code stared at him.

’What a sore loser.’

"Well?" Number 06 raised his voice. "Can you play or not? Answer me!"

He turned towards Caden and Torin.

"And you two can show us what you’ve got, too."

Torin shrugged.

"I know I’m not good at basketball. I’ll admit that much. At least I’m not using my anger to hide the pain of losing."

Caden burst out laughing.

"Just pay up. You owe us 2000BC. You lost the bet and the game, buddy."

Number 06’s face twisted with anger.

He took a step towards Caden.

Caden instinctively backed away.

Then—

CLICK.

The lights went out.

The entire court plunged into darkness.

"Hey! Who turned off the lights?"

"Someone should go check!"

"Then you go check!"

Caden’s voice called out confidently, "I’ve got night vision! So don’t even think about running off with the money you owe me. I can see all of you!"

"Oh, shut up! What money are you talking about?"

Ken’s voice cut through the confusion.

"Caden, what money do they owe you?"

"We’ll talk about that later, Ken," Torin replied quickly. "Right now, let’s make sure nobody gets away."

BAM!

"Ow! Someone kicked me!"

Several people began shouting at once.

"Who was that?"

Ken turned on his flashlight.

"Watch where you’re going!" Another voice called.

"Don’t push me!"

Then, just as suddenly as they’d gone out, the lights came back on.

"Good. The light is back on."

Ken turned off his flashlight.

Caden looked around the court.

"Hey! Where’s the bald dude? He got away!"

Their captain returned from the direction of the entrance, looking puzzled.

"It seems someone switched off the lights."

Torin glanced towards the stands.

"Looks like everyone’s gone."

Number 06 looked around as well before turning towards the group.

"Yeah. And so is your mascot friend."

Everyone froze.

Caden and Torin slowly turned towards their middle.

The mascot was gone.

Code had vanished without a trace.

Number 13, who had been standing nearby, snorted.

"Talk about a cowardly escape. Couldn’t play basketball, so he ran away."

Caden and Torin exchanged confused looks.

Neither of them had seen Code leave.

And neither had any idea where he’d gone.