Vedant stood near the line.
Cold. Calm. Focused.
He stepped onto the court—
"Kabaddi… Kabaddi… Kabaddi…"
Right side. Toward Amit. Building pressure—
Vedant was thinking—
Maximum points. How do I extract them?
Then—
A voice.
"So, Vedant—you gutter worm. We crush insects like you every day. You're weak. Weak. Even the lowest-ranked player on our team is enough for you."
Viran.
---
Viraj heard it—and tensed up.
No. No, no, no—
"VEDANT—don't fall for it! They're provoking you! On purpose!"
---
But—
The cold inside him—
Cracked.
Vedant's eyes shifted to Viran—
And he—
Moved toward him.
Tagged him—clean—
But then—
From all sides.
Four defenders. At once.
They locked him down.
Vedant tried to break free—once—twice—
He couldn't.
Whistle.
Vedant — out.
Score—
@15: 6 — @11: 6
---
Team @15 was stunned.
---
Shubham looked at Vedant walking out.
Viraj—
Not shouting. Not raging.
But inside—there was a storm, his voice low—
"They set this trap beforehand. And we walked right into it. What do we do now?"
There was no answer.
---
Now on the court—
Only Shubham, Roshan, and Vishal.
Outside—Raj, Vedant, Viraj, Surya.
---
Vishal stood on the mat—
They already planned this. Predicted our moves. So now what? Do we just stand still?
Something lit up inside him—
No. We've come this far. We've done too much. We have to do something. We have to find a way.
---
@11's raider—
Amit.
He stepped onto the court.
Shubham — left. Roshan — mid. Vishal — right.
Amit moved left—toward Shubham—
Shifted right—then again back toward Shubham—
---
Viraj watched from outside—
Amit's eyes are sharp. He reads shadows and movement. And he's repeatedly targeting Shubham. Why? Are they eliminating the strongest player first? But then—why target me earlier? I'm not the strongest. What is the mastermind of @11 thinking?
---
Amit looked at Shubham—
He's watching my legs.
An idea.
Amit deliberately created an opening—
Come. Grab. This is your chance.
Shubham saw it—
This is it—
He lunged for the leg—
Amit—
Placed his hand on Shubham's head—
And stepped back.
Shubham—
Shocked.
He tagged me—
Amit turned toward the line—
Then—
A grip from behind.
Vishal.
Amit—
"When did he get here?"
Vishal—tight hold. Eyes confident—
"I saw it coming. I knew you'd target Shubham. And I found your blind spot."
Roshan joined in—
Together, they pinned him down.
Whistle.
Amit — out.
---
Team @15—
ERUPTED with joy.
---
Viraj, watching from outside—
Good. Vishal thought exactly like me. He predicted Amit's move. Used the right moment. Interesting.
---
Score—
@15: 7 — @11: 6
Timer—
6:06
---
— Chapter 14 End —