Chapter 39: King of the Jungle
Training Ground – Late Afternoon
The basketball bounced with an almost hypnotic rhythm on the concrete of the training court. The sun, still high, cast long shadows as sweat already beaded on Hugo’s forehead. He fired shot after shot like a machine. Three-pointer. Another one. Then another. He dribbled, ducked, dodged an imaginary opponent before spinning and releasing a perfect shot. The net snapped, again and again.
Then he ran, jumped, and slammed a dunk with an ease that made a few passing students turn their heads. Even alone, Hugo was fierce. Determined to prove he wasn’t just the "new kid" back from nowhere. He had been their captain, their damn captain, for Christ’s sake. But now? He had to start all over.
That’s when they arrived. Alan and five other guys, all members of the boys’ team. Veterans. Regulars. Echoes of his past.
Alan stepped forward, a smirk on his lips, arms crossed over his chest, tight in his jersey.
"Well, well. The phoenix is back."
His voice carried, tinged with irony. But Hugo didn’t even look up. He stood there, alone in the center of the court, his gaze fixed on the ball he was bouncing with regularity. The other guys had already gathered around Alan. Five of them, familiar faces. Players Hugo had once led, guided, transformed. But today, he was nothing to them but a memory. A guy who had to start from scratch.
"Who gave you the courage to stand in front of me, you bunch of followers?" he said in a flat tone, almost disinterested.
He bounced the ball. Then, in a flash, his body came alive. A chest feint, a slide step to the right. He passed the ball between his legs with disconcerting ease, then, without even looking, executed a behind-the-back pass to one of the guys behind him. The surprise was total.
Before the defender could react, Hugo was already sprinting to the wing, catching the ball in mid-air. He jumped, pure momentum. His body soared into the air like a forgotten promise. The dunk was brutal, sharp, a slap in the growing silence.
The circle trembled. The others froze for a second. Not a word.