James just grinned, totally digging the bewildered expression on Ahsan's face. "Maybe a little bit of both," he said with a mysterious smirk, pying it cool and keeping his secret locked down tight. He wasn't about to spill the beans about his weird time-bending abilities. Nah, he wanted to soak in this moment, this feeling of mystique, of being something... extra.

  It was kinda addictive, not gonna lie.

  Suddenly, Sajid, Robi, and Tariq piled on, spping him on the back like he'd just won the lottery, showering him with even more questions and amazed excmations. The energy radiating from the Banani side was electric, a real, tangible wave of pure excitement and newfound belief.

  They weren't just underdogs anymore. They were... something else entirely. Something special.

  Something maybe even a little bit scary awesome.

  Meanwhile, on the Motijheel side of the court? Total 180 flip. The atmosphere was the por opposite of electric excitement.

  That stunned silence had crept back in, but this time it was heavier, way more oppressive than before. And it wasn't just pin disbelief anymore. There was something darker swirling in the air now.

  Something that felt a lot closer to actual despair. Like, 'we're doomed' despair.

  Salman and Saim were standing frozen, side-by-side, staring at James like he'd just teleported down from a UFO and nded right on their basketball court.

  Their faces were pale as ghosts, mouths slightly hanging open, and their eyes were wide, filled with a mix of pure confusion and...something else.

  Fear? Yeah, definitely fear. And maybe a healthy dose of "what the heck just happened?"

  Salman blinked slowly, like he was trying to reboot his brain or something, trying to make sure his eyes weren't pying tricks on him. "How to stop that guy?" he whispered, his voice barely audible, like he was afraid to break the weird, heavy silence.

  Lut, the team's resident sarcastic king, the guy who always had a witty comeback for everything, was completely and utterly speechless. Mouth cmped shut.

  He just stared at James, his usual cocky smirk totally MIA, vanished without a trace. Repced by a bnk, almost vacant stare, like he was looking right through James and into some other dimension. He shook his head slowly, like he was trying to dislodge something stuck in his brain, muttering under his breath, "I... I don't get it... I just don't understand... what even was that movement?"

  Saim, the center, finally managed to find his voice again, but it was shaky and uncertain, like he was afraid it might break completely. "It's... it's not fair," he stammered, his usual meekness amplified tenfold by the sheer, mind-bending bewilderment of the situation. "It's... it's like he's cheating or something. But... but how? How is that even possible?"

  Anderson, Mr. "Too Cool for School" arrogant small forward, ran a hand through his hair, messing up his perfectly styled look. His usual arrogance? Completely defted. Gone.

  He looked genuinely lost, like he'd just stepped into the wrong movie. His swagger was repced by a bewildered frown that made him look like a confused puppy.