Vishal stood up.
He did a bit of workout with his hands — cracked his knuckles, rotated his shoulders. That wasn't a warm-up — it was a warning.
He stepped onto the court.
"Kabaddi... Kabaddi... Kabaddi... Kabaddi..."
Right side. Straight. Towards Roni.
Roni saw him coming — and gave a dismissive smile.
"What? You think you can touch me?"
Vishal said nothing.
"Kabaddi. Kabaddi. Kabaddi."
Just that.
---
Viraj was standing on the side, watching —
Vishal is focused. He's building pressure. If this continues, we might get a point—
Just then —
Something was felt.
A shift. A movement — in the periphery. Viraj's eyes snapped —
"VISHAL — MOVE BACK NOW!"
Vishal's reaction — shock.
What happened?
But he stopped —
And in that one second —
@17's two defenders — Ahi and Mhi — came from both sides. With such power. Such speed.
Vishal didn't even get time to understand.
Both of them grabbed him — one took the waist, one took the leg. With so much force that even saying "Kabaddi" became difficult for Vishal. His voice got choked inside.
Whistle.
Vishal — out.
---
Vishal stood there. Eyes wide.
"How...? I didn't even see them—"
He was disappointed. Genuinely. He hadn't predicted this — and that was what hurt him more, not being able to predict it.
He started walking out.
But while leaving — he looked at Viraj.
One glance. Said nothing. But that look said —
"You understood what happened, right?"
---
Viraj didn't nod. But inside —
Yes. I understood.
He looked at Ahi and Mhi — both were going back to their positions. But their aura —
Like two spiders who had trapped someone in their web and returned to sit again.
And then Viraj understood —
Roni provoked Vishal. Deliberately. With that taunt — "You think you can touch me?" — Vishal got distracted. Just a little. That was enough. Ahi and Mhi had already taken position. This was all planned.
This team is strong. But the real question is —
Who is the mastermind? Who is thinking all this? Roni? Akash? Or someone else?
Until I find that — I won't understand this team. And until I don't understand — we will lose.
---
@17's raider stepped onto the court.
Moved towards Surya and Viraj — pressure —
Then cut. Left. Roshan and Raj were there — Vishal, Shubham, Vedant were out.
The raider extended his hand near Raj's leg — touch —
Raj moved back.
"Roshan — Surya — give cover!"
Viraj's voice came — he was reading the raider. Feeling where he would go —
"Come on—"
He looked to the side —
Surya wasn't there.
"...Where did he go?"
---
In the raider's blind spot — a hand came.
Surya.
From where he came — how he came — no one saw.
The raider felt it — turned — but by then Surya's grip had locked. Both hands. Near the waist. And that grip —
The raider tried to break free. Once. Twice. Three times.
Didn't break.
Whistle.
Raider — out.
@16 gets one point.
---
Surya came back.
And gave @17's team — a dangerous smile.
As if saying —
"You were laughing before. Now laugh."
There was shock in @17.
And Viraj —
Viraj was also in shock.
But his shock was different.
Everything here is happening in reverse. Not a single thing is going the way I expected. Every move is different. Every move is unexpected.
Why?
Because I don't know everything. Not about the opponent — their patterns, their mastermind, their tricks. And not about my own team either. Surya — where did this guy come from? How did he catch that? What is special in him that he uses in kabaddi?
Incomplete knowledge. That's the reason. I'm playing like a blind man.
---
Score —
@16 — 3
@17 — 5
Timer —
4:44
---
— End of Chapter 7 —