Bayo was hesitant at my order, his fingers gripping his device that still displayed the DEFEAT message from the previous round.
"My phone? Why? What does it matter at this point? We've already lost…" Bayo said in a downcast tone. This surprised me; it seemed like my team had already run out of morale. But they didn't realize the play he was about to perform.
"Just give it to me," Femi said. His voice was so cold it even made Tunde flinch. Femi didn't wait for an answer. The next, and possibly final, round was going to start in a minute. He just stretched out and grabbed the phone from Bayo, trading it with his own.
It was an Itel RS4. It wasn't an ROG, but it had 120Hz and powerful processing power, much greater than his own phone.
He began to wonder why he hadn't used Bayo's phone in the first place.
Well, there's no point crying over spilled milk.
Across the stage, K-dash noticed Femi swapping devices with his teammate and called him out, "Would you look at those losers? Their IGL is taking his teammate's device. What a bunch of bots. Like that's gonna help him in any way. Fucking pathetic."
"Let them talk. Ignore them," Femi said casually to his team. After logging into his account, the difference was substantial—in fact, generational. The menu animations were smooth and perfect. The touch response was instantaneous. But Femi noticed the graphics were set to low.
That wouldn't do, he thought.
He increased the graphics to the highest setting the phone could offer.
The phone was still holding 120Hz steadily.
No lag. No stutter. But it heated up a little.
"Give up already… nothing is going to save you…" Viper said, yawning. "Babe? Let's finish this. I'm getting tired. I need a beauty nap."
The announcer boomed on the mic, "It seems like the Gbagada Titans are making some last-minute changes to their device assignment. This is perfectly within the rules. But will it help them? Team Zenith already has the match point; they only need one win to seal the deal! Can the Gbagada Titans make a legendary comeback? Only one way to find out! The match will begin in 3… 2… 1…"
Match point!
Round 5
Begin
Femi was calm. He only bought two things from the shop, which surprised his team: an MP5 and a smoke grenade. To him, that was all he needed. "Tunde, Bayo, Chichi, stay at the spawning area. Leave this to me," Femi said, without emotion in his voice.
"What? You wanna solo the squad? That's impossible!" Tunde sputtered, almost standing up from his chair.
"I'm going to take them apart. Piece by piece. Just stay back and watch," Femi said, already moving in.
He ran towards a central structure on the map. He didn't just see the game—he felt it. Every microframe, every leaf or branch sway—nothing escaped his sight. It allowed him to react to visual cues which he normally couldn't see on his previous device.
He saw the faintest pixel movement at the edge of a crate. He instantly realized who it was.
Viper.
She was flanking left.
He didn't wait for her to come out of the crate; he pre-fired at the edge of the crate.
The unsuspecting player ran straight into the bullets, knocking her down.
"What the fuck?! How the hell did he know I was coming…"
Gbagada_Femi knocked down Zenith_viper…
The kill feed flashed out.
"He didn't…" the surprised K-dash said to her. "This motherfucker guessed… let's all push him! At once! Go!" He barked orders to his teammates.
Immediately after the knock, Femi threw a smoke grenade at his feet, smoking up everywhere.
K-dash and what was left of his squad began to fire wildly into the smoke, expecting to hit him or knock him.
Femi didn't wait for them.
He slid out of the smoke, used some cover to come out the back.
By the time they knew what was happening,
It was already too late.
A massacre ensued…
Triple kill!!
Victory
3-2
The crowd that was previously laughing at the Titans went quiet. Everyone was stunned by that elite play. Even the announcer, who was usually full of words, was speechless…
"Ahem… it seems that even though we may be done with the night, the night isn't done with us. The Titans aren't done with us!" The announcer boomed, filling my teammates with morale.
Round 6
"He's cheating! Moderators, check his phone!" Viper hissed at a moderator who continued ignoring her.
"Viper, shut up and play! Stop embarrassing us. Tch," K-dash barked at Viper, who immediately kept her mouth shut.
Femi's strategy had already changed. He was no longer playing; he was hunting. He'd already completed an analysis on K-dash.
He relied heavily on his high FPS to perform fluid zigzag movement—that was it. Nothing special about K-dash's tactics.
Inefficient.
Femi held a corner. Playing the patient game this time. He had purchased a shotgun this time, holding a tight angle. He saw K-dash slide into view. He didn't fire where K-dash was. He fired where K-dash was going to be.
Pulling the trigger a fraction of a second too early…
Boom
K-dash ran face-first into Femi's muzzle, eating a face full of lead. The self-proclaimed leader of the tournament, Team Zenith's leader, was dropped with a single shot. without their leader, was easily cleaned out by Chichi and Bayo. Tunde gave support when needed.
The arena exploded with screams and shouts.
"Oh my word! I can't believe what I just witnessed! It seems like the Gbagada Titans have forced a deciding round out of Team Zenith! This was unprecedented! It all comes down to who wants it more!" The announcer boomed at the audience.
This is it.
Round 7: Match point for both teams
Femi quickly pulled his team into a huddle. "Listen, brothers." Femi's voice was calm. Tunde was hyperventilating. Bayo was visibly shaking. Even Chichi looked like he was about to faint. "They know what's coming. They are scared. We just have to be perfect for two minutes. Tunde, you have to be on point with that heal circle. Bayo and Chichi, just give me cover fire. I'll handle K-dash. I'll handle the rest. I believe in you guys. Now let's lock in and take this W for ourselves!"
Begin!
The round started, and everyone moved in. Only one word could describe the chain of events that happened: glorious chaos. Tunde got knocked down early while Bayo was trading bullets with enemy support. Chichi quick-scoped Viper, but before he could assist Femi, he was dropped by K-dash.
It all came down to a one-versus-one: K-dash vs. Femi.
They were standing in an open courtyard.
No room for cover nor tricks.
K-dash fired first. Emptying his full magazine with hate and frustration at Femi. But Femi was composed. Casually weaving his way through bullets, taking full advantage of the 120 FPS the screen was displaying. He wasn't fazed at all—he was focused, calculating.
K-dash stopped to reload. That was Femi's window. He activated his blitz skill.
He aimed up. His thumb tapped the fire button. The sharp CRACK of the M1887 echoed in his headset just as the golden headshot icon bloomed on K-Dash's forehead.
BOOYAH.
The screen erupted in a golden light. For a second Femi just stared at it. Then every sensation hit him like a freight train.
Tunde tackled Femi to the ground, pulling him out of his chair. Bayo was dancing on the table. Chichi was rushed by the crowd, carried on a tall guy's shoulder. It was an amazing clutch.
Femi looked at the opposite end of the table.
He saw Viper crying into her shirt. He saw K-dash staring at his screen. Then K-dash looked up and smiled, mouthing the words 'good game' and beginning to slowly clap.
Femi slowly stood up after shaking off Tunde. The big check for 3 million was being brought to him.
They had won.
They had done it.
He had awakened.
\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*
Femi arrived safely home with his cash prize. He was hit by the smell of fried plantain and rice. It was late—past 10 PM—but the house was still active. His father was sitting in the living room watching the news channel, and his mother was trying to reheat some food for her son.
"Adefemi…" his father's voice was stern. "Where have you been, ehn, this boy? You've been gone for two whole days! With those boys… I told you—"
Femi naturally didn't say anything. He needed a moment to decompress. He moved to the center table and unzipped his bag. He pulled out the big, thick envelope the organizers had given him. He began to arrange bundles of cash on the table—one after the other.
His father frowned.
He reached for a stack and pulled out a bundle.
They were brand new, crisp looking notes.
The silence in the room was absolute. His mother came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a towel, and stopped dead.
"Femi..." she whispered. "What is this?"
"It's the tuition, Ma," Femi said, his voice thick with emotion. "It's the visa. It's everything."
His father stared at the money, then looked up at Femi. The disappointment and skepticism were gone, replaced by something Femi had rarely seen in his father's eyes.
Respect.
"You won," his father said quietly. It wasn't a question.
"Yes, sir. We won."
His mother rushed forward and pulled him into a crushing hug, crying softly into his shoulder. His father stood up, walked over, and placed a heavy hand on Femi's shoulder.
"I still don't understand this game of yours," his father admitted. "But I understand hard work. I am proud of you, my son."
His mom pulled away from his embrace. "I don't know about you guys, but this calls for a celebration! I'll go heat up and fry some chicken. You must eat till your stomach bursts tonight!" She said happily, almost skipping to the kitchen.
"I agree with you! There's a wine bottle I've been keeping for a while now. Femi, you're not a kid now. Come and drink with your old man!" Femi's dad laughed while patting his son's back.
Later that night, lying in his bed, Femi couldn't sleep. He listened to the familiar sounds of Lagos outside his window—the distant generator hum, the occasional car horn.
He held his old phone in his hand, the screen still cracked.
He was leaving. He had fought for his future, and he had won. But as he closed his eyes, the image of K-Dash's face—the pure, unfiltered rage and surprisingly, respect—flashed in his mind.
He had seen something today. A glimpse of his own potential. A cold, ruthless efficiency that scared him almost as much as it excited him.
He was awake now.
And he felt like he could take on the world.