(Part 12)

As Ahmed and Hoor left, Kenzo stared at the ground, speechless. Memories from his past began flooding back.

"Your words will never change anything, Kenzo! You, who insist on following your own path, will never find true glory or joy. Your mother, who sacrifices everything for you, will forever regret the decision she made!"

A harsh voice from the past echoed in his mind, addressed to a young Kenzo, who stood silently, his voice lost.

"Hey, Kenzo…"

"Hello, you idiot king…" The voices of his friends pulled him out of the depths of his thoughts.

Kenzo looked up at them, wide-eyed, his face reflecting a mix of surprise, innocence, and a hint of anxiety.

Xavier, Helios, Seraph, Gabriel, and Alan watched him, startled. But as quickly as it had appeared, the vulnerable expression faded, and Kenzo returned to his usual proud, composed demeanor with a deep breath. "So, we're all set now, right?" he asked.

Suddenly, Azazel hugged him tightly, giggling with joy. "Haha! It's just the best, Captain! I'm so happy! So, so happy," Azazel exclaimed.

Kenzo smiled, ruffling his hair while Heber and Damian exchanged pleased grins.

Azazel then turned to Alan, who was glancing around as if searching for something. "Thank you, Alan…" Azazel murmured, fidgeting and rubbing his hair slightly embarrassed.

"Huh?" Alan asked, looking a bit puzzled, "Why are you thanking me? I didn't really do anything."

Azazel shook his head. "What you did... only I would understand that. And I'll never forget it. Never."

Alan smiled warmly, his voice soft, "I'm your senior, little black kitten. It's the least I could do for you."

Meanwhile, Helios's attention shifted to the large screen displaying the live view of the field. His gaze darkened, a shadow passing over his face. "Shall we go now?" he asked, a faint, masked smile on his lips.

"Yeah," Gabriel replied, nodding in agreement.

As Helios began walking, Seraph cast a worried glance at Kenzo and Xavier. Adam and Ryan, too, had picked up on Helios's change in demeanor. Feng and Gabriel narrowed their eyes in concern.

"He was just telling Kenzo he was bored because he was too quiet, and now he's gone completely quiet himself. That's not like him at all," Heber remarked, noticing Helios's unusual silence.

"Let him be," Poseidon said gently, "This is how he deals with his troubles. Give him some time, and he'll bounce back to his usual self tomorrow."

Ezekiel nodded in agreement, "Yeah, let's just give him some space."

Kenzo watched Helios's back, and quietly followed along with the rest of the middle schoolers.

Alan, swinging a set of keys around his finger, trailed behind them, keeping his distance but never far from the group.

_____

Back on the field, the high schoolers stretched their tired limbs. Orion, visibly irritated, clicked his tongue, leaving, "Tch, there's no way I'm putting garlands on their necks. I'm out of here."

"I'm coming too," Noah said, rolling his eyes, "Watching all this is even more annoying than seeing Rauf sitting and ordering around during practice."

"Yeah, I agree. Honestly, I can't shake off the shocked expressions on the middle schoolers' faces. They pretended to remain steadfast, but they can't fool us. I wonder what's happening on the ride back," Ren wondered aloud.

Elias exhaled.

"I'm beat too," Senri yawned, casting a glance at Aigou, who was staring down at his hands.

"What's up?" Senri asked, gently ruffling Aigou's hair.

"My jaw hurts, and I'm exhausted. I just want to go home," Aigou replied sadness evident in his voice.

Senri stood up, "Alright, let's catch up with Orion and head over to the middle schoolers and Alan. They're probably waiting on us. How's that sound?"

Aigou nodded, picking up his gear bag. Isa also silently followed behind Ren and Noah down the stairs.

"It's alright, Isa. Don't be too hard on yourself," Aaron reassured, patting Isa's shoulder.

Isa smiled softly, "I'm fine, don't worry about me." 

Kazuna glanced at Isa, then turned to Zachariah, who sat beside Nagi, Elias, and Haruf.

"Can I head out too?" Kazuna asked.

"Yeah, you can go. No need to push yourself," Nagi replied calmly.

"We'll come along," Yusuf and Seles followed.

As the pavilion emptied, only Zachariah, Elias, Nagi, Haruf, Evan, and Rauf remained along with Nidou, Mir and Pedro.

Romeo, observing the sight, turned to Rauf, who stared silently at the pitch, hands in his pockets, his expression unreadable. The wind gently tousled his golden hair. "Are you satisfied with the result, Rauf?" he asked.

Rauf, snapping out of his thoughts, nodded, "Hm."

"Honestly, I was surprised when you called me last night, telling me to win the match at all costs. Not that I planned on losing, but hearing that from the team I was up against felt... awkward," Romeo remarked. "Do you think they'll bounce back before the next match?" he asked.

"They have to," Rauf responded nonchalantly, "They don't have a choice. If they keep wallowing over one loss, they're done for. It's up to them to either overcome their weaknesses or step aside."

"Strict as always," Romeo sighed, "They're still your team, you know."

Rauf remained unresponsive. Romeo shook his head, thinking to himself, "This man...

 (Last Night: Islamabad United Lodgings)

"Hey Romeo, your phone's been ringing like an alarm clock. Answer it before the middle schoolers wake up," Rovan said, yawning.

Romeo, drying his hairs, picked up his phone from the table, confused. "Who could be calling at this hour?" he wondered, glancing at the wall clock, which read 12:56 AM.

"Hello?" Romeo answered, settling onto the couch. As he recognized the familiar voice, he exclaimed, "Rauf…?" with a look of surprise.

Rovan, intrigued, leaned in closer to listen.

Seon Yul, noticing Rovan's curiosity, patted him on the shoulder and whispered, "Who is it?"

"Rauf," Rovan replied.

"Rauf?" Seon Yul exchanged puzzled looks with Juhan, who was sitting beside Romeo.

"Why did he call this late?" Wasif asked, lying on the floor and looking up at Juhan.

Juhan shrugged, equally clueless.

Romeo unable to concentrate on the call due to the presence of everyone around keenly staring at him, he simply sighed putting the phone on speaker mode. Rovan, Wasif, Seon yul and Juhan looked at him relatively happy, showing a thumbs up.

Romeo turned his attention back to the call and asked, "What's on your mind, Rauf, calling me this late?"

"Tomorrow…" Rauf's voice came through, steady and serious, "No matter what, make sure to win."

Romeo blinked in surprise, "Pardon…?"

"I want to see them pushed to their limits, so crush my team and secure the win," Rauf continued, his tone unwavering.

Rovan, Juhan, Seon Yul, and Wasif exchanged bewildered glances.

"Is he serious…? He wants us to defeat his own team?!" Seon Yul gulped, confusion evident on his face.

Romeo smiled, intrigued, "And what makes you think I'll take on this task?"

"I need to see their limits. I want them to experience defeat, and I know I can count on you for that," Rauf replied.

"Why me? Why not Haitam? He's more capable than I am," Romeo questioned.

After a moment of silence, Rauf replied, "Haitam can't. And if you won't do as well, the world outside will take care of it for us."

"The world outside?" Romeo asked, a mischievous glint in his eyes, "You really think I'll let you go out there unopposed?"

Another silence fell.

Wasif swallowed hard, while Juhan let out a breath.

"Will you do it?" Rauf asked simply.

"We'll see," Romeo responded, "But don't expect any leniency from my side for we'll be giving our all. And, if your team still manages to win with everything they've got, don't say I didn't keep my promise." 

"Hm." Rauf acknowledged.

"Anything else, cruel king of the underworld?" Romeo teased lightly.

"Nothing…" Rauf replied, but his tone turned serious, "We're going to the World Cup this year, one way or another. Your permission means nothing to me. So, if you try to stand in my way, I'll take you down as well." He hung up abruptly.

"Rude as usual." Juhan rolled his eyes, annoyed.

"Yeah, first he asks for a favor, then he threatens us? What's up with that?" Wasif pouted, clearly unhappy.

"It wasn't a favor," Juhan interjected.

"Then what was it?" Wasif asked, furrowing his brows.

"It was just a request for us to be their stepping stones," Rovan concluded, his tone unfazed.

"Huh?" Seon Yul blinked in disbelief.

"He wants us to win tomorrow to guarantee his team's defeat, allowing them to come back stronger and potentially overpower us if we meet them again. Basically, he's asking us to help them improve." Juhan explained.

"Stepping stones hun? Not surprised Rauf would think that way," Rovan added, shrugging.

"But still?! What are we supposed to do tomorrow, Romeo?" Wasif asked, confusion written all over his face.

With a casual smile, Romeo replied, "Win, of course."

Seon Yul sighed, speechless, "Well, here we go, digging our own graves."

Rovan rolled his eyes.

Still unfazed, Romeo murmured, "Still, I wish I could've received a thank you instead of a threat."

"Hmph, as if." Rovan grinned, "That's Rauf we are talking about."

_______

"It's a shame things ended this way, Head Coach Nidou. But we're looking forward to our next match against Karachi Kings." Hamit extended his hand, and Nidou, with a sly grin, took it.

Despite Karachi's loss, there was something in Nidou's demeanor—a quiet triumph that caught Hamit off guard.

"Yeah, those maniacs will be itching to even the score. Until next time," Nidou replied casually, waving as he walked off.

Hamit, surprised by Nidou's unusually calm and uncharacteristically sincere response, glanced at Ulhās, who smirked.

"Never thought I'd hear him sound soothing instead of sarcastic." Hamit chuckled, still intrigued.

"Yeah, surprised me too. That Nidou... always hard to read." Ulhas concurred.

As Evan, Rauf, Haris and the remaining high schoolers watched Nidou and Mir leave, they followed silently, bringing the eventful night, marked by hard luck for the Karachi Kings, to a close.