(Part 2)

"We had no choice," Isa replied, looking at the floor below, "Those little brats needed to face it."

Aaron concurred admitting, "Like always, you've read us flawlessly, Rauf. We knew we made mistakes, but with so little time, we couldn't change course. Kazuna was genuinely trapped, and there wasn't enough time to recover. I gave the over to Poseidon because our options were limited. Rather than watching him crumble, I deliberately followed him. As for Isa, he was exhausting his Pinnacle trying to cover everything. It's not easy to keep using it in different ways." "Yeah…" he added with a faint smile, "We meant it as a lesson for the juniors, so they can come back stronger tomorrow but by no means does it mean that we didn't give it our all or took the match lightly."

Kazuna, resolute, added, "Yeah. Just like Elias's visions can be surpassed, so too can our expectations for those middle schoolers."

"Does that mean we have to help the middle schoolers now?" Ren asked.

"Yeah," Nagi replied, "Even if we're not thrilled about it."

"Tch, I can't stand those little freaks," Orion muttered, rolling his eyes in frustration.

Elias smiled, "But don't you see? We're the ones who can push them to surpass their limits. They've already been through so much—climbed the mountain of No Return, faced us head-on when they came back, and now they're still sharpening their skills just to beat us. We're the only ones who can take them to that next level, and we must."

"Lucky, aren't we?" Noah muttered, unsure whether to take Elias's words as a compliment or an insult.

Evan sighed, "Let's be clear all of you, this loss wasn't anyone's fault. Elias wasn't wrong to dream, Isa wasn't incompetent as a leader, and we weren't overpowered. Neither were the middle schoolers a burden nor were your decisions entirely wrong. Islamabad simply had the edge through better approach and teamwork."

"But, we did work well together this time," Orion reflected, "Compared to our previous match, this was a hundred times better."

"It was," Rauf agreed, standing, "But it wasn't enough." "Since you're the ones who made this mess for them, make sure they resolve it too." he headed outside.

"Do you think… they can overcome this?" Isa asked before Rauf could leave.

"That depends on them and on all of you who are backing them," Rauf replied simply, leaving the room.

"And there he goes." Haris said while Senri slumped onto the couch with a deep breath.

Zachariah gave Isa a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

"Rauf may seem composed, but he thinks like you, Isa. Whatever you did and are still doing for the middle schoolers and us right now—I'm confident it will pay off in the future," Elias reassured him.

Isa sighed, a frustrated smile forming. "Honestly, why am I even doing this? I just wanted to win, and here I am, losing yet again. This cursed hard luck."

"It's okay, Isa," Alan said with a supportive smile, "Just because you have a side like this to you, we are the luckiest ones to have you as our friend."

Isa blinked stunned, his hairs hiding his confused countenance. "Silly girl…" he whispered inaudibly.

"Now then…" Senri yawned rubbing his eyes. "Who is going after whom?" he asked.

"Poseidon." Aaron said as Noah interrupted at the same time, "Helios." The two looking at each other surprised.

"Because of their pairing ability?" Nagi guessed.

"Yeah, those two are already showing signs of achieving a Dominance or Unbreak/Unseal. I am very sure if we work a bit on them they'll surely achieve it." Noah added confidently beside Aaron.

"Hm~ I'll go with Adam for a while. There's something I want to teach him." Haruf added next.

"Tch!" Orion who seemed more than irritated uttered, "Azazel that brat! I won't leave him just you wait!!" he growled heading inside the room and shutting the door behind him with a thud!

"Geez, you're going to wake the middle schoolers up." Ren sighed while Haruf and Alan smiled.

"He's so stubborn." Zachariah said.

"Yeah…" Isa agreed, lost in thought. 

"Is that everyone?" Senri asked.

Kazuna, standing up, kept the mugs aside, "Not everything needs to be said out loud. Besides, we need to discuss Islamabad's players and their abilities once again. We finally got an update."

"Yeah, that's important. Let me grab a pen and journal," Nagi offered, standing up.

"Romeo shocked me the most though," Haris admitted, a chill running down his spine, "I thought his 'Nadir Manipulation' only worked when he was playing the match. I didn't realize he'd grown strong enough to influence the game as a mere spectator."

"It's not surprising," Evandor noted, "He's played in the World Cup twice. Every shock he gives is just another boulder of strength he's gained through immense hard work."

"Agreed," Ren said with a warm smile, soon lifting the sound asleep Aigou into his arms. "He took his medicine, right?" he asked Zachariah.

"Hm," Zach responded.

"Alright, you guys get ready. I'll be back with Orion after I tuck Aigou into bed," Ren added, heading inside the room.

"Okay. Looks like we're not getting much sleep tonight. A meeting, sound fun instead, right Alan?" Noah asked, turning towards Alan, only to find him softly snoring on the couch, his head resting against the headrest with a cushion on his lap. He looked like a carefree child, completely at peace.

"Well, well, should I tuck him into bed too?" Ren teased with a wink.

Isa shook his head as he stood up. "I'd rather she stays here," he said, gently adjusting Alan so that he was lying down and covering him with a blanket.

"'She', huh..." Senri said with a smirk, standing behind the couch and gently poking Alan's nose. "This 'she' of yours is going to blow his cover, Your Highness."

"Out of curiosity, if none of what happened to Alan in the past had occurred, what do you think she'd be doing right now?" Noah wondered aloud.

"Probably out shopping with her friends, enjoying a big tub of ice cream all by herself," Haruf guessed with a smile.

Aaron turned to him amazed, "A big tub?? Only you would do that. big guy."

Haruf giggled.

"Yeah... that happiness would be incomparable. And maybe... we wouldn't have even crossed paths," Elias added, his smile tinged with wonder.

"Indeed. An ideal life for Alan might have meant never meeting her," Nagi mused, "I wonder how different things would be right now if this were the case?"

"That's why we have to win this. For this little soul, who's worked so hard and is still giving it his all. And for us, who have dreams and promises to fulfill. This time, no matter what. Not a single card must remain unturned," Isa said, ruffling Alan's hair, completely determined.

Alan suddenly stirred in his sleep, causing Senri to chuckle. "Yeah. No holding back. No more losses," he agreed.

Kazuna, Haris, Lou Wang and Evan exchanged a glance but stayed silent. Soon, the high schoolers gathered to kick off their late-night meeting.

______

On a dark, narrow path, barren of light or life, Alan found himself standing amid a suffocating stillness. The air around him was thick, oppressive, making each breath feel like a struggle.

He glanced around, confusion quickly taking hold. "Huh? Where am I?" he muttered, his voice lost in the vast emptiness, swallowed by the void. Silence pressed in from every direction, heavy and unnerving.

He took a cautious step forward, the sound of his footsteps unnaturally loud in the stillness. "Hello?" His voice wavered, echoing faintly in the blackness. His heart began to race, panic jerking. "Anyone here? Old man? Rauf? Seles? It's me, Alan!" His voice cracked, growing frantic as his eyes darted around, searching for anything, anyone but there was nothing. No walls, no sky, just endless, oppressive, pitch black, void.

The ground beneath him felt solid, but Alan couldn't shake the feeling that at any moment, it might vanish, leaving him to plummet into nothingness. His steps quickened into a frantic jog. "HELLO!" he shouted, the silence only intensifying his dread.

A chill ran down his spine. Something was wrong. Terribly wrong.

"Anyone here? Please answer me! Helios? Adam? Isa?" His words came out in gasps, trying to calm the rising panic, but it was impossible. His pulse thundered in his ears.

Suddenly, he let out a bitter, almost mocking laugh. "Now what is this?" he muttered, unamused for just a fleeting moment. But then, a voice—a voice he knew all too well cut through the suffocating silence.

"Been a while, Alain." Cold. Sly. Menacing.

A chill gripped Alan's body, freezing him in place. His heart raced wildly as he stared ahead, too bewildered to look back. Fear clawed at him, but so did a simmering anger, rising in equal measure.

"What is it? It's been so long. Won't you turn around and meet me?" The voice was calm, mocking.

"So… dreams are what you can control next, huh? Not bad," Alan forced himself to respond, his fists clenched, trying to keep his fear in check.

"PFFT! Haha! You haven't changed at all, still sharp-tongued! But, I assure you there's nothing like that." The voice grew closer, and from the shadows stepped a figure clad in black.

A golden hoodie concealed most of his face, save for the sinister grin peeking through. "Still scared, Alain? Cause' that won't do. I've waited for you long enough. When will you finally catch me?" The figure's grin sharpened, exuding a dangerous playfulness.

Alan's expression hardened as he slowly turned to face him. Anger burned in his gaze, but as his eyes landed on the figure, a wave of bitter disappointment washed over him.