(Part 9)

"Come on, hurry up, you slowpokes! It'll be evening before we even leave," Nidou called out, emerging from the lodgings with an armful of files.

Ryan raised an eyebrow, "Says the guy who was the last to come out," he replied, sarcastically.

The boys arranging their luggage, settled into the coaches.

Meanwhile, Musa, catching sight of Elias standing nearby with crossed arms and a serious expression, called out, "What's up, Shining Boy?"

Elias, momentarily caught off guard, managed a smile, "Nothing."

Musa grinned knowingly, "Thinking about your loss to Rauf, aren't you?"

Elias turned to him, surprised. "How did I know?"

Musa chuckled, "It's written all over your face."

Elias exhaled, nodding. "Yeah, I guess I challenged him out of anger. I forgot just how strong he is."

"That's not it," Musa replied.

Elias looked at him attentively.

"You just assumed you were weak." Musa added seriously.

Elias was taken aback.

"Don't compare yourself to him. Rauf is the best, but you're best in your own way. You just haven't reached there yet," Musa said, walking towards the coach.

"Haven't reached there yet…?" Elias thought. A gentle breeze drifted by, as he whispered, "Maybe, you're right." 

As the boys finally settled down, Adam waved from inside the coach, "Come on, Alan, what's taking so long?"

Alan, holding something he'd gotten from Seles, smiled as he headed over. Finally stepping into the already packed coach after Seles.

Adam, now seated beside Ryan, looked around, noticing that all the middle schoolers who had earlier fought to sit with Alan hadn't saved a spot for him. "What irony…" Alan thought speechless as he moved toward the nearest empty seat, only to pause upon seeing Kenzo sitting by the window, gazing outside with an unfocused look.

"Ah… maybe it's just not my day today," Alan thought to himself, catching Kenzo's brief, apathetic glance.

For that single moment, Kenzo's piercing blue eyes met Alan's, causing him to instinctively brace himself.

Alan's red gaze held steady, as he remembered his previous words, "Kenzo ShahJahan, for once, you truly deserved it."

"Uh-oh, that's not good," Feng murmured to Xavier, who narrowed his eyes at the scene.

"Tch, why doesn't one of you sit with Kenzo? Why do they always end up like this?" he muttered, turning behind to Heber and Azazel, who exchanged confused glances.

"It happened last time too," Poseidon recalled from yesterday.

"How would we know why?!" Heber replied visibly nervous.

"Yeah, I thought Seraph or Helios would sit with him," Azazel said, glancing toward the two, who had settled comfortably with Poseidon and Cassiel. Both glanced at each other silently.

"Well, that's just hurtful…" Azazel muttered, casting a sympathetic glance at Kenzo's apparent misfortune.

Nearby, Aaron and Haruf exchanged silent shrugs.

"Alright, so who's going to stop them now?" Cassiel asked in a low voice, as Seraph got to his feet with a nod.

Senri chuckled beside Kazuna, who observed Alan thoughtfully. 

Suddenly, Rauf broke the tension, calling, "Alan, how long are you going to stand there?"

The others turned to look, puzzled.

Alan, realizing he'd been lingering, smiled at Rauf. "Ah, sorry about that," he replied, walking over and settling down beside him, his expression hidden by his hair.

Kenzo rolled his eyes and returned his gaze to the window.

"Sigh~" Helios muttered, "This isn't going anywhere."

"I agree," Poseidon said with a hint of concern.

"Who knows how long this will last." Ezekiel added.

"The longer, the worse." Ryan whispered.

"At least they didn't fight." Aigou interrupted as the middle schoolers nodded in silent agreement.

At that moment, little Will, who had been accompanying Xavier, hopped down and went over to Alan, who was staring out the window. Gently, Will stroked Alan's hand, pulling him from his thoughts.

Alan gave a light smile, ruffling his pearl-white fur as he thought to himself, "Those eyes…" Recalling Kenzo's cold gaze that seemed to hang on his mind, he reflected, "He really can't tolerate me, huh? Even though he was partly at fault…? Sigh, just forget it," he sighed, gripping the medicine bottle tightly in his fist.

Rauf stared at Alan's fist with a frown. 

Throughout the long drive, the coach hummed softly as it left behind the bustling streets of Lahore and merged onto the quiet highway toward Quetta. Inside, a gentle hush blanketed the boys, each absorbed in his own world. Alan sitting by the window, focused on the images he'd taken of high schoolers' game strategies, reviewing them intently.

Across the aisle, Helios rested his head back, eyes closed as he drifted into a light sleep, with Poseidon dozing as well, his head tipped onto Helios's shoulder, the occasional soft snore escaping. Behind them, Xavier flipped through his book, occasionally lifting his head to glance over at Ezekiel, Feng, Heber, and Azazel, who were all absorbed in a group game on their phones. Nagi, Elias, and Noah whispered quietly, joined by Evan, Isa, and Zach, who were watching past Multan matches highlights.

At the front, Ren noticed the unusually subdued coaches and leaned forward, asking, "Well, aren't you going to start prepping us for the next match, Head Coach Nidou? The quietness is… almost unsettling." He looked to Orion, who nodded in agreement and continued, "Or maybe you haven't even planned out the match order yet?"

"Oh, so you finally remember?" Nidou replied with a smirk, "I thought that loss hit you all so hard you'd forgotten about your upcoming match altogether."

The middle schoolers exchanged glances and shrugged.

"Wait, weren't you disappointed in us, avoiding the whole topic?" Noah asked, genuinely puzzled.

"Us?" Musa pointed at himself puzzled as Yusuf turned to Seles, who chuckled,

"Haha, nothing like that. We were just giving you some space." Pedro agreed, adding, "We figured you needed some time to get focused again, so we didn't push it."

The high schoolers looked back, unconvinced.

Aaron crossed his arms, smirking, "Oh really? I'll believe that when Coach Nidou isn't the one calling the shots."

"Well, true, aside from him, we did think that way," Musa grinned, as Nidou rolled his eyes.

"Yup, now I'm convinced," Aaron nodded.

Isa gave a reassuring nod, "Don't worry, we're all set now. We know where we went wrong, and we're ready to improve. So please, go ahead and share the next match order."

The middle schoolers nodded in agreement as Seraph added with a smile, "Yes, we're ready."

Seles, glancing at Nidou, received a slight nod of approval and responded, "Very well then, let's get to it."

The boys soon sat attentively as Nagi, Damian, and Cassiel pulled out their journals. Seles activated the window blinds, dimming the bus, before unveiling the LED display behind the driver's seat, which lit up with the detailed schedule for the next match.

Closing his eyes, Feng raised his fists dramatically, whispering loudly enough for everyone to hear, "Oh Lord please, not my name, not my name. I'm darn tired. Just give me a break!"

Xavier smirked silently, while Gabriel rolled his eyes.

"You know, for once, you were actually useful to the world. Now you're planning to stop even that?" Mikael teased, a mischievous glint in his eye.

"Hah?" Feng opened one eye, twitching his brow irritably, "Do you realize I've been playing nonstop for all three matches? If anyone deserves a break, it's me!"

Azazel and Heber shook their heads in disbelief, while the high schoolers chuckled.

"Yeah, fine, let Feng have a break then. Let me play instead! I really, really want to get in there. Oh, and Alan and Ryan too, pretty please!" Adam added enthusiastically, his tone almost pleading.

Seraph couldn't help but smile warmly. "For PSL 11th match, against Multan Sultans…" Seles began, "The selected participants are; Haruf Noor Faris, Seraph Awan, Orion Allaudin, Gabriel Harut, Evandor Amermiah, Ezekiel Vincente, Azazel Minhas, Noah Chevalier, Ryan Ty Alexandro, Adam El Amin and Alan Rex Lorenzo with Haruf Noor Faris as captain and Gabriel Harut as the vice-captain. Wicket keeping* would be executed by Haruf Noor Faris." 

As the boys processed the match order, a wave of surprise and wonder swept over them, especially the middle schoolers.

"Eh?" Poseidon and Haris gasped in unison.

"Second and third top rankers of the base and Alan?" Heber exclaimed, just as stunned.

Evan cast a deliberate glance at each of them.

Seraph's gaze shifted to Alan, whose expression remained unchanged, a flat line etched across his face.

"Finally," Orion muttered, rolling his eyes, "I've been itching to play."

"Hah!!" Adam burst out, his voice brimming with excitement. "All three of us got selected! I can't believe it! Haha, today must be my lucky day!" He threw himself at Ryan in sheer delight, nearly tackling him.

Senri whistled playfully. "Oh~ now that's a formidable lineup. Are we planning to make Haitam cry?" he teased with a smirk.

"Don't underestimate them," Nidou cautioned, his tone serious, "Wait until you see their lineup."

Rauf exhaled as Kazuna narrowed his gaze.

"The substitutes for this match will be Zachariah Jacques and Kenzo ShahJahan," Seles announced next as Isa turned toward Zach, who gave a barely perceptible nod.

Kenzo, on the other hand, twitched his brow, his fists clenched.