(Part 2)

"Geez, you're making it sound terrifying again," Yaaz sighed, clapping Rauf on the back.

Rauf raised his brow with a faint grin.

Haitam's smile softened as he caught sight of Alan, who returned the expression, "You too, Pakistan's Galaxy. I'm glad to see you back in the game."

Alan, slightly taken aback, hummed a quiet, "Thanks."

Suddenly, playful voices cut through from behind Haitam and David, "And, where are your middle schoolers?"

The high schoolers looked at Multan's middle schoolers searching for Feng and the rest.

"Haha, there they are!" Zain pointed, as soon as he traced them, rushing over with Ishaq.

"Come on, Kirill, Zidan!" Kian called out, joining in.

"Even your juniors are full of energy," Isa noted to Haitam.

"Yeah," Haitam exhaled, "They were more excited than we were to meet everyone."

"That's good, though. Ours were so gloomy," Senri said with a shake of his head.

"It's probably the weather," David mused, "Not many are happy when they come to Quetta."

"Not just that, the sting of their earlier defeat against Islamabad piled up too," Nagi added thoughtfully. 

"It'll be fine now." Lucas entered, clapping Evan's hands with a confident nod, "With our juniors here, every gloom will disappear."

"I hope so," Ren said, his smile tinged with hope as he watched Multan's middle schoolers chasing after Karachi's, teasing, laughing and playfully making them dance.

David patted Haitam on the back before turning to Rauf, Alan, and the others. "Once again, welcome to Quetta and best of luck," he said warmly.

"You too," Elias replied courteously.

Haitam then turned to Rauf. "To be honest, I wanted to play against you as well," he admitted. "But I understand your responsibilities all too well—after all, I'm in the same position. I know what you're going through right now. That's why I want to say this: whenever we find the time in the future, let's make sure to play together." With a determined smile, Haitam raised his fist toward Rauf.

Rauf gave a slight nod before tapping his fist against Haitam's, "It's a deal."

Hearing those words, which felt both unusual yet encouraging, Haitam couldn't help but break into a proud grin. "Yeah!" he exclaimed enthusiastically.

Haris smiled at the two glad. 

"Oh, God… I'm done for. Completely wasted. Please, have mercy," Feng groaned dramatically as Ishaq chuckled, patting his back.

"Haha! Come on, just build some stamina and strength already. What will you do when it's time to play?" Ishaq teased, "Geez, where is all your vigor from the last three matches?"

Feng sighed, throwing his hands up in defeat, "I'm really not playing in the next match. Please, just let me off the hook."

"Huh? You're serious?" Ishaq, Pierre, and Kian exchanged surprised glances, leaving Feng on the verge of tears.

"Finally," Feng muttered, pretending to collapse in exhaustion.

"Helios, Xavier, Poseidon, Cassiel, Heber, and Kenzo aren't playing either," Ezekiel informed them.

"But you two are, right?" Kian asked Adam enthusiastically, throwing his arms around him while Zidan slung his arm over Ryan's shoulders, grinning widely.

Adam and Ryan, now completely drained, swayed unsteadily.

"Those two brothers are like hurricanes," Cassiel whispered, pitying the poor duo.

Azazel, nervously eyeing Multan's overly energetic juniors, turned to Kirill. The latter, catching his gaze, offered a quiet nod before stepping back to observe the bustling scene from a distance. "And that one seems to be the only sane one among them," Azazel muttered in relief.

"You can say that again," Seraph whispered back.

Nonetheless, despite being secretive, Galleous overheard them and giggled softly, making Azazel and Seraph shiver in surprise.

"He's usually pretty quiet, an odd one out. Most of the time, he's with me," Galleous explained.

"That gave me a scare," Azazel admitted, glancing at Seraph, who nodded in startled agreement.

Meanwhile, Kenzo, Helios, Xavier, Gabriel, and Poseidon mingled with the rest of the middle schoolers.

Galleous approached Kenzo with a smile. "It's a pity I won't get to face you this time," he remarked.

Kenzo smirked, "Don't worry. We'll meet in the semifinals or finals—if you make it that far."

Galleous blinked before letting out a soft chuckle, "I expected no less of you. But we won't lose. After all, we've been waiting for this moment just as much as you have." Turning to Helios, Galleous extended a hand, "Even if we don't face each other this time, I hope we can become friends and play someday, Helios Zadeh. It would be an honor."

Helios, slightly caught off guard, asked, "Me?"

Galleous nodded. "Yes. Our middle schoolers speak highly of you. Many are inspired by your determination ever since they watched you in the last match." His gaze tracing Poseidon too.

Helios shook his head modestly, "Thanks… honestly, it's hard to believe I'm thought of that way. I'm the one who should be honored. If we get the chance, let's play. But for now, let my team take the spotlight."

Galleous nodded, his gaze sweeping over Seraph, Adam, Xavier, Azazel, and Kenzo.

"You're all incredibly strong. It'll no doubt be an exciting clash." Kirill said joining Galleous and offering his fist to Xavier, who gladly bumped it.

"Yeah, we'll give it everything we've got, so you'd better be ready," Kian and Zidan added confidently.

"Don't underestimate us." Ryan grinned, adding to the challenge.

"Yeah!" Adam echoed, his energy practically bouncing off him.

Ishaq, watching them from a distance, couldn't help but smile.

"And he's your team's Vice-captain, right?" Kenzo asked, gesturing toward Ishaq, who was still teasing Feng.

"Doesn't exactly seem like it, does it?" Galleous remarked.

Kenzo glanced at Seraph as they both hummed in response.

"Don't take him lightly," Kirill warned, "Despite how he looks, he's the one who defeated our Base's top Fourth World Ranker, Nouis, 3rd year high schooler."

"Defeated the base's fourth best…" Helios and Xavier muttered, clearly impressed.

"If he's that good, then you…" Kenzo's eyes narrowed as he fixed his gaze on Galleous, whose caramel eyes gleamed sharply, his grin unapologetically confident.

"He's the boss!" Kian and Zidan chimed in unison, each grabbing one of Galleous's arms like loyal sidekicks.

"Yeah, no one can beat Captain Galleous," Pierre added with a firm nod.

Kenzo kept his focus on Galleous, who maintained his confident smile, thinking, "He's no joke either. This PSL keeps surprising me every day. I… need to get back in form." Suddenly his thoughts were interrupted when he noticed an awkward gaze aimed his way. Turning, he found Ezekiel, Ryan, and Adam staring at him with a mix of skepticism and pity.

"Haiz~ I wish we had the guts to say something like that so casually," Ezekiel lamented, shaking his head.

"Blegh! I'd never say that to him," Adam added, sticking out his tongue in mock defiance.

Ryan silently shook his head in disappointment.

"You little…" Kenzo twitched his brow, visibly irritated as Xavier and Helios chuckled.

"But there's no denying Kenzo is incredibly strong as well," Cassiel said, patting Kenzo's shoulder in encouragement.

"Yeah! His highness Kenzo is Unique!" Azazel showed a proud victory sign.

"I know," Galleous nodded, his tone serious, "I've seen it myself." 

As the high schoolers and middle schoolers mingled, conversing about their journey and the upcoming match, the coaches from both teams reunited after a long time apart. Nidou leaned against the bus, his gaze fixed on the boys, when a figure beside him let out a nostalgic sigh, watching the same scene.

The man's gentle brown eyes complemented his ash-brown hair, and his hands rested casually in his suit's pockets. "Look at them, Nidou. Hard to believe how much time has passed. A long time ago, we were the ones standing there, remember?" he said, his voice tinged with reminiscence, "The same place, the same atmosphere… but now the weight of responsibility has shifted to us."

Nidou stayed silent, his eyes studying the man beside him. Then, with a teasing smirk, he said, "You really have grown old, haven't you?"

The man sighed in mock disbelief, "I'm only two years older than you, and here you are with that smug attitude, you brat. Judging by your appearance you look ten years older than me to say that."

Nidou chuckled, clearly amused as Mir seemed to agree with every single word, "Haiz, don't make me recall those days, Yasir… this old heart of mine might not survive it."

Just then, Musa joined them. "You overthink everything, Nidou," he remarked casually.

"Not that it's his fault. Sometimes you're forced to overthink, even when you don't want to, Musa. But look at this—your future is out there playing too," Yasir said, nodding toward Ryan before shifting his gaze to Alan, who was clapping Haitam's hand, laughing heartily, "And Alan… he's grown up into a fine child as well."

Nidou's gaze narrowed slightly as he observed Alan.

"She's been through a lot, hasn't she?" Yasir asked softly, his tone barely above a whisper.

Nidou gave a faint hum of acknowledgment, "But, that fire inside her is still burning brighter than anything else? Sometimes I wonder… whose child is she really? Who could be this persistent?" he murmured, almost to himself.

Musa exchanged a glance with Yasir, who smiled faintly.

Yasir then patted Nidou's shoulder, signaling the end of the somber moment as he noticed Seles, Pedro, and the rest of the coaches and high schoolers approaching.