Kazuna grinned, part excitement, part challenge, part relief, "Alright then, young devils."
"Yeah," Senri added with a playful wink, "We'll beat you black and blue."
"Blood and bones! Be prepared," Orion grinned.
"Oh dear~" Aaron flopped dramatically onto the couch, "And here I thought we were entering the friendship arc."
At that, Nagi scrunched his face in horror, as if the word itself was offensive.
"Friendship?! My foot!" Ezekiel exploded, throwing a scandalized glance at Heber.
"I feel a chill running down my spine…" Xavier muttered with an unnerving smile.
"Then stop smiling like that, vice-captain!" Feng snapped, half amused, half horrified.
Evan sighed, while Haruf chuckled softly beside him.
Zachariah's eyes flickered toward Isa, who gave him a reassuring pat on the back. But even as Isa smiled, the truth lingered in his eyes, one that didn't quite match his expression. "I'm fine…" he murmured.
But everyone knew he wasn't. Orion watched him quietly, standing beside Aigou. And though none of them said it aloud, the truth was etched deep in their bones.
Three years ago, they had each been broken. Disgraced. Humiliated. To the point where even the word "cricket" had become something they couldn't touch without trembling. And yet here they were again. Chasing that same dream. Bleeding for it. Fighting for it. Again.
Alan watched as the middle schoolers disappeared into their room, laughter and chaos wrapping around them like a shield. And then his gaze drifted back to the high schoolers, now quiet.
Some lost in thought. Some pretending to work. Some simply caught in the echo of what had just unfolded. Because in truth, each one of them, including him, no matter how hardened or silent, felt the same tug in their chest.
Because, maybe, just maybe... They didn't want those young players to face what they had. Or maybe, they simply wanted them to be strong enough, unbreakable enough, to survive what they couldn't.
____
The next evening, the sky above Quetta's Stadium was awash with liquid gold as the early evening sun cast its final, lingering rays. The soft roar of the crowd already began to swell into something thunderous, frenzied voices merging into a singular anthem.
The name 'Multan Sultans' and 'Karachi Kings' rang from every corner of the stadium, echoing in a chant so loud and proud it swallowed the boundary ropes and reached far past the pavilions.
Despite being far from their home ground, the emotions were tribal, rooted in stories, victories, heartbreaks. It didn't matter where they were. What mattered was who they had become and what they'll show.
The boys emerged from the backstage corridor leading out of the dressing room, clad in red, blue, and golden tracksuits. Their gleaming badges caught the light, the lion emblem fierce and proud. With each soft thud of their shoes on the polished marble floor, the roar of the world beyond surged to meet them.
The moment they stepped into their pavilion, Haitam immediately caught their entrance from across the Multan Sultan's high school division and beamed. His face lit up like a boy spotting his brothers after years apart. "HEY!" he hollered, already jogging forward.
Rauf, Haruf, and Evan glanced upward, standing beside Senri, who let out a sigh, not of weariness, but of affection, and murmured, "Here we go."
Behind Haitam followed Milan, David, Nouis, and Yahya, waves thrown up like joyous flags.
Haitam reached Haruf first, pulling him into a full-bodied hug. Haruf laughed lifting the elated captain slightly off the ground, thumping his back, "Haha, You're too loud for someone who met us just two days ago."
"Someone has to announce your arrival," Haitam grinned, spinning around to Rauf and Evan and clapping his palm against theirs.
Rauf smirked, "Careful now. Don't let that smile turn into tears when you lose."
Haitam shot back with a sharp grin, eyes gleaming, "Heh~ I'm not that easy to cry, Mr. Necromancer."
Nearby, David turned, scanning the area until his eyes landed on Aaron by the benches, buried in a flurry of cosmetic supplies. As soon as Aaron grabbed his hair brush, he called out for Orion from the dressing room. Then, with arms folded and an air of forced nonchalance, he turned his head away and waited.
"Well, looks like I finally get to talk to you, Aaron," David said, settling onto the seat next to his gear bag, flute spinning lazily between his fingers. His sharp pink gaze cut through the air, "Shame I won't be playing against you this match. Didn't see your name on the candidates list."
Aaron didn't look back right away. Instead, he smirked, pulled the sunglasses from his shirt collar, and slipped them on with practiced ease. "Too bad. Coaches' call," he said over his shoulder, "But hey, I'll sign your bat later."
David gave him a look, part irritation, part amusement, "You're still full of it."
Aaron flashed a grin, "Naturally. That's what makes me, me."
Slightly off to the side, Yahya, Lucas and Milan had gathered around Aigou, Lou Wang, Noah, Elias, and Nagi, discussing the recent match between Lahore and Islamabad, in which Islamabad emerged victorious once again, winning the super over by 10 runs.
Meanwhile, the middle schoolers stood with raised eyebrows and slightly open mouths. Not out of surprise, no, they were well past that.
It was the sheer absurdity of forming bonds with a rival team right before a match where losing simply wasn't an option.
Ryan, Ezekiel, Adam, Kenzo, Helios, Gabriel, Feng, Cassiel, Mikael, Damian and Heber blinked at the two groups, Multan and Karachi, laughing like they were about to share a barbecue instead of a fierce match.
"…Are they even our opponents?" Ezekiel muttered, genuinely baffled, "Because I'm starting to think we showed up to the wrong match."
Kenzo scoffed, "Either that, or we walked into a surprise BBQ party with cricket bats."
"They look more like sitcom co-stars than rivals," Feng muttered, deadpan.
Cassiel and Helios struggled to hold back a laugh.
"They look ridiculous," Ryan said, rolling his eyes, "What's next? A half-time dance routine right in the middle of the pitch?"
The thought alone made Adam, Azazel and Heber visibly shudder with cringe, while Gabriel let out a sigh, mumbling something about saving himself from secondhand embarrassment.
Xavier chuckled behind them, Seraph beside him, arms folded with a soft smile.
Poseidon's eyes gleamed with unspoken fondness as he nudged Kenzo who remained unmoved, "Guess even great seniors like to have a meal before war."
Kenzo exhaled, rolling his eyes as he turned back to his gear.
While the players got ready, the coaches: Nidou, Seles, Pedro, Mir, and Yusuf settled onto the benches. With gear in place and tablets ready, candidate lists began circulating between the organizers and the other team.
Nidou, however, stayed standing, arms crossed, eyes scanning the opposite pavilion. His gaze locked onto Yasir, who seated calmly with his arms over the railing. Yasir gave a light nod. Nidou returned it but then, his eyes slid. A fraction to the right. And froze.
Yara was seated next to Yasir, dressed in grey and green, a tablet in her hand but her eyes unwavering. Cold. Watching. Nidou's jaw twitched. He looked away first.
Mir noticed. So did Seles. Neither said anything, only exchanging a quiet breath and shifting their attention to the field.
Suddenly, noise erupted from Multan's pavilion, again, as their middle schoolers finally made their grand, slightly delayed entrance with the rest of their coaches.
The second they spotted their captain and seniors casually chatting with Karachi's players, they practically launched themselves out of the pavilion like it was on fire. And just like that, chaos was back on the menu.
Kian and Zidan, the twin tornadoes of energy, burst in like fireworks someone forgot to aim. Right behind them came Pierre, Zain, and Ishaq, armed with sarcasm, smirks, and the kind of friendly banter that felt more like dodgeballs to the face. Kirill, of course, entered in silence, true to form: quiet, expressionless, vaguely mysterious.
And then came Galleous, strolling in like he'd just stepped out of a painting, calm as ever, scanning the stadium until it rested on Helios and rest of Karachi's middle schoolers like an explorer discovering a whole new world.
But on the opposite side of Multan's pavilion, their arrival triggered pure panic among Karachi's middle schoolers. Dread didn't just spread. It detonated down their spines like a bolt of socially traumatic lightning.
"No…" Feng whispered in horror, already halfway into the dressing room like he was escaping a crime scene.
Aigou and Nagi moved out of his way, looking thoroughly confused.
"Yes," Azazel muttered back, equally horrified, ducking behind the stadium seats like he owed someone money.
"Hide," Heber ordered like a soldier in a war, using Kenzo as a human shield.
"Too late," Kirill said ominously, locking eyes with them like a horror film villain spotting their next victim.
"Retreat—RETREAT!!" Ezekiel yelped, diving behind Gabriel's tall frame like it was a fortress.
"They'll make us clap in rhythm again," Ryan whispered, face pale, reliving the trauma.
"I don't want to!!" Adam cried, desperately trying to squeeze himself into his own cricket bag.