"Not bad. Those first years really handled Milan's first over. Still, I honestly thought we'd see at least one wicket fall," Basil admitted.
"Don't underestimate them," Daniil replied firmly.
"Wasn't that exactly what Captain Haitam warned us about the moment we learned we'd face them? I can't believe you even thought otherwise." Pierre smirked, eyes flicking from Adam and Ezekiel to Milan—who had now stepped into Kirill's spot at slip.
"Looks like Kirill's up next," Mahd observed.
"Yup," Lucas nodded, eyes narrowing in anticipation.
"And that's where things get interesting. Only a youngster can clash against a youngster's vigour."
"Kirill… the Shadow Man. Their best middle school seamer," Orion murmured, resting his head lightly on Isa's shoulder.
Isa glanced down at him, "What about him?"
"In the match against Quetta," Orion explained, "he dismissed two of their biggest power players back-to-back— their middle school vice-captain, Alexander, and the high schooler, Joshua. It completely shattered Quetta's middle overs. In other words, he's formidable."
Kenzo, Cassiel, and Helios—seated a row below—listened silently, fully attentive.
Isa's gaze lifted to the black-haired boy on the pitch, calmly tossing the ball up and down. "Well," he exhaled, "that just means our young ones still have a long way to go before they can celebrate."
In the second over of the first innings, Ezekiel tapped his bat on the crease, eyes fixed ahead. Kirill, stepping onto the popping crease, released the ball. Thrown at full pace, it suddenly slowed as it hit the pitch.
Ezekiel, who had been preparing for a cover drive, was immediately caught off guard. The delivery swung sharply and dropped in pace, forcing him to pull his bat back just in time as the ball landed safely in the keeper's gloves.
"OH!!" erupted the crowd.
"Good job, good job!" Haitam clapped.
"What a magnificent Outswinging slower ball! Just a fraction of a second's delay, and things could've gone completely awry for Karachi Kings…" Maaz commented.
"Close. The length and variation in the bowling really keep those two on their toes. No doubt, it's a great technique," Evan said.
"That's right, and that's not all," Coach Pedro added, "The fielding is alert, anticipating every chance the youngsters might give. Multan seems to have calculated everything."
"In term of mistakes… Adam tends to get too hasty when hyped up, while Ezekiel becomes overly cautious when pushed back. Do you think Multan Sultans are taking the psychological approach?" Cassiel asked, turning to Xavier, Helios, and the others.
"Who knows," Heber replied, eyes following Ezekiel and Adam as they secured two quick runs off the second ball.
"Even if that's the case, Adam hasn't been fully riled up yet, and Ezekiel hasn't been forced back. Psychology plays a role, yes, but these two have already faced bigger monsters crushing their minds…" Seraph smiled, "Don't you agree?" He turned to the seniors, who fell silent, caught between surprise and what felt like a mocking compliment.
"Sigh!" Aigou huffed, brow twitched, "You kids are going to torture us all the way to hell, aren't you?"
Feng smirked, "You're welcome."
"Boys… watch ahead," Alan began, but before he could finish, the stadium exploded into a thunderous roar.
"Straight down the ground to long-off—the first six of the innings! A massive hit, right towards the commentators' box! I swear my heart stopped; thought the glass wouldn't survive that one!" Wasim laughed.
"Wow," Helios remarked, proud.
Back on the field, "Tch." Kirill clicked his tongue as he followed the ball's flight until it finally dropped. He turned back, annoyed but composed.
Haitam gave his shoulder a reassuring pat, while Ezekiel—still in Seraph's form—flashed Adam a bright thumbs-up.
"Aiya~" Basil winced from Multan Sultan's corner, "That one stung exactly where it hurts, hun."
"Kirill's gonna turn terrifying now," Mark swallowed, clutching Lucas's jersey.
Lucas let out a long, wordless exhale.
Inside the pavilion behind them, the atmosphere was nothing like the electrified stadium outside. It was cold—tight, almost suffocating. Yara's brows knit together before she turned to Yasir.
"What do you mean by that?" Yasir's voice remained steady, "If… they win this match today, what will you say to them?"
Yara looked back toward the pitch, her tone clipped and distant. "That still remains an if. And even if they win, it's for themselves. From what I see, their chances aren't even a solid ten percent."
Yasir's expression tightened. Her words hit harder than she probably intended. But he lifted his gaze to the field, watching the boys with quiet resolve. "Yara… you've changed in quite the wrong way, haven't you?" he said softly, "So much so that you seem to have forgotten the very essence I instilled in those boys."
On the third ball of the second over, Kirill stepped onto the popping crease and murmured, "Shadow Cage."
The ball left his fingers, bounced, and Ezekiel's eyes narrowed. The first two deliveries had been fast, sharp, full of swing. But this one… this one felt wrong. It moved slower than his instincts expected—too slow. It wasn't until the ball zipped past him into the keeper's gloves that Ezekiel realized he had swung late.
Even Adam stared at him from the non-striker's end, baffled.
Ezekiel blinked at the ball behind him. He genuinely had no idea what just happened. Had the ball come too fast to react? Or was he so lost in thought he forgot to move?
The second option felt ridiculous—but his body had frozen for a moment he couldn't explain. A fleeting, unsettling sensation.
The umpire stretched both arms horizontally: wide ball. Even though it wasn't a threat to his wicket, Ezekiel swallowed.
Kirill wiped the sweat from his chin and gave a cold, measured smile before turning away.
To Ezekiel, that smile meant only one thing—he wasn't safe anymore. Still, he couldn't stop the grin tugging at his lips.
In Seraph's form, it almost looked as if Seraph's Cleve persona… Awan had surfaced. Alan narrowed his eyes. Those eyes were daring, arrogant, practically screaming bring it on.
Alan's lips lifted. Of course—it was Awan. Behind him, a sigh brushed close to his ear. Even Poseidon glanced back.
"Even if he uses my form to play, I can't help but feel exposed. It's weirdly mortifying," Seraph muttered, hunched forward with his face resting against his hand on his thigh. His embarrassment was painfully clear.
Kenzo patted his back with a smirk, "At least appreciate your own menace. That's what you look like."
Seraph shot him a flat look, "Your words are not helping, your highness."
Kenzo only smiled as he kept tapping Seraph's back.
"I think it's cool, honestly. It gives off this weird, uplifting rush. And I get why Ezekiel transformed into you. Adam admires you a lot. So when he sees the person he admires right beside him performing like that, the drive to push further just spikes." Mikael explained.
Alan nodded with a soft smile, "That's true. I admire it too."
Seraph listened quietly.
"Seeing yourself in front of you like that isn't normal. So this whole experience… it's amazing in its own way," Alan continued. Then he turned to look directly into Seraph's eyes, "And you—who've never seen yourself when your Cleve persona takes over—aren't you even a little curious about the person inside you?"
Seraph had no answer. He simply stared at his own figure standing on the pitch. A small part of him was curious. But a far bigger, heavier part still held resentment toward the persona within him. It was bitter and sweet at once. His golden eyes revealed nothing.
"You've seen him. What about you?" he finally asked.
The high schoolers including—Isa, Zachariah, Orion—lowered their gazes, sensing the shift in his tone. Helios, Kenzo, Gabriel, Xavier, Poseidon, and Cassiel all turned to Alan, waiting for his reply.
Alan kept his eyes on the field, a soft smile playing on his lips. "He is you, Seraph Awan. And even though I'm your senior, I like and admire all of you. Be it your strengths or your weaknesses—they all are a source of my growth. You're my priceless junior." He glanced over his shoulder, letting his gaze sweep across Seraph to the rest of the middle schoolers. "And this goes for each and every one of you."
For a moment, silence settled over them. Nidou glanced back at the boys, who seemed to be swallowing the weight of those words, then turned to the pitch again, twirling his pen, unimpressed. The high schoolers exchanged knowing smiles.
"Our little Alan is getting dangerous with his words," Aaron murmured to Rauf, who only breathed.
"Yeah. At this rate, these little monsters will think they have only one loving senior— 'Alan Rex Lorenzo'," Noah deadpanned, earning a light smack from Nagi.
Alan didn't turn away from the pitch, and the impossibly genuine smile on his face didn't fade.
Seraph leaned back in his seat, a small smile touching his own lips. "That's far too kind of you, senior," he said quietly.
Alan simply nodded.
Kenzo stared at Alan's back in silence.