"Aaron, you're losing concentration. If you keep on looking around like this. You'll lose your wicket. Evan warned taking a run.
Aaron standing on the batting line panted. "Yes… Vice-captain… You know I am seriously trying very hard here." he responded eyeing Isa before him who twirled the ball ready to deliver it.
Wiping the sweat under his helmet, Aaron glanced around the ground thinking, "The off side if fully guarded and the leg side as well. How about I hit a six too? Isa is a pace baller after all. It would be tricky if he were to aim for Yorkers and seam balls."
Isa smirked, running to the popping crease he bowled harshly towards Aaron. Aaron squinting his eyes read, "A slow delivery…?"
Stepping forward he slammed the ball high towards the off side. Orion ran towards the ball. "Catch it, Orion!" Ren called out. However, the ball stretching more the 74.08 kilometers outside the boundary line was aimed towards the audience's stand for a huge six.
"Haha! Way to go Aaron. 55 runs in six complete overs!" Noah cheered.
All of a sudden before the ball could land on the audiences seats a shadow flickered by catching it.
"Huh?!" Aigou asked in puzzled while Aaron squinted his gaze, finding it difficult to grasp the figure.
Rushing inside the stadium's entrance with amazing speed Christopher grasped the ball effortlessly. "Six? What kind of a six is this?" he snickered.
The highschoolers eyeing the middleschoolers alongside Rauf stood wondering.
"Oh my~ what a twist~" Ren teased patting Orion's back who clicked his tongue annoyed.
"Hehe… so they are finally here." Senri folded his arms, a light smile resting his lips.
The middleschoolers tossing the ball up and down walked over. Sweat dripping their foreheads with shoulders holding their gear bags. Every single one of them grinned.
"Here you go." Christopher tossed the ball towards Zach who caught it singlehandedly. His expression grim.
Mikael and Theo smiling at each other alongside Damian, Ines, Aza, Ebraham, Aryan and Xander, eyed the highschoolers grave.
"So you all finally came out of your rabbit holes hun?" Rauf asked sarcastically.
"Rabbit holes? When in the world were we inside them in the first place? Are your eyes working too much?" Silas mocked.
Rauf smirking closed his files as Haruf sat beside him getting a drink. Kazuna looking at the highschoolers too stood stern while Elias and Ren smiled.
"So what is it? Why did you come here?" Rauf asked seriously.
"Hehe, why are we here hun? I wonder about that too. We should've left this place as soon as you kicked our captains out? But… it won't be fun this way right?" Hadi said.
"And, what does that mean?" Evan asked grave.
"It means… leaving without revenge isn't fruitful you know? You picked out the best fourteen amongst us and tossed them out like garbage. However, did you thought we were some kind of pushovers?" Damian asked pushing his glasses up.
"Haha! Then what do you want now? Revenge? On us? Tell us? How?" Noah asked amused, "On the contrary, weren't they your leaders who were weak and lost to Alan in the first place?"
Hearing his words the middleschoolers glared mad.
"Hehe… what? Angry already?" Isa asked mischievously.
Glancing at both sides which were about to drown into a fight anytime now Haruf suddenly laughed, "Haha! Haha! Haha!" Aaron eyeing him whispered confused, "Hey, big guy… why are you suddenly laughing like this? It's quite a serious matter."
Smiling under the sun Haruf uttered, "Revenge is best served cold right? If you want to get back on us so badly how about a match then?"
Hearing his proposal, a wide smirk covered Rauf's lips alongside the amused middleschoolers.
"Heh~ now you are speaking our language, seniors. After all, it would be an honor to play against you." Mikael accepted.
The highschoolers eyeing Haruf a disinterested sighed. "Are you kidding me…?" Nagi asked.
"I won't even have to use my skills against them." Aigou murmured bleak.
Rauf staring at the middleschoolers before him spoke up, "12 of your best members Vs… Senri, Zachariah, Aaron, Nagi, Orion, Elias, Noah, Aigou, Ren, Isa, Haruf and Kazuna… Get ready. A 10 over set match. Ten minutes from now on, we'll have the toss. Am I clear?"
The middleschoolers accepting Rauf's terms walked away. "So the star won't step down his seat from the sky… Hmph, anyway they are all going down…!" Theo smirked as the middleschoolers took out their 12 best members heading for the toss.
"Haha! Yahoo! A real match at last! I was dying for it!" Noah gleamed jumping around happily. The rest exhaling annoyed sat silent.
"What's with this sorry filled faces you've all got there hun? Aren't you too proud of yourselves?!" Evan asked cross.
"But! We can't even give our best against them. So why play them in the first place?" Orion retorted. Rauf eyed him grim from the corner of his eye, "And, What makes you think so?"
The highschoolers remained silent. Haruf nodding smiled, picking up a file beside Rauf, he handed it over to Nagi, "Read it."
Nagi slightly confused eyed the others who surrounded him intrigued. Nagi opening the file read it simultaneously.
"I think you've forgotten something. Those fourteen I just sent back weren't the only ones who took over the country inter academy tournament's cup. It was the teams from their academies who won it. If those fourteen are the best. Then, the rest of them are future's best. Don't underestimate any of them." Rauf warned.
Nagi turning the pages sat wide eyed. Senri, Aaron, Kazuna, Noah, Ren and Orion too stood speechless.
"What is this…?" Aigou asked baffled.
"Kings of cricket." Haruf simply replied, "Now, are all you pumped up to go against them?"
Zach nodding stood up, "I was always ready."
"Me too." Elias added, flicking the tossing coin.
Isa catching it back in midair grinned. "Let's go." he called heading towards the field's center followed by the rest of them. The two teams onto facing a blasting match grinned at each other.
"Ready?" Isa asked Damian who stood before him. "Ready… than ever." he responded confident.
Flicking the coin up Evan asked. "Head or tails?"
Isa closing his eyes responded, "Tails…"
"Heads…" Damian added.
The coin flipping up landed on the ground as the two captains eyed it speculating. Rolling round and round it finally fell into a halt.
"And, heads it is. Your call." Evan asked Damian who looked at Mikael and the rest. "Batting first." he declared.
The highschoolers smiling turned around as the middle schoolers headed back. "Best of luck." Ren encouraged.
The 12 highschoolers covering the entire stadium just as Haruf told waited for the two openers to cover the pitch.
"As a ten over match. I'll give two over to each baller." Isa informed as the ballers and all-rounders surrounded him.
"From Nagi's point of view 110 runs is the normal run rate of a ten over match. However, be prepared for more. Since, in a short over matches the batsmen will mostly aim for boundaries and sixes to increase their target." Elias explained next.
Kazuna and Senri nodded.
"Isa!" Ren called out. Isa eyeing him asked back, "Yes?" "Nagi's on wicket keeping this time." Ren told as Isa showed a thumbs up back gesturing a yes. "Now for the balling line… who's first?" he questioned.
"The usual order we all have is fine. Just change it from 4 overs to 2, your highness." Noah said standing on the gully point. "Yeah, seems good to me." Aaron continued.
Zach nodded. Isa eyeing them smiled, "Alright, then we are right off to a good start… rock it Kazuna." he bucked up tossing the ball to Kazuna.
"Sigh~" Evan exhaled sitting beside Rauf, continuously flicking the coin in his hand.
"What's wrong?" Rauf questioned.
Evan looked back at him unamused, "I don't know what is right or wrong anymore thanks to you." he replied blatantly confused.
Rauf looking at the pitch smiled. "Seriously, you already know the outcome of this match, then why did you agree to it?" Evan asked seriously.
"You already know why." Rauf replied composed.
Evan once again sighed, "I don't get you at all. By the way, what about the rest?"
"Nidou is returning today. He told me they needed a month of practice to get into shape. Nonetheless, if they are enthusiastic even 15 days are more than enough. After that, they will return."
"1 month hun… is Alan with them?"
"Yeah, he is. He will come back with them."