The two openers from the middleschoolers side stepped into the ground. Warming up they made way towards the pitch.
"Farran Armayah and Ebraham Bin Naas… quiet a unique pair of opener's." Isa wondered as Nagi wore his gloves behind the wicket.
"Farran who plays with the baller's mind alongside Ebraham who is a genius of countering any deliveries… Haiz, they are really going all out right from the beginning." Elias thought.
Farran taking his position on the batting crease and Ebraham onto the runner one waited for the game to commence.
"Seniors!" Farran called out.
Hearing him the highschoolers turned their attention towards him.
"Be sure not to go easy on us okay? Who knows, you'll regret doing that later." he mocked.
Ebraham smirking eyed Kazuna who twirled the ball grim.
"This rascal…!" Orion gritted in disbelief while Isa and Haruf chuckled.
"Hey you brat!" Ren called, "Thank you for your advice."
And with that, claiming a war, the sun shone at its peak as Kazuna rushed towards the batting crease to deliver the first delivery of the match.
Damian slightly nervous eyed the pitch silent. "The difference between our strength is way too big… in the end, did we make the right decision?" he wondered as Mikael patted his shoulder. "Stop thinking too much, Damian." he encouraged reading his thoughts, "Just do what Kenzo used to do at times like these."
The others too hearing him nodded as Damian stood surprised. A smile escaping his lips he whispered, "Yeah… you're right. That idoit, would always grin like crazy."
Farran tapping his bat on the ground looked ahead. As soon as Kazuna stepped on the balling crease, leaving the ball it blazed like a burning meteor towards Mikael. A pace delivery aimed at mid-wicket, a Yorker on the start gushed through the pitch. A smile escaping Kazuna's lips he whispered, "Ghost delivery…"
And, As soon as he did, the ball approaching Farran instantly busted into fog surrounding him as he stood wide-eyed. Within, in the blink of a second. The ball went past Farran and straight into the wickets.
Hitting the wicket with full force, its bails fell on the ground as the surroundings went silent. Nagi eyeing the sight pointed his index figure towards the sky, "Out!!"
And, just like that the highschoolers took their first wicket on their very first ball. Rauf too closed his eyes expecting the same outcome as Evan smiled. "So, he has become strong enough to change the game before it even begins? Kazuna that brat…" he remarked contented.
Joy and laughter surrounding the highschoolers while the middle schoolers and Ebraham on the contrary, stood baffled. Farran eyeing the wicket thought bewildered, "What…"
"Happened?" Senri completed his sentence beside him, clearly reading his thoughts. He grinned, "We made sure not to go easy on you since, we might regret it if we did so right?" Repeating his own words back at him Senri joined the others who surrounded Kazuna.
Kazuna tracing Farran from the corner of his eye whispered grave, "Don't underestimate us…"
Farran alarmed by their domineering presence returned back to the pavilion where others stood silent.
Waiting for the next batsman, the highschoolers ruled the ground as merciless as devils, ready to gobble them down.
Sitting on the bench, with a wet towel over his neck Farran stared at the floor wide eyed. "That ball…? What kind of delivery was that?!" he whispered bewildered.
"So this is their might." Xander gulped staring at the ground.
"Monsters… how do we even beat them?" Aryan panicked.
"Tch! No wonder the platinum ranker amongst them took on all of ours best players at once and won." Hadi added.
Mikael patting Farran's head encouraged, "It's alright… don't fret it. The game's just begun."
Taking his bat, he went into the ground as Damian and the others awaited for the outcome. "They are the ones who injured Xavier, Feng, Ryan and the others back then. And, they are indeed those who weren't even budged by our captain's best skills. This is of course, expected. However, even if they pressure us down with tons of break stones. We won't give up! That is the only thing all our captain's taught us!" Mikael thought, standing on the pitch as Kazuna twirled his ball again.
"All ready for round two!" he uttered confident.
(Mountain range of No Return)[Current Location: Hill top]
The fourteen of them walking nonstop, for another half an hour chatted along. Some reminiscing the past while the others talked about the approaching tournaments.
"Sigh~ I am seriously done for! Just when will we reach the top again?" Feng asked irritated.
"Seems like it might take some time… fifteen to twenty minutes at most." Cassiel checked the time.
Alan concurred, "Yeah, Cassiel's right. It won't take too long."
"Good grief, just where are those times when we were training for matches held the next day and enjoying leisurely at the same time? Seriously, if I had known I would face this kind of hell. I wouldn't have even thought of stepping in the base." Heber exclaimed scratching his head while Ezekiel nodded drowsily.
"What can we do now? Not that we actually knew this would happen." Gabriel spoke as Kenzo eyed Helios who looked slightly tired.
Adam and Ryan who were yawning on the contrary wiped their tears. "Haiz… Sera, Sera, once we go back. I am telling you… I would only sleep and eat whole day and you won't stop me for that. But, of course~ yawn~ after crushing those highschoolers…" Adam claimed.
Xavier smiling beside Seraph who sighed walked silent unable to debate back on his words.
"I wonder when we'll even return in the first place. The whole world might be preparing for the world cup, while here we are stuck in between a forest with a brilliant map from which one can't even decide which path is left or right. Just what kind of training is this…?" Ryan commented sarcastically.
"Ancient Greece Spartan style… I think." Helios replied remembering the harshest times the people of this world faced in its past history.
Alan abruptly chuckled remarking, "Haha! Ancient Greece Spartan style hun… good, good. You boys are good enough to remember your teacher's lectures at a time like this. What brilliant students!"
Kenzo upon his comment rolled his eyes while Seraph, Cassiel and Poseidon smiled awkwardly.
"However, regarding this training. It might feel like something useless however it isn't." Alan informed.
"I don't think it is useful in any way as well though…" Heber complained blatant.
Alan once again chuckled, "Hehe… if you think about it from an individual's point of view, this training is indeed useless and a waste of time. Since, all of you are going to learn the exact same thing here moreover within the same volume. So, it's nothing special. However, the fact that you have to improve and completely annihilate your own weak points in the meantime alongside this training is the real improvement you'll make."
Adam slightly curious questioned, "What does that mean?"
Alan eyeing the thirteen boys who looked at him curious spoke up, "For instance, take Adam. He is a batsman. And, judging the respective training of a batsman, he needs to strengthen his hitting base, his stamina, his point of judgment and his capacity to tackle the baller like any other batsman right?"
"Yeah." Heber replied pondering over his points.
"However, from my perception. The point he needs to work on most is his mental strength. Adam from a baller's point of view is an ace hitter, who yields the capacity to turn the game around with his splendid power of hitting shots. But, the moment he feels he can't hit them against the deliveries he is facing, he gets confused. Which makes him either nervous and lose his shots or else he gets stuck on returning the delivery he can't hit at all costs which in turn leads him into getting out. Just like a baby persisting onto having something he can't for example, a knife." Alan explained.
Cassiel hearing his insight turned the pages of his journal, "You're right… this is indeed Adam's weakest point. The point where his level of excitement turns into confusion."
"Just a single over and he read all that…?" Seraph wondered over Alan's reasoning.
Adam who was surprised on the contrary stood awed "Wow! You seriously read all my weaknesses. Don't tell me you really are a fortune teller or something?"
Alan shaking his head smiled, "It's not about being a fortune teller or not. It's just about experience. And it's not just for you only however, the rest of you as well..."