"At night he practices with the head coach. We all witnessed it last night. Who knows when he even rests?" Xavier informed heading inside the cave with Cassiel.
"Is that true?" Poseidon asked stunned.
"Yeah it is. And the way they face each other… I can't even get that image out of my sight." Azazel testified, "Who is he…? We just witnessed reality that very moment."
Looking at Alan who crouched himself on the ground breathing lightly, Cassiel checked his pulse. "Nothing's wrong… he might be tired." he assured.
Kenzo crossing his arms gazed at Alan. Annoyed yet restless he uttered heading out, "Tch, check if he has a fever or not! And leave him be! No need to hover over his head like bees."
His remarks considerate yet antagonistic at the same time Helios chuckled, "Haha, even his worry is expressed this way."
"But to think, he would be practicing with his father despite helping in our training the whole day… makes me wonder if he even respites." Poseidon sat before Alan checking his fever. "He's fine. No fever too. I think we should just let him rest." he suggested.
"Hm." They nodded heading out. The rest of them checking the materials and preparing to sleep worked busily.
Nidou gazing at the stars above from the mountain top reminisced the scene from last night, "Old man… I am strong… hella strong!"
Breaking the long silence he chuckled amused, "Haha!! Oh god… how he reminds me of my youth. That little punk."
(Day 8)
Rushing up the fourteen of them once again came to the mountain. Their gears ready, they aligned before Nidou who sat on his wooden pallet.
Alan standing before them with his usual over confident grin asked, "Ready?"
The boys looking at each other smiled except for Gabriel, Azazel and Kenzo who rolled their eyes.
"Hmph! Say's someone who was dying just yesterday." Kenzo taunted ironically.
Alan ignoring him clapped his hand against Adam's and Ryan's.
"Alright, I'll divide you into teams of two today who will play a shuffle over against each other. Once an over is completed with a partner, they shall change partners until everyone has faced each other, excluding the baller and baller pair. This time the rules are simple. Nobody will use even a single skill. If I see anyone using it, he'll run down the mountain and climb it back up again 50 times with 300 pushups and 500 swings from each hand." Nidou uttered unfazed.
Hearing his punishment the boys gulped with their jaws dropped.
"I won't dare forget it even if I have a memory loss." Ezekiel shuddered.
Cassiel nodded, "I agree."
"He is a devil's incarnation." Ryan cursed in a whisper.
"Seraph and Ezekiel, Adam and Azazel, Cassiel and Helios, Poseidon and Heber, Kenzo and Ryan, Feng and Gabriel lastly, Xavier and Alan." Nidou teamed.
The boys nodding took their positions alongside their pairs. "Best of luck." Alan encouraged Xavier who nodded twirling the ball. "You too." Xavier replied.
The fourteen of them beginning their practice played an over against each other and shuffled their partners. Seraph on the contrary gazed at his ball deeply breathing out. Running towards Heber he delivered a fast ball to him. Rampaging at the speed of sound it went past Heber undetected. Heber stood stunned, "Wow…"
However, Seraph unsatisfied gazed at the radar gun which was placed on the ground.
Picking it up it showed 170.2m/s. placing it back on the ground he flicked the ball up he thought, "It's still not enough… a speed up to 207m/s. I can't even dare to stand near it."
Suddenly Nidou called, "Hey you goldilocks!"
Seraph and the rest taken aback looked around stunned.
"Wha…?" Feng asked. The rest looking at their heads confirmed.
"You! The one who is constantly looking at the speed radar." Nidou pointed at Seraph.
"Me?" he asked back.
"Yes you or who else?" Nidou said.
"But… goldilocks…?" Poseidon whispered embarrassed.
"Shouldn't I be that?" Adam asked pointing at himself while Ryan smacked his forehead in disbelief.
Walking over to Nidou Seraph stood silent.
"What is it?" Nidou inquired.
Seraph shaking his head responded, "Nothing."
"Do you think I won't know if you don't speak?" Nidou questioned.
Seraph looked at the ground.
"Quit thinking about speed rascal, do you want to die?" Nidou asked grave.
Seraph blinked his eyes anxiously.
"Do you think the speed at which you are balling right now is some kind joke?" Nidou continued, "Batsman can't even detect or grasp its sight. Not even Heber, Feng, Helios or Xavier can detect it. How much more do you want to raise it?"
"Quit matching yourself with Zachariah boy. He has many advantages over you. His height, his strength, his body structure and the amount of practice alongside experience he has gained is a hundred times harsher then what you are going through right now." Nidou told, "And not to mention his age as well."
Seraph slightly dismayed stared at the ball in his hand.
"Everything needs time… you can't become a professional in a single day and not at all if you die at the end." Nidou ended cynically.
Seraph nodded heading back. Alan gazed at him silent.
"Alright, gather around all of you." Nidou called at sunset.
The boys disheveled yet resilient aligned before him. "Before you all go back there are something's you must bear in mind. First, all of you must come here an hour early tomorrow. No whining heard on that. Secondly, it's about your progress…"
Hearing the words progress, the boys stood serious. Alan too listened attentive.
"Up until now, we have been running around, exercising and performing cricket drills. You have been building up your stamina, gathering your strength, giving a chance to test your mental endurance and lastly exploring vast techniques to diversify your abilities, right?" Nidou asked.
The boys nodded in agreement.
"However, from now on you'll be building your skills alongside your teammates. By which I mean that you are all going to entrust yourselves into each other's hands." Nidou declared.
Perplexed over his words the thirteen of them looked at each other wondering. "What does that mean?" Poseidon inquired.
Alan stepping ahead spoke, "Just like you all alone are masters of unique skills and abilities then so are teams..."
"Cricket is a game of trust. Trust and a bond of friendship never to be broken in any circumstances. So to diversify this game many players open up routes to combine skills and abilities." he continued.
"Those skills change games and its tides." Nidou added.
"Like what?" Azazel questioned.
"These skills are divided into two categories as per batsman and ballers and even fielders at most times. However, taking the former two into account, there are two main skills players develop from both sides." Nidou said.
Kenzo and Seraph looking at each other pondered. "And what are those?" Ryan inquired.
"First, from the batting side, one is called SYNCRO and the other one is called ROARING. And, as for the balling side the first one is known as UNBREAK/UNSEAL while the other is called DOMINANCE." Alan enlightened, "These four techniques create an everlasting link between teammates, partners and even teams making them unbeatable. But still, who says these two are the limit? There are geniuses going beyond these levels."
"So how do we make use of these? No, how do we attain these in the first place?" Helios questioned.
Nidou grinned, "Not everyone can attain these. That's the reason they are called treasures not skills. Every skill you attain has a rule. Nah! Forget it… First you can't even learn it. It's impossible for you all." he instantly looked away hopeless
. Kenzo clicked his tongue, "Then why the hell did you even tell us?!"
"Because, the highschoolers have already attained many of them." Alan interrupted.
Feng and Heber uttered surprised, "Many of them?!"
"Yeah, all of them. However, with their respective partners." Alan replied.
"Then how does it work?" Xavier asked intrigued, "And who are the highschoolers who possess them?"
"These skills are limit breaking power skills which creates a path between you and your partner or your team leading to victory effortlessly. Mostly, don't know how to explain them because it's a feeling of fun only. It's indescribable when you achieve it however it's without doubt very resilient. Once your faith in yourself, your abilities, your strength and weakness alongside your trust in your comrades and the desire to win no matter the cost exceeds restraints, you'll, on your own stand on that path." Nidou explained.
"Ah! No wonder you were examining us playing each other, an over to two since last three days." Cassiel gasped as Adam blinked his eyes curious.
Alan smiled nodding.