(Day 14)
"Wah! Yesterday was so much fun! Dodge the ball is just great!" Adam remarked contented.
"Yeah, I just remembered my P.E lesson." Feng recalled.
Xavier patted Kenzo who walked silent. "What are you listening to? Seeing you so quiet from a while ago is making me worried now." he asked.
Kenzo glancing removed one of his earplugs, handing it over to him, "Don't be worried for no reason. I am conserving my energy, that's all."
Xavier grabbing it inserted it in. A light, joyful melody ringing in his ears he smiled, "No wonder you were silent."
Adam intrigued pulled Xavier's shirt. "What is it Xavi, Xavi?"
"It's a song. Do you want to listen?" Xavier asked.
"Yeah, yeah!" Adam jumped taking the earplug which he passed over.
"Tch!" Kenzo clicked his tongue.
"Wow! It's so nice. I feel like dancing!" Adam praised swaying around after listening for a while, "You should listen to it too, Ryan."
"Hehe…" Poseidon chuckled. Azazel and Heber looking at each other smiled. After a while, Seraph and Gabriel took a detour. "Be careful okay?" Cassiel cautioned.
"Yeah, I'll be." Seraph replied.
"And, don't overwork yourselves." Heber added.
The two of them waving back left as the others climbed the mountain up where Nidou and Alan waited.
"Took you all long enough Rascals." Nidou twitched his brow.
"Huh? But we are right on time, aren't we?" Cassiel clarified with Ezekiel who shrugged his shoulders clueless.
"Tch, quit debating now. Grab your balls and bats and prepare to face the two us again. The rules are simple, you can use any skill. But, the moment any one of us is out it's your win." Nidou explained tossing the bat over his shoulder.
Alan smirked, "Come on now, who's first?" All together looking at each other, the middle schoolers grinned.
"Dripping with hell lots of over confidence aren't you?" Kenzo sneered.
"I'll take coach Nidou." Heber chose.
"I'll take Alan." Xavier smiled. The rest starting their warm up got ready.
"Joker cage!" Heber called.
All of a sudden, the Yorker delivered by Nidou slowed down, falling low before his bat. His territory created on the pitch Nidou grinned. Heber stepping ahead from the batting crease returned the ball with a cover drive. Relieved from the pressure, he stood up. Nidou grasping the ball went back again.
"Geez… that was awfully close! If I hadn't activated my skill, it would've definitely been a bold. Tch, I hate these senseless techniques. I better be careful. Alan was one thing… while now his old man is yet another big obstacle!" he complained tapping his bat on the pitch again.
"Pinnacle of perfection… Vision of future…" Alan whispered. His eyes turning golden, he glared at Xavier.
"Look! Look! Isn't that Helios's skill? Alan's using it again!" Adam pointed.
Helios looking at Cassiel, Ezekiel and Poseidon smiled. "Indeed it's mine. But what makes you think Alan can use it? And, in front of Xavier to be precise." he replied unfazed.
Kenzo stretching up and down smirked, "He done for."
"It's useless little Xavier. Every ball you deliver. I can sense it beforehand. Give up already. You lost." Alan frowned.
Xavier grinning tossed the ball up and down, "Hm~? Is that so? Let's see then." Stepping on the popping crease he delivered an out swinger.
Alan closing his eyes guessed. However, before he could sense the type of delivery, Xavier whispered, "Rings of limitation, Sixth hue… Nullifying black."
A black ring which binded Ezekiel before, had surrounded Alan instantly shattering his pinnacle of perfection from its roots. Alan stunned glanced at the ball which was about to hit the wicket. Keeping his bat before the Yorker and claiming a dot return he abruptly crouched low.
"What the?!" he thought taken aback
"Oh my god! It could've been an out!" Ezekiel pulled his face shocked.
"Just a little bit more and he was gone!" Azazel shrieked.
Xavier smiling asked, "Are you alright?"
Alan twitching his brow got back up, "This little…"
"Any ability you copy from now on Alan, will instantly vanish as soon as my deliveries enter the pitch. This black ring will nullify each and every skill, until and unless it is yours." Xavier warned.
Suddenly Nidou laughed mockingly, "Haha! Haha! On your face rascal! That's what you get because of your overconfidence! Haha, serves you right!"
Alan frowned gritting.
"Hey! I am right here! Stop leaving in between your over!" Heber uttered in disbelief.
Poseidon and Cassiel sighed while Kenzo and Ryan chuckled. Alan ignoring Nidou, looked at the black ring binding him. "So it is true hun? That old man was right. All my copied skills will nullify the moment Xavier uses this black ring. Drat… now I can't use anything anymore." he thought.
"My abilities… hun? Had I copied others if I had my own?" he whispered slightly dismayed.
Standing up he clenched his fists smirking, "Full of yourself aren't you, Xavier Ibn Zain? Who says I can't defeat your sixth ring of limitation? Bring it on. You won't leave today until I do so!"
Xavier taken aback replied, "Very well… as you wish."
"Ahem~" Feng cleared his throat pointing at himself, "We are also here. Don't pass the whole day now."
Alan turned around amused, "Then wait until I beat him."
Ryan rolled his eyes, "Like hell. I am going after Heber."
"Yeah, me too." Cassiel added.
"All of us… haha…" Poseidon chuckled.
Time passing by in the blink of any eye, both Alan and Xavier panted breathless.
"Haha…" Alan grinned tapping his bat once again.
"Sigh~ all of us are already done and even Seraph and Gabriel have returned while those two are still at it. To thin Alan sure is having a hard time? Unbelievable…" Feng exhaled.
"Don't assume, look." Kenzo said serious while the rest gazed at the sight anxious.
Alan wiping his sweat observed the ball's movement whispering, "Sorry boy… this time, let nullification fight nullification." Smashing the ball before the black ring could react Alan called, "Void before Existence!"
As soon as those words escaped his lips, the ring binding Alan instantly shattered vanishing into thin air as the ball went down the mountain claiming a six. Alan's vision suddenly blurry he gasped laying on the ground victorious. Xavier stunned at the sight, too sat down.
Pushing his hairs up, he shook his head, "How persistent of you… I am exhausted."
"Haha…! Look who's talking…" Alan teased. His sense of touch and sight completely blocked. He closed his eyes.
"In the end he did beat Xavier's skill. The skill that Alan used before, was it his own?" Ryan questioned.
Gabriel clicked his tongue rejecting, "It wasn't."
"Really? Then how could he break Xavier's ring? Aren't copied skills all nullified?" Azazel inquired curious.
"Didn't you hear what he said before? Let nullification fight nullification. It might be one of the highschoolers skill he used to nullify Xavier's skill before his own is nullified." Kenzo told.
"But why didn't he use his own skills when he knew it would be this hard? Wouldn't that have been easier?" Ezekiel wondered.
"Heh~ then he wouldn't be Alan Rex Lorenzo if he did that." Poseidon remarked obviously.
"Yeah, he is obstinate enough to break the opponent then to step low on his pride." Seraph added.
"Come on, let's head back. I am tired." Feng cried.
Hearing him Nidou called, "Gather up all of you!"
The boys including Alan stood before him. "Tomorrow, bring each and every belonging alongside you before coming here. Make sure not to leave anything behind. Is that clear?" Nidou asked.
The boys puzzled at his demand looked at each other confused. "Huh? Why so?" Cassiel asked.
"You'll know why tomorrow. And… take this." Nidou threw a scroll towards Seraph who caught it glancing back.
"Oh my god! Not this again!" Feng grabbed his head traumatized.
"I'll kill this damn scroll…" Adam uttered deathly beside Ryan who frowned.
"Now what kind of a gift is this?" Kenzo pinched his nose bridge sarcastic.
"Open it up and look inside." Nidou gulped his sports drink.
Seraph opening the scroll gulped. The middle schoolers all gathered around gazed. Inside it, peculiar, dirty and scrambled phrases were listed one by one. The boys stood flabbergasted. Alan closing his eyes and grabbing his nose bridge too sighed speechless.
"Just what is with this writing? It looks like a baby's scramble. No more like a doctor's prescription!" Azazel uttered in horrific disbelief.
"Even my writing is twice as much better isn't it, Sera, Sera Cassiel?" Adam asked the two who stood wordless.
Xavier and Poseidon trying to read the faint, nasty, and indecipherable phrases pondered.
"This is just… I don't know anything anymore…" Poseidon remarked blatant as Ezekiel chuckled, "Hehe, so this could happen with vice-captain too?" he mumbled amused.
Hearing their clatter and chit chat amid the circle they made Nidou cleared his throat, "Are you all done?" The boys standing straight cleared their throats as Xavier still tried to decipher beside Kenzo and Poseidon.
"So… whatever maybe written in this. What are we supposed to do?" Heber questioned.