The night still dark and the landscape like a thick, suffocating shroud, casted everything into eerie darkness. The motor coach with its headlights piercing through the gloom, trudged along the desolate highway with an ominous sense of foreboding. Rain cascading in torrents, its relentless drumming on the vehicle's metal bodies added to the unsettling ambiance. Passing through the so called bustling urban centers which were reeking of presences; expansive agricultural fields shrouded in an uncomfortable stillness; rugged mountains with jagged peaks that seemed to follow the coaches every move.
The middleschoolers and highschoolers, settled inside, stared ahead like lifeless ghosts. Their hairs disheveled and clothes unkempt. Dark circles under their eyes revealed their evident weariness. Some held their phones before them, their flashlights on, illuminating minor portions of the bus which at the same time casted creepy shades.
A dreadful sight! Nidou flinched the moment he glimpsed behind. "Quit it! You all will give me a heart attack!" he complained gurgling his sports drink.
"You deserve it for some reason…" Gabriel whispered nonchalantly.
"Then you explain it first! What is the meaning of this?!" Heber retorted, clearly annoyed.
"Yawn~ be quiet. You all are so loud." Ezekiel complained resting his head on Senri's shoulder who too snored soundlessly.
Nidou rolled his eyes, looking ahead.
"Seriously, what is going on…?" Xavier asked disturbed.
"Augh~ just open the cabin lights. My back is all stiff." Feng complained, rubbing his neck.
"Head coach Nidou, is this some kind of a drill?" Seraph asked in disbelief, patting Adam's head who grabbed his arm tight, amid dreams.
"Augh~! Just quiet pulling my hair!" Orion scowled pushing the unlucky one who sat beside him ruthlessly.
A sight in chaos...
"Pft, Hehe… alright, alright." Seles, switched the interior lights on, causing the boys to groan and hide their faces half-asleep.
"Hmm..." Poseidon muttered uneasily as soon as the lights turned on, shifting to the side and nestling closer to Helios, who attempted to shield his eyes with his hand. "What should I do...?" Helios wondered, looking around in confusion.
Aaron smiled, rising slightly from the seat behind them and covering Poseidon's head with his cap. "There you go, now he can sleep comfortably," he said.
Helios sighed in relief, "Thank you. He took his medicines before sleeping, so I don't want him to wake up suddenly."
"I know." Aaron ruffled his hairs, sitting down once more. Helios touched his hairs confused.
"Heavens~ I feel nauseous." Haris complained, glancing at Ibrahim beside him who too slept.
Feng lamented, "All I remember is sleeping comfortably in my bed last night, so why is my back giving up on me now?"
Elias chimed in, scratching his head and smiling at Aigou beside him, "Yeah, I thought we had three more days before the next match."
"Whether it's three more days or not, we have to stick to the plan," Mir stated matter-of-fact, "So, we woke you all up and herded you onto the bus. Currently, we're heading for Lahore. It started raining suddenly, making the weather a bit gloomy."
Heber twitched his brow speechless. "Are we cows?" he quipped.
Nidou scoffed, "Whose fault do you think it is for not waking up the easy way? Honestly, you've just played a single match not ploughed fields, even cows do better."
Annoyed to the extent of disbelief. The middleschoolers tried to repeat 'Respect Elders' repeatedly in their heads.
"Tch, for once, that multi-haired brat is right. You should probably crash somewhere." Kenzo cursed Nidou soon putting his phone aside.
"I heard that." Alan uttered unamused.
"I know." Kenzo responded with an 'Hmph'.
"But not right now. We'll crash along with him if it happens," Cassiel added.
"Pft…!" Musa went, immediately hiding his face beside Nidou.
Seraph shook his head in disbelief.
"What time is it now?" Isa rubbed his eyes, stretching his arms next.
"4:30 am." Nidou replied unfazed.
"4:30, my foot… even the sun is sleeping right now." Kenzo muttered annoyed.
"Come on, Orion. Stop hitting me already!" Ren pushed him back annoyed as the two fought like cats and dogs in the backside.
Evan, sitting before the two (Ren and Orion) stared outside the window unaffected by the farce inside.
"It's good to see them so lively, haha." Haruf laughed.
Exhaling deeply, Alan glanced up upon hearing the faint 'squeak, squeak' from the front seat's headrest. Will, hopping up and down, attempted to jump towards him. "Done waking up Kazuna? Hold on... I'll grab you," Alan said, standing up to reach for the excited rabbit.
Suddenly, the coach came to an abrupt halt, causing Alan to tumble backward. "Ouch..." he grunted as he fell back into his seat with Will grabbed firmly in his arms. However, a large hand swiftly supported his lower neck from behind, preventing any serious injury.
Alan blinked and looked up to see Rauf, slightly cross, opening his sapphire blue eyes. "Can't you sit still for once?" he chided.
"Sorry," Alan apologized.
"Be careful. Don't get hurt." Noah cautioned from the back seat.
Once more, Rauf closed his eyes and folded his arms. "He's aware of his surroundings even when he's asleep..." Alan mused, surprised, "But this temper is the worst, always holding a frown."
"Sleep already. I won't let you get a wink of rest before night, after we reach Lahore." Rauf warned.
Alan pouted his cheeks, not at all happy, "All we have to do is practice once we arrive there. I don't want to sleep, you sleep all you want, hmp." he looked away caressing the rabbit in his arms.
Zachariah and Noah exchanged awkward smiles from behind.
"Alright, attention everyone who's already awake," Seles announced, clapping his hands. Both the middleschoolers and highschoolers listened, their expressions apathetic, with furrowed brows and frowns. Seles, the best he could do, shared his warm smile. "The candidates for the next match against Islamabad have been selected," Seles announced.
After a moment of processing, the boys gasped. "What? Already?" Ren asked incredulously.
"This was fast," Feng added, exchanging a glance with Xavier.
"We decided on them yesterday while you were playing against Peshawar," Musa explained, "After returning to the lodgings, we just reviewed our selection for any mistakes and finalized it."
"Are you certain it's been finalized?" Aaron questioned skeptically.
"It is. And there will be no further changes whatsoever. Islamabad has also finalized their candidates for the match," Nidou affirmed. "So listen closely and address any questions you have now. Once we reach Lahore, our focus will solely be on training. And for those who are still asleep, it's your responsibility to inform them." he instructed.
Seles nodded in agreement, activating the window blinds to close before accessing the LED display behind the driver's seat, which showed the complete schedule for the next match.
"Wow, even this coach is multifunctional," Feng remarked, eliciting a light chuckle from Xavier.
Rauf staring at the LED Display, glanced aside to find Alan staring at him. "What is it, Rauf? Is something troubling you?" Alan asked.
Rauf shifted his stare at him wondering for a while. "Is there something on my face…?" prompting Alan to question instead. "I feel tense for no reason…" he swallowed.
Raising his hand up, Rauf ruffled Alan's hairs soon raising his forehead upwards. "Do you…" he interrupted, "Want to play?"
Alan pondering for a moment shrugged his shoulders, "The next match? I don't know. It depends on whom that old man selects."
"Tell me, do you want to or not?" Rauf pressed.
Alan smiled, "Who doesn't want to play? Even you want to play."
Rauf showed a fleeting beam, soon looking ahead. "I will select Kazuna that's why." he kept his hand under his chin grinning mischievously at the seat ahead. Hearing him the entire coach went on alert mode.
"Don't pull me in your schemes. I'll beat you up." Kazuna responded irritated, "Moreover, who do you think you are selecting me? Mind your own business."
Rauf's grin grew wider, "Beat me? I'll kill you. Better isn't it?" his threat menacing, causing the entire coach to grow silent.