"Wow…" David blinked astounded.
"I don't think he's out though." Haitam confirmed.
Passing the ball to Feng, who too blinked with his mouth agape, Heber headed back to the cover, showing Poseidon a thumbs up. Poseidon smiled ensured.
"Huh?" Romeo and Ibn Sena blinked momentarily stunned.
"What the...!" Maaz exclaimed, bewildered.
"He just grabbed the ball and hit the wickets in a matter of seconds?" Jones added, speechless.
The big screen soon showed the review, revealing a 'Not Out,' which the fielders and the crowd accepted without protest.
Kenzo smiled, a smile that seemed to appear after ages. The usual overconfident glint had returned to his eyes.
"Oh~" Nidou chanted, rolling his eyes, "To think his head finally gave him permission to show off."
Seles turned to him, confused. "Head coach… when exactly did this happen?" His tablet showed Heber's statistics, which had suddenly amplified. "Attack skill has risen from range 6 to 8, stamina hitting range 10, speed range 8, and focus range 7?"
"Fielding abilities. He's been practicing them ever since those middle schoolers were taken to the mountain of no return. That rascal finally revealed them," Nidou replied with a grin.
"He's been practicing for that long?" Pedro asked, astonished.
"Yup, or else, how do you expect him to appear and disappear anywhere on that ground in an instant?" Yusuf asked.
"Last time, when his Joker Cage was conquered, I suggested many ways to polish it, but Heber rejected them. I never guessed it was because he was practicing this," Damian said.
"This is just a single move," Nagi noted.
"The rest are yet to be revealed."
Rauf glanced at Elias's twitching fingers and then at his face, blinking in surprise. Elias's wide smile and glistening eyes suggested he had seen something entirely unexpected. Rauf smiled and looked at the field. Cassiel too, hurriedly jotted down notes in his journal.
"Hehe, what's wrong Han Seon Yul? Did cat got your tongue or did you see a ghost?" Aigou teased him.
Seon Yul raised his brow, impressed, "Well, it wasn't a ghost. However, I think I just witnessed '
"Haha, bummer for us then." Aigou said.
Poseidon, heading back to deliver the second ball of the over, glanced at Rovan, who had taken the non-striker's end. His eyes closed.
Poseidon asked, a sharp glint in his eyes, "Can you move?"
Rovan, who was paralyzed on the crease asked rather calmly, "I see, this is your doing? What is this move called?"
"Charm of Paralysis, it's better if you don't move. You wouldn't want your wicket go to waste." Poseidon responded coldly. A golden trident mark glowing on his forehead. He went back. Rubbing, the sweat under his chin, he glanced at his left hand which quivered. "Good thing, I took my medicine beforehand…" he thought restlessly. Delivering a high-pitched googly next.
Seon Yul observed the field and raised his bat high for a lofted drive towards Long Off and Straight On. The ball soared over Aaron's head, who jumped but couldn't reach it, and it headed towards the boundary. Heber in that moment whispered, "Triple 'L' Movement 3, 'Life Surge'"
A momentarily, burst of power released, he rushed behind Aaron to stop the ball from hitting the boundary. He stretched his finger's hard, diving low. To aid him Kazuna, raising his arm ordered, "Black hole!"
"Haha!" Heber laughed, relieved to see the portal behind the ball.
However, Seon Yul, raised his brow, slightly irritated, "That's enough. Pinnacle of Monarchy, Phase 3…" the golden aura surrounding him intensified. "Ultimate Skills Breakdown." He uttered.
Kazuna and Heber were pushed back.
Black hole immediately disappearing, from Seon Yul's initial Phase 1 activated, Heber's temporarily boost in stamina, also went into cool down mood as he fell harshly on the ground, the ball hitting boundary.
"Heber!" Mikael, Damian and Ezekiel called out worriedly.
Alan, frowned while Nidou clicked his tongue, "That little…"
The crowd cheering loudly, and 4 runs awarded to Islamabad.
Heber, sat up, panting heavily.
"Are you alright, boy?" Aaron patted his back.
However, Heber, wiping the mud off his cheek glared at Seon Yul intensely, "That shitty bastard…"
Stunned, to hear these words from his mouth, Aaron remained silent.
"It's all of us middle schoolers against him and yet, we still don't stand a chance…? To hell with being a good guy then." Heber pushed Aaron away, standing up and going back to his position.
"Senior Seon Yul…" Emaad gulped.
"Even after his fifty, he is pressuring them so much. Just by looking I am getting those chills." Hamza shrugged.
"He's not just pressuring them. He's really enjoying it," Juhan said.
"He's enjoying playing with them, and that's why he's giving it his all." Ibn Sena looked at the pitch in awe.
"What just happened?" Ezekiel asked, puzzled.
"Heber's sudden boost of energy, thanks to his great stamina, was stopped by Seon Yul's Pinnacle of Monarchy, Phase 3: 'Ultimate Skills Breakdown,'" Nagi explained.
"And what did that do?" Noah asked.
"While Phase 1 can nullify all abilities when a four or six is hit, it can't stop any enhancement inside a player. Heber's ability boosts his physical performance, so Seon Yul couldn't counter it when Heber physically tried to stop the shot. That's when he activated Phase 3, which shuts down all physical ability enhancements and puts them into cooldown mode momentarily," Nagi explained.
"That means even if Heber has the ability to perform lightning-fast fielding, his abilities can be effortlessly stopped if Seon Yul activates his Pinnacle's third phase?" Gabriel asked, clearly unhappy.
"Yes, I'm afraid so. Heber's abilities have been completely countered by Seon Yul," Elias said.
"Damn!" Christopher slammed his hand on the seat in front of him, annoyed.
Poseidon, grabbing the ball, prepared to deliver the third ball of the over.
______
Meanwhile, Adam and Basid, who had unexpectedly run into each other backstage, were crouched in front of a vending machine, looking frustrated.
"This darn machine, when will it give my money back?" Basid complained, slapping the side of the machine, but it remained unresponsive.
The lights were on, and the drinks were neatly arranged inside, but nothing moved.
"Anyway, why are you sitting here?" Basid asked Adam, who stared at the machine in disbelief.
"I'm waiting for it to start working. I'm parched and sick of drinking sports water!" Adam said, his face resting in his palms as he pouted, both annoyed and adorable.
"But this thing isn't working at all. Aren't you just wasting time?" Basid asked.
Adam shook his head. "I'm not playing, so it's fine. The only one who'll get angry is Seraph. Nothing else matters," he replied nonchalantly.
The two fell silent again, staring at the machine.
"Hey… how about I kick it?" Basid suggested.
"Not a bad idea. I'll help you," Adam quickly agreed.
"Oh~" Basid smiled, amused. "You're quite the character, you know." He stood up, preparing to kick the machine.
"Wait a minute," Adam said, grabbing the machine from the sides and bracing his feet firmly on the ground.
"Huh?" Basid blinked.
"In case your kick makes it fly away, I'd better hold it tight so it doesn't move at all," Adam grinned. "Come on!" he called, dabbing on the metal case.
Amusement, filling inside Basid like water in an empty glass, he raised his leg high, his eyes glinting, "As amusing you are. Do you think you won't let it move an inch?"
Cutting the wind, with immense force, Basid kicked it hard. "BANG!!"
The machine shook as Adam held it firmly, keeping it in place.
"Such power!" both of them thought in awe.
Cans tumbled out and rolled across the floor, the machine's lights went out, and the glass cracked, almost falling apart. Adam and Basid grinned at each other, pleased with their makeshift solution. Adam released his grip on the machine while Basid collected the cans.
"Well, it didn't work as intended, but we got the drinks. Care to share?" Basid asked with a smile.
"Sure!" Adam beamed, grabbing a few cans. Opening one of them, he gulped it down, quite satisfied. "Ah~ so refreshing." A refreshed blush lightened his face.
Basid chuckled enjoying himself.
"Great running in between the wickets by Seon Yul and Rovan, once again getting a couple of runs. And, with this comes Islamabad's United 100. The crowd is elated…!" the commentary resounded from the speakers.
Adam turned towards the LED screen which broadcasted the live match. "Huh? I thought Poseidon had used 'Charm of Paralysis' on Rovan. How come is he taking a run?" he thought, confused. Once his gaze traced Poseidon on the screen, his expression widened he uttered, with a gulp, "Sei? Sei?"
Basid glanced at him. "What's wrong?"
"Sei, Sei, he…" Adam stammered, then stopped mid-sentence, his face dour. "You all… are pretty strong, aren't you?"
Basid shrugged, looking at Poseidon and Seon Yul on the screen.
Poseidon looked pale, his eyes worn out, while Seon Yul casually fist-bumped Rovan.
"If that's what you think, then maybe we are," Basid responded coolly.
Adam gritted his teeth, turned, and ran off.
Basid called after him, "Hey, you're leaving?"
"Yup, my team needs me. Thanks for the drinks." Adam ran ahead without looking back.
Basid, watching the screen, twirled the can on his middle finger before tossing it into a nearby bin. "Well, that's too bad. For a moment, I thought I had found a new friend," he mumbled, heading back.