(Part 9)

"Were here Brother Xavier, you can go now." Ryan informed as Feng nodded from behind. Xavier instantly made his way inside the restroom. "You two come here!" called Mikael as he picked up the towel and dried Ryan's hairs viciously. "Hey, that hurts!" he cried. "No time to make excuses." Mikael scolded. "Are you all done?" asked Poseidon looking around.

Some were ready and others tying their shoelaces. "Yes, we are. Sorry for being late." smiled Xavier as he tied his shoes. "No fret. Just make sure we're on time." told Helios. Soon all the thirteen of them stood on the gate ready once more. "Where's Ezekiel?" asked Poseidon. "Here…" Ezekiel yawned, his eyes half closed. "Are you all really leaving again?" asked Damian worriedly.

"Ah yes, we are. Be sure to practice without worrying about us." told Feng showing a victory sign. "How can this even be possible?" asked Mikael restless. "Alright, alright, we don't have time! Let's rush!" Cassiel rushed outside the dorms. "Wish us luck!!" Adam waved his arms one last time. "Be careful Xavier, Feng and Little Ryan." responded the others worriedly. Xavier nodded with a smile. "Don't worry, I'll take care of them." He assured.

Soon the 13 of them hurried towards the 1st stadium of the training camp.

"Hurry up! You lot!" Kenzo ordered panting. "Amph! Chomp! Don't be so pushy…we are running." Adam retorted gulped the fruits down one by one. "What in the world are you doing?!" Feng looked shocked. "I was hungry! What can I do about it?!" Adam responded innocently.

"Cassiel how much time is left?" inquired Poseidon. Cassiel studying his stop watch replied, "Hardly four more minutes to go!" "We should better hurry." Helios alerted increased his pace. Soon reaching a big stadium inside the training camp. The field was vast and green. The boys panted hard. "Were here." they whispered between breaths.

"There's nobody here?" Gabriel questioned looking around. "So… what should we do now captain? There's nobody here. Moreover, weren't we told to stand for punishment at night? It's still mid noon? What are we supposed to do here?" Heber asked Kenzo who gazed around. Ezekiel laid flat on the field. "I'll sleep, Vice-captain Poseidon, wake me up if someone comes." he ordered. Helios eyed him furious while Poseidon smiled awkwardly.

Suddenly a voice barged in. "So you're here already? Well it's good." smiled three similar figures approaching them. One of them wearing a long white lab coat with long black hairs tied in a ponytail reaching his thighs smiled vividly. The second one gazed at the stop watch curiously as his curly golden hairs dangled before his eyes. "Right on time! Four seconds before. No punishment for this." he smiled slightly dissapointed.

Feng and Ryan with Adam eyed him with speechless. "It was as if he was waiting to punish us…" Feng whispered. "Ok now, enough with the jokes and non-seriousness. Now for what you were called here for…?" said the last one, coming with a large trolley behind him which was pushed by five more people. The boys gazed in wonder. "Who knows what kind of surprises are we about to receive...?" Xavier tried to guess.

"Whatever it is, it must be worth my time." Kenzo demanded. The man turned around to face him, a mischievous smile resting his lips. His sight parted grey hairs collided with his black eyes. "Don't worry, the things inside will be worth your time. Go on all of you take a look." He walked towards the other two. The boys nodding at each other made their way towards the trolley.

Looking inside, their gears rested neatly polished and glinted with hitting rays of sun. A radiant smile appearing on the thirteen boys faces. "It our gears!!" Adam exclaimed happily picking up his bat and hugging it. Ryan too smiled pulling his bat and ball out. "My, my after so long. I have my favorite gloves back!!" told Cassiel. "Look our gears are shining! They cleaned them!" Azazel inspected his cock ball right and left.

"Of course, we inspected them and polished them to your likings and qualities." said the black haired man. "Well, I thought you threw them away for good. Thank you for taking care of them. Coach Seles, Drake, Kortes." Poseidon thanked earnestly. "Pft! Silly little boys, what did you think of us? We aren't that bad." Kortes responded. "Welcome back into my hands, my Queen…" Kenzo raised his golden bat up.

"He even gave his bat a name…" thought Adam flabbergasted, suddenly his gaze shifting towards Ryan who stood beside Feng who leaped happily pecking his helmet. Xavier pondered lifting his bat and ball. "I wonder, why they feel so light. Is this a modification?" he questioned.

Drake tunred around, "So you boys finally came on the real point!" "I felt so too. As if I am lifting a book not my bat. It feels really light." Helios concurred. "Then, what about the ball? I don't feel anything changed in them?" asked Gabriel. "That's right, the change is not in your gears. The change is in you. Carrying boxes of sports drinks from the mountain again and again every day. That little, yet, annoying exercise has made you so much stronger. You, yourself won't be able to imagine." exclaimed Seles walking forward, handing Seraph his bat which he politely accepted. "Ha…! Of course who would've expected that we would get our gears back so easily… no wonder there was something hidden." replied Azazel.

"So the reason we called you hear right now is to check your strength level. We have to update your progress files. So starting from all the ballers, batsmen and all-rounders present here. We will start our progress check." Kortes informed. "Heeh… It's been such a long time since we grabbed our bats. For some reason it feels really nostalgic." said Seraph. "Right… it's been more than a month." replied Xavier.

"Finally… I was dying to play." exclaimed Ryan, his eyes shining bright. The boys nodded at each other. "I am really eager to see a change in me." Poseidon whispered. "But before that… I suggest you all that you wake up that little friend of yours so we can officially commence." Drake pointed at Ezekiel who snored in the middle of the field.

"Ah… I totally forgot about him." whispered Heber in disbelief. Helios gazed at Ezekiel with a blacked expression. "Wake the hell up! You lazy idler!!" he shouting kicking him. "Ouchie!!" Ezekiel cried in pain and rubbing his back getting up. "Why did you kick me?" he continued to cry glaring at Helios. The boys looked at each other wordless. "I don't have anything to say anymore…" whispered Adam speechless.

"Here, we are getting our bats and gears and there you are sleeping?! What in the world should I do with you?!" Helios angered nonstop. "Hehe, won't you stop him, Poseidon?" asked Xavier amused. Poseidon smiled rejecting, "Nope not this time, sometimes a scolding is also good for a change. I'll let Helios handle it." "I thought so to." Xavier replied. Feng gulped as Ryan gazed at him, "Sometimes Even Vice-captain Xavier can give crazy scary remarks."

"Alright, gather up! It's time we finally begin. Batsman on one side, Ballers on the others with all-rounders in the center and then were ready." told Seles as he settled on a bench. "Finally it's show time~" chanted Kenzo. The boys walking on different sides stared at each other satisfied. "Let's give our best, before we meet the highschoolers." Helios told.

"I just want to see the look on their faces when they face us!" spoke Gabriel throwing and catching his ball again and again. "Alright… let's go Brother Xavier and brother Feng." Ryan called as the other two smiled back. "Let's rock this progress practice!" exclaimed Adam. "Then let's go! First one to test is Seraph Awan! Come forth." called Kortes. "Looks like I am first." Seraph said as others nodded gazing at his back. "Let's roll…" whispered all of them together passionately.