(Part 8)

Stirring and chattering on that side… the highschoolers on the contrary stood utterly idle. Disappointment casing their foreheads, they looked at the middleschoolers in utter disbelief.

"Are you seriously kidding me…?" Noah asked.

"Our existence just vanished!" Aigou added bewildered.

"I feel emotionally unstable right now, more like envious to be precise." Ren twitched his brow.

"Yeah, are we water vapors or actually extinct in some way? They didn't even spare us a glance." Aaron exhaled in disbelief.

"It's like they only have one senior named 'Alan Rex Lorenzo'." Orion stated annoyed. 

"You dug your graves yourselves, no need to regret now." Evan made a fleeting entrance and exit.

"Not that it makes us feel any better." Elias responded curtly.

"Haha…" Haruf chuckled, "Do not take it to heart. Just join them if you feel lonely."

"Lonely? Lonely my foot!" Orion retorted.

"It's true we didn't have good memories between us, but we aren't on bad terms either." Haruf consoled.

"Sigh~ just forget it, let's ask coach Seles to head back. I am also exhausted." Nagi walked back.

Senri agreeing followed behind with the rest.

"Now that we've won, I want to play alongside Alan next. When will you play?" Adam asked Alan curious.

"Who knows, It depends on that old hag, but we will play together don't worry." Alan assured.

"Yes!" Adam beamed pulling him closer in a light hug once again.

"Don't just keep him to yourself now." Heber came in between the two.

Alan exhaled at a loss of words.

"Oh my…" Helios immediately blinked at the other side. His gaze resting at the two South Pole magnets crackling against each other.

Alan and Adam too looked aside.

Kenzo and Seraph enjoying the sight chuckled.

"What are you doing here?!" Ryan asked Musa bewlidered.

Musa resting his head on the backseat uttered blatant, "Watching the match what else? Your kind mother and sister just tossed me out of the house."

"Pft…! Cough! Cough… Wha!?" Ezekiel coughed amid drinking water. 

"Are you serious?!" Heber shrieked in a whisper, "The Great Pakistani Phoenix style Leg spinner Musa Ty Alexandro… was kicked out of his own house?!"

Azazel and Feng speechless themselves, shrugged their shoulders consecutively shaking their heads.

"Being a father sure is hard." Cassiel sympathized.

"Yeah, not so hard if one has to become like him." Ryan mocked, rolling his eyes.

"Anyways, I will be staying with you all for the meantime, so take care of me and call me 'Coach Musa'." Musa announced.

"Huh?!" Ryan gasped bewildered once more, while the rest of the middleschoolers blinked surprised.

"Really?" Helios confirmed.

"That seems to be the case for now." Isa folded his arms.

"Not that it would be disadvantageous for us. Instead, it would be of great benefit." Seraph realized.

"Hm, Take care of us as well in return Coach Musa." Xavier congratulated.

"As famous and special he is, I doubt we would lose any upcoming matches with him as our coach."Kenzo stated the benefits on his incorporation.

All flags raised on his approval. Ryan on the contrary turned to Musa annoyed. "Hehe…" Musa gestured a victory sign, adding fuel to the fire. 

"He really is at odds with his father hun…" Helios apprehended.

"Not at odds exactly. Since Ryan cannot surpass his father, he is a little cautious and annoyed with him. That's the kind of feeling it is. He thought coming to the base would be a refreshing change of atmosphere, since he loses to him every day back home. Only to find that his father is even here as well will definitely ruffle his feathers." Feng described.

"I see, so that's how it was." Seraph and Helios realized.

"Ah, look. The highschoolers are here." Heber pointed at Aigou who waved followed by Zach, Senri, Orion, Haruf and the rest.

"You seemed to have loads of fun today didn't you?" Ren winked dabbing Kenzo's back.

"Fun… hun, more like it was a tentative start. We are a lot more inexperienced than we usually thought we'd be and experienced a multitude of new things. There are also lot of queries in our minds that we would like to get resolved…" Helios turned to the highschoolers. "We hope you can help us with that." he ended.

"Yeah, just like the 'Doors' problem, since Senior Aigou has a Door. I bet he would have loads of information to enlighten us with." Heber turned to Aigou. 

"Furthermore, pacers couldn't score wickets in the entire powerplay which is beyond troubling. I need to get advice on that. Our conditions were quite great but I wonder what still went wrong." Seraph mentioned concerned.

"Likewise, Pinnacle of Perfection's different forms. The one Helios's has was different from Nour's. If we face someone like that again how many more ways can we tackle them with within a very few overs?" Ryan added. 

The highschoolers gasped stunned.

"Did you probably read your shortcomings just after this match?" Nagi questioned.

"Of course, what else? We use to do that back at the academy as well. Be it a match won or lost it was definitely reviewed." Kenzo replied.

Rauf making preparations to leave gave out a fleeting smile.

"Alright! Then leave it to us. We'll solve all your queries." Aaron assured proud.

"Yeah, we'll all help you. So take it easy for today." Senri showed a thumps us. Elias smiled agreeing.

"Jot down all your questions somewhere so you don't forget any." Kazuna advised.

"Haiz…" Evan looking at them from the back exhaled, "And here they were complaining how left alone they were."

"Hehe…" Seles chortled, "One might think that our highschoolers are cunning, malevolent and harsh but it's the exact opposite. They might be wary, easily alerted and undoubtedly strong. Nonetheless, when you look at the big picture, they are more lovable, accepting and generous than anyone else. And, that inculdes you as well, Evan." he smiled at the him.

Evan glanced surprised, "You sure do look at us in a new light."

"I have always looked at all you in a unique light. It was just a second's assumption." Seles said.

As the crowd dispersed and the results became evident, the once-bustling stadium began to gradually empty. The boys after a fruitful victory headed back to the lodgings.

The vans on the move, Musa turning around from his seat glanced behind smiling, "Just look at them."

The middleschoolers back in the coach squeezed themselves together snoring over each other's shoulders.

"Tch, it was just the first match. They are sleeping as if they had won the entire tournament." Nidou scoffed.

"That is what's called 'Youth', free of all worries and derisions unlike a certain someone who isn't tired of that." Mir mocked back.

Pedro chuckled, "Hehe, how cute they are, they insisted to sit together even if we were less on seats."

The highschoolers on the other coach sat pondering. "What about the next match Rauf, will we participate?" Isa inquired.

"4 amongst us will participate in the next match. That's what Head Coach Nidou informed for now." Rauf replied.

"Any ideas who will be selected?" Noah probed.

Rauf shook his head clueless.

"Sigh~ why so mysterious?" Aigou complained.

"What do you think Alan?" Elias asked.

"I don't have the slightest bit of idea." Alan replied.

Suddenly the coach went over a huge speed bump. Bump! Senri's head collided against the window causing him to wake up with a jolt. "Ouch…!" he cried rubbing his head half asleep.

All of them turned to him. On the seat towards the back, Orion too went through the exact same scenario, though he started to hit the window and curse it immediately was the only difference… (Yet all was good since Haruf and Nagi were by his side.) 

"Easy there…" Alan looked aside removing Senri's hand and rubbing his head instead.

"Are you alright?" Kazuna asked from the seat ahead.

Senri annoyed shook his head side by side vigorously.

"Hehe… it's alright, don't be cross." Isa ruffled his hairs from the seat behind.

"Don't rest your head on the window. How many times am I supposed to warn you on that?" Zach recalled. 

Senri not daring to listen shook his head again like a little revolting child, abruptly resting it on Alan's shoulder, falling back to sleep in a matter of seconds.

Alan exhaled, "Leave him be. You know he won't listen once he's sleepy."

The ride back to lodgings a quiet and a peaceful one. They knew tough challenges had yet to come. Night going through its second phase, the boys heading back to their rooms took their earned respite.