(Part 8)

Alan staring at the panther twirled his ball with a gulp. Soon the panther came out from the shadows revealing his black cover, treading lightly towards the cave and Alan's hiding.

"It came out!" Helios pointed nervously as the boys sheltered each other with their bats and balls ready. "If it activates any single one of the traps, let's head on out and fire balls at him, okay?" Kenzo told as the others nodded.

The panther sniffing, headed towards Alan's bush ready to plunge over it as the boys stood with their hearts thumping fast. Suddenly a bat fell down with a thud. The noise reverberating throughout the cave the boys turned around to find Ezekiel's bat fall.

Thunderstruck as they all could be. They gulped while the panther's attention was successfully caught towards the cave. Alan hearing the noise thought, "There's someone there?!" "If my hunch is right then…" eyeing the panther who stepped inside the cave's boundary.

Alan at that moment sprung out from the bush revealing himself as the panther turned around glaring at him ghastly.

Helios with his gaze widened stood speechless. "What's wrong, Heli?" Poseidon asked anxiously beside Seraph and Kenzo. Unable to move from his place he whispered baffled, "Alan…?" The boys gasped astonished.

"Who?!" Cassiel and Feng asked in disbelief.

Alan tossing the ball up and down stared at the panther grave, "Taking a bear on with just three balls and a single bat hun, brother? You did great at that point I'll give you that. But, now your younger brother here is going to take down a wild black panther with just four balls. What a grand sight to behold, too bad you can't witness it…"

The panther ignoring him sprinted towards the cave as Alan threw the ball harshly towards it. "Just stay right there!" he exclaimed grave as the ball went from the panther's side directly towards the cave's entrance.

"Open! Clad shield defense!"

Hearing Alan's call the boys with their expression widened stared from the corner of the cave' entrance baffled. "That voice!? It's really his!" Heber exclaimed. Before the panther could break into the cave, a transparent barrier repulsed the panther's body along with the ball down on the ground with a great thud. "Heh~ too bad you can't go in hun?" Alan asked with a taunting wild sneer.

The panther furious stood back up screeching and rushing towards Alan ready to injure him. "Watch out!" Helios warned. Alan next, aimed the ball at the panther's face however, with not one but two instead injuring him to a far content. Alan twirling the last ball in his hand backed towards the cave. Glancing at the entrance from the corner of his eye he warned, "Boys, no matter what happens don't step outside!"

And, as soon as he did the panther plunged towards the entrance once again as Alan bowled harshly whispering, "Slice fast ball… right turn!" The last ball spinning from a heavy impact of throw hit the panther on his neck wounding him. Screaming and squealing it curled on the ground in pain.

Alan taking the chance turned around and leapt inside the cave before the panther could move. The boys standing back surprised and confused at the same time stared at Alan who came in panting hard and out of the blue before them. Standing up he kept his finger on his lips pointing the boys not to utter a single sound. A relieved and a caring smile curling his lips he turned around.

"The panther! What about it?" Adam asked nervously looking outside as the panther leapt before his eyes attacking him with his claw while he stared stunned unable to make a single move.

Alan immediately pulled him back covering his eyes from behind whispering, "Don't worry and forget everything. Until and unless this sovereign is here not a single thing in this forest… no, in this entire world can even dare to harm you…"

As soon as he ended the panther was sent back repelling by clad shield defense, blown off like a thrown ball, hitting the ground with a thud once again. Tired by his own unsuccessful efforts in the end the he ran away. Alan leaving Adam's arm looked outside, witnessing the panther leap away. The boys secured under the defensive barrier stood shocked. Strength leaving their legs they collapsed on the ground.

Alan tracing the thirteen of them too flopped on the ground grabbing his forehead. "Thank goodness… thank goodness…" he whispered simultaneously relieved.

The boys eyeing Alan sat silent for a while. None amongst them uttering even a single word. Calming down a while later, Kenzo stared at Alan who sat with his eyes closed resting his back on the cave's wall. The long night still dark the boys with a million of questions on their heads sat wondering, staring at Alan clueless.

"Alan…" Poseidon called in a light whisper. "Hm?" Alan asked back with a light smile, his eyes still closed. "What are you doing here?" he completed his sentence. Alan hearing his question opened his eyes and looked at them one by one ending on Kenzo. "What am I doing here? If I tell you that I followed you all the way here would you believe me?" he asked testing them. Seraph looking at Helios and Azazel stood silent as Kenzo instantly clicked his tongue annoyed.

"Who the hell do you think we are your toys?" he asked vexed. "Using us, throwing us and tossing us here and there out in a place where if dead, nobody would know? And, here you think I'll believe you? No, do you think anyone of us here would be foolish enough to believe you?" he continued to ask hostile.

Alan hearing his words looked at the others who evaded his gaze concurring over his words. A silent, dismayed smile escaping his lips Alan replied, "So its trust issues right from the beginning… Alright, feel free to believe me or not since, it's not at all wrong to keep your guard up against me after going through everything. But, one thing's for sure… I don't think I would get a reward or a paid ransom for leaving this place in turn lying to you all. If that would've been the case I would've been kind enough to my brother and stayed stuck up on my medical bed rather than running breathlessly, just to find you all."

The boys instantly remembering his condition wondered. "Are you alright?" Xavier asked reflecting back. Alan smiling at him responded, "Yup, not dead until now and right before your eyes. Is there even a need to ask?" "Then why did go through all this just to find us?" Ezekiel asked confused with the overall situation.

"Rather than that!" Kenzo interrupted, "How did you manage to find us out of nowhere? Until and unless you are behind this all. I don't get the feeling that you would know about us at all if we are thrown in a place like this or not." Seraph patting Adam's hairs who sat quiet from the trauma before stared at Alan curiously alongside Gabriel, Azazel, Heber and Feng.

Alan taking a deep breath spoke up, "So you want to know my alibi? Alright, let me tell you, I woke up after 4 hours you all left. Hearing about your expansion left me baffled so I followed behind. I realized that you might've reached your homes until then, so I decided to contact your academies to find out about your current situation until I met men wearing black suits who tried to hunt me down." Hearing his words Kenzo and Xavier along with Gabriel gasped pondering.

"You met them as well?" Heber shuddered.

"Met? It felt more like as if they were after me in the first place. At first I thought they might be from the base but the moment they said something about abducting you all. I lost my composer and it turned into a brawl with one against numerous." Alan continued.

"In the end, they injected me with a drowsing drug on my neck and I lost my consciousness. How low of them those bastards…" he gritted angrily rubbing his neck with still ached, "After that, when I opened my eyes I found myself thrown here in a middle of nowhere. And, since then I looked around finding you and thanks to a friend I made…" he smiled patting the little rabbit behind his hairs who came out looking at the boys curiously he ended, "I was finally able to find you all after long last."

The boys hearing him sat silent for a while. "It's familiar to what happened to us, moreover those black suited man who we thought of as the base's ally even attacked Alan and brought him here which is no simple joke. Literally not one when he's the base's platinum ranker on top of everything." Cassiel thought hard.