(Part 9)

The team quickly took their positions. Poseidon, stationed at mid-off, watched Aaron closely.

Gradually, the crowd grew silent as Aaron walked towards the umpire to collect the ball. Turning to face the spectators, he waved and called out loudly, "Miss me, my impatient heartbeats?" His eyes sparkled, and the crowd's light cheers swelled into a roaring chant, as if everyone had forgotten Islamabad, Karachi, and the match itself.

"AARON! AARON! AARON~!" they shouted in rhythm.

"What the hell?!" Venus exclaimed, bewildered, as Ibn Sena, Wasif, and Asim stepped outside the pavilion to see what was happening. Shudders ran down their spines.

"He's still crazy, that hypnotic devil…" Wasif gulped.

"Tch, I don't like the sound of this. Aaron here, Aaron there. It's like we're at his concert," Basid grumbled, covering his ears.

"Aa… we missed you so much! Look at me! Look at me, Aaron!" girls screamed, vying for his attention.

"It's been so long. Play with all you've got, star," boys cheered. Every young, old, elder, or child called out eagerly.

Poseidon and the rest looked around, startled. Azazel and Feng swallowed nervously at the sudden change.

"YAHOO! GO, Aaron, GO!!" Erum cheered frantically, her voice rising above the crowd. She was the last person anyone expected to be shouting.

Haitam and Maria stared at her, dumbfounded.

"Calm down, woman! Why are you getting so crazy with the crowd?" Zain tried to make her sit, but it was futile. Like women during a 50% off sale on trendy Nike accessories, pushing and shoving with hurricane-like fervor, Zain was pushed back, ending up sprawled across Milan and Yahya.

(Poor Multan Sultans…)

"Just where have we got ourselves in…?" David thought in sheer disbelief.

...

Meanwhile in Karachi's stadium…

"Well, here you go," Nagi said, handing out paper bags unexpectedly.

The middle schoolers, including Adam and Seraph, were momentarily dazed.

Gabriel turned to the high schoolers, pointing at the ground in disbelief, only to find them and the coaches, except for Mir and Pedro, with paper bags over their faces. Haruf had even put one on Rauf, who was in the process of removing it.

"What the hell is wrong with you all?! And him?!" Kenzo snapped, yanking Senri's bag off in irritation who with closed eyes tried to grab it back again.

"Well..." Alan said, raising the bag with his finger and glancing out, "That's the usual once he's out. That's why we rarely send him out. So, just hide your faces before you get hypnotized." he then lowered his finger and continued looking ahead with the bag still on.

"Seriously, is it even see-through?" Adam asked, pulling Noah's up perplexed.

"Nope," Haris responded bluntly.

Seles hid his face, speechless.

"Is his hypnotism that strange?" Seraph asked, clueless.

"Well, innocents like you don't suffer from it. But like them…" Ren pointed to Ezekiel, Cassiel, Mikael, and Damian, who stared at the ground with mouths agape. "They do fall for it. So kindly slap their heads to snap them out of it," he advised.

Kenzo immediately smacked their heads, one by one.

"What did you mean by that?" Cassiel asked, slightly offended, rubbing his head.

"'Hypnotic Roar,' what Aaron just used, influences the crowd's behavior towards his team through hypnosis," Nagi explained.

"Hypnosis? On such a big crowd?!" Mikael asked, astonished.

"Yup, he is an idol after all. This is the least one could expect," Haruf replied nonchalantly.

"Least?" the middle schoolers thought, dumbfounded.

"Aaron Noel Herve, a foreign exchange student from France is a Second Year High schooler and the craftiest cricketer out of all 14 genius rankers of the base, Age: 17, Height: 176cm, Weight: 68 Kg. He is an All-rounder. As a bowler, he is a right-handed off-spinner, excelling in variations of finger spin deliveries. As a batsman, he is a right-handed player adept at countering spin. His captivating, cunning, and controlling play on the pitch has earned him the title of 'Hypnotizing Star.' Ranked 10th on the base's genius list but this doesn't mean you take him lightly." Elias forewarned with a smile, "Even I am 11th. As for his abilities they're right in front of you in process of being displayed while he has also conquered 'Roaring' with Haruf Noor Faris from balling and fielding perspectives." Nagi enlightened.

The middle schoolers with no words at all simply turned to the field.

 "That's right…" Aaron said, raising his manipulative brows, "Call my name under my 'Hypnotic Roar,'…" he whispered. "Thank you, thank you everyone. Please do cheer for Karachi now, since…" he twirled around, grinning at Seon Yul and Rovan, who held firm but cautious expressions. Aaron continued, "Aaron Noel Herve is back in action!"

Isa smiled at Kazuna, who patted Helios's shoulder.

"Well how strange… it seems, we all had forgotten the match for a moment, as we head back to the twelveth over of the innings, haha." Jones rubbed his eyes, puzzled.

"The entire crowd just chants Aaron's name while Karachi King's pavilion is a sea of paper bags…? Haha, what an amusing sight. I wonder if they are hiding from reality now?" Maaz speculated.

"The hell they mean by hiding from reality?!" Orion snapped, pulling his earplugs out.

Nagi rolled his eyes, while the rest remained unresponsive.

In the 12th over of the innings, Rovan took the batting crease, tapping his bat with utmost concentration.

Aaron, observing the field placement, concealed his bowling grip and stepped on the popping crease to deliver the first ball of the over. Starting with an off-break pitched on a good length just outside off stump, the ball turned into Rovan, who defended it with a back-foot shot.

Heber swiftly collected the ball and passed it back to Aaron.

For the second delivery, Aaron aimed an arm ball, disguising it as an off-spinner, but it went straight on with the arm. Rovan, recognizing the lack of spin, played it straight back. Aaron collected the ball again, preparing for the next delivery.

The third ball was a slider, bowled with more pace and less spin, skidding through the pitch. Rovan, reading the delivery, countered it with a firm shot towards cover, but Heber intercepted it before Rovan could take a run.

Aaron grinned, his eyes hidden by his golden locks, whispering, "Hypnotic gaze."

"He's using variations after variations. Senior Rovan has to read every single delivery," Poseidon observed, feeling slight discomfort as his lower body grew numb.

For the fourth delivery, Aaron bowled a top-spinner, a good length, and sharp ball. Rovan's eyes darkened as the ball dipped quickly and bounced higher than expected. He aimed for a straight drive, but the ball spun past him, missing the leg stump and eluding Feng, who chased after it.

The crowd and Aaron gasped, "OH!!"

Rovan immediately took a run, puzzled. "The ball instantly deviated…?" he thought.

Feng, grabbing the ball, apologized, "S-sorry, I didn't see…"

"It's okay, dear~. Don't fret," Aaron winked, turning around.

Seon Yul, now on the batting crease, wore a cautious expression.

Aaron smiled, his eyes swirling hypnotically.

Seon Yul immediately looked away, thinking, "He is up to something," and activated his Pinnacle.

Rovan, standing at the non-striker's end, closed his eyes, taking a breath. "I couldn't sense the ball's movement. Did he mess with my head or something…? Ah, my head hurts."

Aaron headed back, twirling the ball in his hand, murmuring, "Azazel, can you hear me?"

Azazel, stationed at point, jolted and looked around. "Yes-?! W-ho?! S-senior Aaron…?!" he asked, bewildered.

"Yup, it's me. Don't speak loudly, just think," Aaron's voice echoed in his head.

Azazel looked at Aaron, who was ready to deliver the second-to-last ball of the over. "Are you in my mind?!" Azazel grabbed his head in disbelief.

"Pft! Of course. Now listen carefully, move to second slip. Xavier will stand at 'Silly point,'" Aaron instructed.

"O-kay…" Azazel quietly walked towards the second slip, thinking, "He's in my mind?! How?!"

Aaron chuckled, amused.

"Did you tell Xavier?" Azazel managed to ask.

"Yup, before you. It's a pity I can't telepathically connect to two minds at the same time," Aaron replied.

Feng, seeing Azazel move, asked, "What's going on?"

Azazel, unable to explain his duty into words, scratched his head in confusion. Soon, Xavier joined the silly point.

"Isa," Aaron's voice echoed in Isa's mind, "We're going as planned."

"Alright," Isa responded telepathically.

Cassiel, puzzled, asked, "What are they doing on their own?"

Seles, noticing his confusion, responded with a slight smile, "Does it seem that way to you?"

"Of course, Aaron is about to bowl, and Azazel just left his spot out of the blue…? Even Xavier took the helmet and stood at silly point," Ezekiel added.

"Rovan and Seon Yul must have realized it too then?" Senri asked.

Kenzo gave the high schoolers a questioning look.

"Aaron is telepathizing with the others," Noah explained calmly.

"Ah," the middle schoolers nodded. However, soon realizing what he just said, they turned around baffled. "What?!" they shrieked altogether.

"H-he is also a telepath?" Adam stammered, feeling the ground shift beneath him.

"In the field, yes. Not normally. So don't be afraid," Haruf assured.

Gabriel gulped, feeling uneasy.

"Never thought even big people would stagger by simply mentioning telepathy," Senri murmured ironically.