Golden Age 28: ‘Facing Against the Preceding, Reigning Champions!! PSL 8th Match!! Karachi Kings VS Islamabad United (Part I)’ (part 1)

As night descended upon the hotel's dorm floor, a sense of quiet anticipation enveloped the space. The boys, preparing for the upcoming match, engaged in their respective activities amidst the dimly lit room.

Ezekiel, Mikael, Christopher, Adam, and Feng played with their gaming consoles, their laughter echoing softly through the air, while Poseidon, Helios, Heber, Ryan, Damian and Azazel slept deeply. Seraph, Cassiel, and Gabriel occupied the couch, reading books and studying player files.

On the other side of the room, high schoolers huddled together, exchanging crucial information and discussing strategies for the game ahead. Evan, Haris and Nagi readied their clothes, while Zachariah, Aaron, Lou Wang, Ren, and Elias slept soundly.

Through the windows, the moon cast a gentle glow, softly illuminating the room. On the dorm room's balcony, adorned with a quaint tea table, Kenzo sat, staring at the velvet blue sky. Arms crossed and expression stern, he blinked ever so lightly, lost in thought, the same delivery replaying in his mind like a loop. The cool breeze caressed his hair, gently as it rustled through the leaves, creating a soothing symphony.

From the nearby small pantry, the clinking of spoons and the delicate scent of hot chocolate and tea wafted through the air as Isa prepared warm drinks. "Islamabad will be playing this match after a break of four days," Nagi remarked.

"Hm, I think this will be a great advantage since they might be out of practice," Aigou agreed, sitting beside Elias and patting his back while he slept.

"Out of practice, huh?" Noah doubted.

"In Islamabad's first match, they set a target of 187, and Quetta failed to chase it. Against Multan, they successfully chased a target of 193, which is close to 200. Whether batting or bowling, they have performed exceptionally." Senri yawned, handing the file to Kazuna.

Rauf, reading a book on a nearby sofa, glanced at them while Haruf enjoyed a full bar of ice cream on his own.

"Sigh, I am done with it. Tired. My mind can't take it anymore," Orion finally said, stretching his arms and pulling Senri along as soon as he gestured.

"Did you guys call them back? I mean Senior Romeo." Ezekiel looked up behind his gaming console at Senri and Noah.

"Yeah, we said we could meet up as well but the weather these last two days gave us no chance." Noah replied.

Alan soon came inside, his hair tied into a disheveled bun with wavy locks falling from the sides. He wore an open sleeveless hoodie over a long-sleeved grey shirt and loose trousers. Carrying four hot mugs in his hands, he called out, "Kazuna, Haris, Elias, and Rauf you better take them before they fall."

Rauf immediately got up and caught the mugs one by one.

"Elias is asleep. I'll drink it for him," Aigou offered. "By the way, what is it?" he asked curiously.

"Ginger tea," Alan replied.

Aigou's face instantly contorted in disgust. "Bleh! Who drinks that? I won't! Not me, no way," he rejected, shaking his head.

"Hehe," Alan and Noah chuckled. Turning to the middle schoolers, Alan asked, "Are they asleep already?"

"Hm," Haruf beamed.

Suddenly Elias flinched amid his sleep. His brows knitted as if tensed. Aigou glancing at him touched his forehead which was sweaty. "Elias is dreaming again?" he asked anxiously.

Alan went closer, couching before Elias and grabbing his hand which was neither too cold nor hot. Orion and Noah too grasped a look beside Nagi and Senri.

"Maybe. We do have a match tomorrow." Nagi said.

Aigou's brows knitted in worry, "He barely gets a good night's sleep."

Alan stared at Elias as his expression soon turned peaceful. "No wonder he calls it a curse. He sees everything on his own and can't even tell about it to anyone and remains powerless…" he thought. Smiling at him he whispered encouragingly, "Fight, Elias."

Aigou too agreed, "Yeah! Fight hard."

Rauf, came over, crouching before Elias who slept on his right side. "He appears noticeably, more tense than before." he thought slightly concerned. "Bring a cold pad or cool his head with a wet..." he said. However, before he could complete his sentence Kazuna had already fetched a cold pad, standing right before him.

One apathetically staring upwards while the other impassively gazing downwards. Daggers flew in the air.

"Ah… darn." the highschoolers along with Alan swallowed nervously.

"Now, how do we solve this problem?" Noah whispered lightly to Senri as he shrugged clueless.

Rauf, nonetheless, without a word, stood up and went back to the couch while Kazuna kept the cold pad on Elias's forehead.

Haruf smiled relived.

"Wow… it resolved on its own this time." Orion remarked.

Alan too blinked taken aback by the sudden turn of events.

Xavier, drying his hair with a towel, entered the room, "I'm done."

"Thank goodness. I'm next," Senri said, taking his clothes and heading towards the restroom.

"Hurry up," Orion reminded.

Senri, scratching his hairs, gave a thumbs up.

"Seraph, Cassiel, Gabriel…" Xavier called.

"Hm?" Seraph smiled, his glasses enhancing his usual gentle look.

"Sleep early, even if you won't participate tomorrow. That goes for you as well, Feng..." Xavier said, dusting his bed before glancing at Kenzo, who sat on the balcony. "And tell Kenzo that as well," he added, worried.

"Okay~" Feng chanted, pointing at Adam to press the right key next to attack.

"Go for the treasure now, Adam." Mikael added in a whisper.

Cassiel glanced at Gabriel and Seraph anxiously.

Seraph removed his glasses and set his file aside. "That's right. Kenzo went against him. A shocking reveal it was…" he thought about the moment when Adam told them all about it. His gaze soon passed Zachariah. "And now his silence and distant behavior are concerning. Helios, Poseidon, and Heber were worried as well." Standing up, he assured, "Don't worry. I'll talk to him," then headed towards the balcony.

"Yay! I did it!" Adam instantly skipped up in joy.

The high schoolers turned to him confused while Aaron nestled in his sleep slightly disturbed.

"Haha! Great job!" Ezekiel and Feng exclaimed as Seraph twitched his brow. "Quiet, please," he warned lovingly.

"Sorry…" Ezekiel apologized while shudders went down Adam's back "Scary," he gulped.

"Scary, huh? Just because Kenzo isn't scolding you now. You really are on cloud nine," Cassiel said.

Adam pulled his tongue out and ignored him, "Not that it makes any difference. You both are scolding me now on his behalf."

"Hehe, how cute," Ezekiel chuckled, ruffling his hair. Xavier laughed too, while Cassiel sighed.

"Alan," Isa called.

Alan immediately went back to the pantry, responding, "Coming."

Seraph exhaling deeply before the balcony rested his body against the door calling, "Kenzo." His voice fading with the breeze.

Kenzo remained indifferent, his gaze fixed on the scenery outside.

To Seraph's surprise, Will climbed up and sat on Kenzo's thighs, gently caressing his fingers and squeaking from time to time, trying to get his attention. But every sound failed to reach him.

Seraph walked towards him, calling once again, "Kenzo…" but stopped mid-sentence. Standing beside him, he gently patted his shoulder, "Back to earth Kenzo ShahJahan~"

Kenzo flinched instantly, looking behind him as Seraph retracted his hand.

"Seraph?" Kenzo asked, confused.

"Yup, it's me," Seraph replied.

Tracing Will, who was dabbing his lap continuously, Kenzo picked him up. "What are you doing here? Where is your owner?" he asked as Will's ears perked up, and he raised his little, furry arms in an attempt to grab Kenzo's face. Kenzo blinked, speechless.

"Pft! Haha," Seraph laughed.

Kenzo exhaled, placing Will on the table, but as stubborn he was, just like his owner, Will jumped back onto him, this time climbing up to his shoulder and rubbing his ears against his neck, which tickled,

Kenzo sighed, finally giving up. "Sit, Seraph. Why are you standing?" he said.

Seraph pulled a chair out and settled down. "It's cold. Don't you feel it?" he asked.

Kenzo closed his eyes, smiling. "Nope, not at all."

Seraph, wondering whether to broach the sensitive topic, plucked up his courage and asked, "Are you alright, Kenzo?"

Kenzo looked at him, puzzled. "Huh?"

"It must've been a shock, right?" Seraph continued.

Kenzo, recalling the moment, smiled, "Shock? It was a horror. I couldn't even move."

Seraph gasped, taken aback. For Kenzo to say something like this so openly…? He dared not believe it. But still, his opponent was Zachariah, a world ranker. He too had seen the aftermath of a single delivery: bails and stumps crushed to pieces, the ground fissured, and the net behind Kenzo shattered into smithereens. It was no joke.

"I am still…" Kenzo turned quiet, his hair hiding his defeated and disappointed expression.

"It's alright. You don't have to say it. I understand," Seraph comprehended. "I am very well aware of that gap. I am always trying to cover it despite knowing that it's growing larger day by day," he said.

"But Kenzo, everyone is really worried about you. It's been two days. Poseidon can't help fretting, Helios doesn't know what to say, and all of us are completely clueless of what to do. So, just return back to your usual self," Seraph asked.

Kenzo nodded, he had realized but… it kept repeating in his mind like a nightmare. Batting was everything to him, and just a single delivery had crushed his motivation to bat into pieces. He knew there was something wrong with him yet, he couldn't figure out what. "How frustrating…" he thought, annoyed.

"Hey, Seraph." he said soon calming down, "Mine was a stupid approach of infuriating him but why are you so against him?" Kenzo asked, out of the blue.