(Part 11)

The middle schoolers looked at him puzzled. Cassiel picked his bat up walking towards him. Looking up, slight disappointment covered Seraph's face, "Xavier… look at Alan's hands." Xavier glancing at Poseidon looked at Alan who sat on the bench speaking with the highschoolers.

Suddenly his expression widened. "Weights…?" Helios and Poseidon too looked at each other astonished.

Kenzo, Azazel, Gabriel and Ryan with Adam and Cassiel stared silent.

"See? Ever since my balling, he returned my deliveries head-on with those weights on. Even a six on top of everything. So how can it be great? As soon as I noticed that, I realized, Ah~ what would have been the outcome of this game if he would've removed those weights from both of his hands?" The middle schoolers upon his words looked at each other perplexed.

"It would've still been your victory." uttered Cassiel.

"A certain someone who bucks up others all the time is now becoming this shallow. Who will give me courage then hun?" he asked cross.

Seraph hearing his words stood wide eyed. "Yeah! Yeah! What will Cassiel do if you don't encourage him Sera, Sera? He will again lose just like all those times before." Adam uttered blatant.

"Excuse me?" asked Cassiel indirectly hurt.

"After all, you aren't the only one reflecting on yourself after facing him." Heber patted Seraph's shoulder. "Alan Rex Lorenzo… he is just that strong." Helios remarked.

Xavier nodding gave his hand, "That's right… the rival I look up to won't get disheartened over something so trivial like this. Instead, he'll look up at the sky, pretend to shake my hand and instead reach towards his hairs saying…" And just like he said Seraph upon his words shook of Xavier's hand up to his hairs whispering, "Ah~ Marvelous… let me create billions of marvels for our meet next time…"

"Yahoo! way to go!!" cheered Adam hugging Ryan as Xavier smiled. "Stop clinging onto me…" Ryan tried to break free. "Haha! Nope I won't!" Adam teased grabbing him tighter instead. "Now this look suits you!" Azazel heartened. Eyeing Cassiel Seraph gave his hand.

"Go Cassiel, time for you to rock!" he encouraged.

"To late for that, I am already pumped up, so don't worry I'll make sure to let him know that he messed with the Crescent academy's top three's!" Cassiel replied shaking his hand.

"Yeah! Go give it your all! Seraph's going to give you a big hug when you return!" teased Aryan.

"As if want that…" Cassiel replied uninterested. Chills left his spine.

"Haha… don't tease him!" Seraph said confused. "This isn't teasing! I will also give him a hug!" Adam jumped happily.

Cassiel eyeing them one last time smiled, heading towards the pitch. Alan grasping his sight from the highschoolers resting pavilion stood up. "Here I go then." he waved leaving. Tossing the ball, he hand in his hand, he suddenly threw it harshly towards Cassiel.

"Huh?! What are you doing throwing from here?" asked Orion surprised. "No particular reason really…" Alan replied dexterously.

"Scary…" gulped Aigou. Reaching his pocket Alan drew out another ball.

Cassiel who approached the pitch, eyed his ball whispering, "A pitch of 74 feet in total with a distance of 17.68 meters from the popping crease till the batting crease. Alan as an opponent who counters spin balls I am indeed at a huge disadvantage however, even spins…"

Suddenly Adam with his eagle like eyesight warned, "Hey Cassiel! Watch out!"

"Interrupting my calculations in the brink of completely solving them. This boy Alan sure has guts. Aiming for my shoulder with a speed of 156.9km/hr. Did you think I didn't notice?" Cassiel asked pushing his glasses up.

Instantly he jumped on both of his feet with a backflip, clasping the approaching fast ball with his bare right hand, soon standing straight on his feet once more he eyed Alan grave, on the contrary to find three more balls approaching towards him at the same speed.

Giving out a predicted smile he rushed forward to catch the three balls, standing firmly on his feet once again.

"What is he doing?" asked Heber puzzled. Kenzo staring the pitch sighed, "That cunning rascal. He is checking Cassiel's catching judgment. A test of wicket keeping." The middle schoolers hearing him gazed at the pitch wondering. "He isn't one easy lad to mess with." commented Gabriel.

"Bravo." clapped Alan walking towards Cassiel, "As expected of you, Cassiel La Roux." Cassiel eyeing the three balls kept them inside his pocket one after another.

"I knew it, 97.03% of my prediction was right." Cassiel replied.

"Prediction of what?" Alan asked tapping his bat on the ground. Cassiel smiled, "The prediction of you testing my wicket keeping skills as well."

"Eh… is that so. Then what about the other 2.97%?" asked Alan interested. Cassiel hearing his words flipped his ball around, "I knew you would ask this next, so I kept it the remaining 2.97% safe to make you realize if you had forgotten about that." he headed towards the balling wicket.

Alan rubbing his neck agreed, "Geez, go easy on me, Data genius. Since, I am not good at mathematics, unlike Kazuna and Nagi who are masters." He headed towards the batting crease.

"Not good at mathematics you say, and here I was wondering if there was something he wasn't good at." Feng wondered ironically. "Hehe… I agree on that." Poseidon endorsed.

"Don't believe it, who knows how many lies he must've hidden behind that single sentence." Ryan rolled his eyes.

Seles who sat above interrupted, "But, it isn't a lie. Alan really isn't good at maths. His algebra understanding skills reach the earth's core while his geometry is all messed up. So forget about statistics and matrices." The middle schoolers hearing him blinked their eyes surprised.

"He is even worse than me…" Azazel relied stunned.

"Haha… excelling so much at something that one awes in disbelief however, an amateur in other that one doesn't dare to believe it's the same person at all." Helios chuckled. "How amusing…" Xavier smiled.

"So… Alan is at a disadvantage now even as a spin returner, just because of maths?" asked Senri in disbelief. "Right. And, it isn't just math. Your whole life is based upon it…" told Nagi as Orion interrupted, "Alright! Alright! We get it. Please don't start now."

"Hehe… Alan vs math? Now that surely sounds entertaining." smiled Isa amused as Noah agreed.

"I don't find it amusing at all. Before he was against All-rounders one after another and now when he gets a single over match, it turns out to be against a statics player, what luck." sighed Aaron as Aigou and Elias nodded.

"Sigh, however with someone whose grades are always a huge D at maths, this ain't a spin or fast disadvantage but an academic one." pointed Ren. Kazuna glancing at Zach sighed.

"HAHA! Leave him be. What if he isn't good at Math? He still beat Nagi didn't he?" asked Haruf confident.

Nagi twitched his brow, "I don't count it as a loss. It was a cheap underhanded tactic he used. I still can't believe I fell for that."

"Haha… Nagi regrets…" teased Orion. Nagi glanced at him annoyed while the others chuckled. Evan and Rauf looked at each other sighing while Nidou drank his sports drink uninterested.

"By the way, have all All-rounders taken their turn from their side?" asked Elias. "No… there's one left." replied Kazuna seriously.

"Yes, the one with golden brown hairs." pointed Zach. Orion, Elias, Aigou, Aaron and Noah eyeing Xavier looked at each other relieved. "That's good then." Aigou smiled.

"Now what's going on in your little brain?" Ren asked. "You see, I was worried if it might be someone tricky but from the looks, that boy seems innocent. So it won't be a problem for Alan." Aigou told as Noah and Orion agreed.

"Don't judge a book by its cover. Didn't you learn this after witnessing everything with your own eyes?" asked Evan.

"What do you mean? Don't tell me he is a threat as well?" Orion pointed. "If he wouldn't have been, then why, didn't that king sent that all-rounder next when he was sending the others, one after another before?" questioned Isa.

Kazuna staring at Xavier sat silent. "No way… and here I thought Alan could take it easy…" Noah uttered.

"There is nothing to take easy in a battlefield." replied Haruf smiling.

"Anyway back to the present, Cassiel La Roux, a 3rd year middle schooler and a Data/statics cricket player. A skilled left handed baller who excels in delivering spin deliveries. From which his infamous ones are high judged spins balls, Top spinners including Arm and carom balls. Due to his ingenious grasp of data and a person's statics within and outside a game has earned him a high regard as a data collector. Research says, that his IQ level exceeds 135% naming him as a genius. Alongside his balling he has also polished his wicket keeping skills at high height too obtaining him the title of 'Data Machine'."