(Part 11)

"The field is set; the crowd is electric—184 runs separate Karachi Kings from victory. The chase is about to begin, and it's shaping up to be a thriller!" Wasim remarked.

"Absolutely, 184 is a formidable target, with a required run rate of 9.2 per over. The batting side will need to bring their A-game to pull this off," Jones added.

"Karachi Kings must strike the right balance between aggression and caution if they want to succeed because Islamabad has proven to be anything but easy opponents. Their batsmen have given the bowlers a strong cushion, and now it's time to turn up the heat and make every delivery count," Maaz agreed.

"Exactly, they need to build pressure, restrict the runs, and push the batsmen into errors. With 184 to defend, they can afford to be aggressive," Wasim concluded. 

"Come on, Rovan. Time to wake up." Seon Yul gently shook him, smiling.

Rovan groaned as he opened his eyes, which were still slightly red. He sat up, head lowered.

"Feeling better now?" Emaad asked, sitting beside him.

Rovan nodded, then asked, "What's the target?"

Basid, standing before him, grinned proudly, "184 runs. Karachi Kings will have to dig deep to chase that down."

Rovan smiled remarking, "Well done." "Where's Romeo?" he asked next.

"Outside with the boys, warming up," Seon Yul replied, slipping into his jersey.

Rovan intertwining his fingers stretched himself and then headed out.

"Ah, it's Vice-Captain Rovan. Hurry, the break's almost over; we need to head in," Hamza called out.

Hamit smiled, patting Rovan's shoulder, "Feeling better? No more headaches?"

Rovan shook his head as he walked up to Romeo, "Nope, just need to recharge."

Hamit and Ulhas shared a sigh of relief. 

"Ready?" Romeo asked Rovan, offering a high-five before pulling Rovan into a friendly embrace.

Rovan smirked, glancing at Ibn Sena and Venus, who gave confident nods. "Yup. Victory is ours," he replied.

"Rovan," Juhan called out.

"Hm?" Rovan turned to see him handing over an energy drink.

"Where's Wasif?" Rovan asked, only for Wasif to startle him from behind.

"Haha, got you!" Wasif laughed.

Rovan sighed, taking a sip of the drink.

"Shall we?" Juhan asked, adjusting his arm sleeve.

The boys exchanged determined looks as they stepped onto the field.

"Yeah," Rovan replied. 

Back in Karachi's pavilion, Aigou, already geared up, checked the grip on his bat while Heber adjusted his gloves.

"Less than 200, but it's still a hefty target," Cassiel commented.

"That was to be expected from the reigning champions of the past two years," Isa replied, handing Aigou a sports drink.

Aigou turned to face everyone in the pavilion. "What's with the silence?" he asked with a smile. Glancing at the middle schoolers, he added, "Never seen a target this big? Feeling a bit nervous?"

The middle schoolers, showing confident expressions, looked more energized than intimidated.

"Is that what you're seeing on their faces?" Kenzo asked in slight disbelief.

Alan observed them with satisfaction.

"Yeah, it's the first time we've faced a target like this, but instead of fear, it feels like a challenge," Helios replied with a smirk.

"Indeed, it feels like we can push our limits if we take it head-on," Xavier agreed.

"We're not scared—if anything, you seniors should be worried," Azazel shot the high schoolers a confident grin.

Heber turned to Elias, who sat quietly in thought, "We're going to give it our all out there. Don't worry, seniors, we've got your backs."

Ryan and Adam bumped fists, while Seraph gave Poseidon and Ezekiel high-fives.

"He's right, no need to be anxious," Kenzo added proudly.

Senri, Haruf, Noah, and Ren smirked, while Rauf flashed a quick grin. Aaron scratched his head, speechless, as Kazuna and Isa maintained their usual calm expressions.

Aigou smirked, "Now that, that's settled, it's time to devise some winning strategies."

"Yes, back to business," Nagi agreed, opening one of his journals.

"Heber Bin Saad, the pressure's going to be intense, and the pitch is drying out, so both spinners and pacers will have an edge, especially with reverse swing when the ball wears out. But under no circumstances can we lose wickets in the first six overs of the powerplay. Can we do that?" Aigou asked Heber seriously.

Heber, a bit anxious, nodded, "Yeah, I think so..."

"Don't just think—we have to do it. I'll be right there with you, so don't worry," Aigou reassured him.

"Their goal will be early wickets, but our strategy is to score high in the powerplay to ease the pressure later. Juhan and Wasif, both experienced high schoolers, are known for their prowess in powerplays. Juhan Fahim is Islamabad's left-handed swinger, and he's formidable. He has a unique ability to sense and 'Manipulate wind'," Nagi explained.

"Wind?" Feng asked, troubled. Nagi shot him a serious look, "Exactly. When the wind is blowing, he's a terror."

"And of course, the wind's blowing. What luck for us, huh?" Senri joked ironically.

"I'll hit him so hard, he'll forget his own name," Gabriel muttered, raising an eyebrow.

Seraph scratched his temple, speechless.

"As for the other one, he's a Door achiever. It's called…" Nagi continued, but Elias interrupted, "'The Door of Absolute Control.' It has three stages. The first controls himself, the second controls the batsman, and the third controls the entire field. Wasif Azhal is no joke."

"Are you trying to motivate us or scare us?" Ezekiel asked doubtfully.

"We're informing you. We played against them before. Back then, Wasif had only unlocked two stages. But after participating in the World Cup consecutively, who knows how much they've evolved?" Aigou shrugged with a smile.

"All three stages," Pedro said, entering the room.

Aigou and Elias looked at him, surprised.

"He's completely unlocked the Door of Absolute Control." Pedro continued.

Aigou broke into a cold sweat but grinned, "Oh~?"

Heber narrowed his eyes, puzzled.

Seles and Mir exchanged concerned glances, while Nidou and Musa looked out onto the field with confident grins.

"So what?" Alan asked, sitting cross-legged just outside the boundary. "Whether they've unlocked entire Realms, Pinnacles, or Doors, what does that matter to us? Sure, we'll be facing them and they may be stronger than us, but with the mindset of countering their every move rather than getting dispirited or overwhelmed. Don't you think this approach is more empowering?" he asked with a smile.

"Unlocked the Door of Absolute Control? I think Aigou, even without fully unlocking his Door of Radiance, is stronger than him..." Alan added confidently.

Aigou blinked, surprised.

"Heber, who doesn't have any of these abilities, is more determined to win this match than they are. Feng is ready to become an impenetrable fort, and Xavier is prepared to give it everything he's got. And don't forget Kazuna, who's a world-record holder—his presence alone unsettles the field. And Isa? Doesn't he command his team better than anyone who relies on mind control?" Alan asked, "Why see yourselves as anything less than them? To me, you're the strongest team out there. Do you really need more validation than this from your team's 'Ace'?" his poised grin caught the middle schoolers by surprise.

"Not anymore," Aigou replied, stepping onto the field with a surge of electric excitement. As he entered, his hair began to glow red, flaring like flames, "We're going Isa."

Isa nodded with a smile, "Best of luck."

Elias gasped, while Rauf observed quietly.

"Door of Radiance… activated?" Orion asked, astonished.

"Brother Heber, here you go," Azazel said, tossing a lozenge to Heber as he followed Aigou.

Stretching his arms, Aigou grinned at Heber, both tapping their gloves together, confidence radiated them like light under the dark velvet sky.

"Alan…" Elias began.

"Hm?" Alan responded, turning toward him.

"Your words… you didn't say them in my dream," Elias told, surprised.

"What? Really?" Alan asked, equally surprised.

"And, Aigou didn't activate his Door before playing…" Elias felt a rush of excitement. "It can change. They can change it!" he thought with hope.

Alan turned back with a relieved smile. "Be cautious, Elias. Even if you're not on the pitch, you're still being challenged."

Elias stepped down, joining Alan. "That works for me." he winked at him with a smile.

The middle schoolers exchanged contemplative glances.

"Can Senior Elias's dream change?" Cassiel asked.

"Not really. Reality tends to follow his visions, but it seems things are taking a different turn this time," Senri explained with a smile. 

"There are too many variables now, I suppose." Zachariah pondered aloud.

"Or is his ability weakening, perhaps?" Helios wondered.

"No," Rauf replied calmly, leaning back, "It's actually growing stronger."

"That's okay not that I get it though but, why did Aigou activate his Door even before playing? It never happened before." Orion scratched his hairs confused.

"He is already enjoying himself that's why. His excitement has struck its peak." Musa informed.

"Orion, many things will change. The transformations you've seen coming for yourselves in the past two years will be even more astonishing now," Seles added with a smile.