Golden Age 15: ‘An Arrival Finer Than Ever!! Daring Altogether!! Raging Like Wild Fire!! Gathers again!! Pakistan’s Cricket Stars!!' (Part 1)

(Day 9)

The boys rushing up the mountain breathed hard. The sun hadn't even risen up and here they were tumbling up and down, half-awake half-asleep.

"Come on quit sleeping Rascal!" Kenzo scolded, smacking Azazel's head who ran drowsily. "Ouch… That hurts captain…" he cried yawning.

Adam who was carried on Seraph's back snored while Cassiel exhaled.

"Seriously, don't we head up there at 6am every morning? Just how much earlier does head coach want us to arrive now?" Helios whispered speechless guiding Ezekiel who wobbled right and left.

"Don't worry we won't even come down to sleep after some days I believe." Feng yawned sarcastically.

"Be careful." Xavier guided Ryan who rubbed his eyes half asleep. 

Finally reaching the top, they laid flat on the ground.

"Oh my god…" Seraph gasped broke.

Cassiel pulled Adam down from his back. "I bet they'll kill us someday." Heber complained.

Gabriel looking around found the surroundings empty. "Huh? Why isn't he here?" he referred to Nidou. Helios and Kenzo too scanned.

"Don't tell me he is sleeping himself after calling us here?" Poseidon twitched his brow.

The surroundings still dark, made it impossible to find Nidou. All of a sudden, they could hear a light yet a strong rhythm from nearby. The melody slightly blue yet sturdily heart jerking and passionate at the same time created a sense of charm. The boys looked at each other puzzled.

Recognizing the voice after a while Helios called stepping forward, "Alan…?"

On the edge of the cliff Alan sat. Wearing a white attire, hooded with a jacket resting on his back, his legs danged low one a top of another. Long and wet highlighted red, blue hairs fluttered alongside the wind, with two earplugs resting in his ears. His smile as if of an ascended angel, he hummed at ease. The rabbit resting below his hand from which it was caressed lovingly, his other hand tapped the rock nearby. 

    "Oh, you who seizes the day and night~

  Dye the day and dye the evenings~

  Dye every moment in multiple hues, O dyer~!

  Amid all that, just dye me now, dye me~

  Dye my body and my soul~

  Into finest of colors none ever witnessed before~

  Mould me into my preeminent, ideal self, O my dyer~!

  Oh dyer, oh dyer~"

Alan sang tenderly. Rays of sun frivolously revealing themselves from behind. A majestic sight rested before them. The boys stared at a loss of words.

"An exalted poetry1…?" Heber guessed.

Abruptly, catching their shadows, Alan glanced. A sparkle lighting up his face as if by magic he asked, "You're all here?"

Kenzo rolling his eyes looked away while Gabriel clicked his tongue.

Alan standing up removed his earplugs and dusted his clothes, making way towards them greeting, "Good morning."

"Morning." Xavier and Poseidon greeted back waving their hands while the rest nodded.

"You are alone here?" Helios questioned.

"Yeah, where's head coach Nidou?" Cassiel added.

Alan shoving his recorder back into his pocket, picked his gear bag. "Quit worrying and follow me. I'll take you to where he is." he assured.

The thirteen of them following behind, a little while later stopped over another tabloid cliff. Spacious and far stretched than the one before, the boys observed checking out. 

"You're all here?" Nidou's voice called out from far.

The boys pivoted to catch his view.

"Remember this route from now on and come here every day for practice." Nidou informed gulping his sports drinks resting over his wooden pallet.

"Wow~ it's a lot spacious from the mountain before." Feng praised looking around.

"Yeah, it is… but I suggest no one should look down in any case." Cassiel forewarned.

Adam and Ryan as curious as they were peeked below. Earth leaving their feet's' they scuttled back shrieking, "So high!!"

"Yup, it is quiet high. So be careful everyone." Seraph cautioned. Kenzo alongside Heber and Azazel too studied the place.

"Alright, everyone gather around!" Nidou called. Alan standing beside him, observed the middle schoolers gathering.

"Today after your warm up practice, you all will be divided into two teams of seven and will play a 15 over match against each other. Finalizing the batting order and fielding positions are all in your hands. The rules are the same as of cricket no change."

"Finally…" Gabriel tolled his eyes ironically.

"However, the team which loses will receive a penalty. That penalty includes running a 100 laps around this area, 200 pushups, 200 sit-ups and 500 swings of each hand. Is that clear?" Nidou glared merciless.

The boys stood jaw dropped. "What the heck?!" Azazel shrieked.

"As for the teams…" Nidou ignored, "You, you, you, you, you, you and you on one side." he pointed at Heber, Seraph, Poseidon, Gabriel, Xavier, Ezekiel and Adam.

"And, you, you, you, you, you, you and that rascal on the other one." he pointed at Feng, Azazel, Helios, Ryan, Kenzo, Cassiel and lastly at Alan who twitched his brow. "Off you all go now, start with the warm up!" he ordered.

The boys soon dispersed warming up. "Make sure not to lose you lot!" Kenzo grinned at Seraph and Xavier.

"Same to you." Xavier grinned back.

"Look who's speaking… a phony who can't even lead his team straight?" Adam taunted Kenzo, "Literally, why did Ryan had to be in this team?" he pitied embracing Ryan who sighed wordless.

In the end, yet another awful day of practiced eventually passed by… 

At night, when stars shone with hooting owls and every wild animal had snuck deep into his habitat ready to dive into their slumber.

Kenzo swinged his bat endlessly. Feng and Ryan completed their pushups. Cassiel and Azazel ran around the area for the sixty third time with Helios and Alan who consecutively sat up and laid back down finishing endless sit-ups.

"Good grief… we seriously lost?" Cassiel uttered in disbelief.

"Yeah, we were the last ones to lose like this. I thought it might be a different case since Alan was with us but what luck…!" Feng rolled his eyes.

"Hmph! Luck? As if you'd have it with that multi-haired rascal on your side." Kenzo taunted.

Alan vexed argued, "Oh really? As if you were soo~ great that one can't even imagine hun? I was told to not to use my skills or else I would be disqualified. How dare you blame me!?"

"Tch!" Kenzo ignored him. 

Helios exhaled, "There's no need to fight now it was our fault to begin with. Had we planned carefully none of this would've happened."

Ryan agreed, "Exactly... there's no use blaming anyone, you dumb head. It was because of your stupid claims we ended up getting smacked on our faces."

Kenzo eyed him pissed. Suddenly, they could hear chuckles coming from close by. More than angry he could be Kenzo shouted, "Quit your chuckling you rascals! I'll see your laughter once I beat you next time!!"

Adam still laughing taunted, "Yeah, yeah~ say's a certain someone who just lost. Weren't you talking all big before? Serves you right, Haha!"

Heber and Ezekiel too chuckled clapping their fists together as Xavier came ahead. Gabriel resting his back on a tree trunk waited. 

"What are you all doing here?" Cassiel questioned leaving the jokes aside.

"Nothing at all. Even if we were dismissed early just because we won. It wasn't fun without you all. So we came back to look for you." Poseidon replied sitting beside Helios.

"Yeah, we came to take you all back. Since you've all worked so hard." Xavier praised patting Ryan and Feng's hairs while Adam embraced Cassiel.

"That's why hurry up Captain." Heber gleamed at Kenzo who rolled his eyes smiling shortly.

Alan relived whispered, "Really… such a bunch."

(Day 10)

"Come on! You lazy bums! Get a grip and catch his shots!" Nidou shouted at the boys. Xavier wiping his sweat headed back. The boys scattered around the spot choosing their fielding positions planned,

"Ezekiel's shots are more towards the off side. Maybe we should fill up that space." Heber suggested.

"Forget it, it's not even Ezekiel. It's totally Seraph at this spot, and we know Seraph's play style very well. It's aimed around the entire four corners of the ground." Gabriel pointed, "Moreover, even if we find a way to tackle his shots. He might just transform into someone else."

"What should we do then?" Cassiel wondered for a solution.

"Come on, take positions. We'll think it out in the meanwhile." Helios clapped grasping their attention.

Seraph smiled shaking his head, "Why are you all worrying? The one who knows his weakness the best is right here."

The boys instantly realized.

"Yeah right! You can defeat your own self!" Ryan claimed as Adam jumped, "Yahoo! Way to go Sera, Sera."

Kenzo nodded, "Tell Xavier about it."

Seraph headed towards Xavier however, before he could call him Xavier interrupted looking at his ball, "No need, Seraph. There's something I want to try."

Seraph blinking his eyes nodded, "Alright."

Alan standing on the short point beside the baller's side grinned.