KINGS OF CRICKET: The Golden Era

Kazuna grabbed his bat and made his way out.

"Hehe, smile, Kazuna," Senri encouraged, giving him a playful pat on the shoulder.

"I will, but only after I win this," Kazuna shot back, glaring determinedly.

"You're impossible," Senri said, shaking his head in disbelief, "Sigh~ I thought I asked you to smile."

Kazuna stepped onto the ground, making his way toward the pitch. As he approached, Wasif's lips curled into an intrigued smile. He brushed past Kazuna, their shoulders lightly colliding before Kazuna could take his stance at the crease. Kazuna shot him a sharp glance, his frown deepening, while Wasif, feigning an apology, casually moved away.

"Such pressure... but he's the one," Wasif thought, excitement bubbling beneath the surface. He whispered under his breath, "Door of Absolute Control: Caged Bird."

Kazuna, now preparing to face the delivery, stood firm, awaiting the bowler.

Meanwhile, back in Karachi's pavilion, Feng playfully tugged on Ryan's shoulders, a mischievous grin lighting up his face. "Heh, don't you think you came back even quicker than I did? Where's all that confidence gone?" he teased.

Adam, standing just behind Ryan, shifted nervously, "Hey, Ryan, don't let it get to you..."

Ryan's face was hidden behind his hair, but the tension in his clenched fist and gritted teeth spoke volumes.

"Tch, quit teasing him," Ezekiel muttered, "he still beat you by three runs."

Feng pouted, "Harsh."

Gabriel, raising a brow, added, "But true."

Feng rolled his eyes dramatically.

Ren cautiously asked, "So, how did you get out? Anything feel off?"

Musa offered a supportive smile, but Ryan, still silent, shrugged off Feng's hand and headed to the dressing room.

"He's struggling to accept it, huh?" Gabriel mused aloud to Xavier.

"Yeah, looks that way," Xavier agreed.

"Don't pamper him," Musa interjected with a grin, eyes fixed on the match ahead, "If he's knocked down, he has to rise on his own. And, surely he can. He's my son, after all."

As a boundary was struck, the scoreboard shifted at the end of the fifteenth over: Karachi at 129/5, run rate steady at 9.00.

Wasif took over the bowling, humming in satisfaction, clearly more relaxed than earlier.

"What's gotten into him?" Hamza asked Venus, who simply shrugged, "Who knows?"

Rovan, prepping Wasif for the next ball, asked, "Ready? Now both big shots of Karachi are standing on the pitch."

Wasif stretched at the crease, a relaxed smirk playing across his face, "So what?" "I just want to have my share of fun now." His eyes burned with excitement.

Rovan nodded, returning to his position, "Good to hear," he murmured.

Isa flashed a thumbs-up to Kazuna before taking his position at the crease. Activating his pinnacle, he analyzed the field placements. The first ball of the over, a full toss, Isa ordered, "Slow down." The ball immediately lost speed, and Isa executed a clean cover drive down the ground, taking a single.

Wasif, impressed, whistled soon heading back to his spot.

Kazuna, ready at the batting crease, prepared for the next delivery. Wasif, stepping on the popping crease, murmured, "Piercing Arrow." The ball shot toward Kazuna, a sharp, fast-paced delivery at good length.

Kazuna drove it straight toward long-on, once again opting for a quick single. As Juhan attempted to field the ball at the boundary line, Kazuna whispered, "Black Hole." But nothing happened—Juhan grabbed the ball cleanly and threw it back to Wasif. 

Standing at the non-striker's end, Kazuna's expression was pensive. He whispered, "I knew something felt off."

Wasif, overhearing, smirked as he walked back, muttering to himself, "Something off? Are you starting to figure it out, my little caged bird?"

The third delivery, a Yorker, once again, Isa slowed the ball down with a whisper, playing it toward deep mid-wicket for another single.

"Get it, Mika!" Emaad shouted as Mikael quickly collected the ball, stopping any chance of more runs.

Isa grinned to himself, thinking, "No matter where I hit, their field is airtight."

Kazuna returned to the striker's end, exhaling before whispering, "Realm of Enlightened Consciousness..." But mid-sentence, he noticed no change—neither in himself nor the surroundings. "I see," he muttered, finally realizing the problem.

The next ball bowled was a deceptive seam delivery, and Kazuna studied it closely powering a cover drive past Ibn Sena, forcing Rovan to chase it. Kazuna took another quick single, but Isa, watching closely, began to wonder. The over ended with just 6 runs scored. Wasif casually tossed the ball back to the umpire, returning to his fielding position.

"What's going on, Kazuna? I thought you were planning to play aggressively," Isa asked curiously.

"I was," Kazuna replied, removing his helmet. "But we've got a problem, Isa. I'm under the influence of his 'Door' I think." Kazuna gestured toward Wasif, "My batting skills are locked, even the 'Realm' and whenever I try to activate them, they won't respond." "I was sure to take the run scoring from you but I am afraid I'll have to leave the hard work to you." he continued.

"His door...?" Isa echoed, running a hand over his forehead. "I can't believe I forgot. Ever since Aigou's wicket fell, Wasif's been lying low. I should've known he had something up his sleeve." Isa paused before asking, "So, change of plans?"

"Yeah," Kazuna confirmed, "We need 10 runs per over, no time or deliveries to waste." 

Isa nodded with determination, placing his helmet back on and heading to the striker's end. "Leave it to me," he said with a confident grin.

"Isa..." Kazuna called out.

"Hm?" Isa glanced back.

"I've got your back, till the very end," Kazuna said, poised and calm.

Isa, momentarily taken aback, remembered the younger Kazuna, a first-year student who had clawed his way up, through thick and thin, pain and tears. Now, standing before him, shining radiantly.

Isa nodded appreciatively, "Thanks, Kazuna. Just knowing you're here means the world to me. Let's win this." With unwavering trust in each other, the two took their positions, ready to battle on their shared battlefield.

As the sixteenth over commenced, a tense silence swept over the stadium. The crowd sat in suspense, brimming with anticipation for the next big moment. But, would it come from Karachi Kings or Islamabad United? Excitement and curiosity hung thick in the air.

"Man... I can't stop sweating," Milan muttered beside Lucas and Yahya, gulping nervously.

"It's intense. Watching a match is more nerve-racking than actually playing," Nouis added, wringing his hands anxiously.

"I agree. What do you think, Haitam?" David asked, glancing at him.

Haitam, with a fervent grin, watched the match intently, not daring to blink. This match was his answer. "Tell me, heroine," he suddenly addressed Maria, "Justly, who do you think will take the crown today?"

Maria blinked in confusion, "You're asking me? Not Uncle Zain?"

"Yup," Haitam replied without breaking his gaze from the field, "I already know what he'd say."

Zain raised his brow surprised.

"Islamabad United," Maria answered confidently.

Haitam smiled as a booming six rocketed towards long-on and landed in the audience stands. The crowd cheered in delight. "Oh~" he whispered amused.

"Haha! Yes!" Azazel, Adam, and Heber clapped excitedly, while Poseidon grabbed Xavier by the shoulders, the two of them sharing bright smiles. Seraph and Cassiel exchanged a fist bump, while Gabriel and Kenzo grinned wide.

Alan, scanning the crowd, finally spotted Will seated between Elias and Rauf, all three composed and calm like gentlemen. "Pft!" Alan stifled a laugh as Elias, Noah, Aaron, and Ren chuckled along.

Inside the dressing room, Aigou, lying down and watching the big screen, let out a long sigh. "Seles, I wanna go outside. I'm tired of being stuck here Can I please go out?" He called out, but hearing no reply, he sighed again. His eyes immediately falling on Ryan, who sat in the corner, staring blankly at his bat, lost in thought, replaying the full toss that cost him his wicket.

"What's up, kid? Why are you adding to the gloom in here?" Aigou teased.

Getting no response again, he twitched in irritation, "You see, this is the worst day of my life," he groaned, sitting up and rubbing his numb jaw. "Missed out on a fifty and even got injured on top it—nothing to show for it. But you know, when I came back to the pavilion, everyone was smiling, the coaches were proud, and the crowd was cheering. Even though I felt like I failed, I realized something— Whatever happened was because I did it. Not up to the mark or my own expectations but still it was me. And it's because of that we're still in this game, still pushing to win. My juniors and seniors are giving it their all because I ignited that spark in them."

He turned to Ryan, smiling. "So, Ryan, even if you feel like you haven't achieved much, remember what you've done."

"Nothing but disgrace," Ryan muttered bitterly.

"Pft! Haha, you gave others a chance, silly," Aigou responded with a laugh, "You found your mistakes, and now you've grown a little stronger. No one's born a prodigy, but we can become one someday."