The clock read 5:00 AM. Friday. June 8, 2001.
One day before the trials.
Rudra sat on the edge of his bed, the five hundred rupees still tucked under his pillow. He hadn't touched the money. The snack business would start next week—after the trials, after he knew whether he had made the school team.
One thing at a time.
[Day 9 — Morning Run]
[Distance target: 1.2 km]
He stood up, stretched, and slipped out of the apartment. The stairs were dark. The street was quiet. The lamppost waited.
He ran.
1.2 kilometers. Steady pace. No collapse. No stumble.
[Morning Run Complete]
[Distance: 1.21 km]
[Stamina Lv 02 → 66/200 EXP]
Progress.
Shadow practice in the hallway. Eight hundred repetitions. His forearm was nearly healed—the yellow-green bruise had faded to a pale brown, and the ache was gone unless he gripped too tightly.
[Shadow Practice Complete]
[Repetitions: 800/800]
[EXP Gained: Batting Timing +8]
[Batting Timing Lv 02 → 130.5/200 EXP]
Breakfast was idli and sambar. His mother watched him eat, her eyes tracing the fading bruise on his arm.
"Tomorrow is the trials," Janavi said.
"Yes, Amma."
"Your father will be there. He moved a court appearance to the afternoon."
Rudra looked up. "He did?"
"He said you needed someone in your corner." Janavi smiled—a small, tired smile. "He's proud of you. He doesn't say it, but he is."
In my previous life, he never came to a single match. Not one. He was always working, always busy, always somewhere else.
This time is different. I'm different. Maybe he's different too.
"Thank you for telling me, Amma."
She nodded and turned back to the stove.
School was a half-day—teachers' meeting in the afternoon. Rudra sat through four periods, his mind drifting to the nets, to the trials, to the bowlers he would face.
Who else is trying out?
He remembered the names from his previous life. Rohan from IX A—tall, aggressive, a fast bowler who thought he was faster than he was. Varun from VIII B—a left-handed batsman with a beautiful cover drive and no patience. Karthik from VII C—a spinner who flighted the ball beautifully but couldn't bowl a consistent line.
And me. The last pick. The benchwarmer.
Not this time.
At 12:30 PM, the bell rang. Rudra walked home, ate a quick lunch, and headed to the nets.
The Malleshwaram Cricket Club was buzzing.
Guru Rao had opened the nets to all comers—schoolboys preparing for trials, club regulars practicing for weekend matches, a few college students who used the facility for fitness training.
But today, there was a new face.
He was tall—at least five foot six, with broad shoulders and the kind of lean muscle that came from years of training. His skin was fair, his hair was carefully styled, and his cricket whites were spotless. Not a single grass stain. Not a single crease.
He carried a Grade 2 English Willow bat—Rudra could tell from the grains, the shine, the way the handle was wrapped in premium grip tape.
Rich kid, Rudra thought. Probably from one of the private schools. Bishop Cotton. St. Joseph's. Somewhere with real coaching.
The boy was practicing in Net 1, facing a bowling machine set to 80 km/h. His technique was... good. Not great—his backlift was slightly crooked, his head fell over on the drive—but good. Clean. Confident.
[System Note: Potential competitor detected. Analyzing...]
Guru Rao walked over to Rudra. "See that boy?"
"Who is he?"
"Varun Khanna. Eighth standard. Bishop Cotton Boys' School. He's been training at the KSCA Academy for two years. His father is a senior advocate—very well connected. He's trying out for the state Under-14 team next month."
Varun Khanna. Rudra searched his memory. The name was familiar, but not from his previous life at this age. Had Varun become a professional? A Ranji player? An India cap?
He couldn't remember. That meant Varun hadn't made it big—or had faded before Rudra's adult years.
"Does he come here often?" Rudra asked.
"First time. His father wants him to practice against different bowlers. The KSCA nets are good, but they're full of the same faces." Guru glanced at Rudra. "You're facing him today."
"What?"
"You need competition. He needs competition. Net 3. Twenty minutes. Bowlers rotating."
Rudra looked at Varun—at his Grade 2 bat, at his spotless whites, at the effortless way he played the machine's deliveries.
He's good. But he's not unbeatable.
"Fine," Rudra said.
Varun Khanna looked at Rudra the way a cat looks at a mouse.
"You're the one Guru keeps talking about," Varun said, leaning on his bat. "The twelve-year-old who wants to be a professional."
"I am the one."
Varun smiled—not warmly. "You don't look like much."
"I'm not much. I'm just here to practice."
"We'll see."
They walked to Net 3. Guru had arranged two bowlers—Sanjay, the KSCA trainee, and a leg-spinner named Prakash who bowled decent googlies.
"You bat first," Varun said. "I'll watch."
Rudra nodded. He walked to the batting crease, Kashmir willow in hand.
Show him.
Sanjay ran in. The first ball was 90 km/h, full on off stump.
Rudra's feet moved. His bat came down straight. The defensive block was solid.
Thunk.
[Live Bowling Session — Net 3]
[Ball 1: Contact. Defensive.]
Varun's expression didn't change.
Second ball. Short. Rudra ducked.
Third ball. Yorker. Rudra jammed his bat down just in time. The ball squirted toward point.
Fourth ball. Outside off stump. Rudra left it.
Fifth ball. A half-volley. Rudra's eyes lit up. He stepped forward, bat swinging through the line—
Crack.
The ball rocketed off the middle of the bat, past the bowler, past the net, bouncing once before hitting the pavilion wall.
[Batting Timing Lv 02 → 131.0/200 EXP]
Varun's eyebrow rose. "Lucky."
Rudra said nothing.
Sixth ball. Defensive block.
Seventh ball. Miss. Beaten by pace.
Eighth ball. Glove. The ball popped up but fell short.
Ninth ball. Nudge to leg side.
Tenth ball. A beautiful cover drive. Pure contact. The ball flew to the boundary.
[Batting Timing Lv 02 → 131.5/200 EXP]
Rudra stepped out of the crease. "Your turn."
Varun walked to the batting crease, his Grade 2 bat held loosely. He took his stance—relaxed, confident, almost arrogant.
Sanjay ran in.
First ball. 90 km/h, full on off stump. Varun drove. Not a defensive block—an aggressive, flowing drive that sent the ball screaming past the bowler.
Beautiful shot, Rudra admitted. His weight transfer is perfect. His head is still. His hands are soft.
[System Note: Varun Khanna — Batting Timing estimated Lv 03 or Lv 04. Natural talent evident. But weakness detected: overconfidence. He plays too many shots.]
Second ball. Short. Varun pulled. The ball rocketed to the boundary.
Third ball. Yorker. Varun dug it out. Not elegant, but effective.
Fourth ball. Outside off stump. Varun drove again. This time, the edge was thick—the ball flew between slip and gully, wide of the fielders.
Lucky, Rudra thought. But luck favors the brave.
Fifth ball. A slower ball—80 km/h, off-cutter. Varun didn't read it. He played too early, the ball looping off the leading edge toward cover.
Drop.
The fielder—a club regular—misfielded. The ball went for a single.
Varun scowled. "Concentrate!"
[System Note: Emotional Control weakness detected. Varun's frustration is visible.]
Sixth ball. Full toss. Varun smashed it. The ball hit the net at chest height.
Seventh, eighth, ninth. Three defensive blocks. Boring. Safe.
Tenth ball. Another drive. This time, the ball went exactly where he intended—through the covers, along the ground.
Varun stepped out of the crease, looking at Rudra. "That's how you bat."
Rudra nodded. "Not bad."
"Not bad?" Varun's eyes narrowed. "I'm the best batsman in Bangalore for my age."
"Then why aren't you at the KSCA nets?"
Varun's face flushed. "I am at the KSCA nets. I just came here for a change."
Hmm, Rudra thought. Something about that story doesn't fit.
[System Note: Social Intelligence Lv 01 → 7/100 EXP]
[Insight: Varun may be embellishing his KSCA connection. Verify later.]
The rest of the practice session was a grind.
Rudra faced another twenty balls from Sanjay—defending, leaving, occasionally driving. His forearm ached by the end, but he didn't complain.
Varun faced twenty balls from the leg-spinner, Prakash. The spinner troubled him—the googly, in particular, seemed to confuse Varun completely.
"You're late on the googly," Rudra said after Varun missed a third.
"I'm not late. The ball is spinning too much."
"The ball is spinning the same amount every time. You're just not reading it."
Varun glared at him. "You think you could do better?"
"I think I'd watch the release point."
"Show me."
Rudra walked to the crease. Prakash was a decent leg-spinner—not great, but good enough to turn the ball both ways.
First ball. Leg break. Rudra watched the wrist, saw the rotation, played forward. Contact.
Second ball. Googly. The wrist flicked differently. Rudra's eyes caught the change—the way the palm faced cover instead of mid-off.
Googly, he told himself. Play for the spin.
He stayed back, let the ball turn, and nudged it to leg side.
Contact.
[Batting Timing Lv 02 → 132.0/200 EXP]
[System Note: Spin detection improving. Cricket IQ applied.]
Varun's expression shifted—from annoyance to something closer to respect.
"You've faced spinners before."
"I've practiced."
"Where?"
"Here. With the machine. And with anyone who will bowl to me."
Varun was quiet for a moment. Then he said, "You're not like the other kids here."
"I know."
"Why not?"
Rudra looked at Varun—at the expensive bat, the spotless whites, the carefully styled hair. This was the kind of boy who had everything. Money. Connections. Training. Opportunity.
And yet, something was missing. Something Rudra couldn't name.
"Because I have nothing to lose," Rudra said. "And everything to gain."
The practice ended at 5 PM. Rudra cleaned the nets, swept the pavilion, and collected the scattered balls.
Varun watched him from the bench, his Grade 2 bat across his knees.
"You don't have to do that," Varun said. "You're not his servant."
"I made a deal. Nets for cleaning. Fair trade."
"That's beneath you."
"Nothing is beneath me if it gets me closer to my goal."
Varun shook his head. "You're strange."
"You said that already."
Varun stood up, slinging his bat bag over his shoulder. "I'm trying out for the state Under-14 team next month. KSCA. You should try too."
"I will. After the school trials."
"The school trials?" Varun laughed. "Those are nothing. The real competition is at the state level."
"One step at a time."
Varun looked at him—really looked at him—and nodded slowly.
"Maybe I'll see you at the KSCA nets someday."
"Maybe you will."
Varun walked away, his expensive sneakers silent on the concrete.
Rudra finished cleaning at 5:45 PM. His shoulder ached. His legs were heavy. But the System panel showed progress.
[Day 9 Complete]
[EXP Earned Today: Stamina +12, Batting Timing +9.5, Social Intelligence +2, Cricket IQ +0 (already counted)]
[Stamina Lv 02 → 66/200]
[Batting Timing Lv 02 → 132.0/200]
[Social Intelligence Lv 01 → 7/100]
[Hidden Quest Progress: Static Vision — 338/10,000 balls faced]
*Three hundred thirty-eight balls in nine days. Average 37.5 per day. Not enough.*
I need to face 200 balls tomorrow. At the trials. Against real bowlers.
He walked home through the evening streets of Malleshwaram. The vegetable vendors were packing up. The temple bells were ringing. A group of boys his age were playing cricket in the street—tennis ball, plastic stumps, laughter.
In his previous life, he would have joined them. Would have wasted an hour chasing a pink ball, pretending to be Sachin, laughing at nothing.
No time for that now.
He climbed the stairs, opened the door, and stepped inside.
Dinner was lemon rice and papad. His mother had made his favorite—maybe for luck, maybe for comfort.
His father was at the table, reviewing notes for tomorrow's court appearance.
"Trials tomorrow," Krishnamurthy said.
"Yes, Appa."
"I'll be there. 8 AM."
"I know. Amma told me."
His father nodded. "Don't be nervous."
"I'm not nervous."
"Liar." Krishnamurthy looked up, and for the first time in weeks, he smiled. "I'm nervous for you. Is that allowed?"
Rudra felt something loosen in his chest.
"That's allowed, Appa."
He lay on his bed, the System panel open.
[Day 9 — Final Status]
[Physical Attributes]
Stamina: Lv 02 (66/200)
Strength: Lv 01 (3/100)
Reflexes: Lv 01 (5/100)
Flexibility: Lv 01 (9/100)
Durability: Lv 01 (5/100)
[Skill Attributes]
Batting Timing: Lv 02 (132/200)
Bowling: Lv 01 (0/100)
Cricket IQ: Lv 08 (12,805/25,600)
Social Intelligence: Lv 01 (7/100)
Financial Management: Lv 01 (50/100)
[Overall Level: 01]
[Physical Avg: 1.2 | Skill Avg/10: 0.29 | Hidden/10: 0 | Total: 1.49 → Lv 01]
One more level, Rudra thought. One more attribute increase. Strength to Lv 02. Or Reflexes. Or Flexibility. Anything.
Tomorrow, I prove myself.
He closed the panel and closed his eyes.
End of Chapter 10