The trial match was completed, but Raj didn't leave the ground right away.He stayed behind, quietly putting his gloves back into his bag, folding his jersey with slow and careful movements. His heart was calm on the surface, but something inside still felt unfinished.
In the trial match,he had scored 49 runs.It was a good score. The coaches were impressed. Players nodded in respect.So many appreciated the innings.But Raj didn't smile.He wasn't looking for attention.He was looking for something more.Something quieter.
The sky was soft with evening light .After w while a coach walked over to him , not one he had seen often.He was older with white sideburns and a tired but kind face."You played clean," the coach said.
"Thank you, sir."
"You don't hit hard. But you place. You think."
Raj nodded. "I just try to stay steady."The coach paused for a moment, then handed him a folded note.
"This came for you. Room 14, Time 6 p.m. Be there. It's unofficial."
Raj opened the note.Inside was just one line:
"Some games aren't on the schedule. This is one of them."
Room 14 was on the other side of the facility behind the indoor fitness zone, far from the main dorm.At 5:55 p.m., Raj stood at the door, unsure whether to knock or turn away.He wasn't nervous.But he felt watched.Finally, he pushed the door open.
Inside, the room looked like a small strategy lab. Whiteboard,desktop,a few files stacked in the corner of the room. And a large screen paused on slow-motion footage of him.It was Raj playing and swinging his bat.The frame was frozen mid-shot.
At the desk there is a man in a grey tracksuit sitting on it.He is not a coach,not an administrator.But someone else.
"You're Raj?" the man asked without looking up.
"Yes."
"Good. Sit."
Raj sat.The man turned to the screen and clicked play.Raj watched himself batting through trial highlights and his shots. The man paused the footage after every second stroke.
"You know what I'm looking at?" he asked.Raj shook his head.
"Your grip. Your recovery footwork. And your eyes."Raj leaned in slightly.
"You read deliveries early," the man continued. "You don't guess. That's rare."
Raj said nothing."I've seen batsmen swing with ego. You swing with memory."
That line hit deeper than expected.
With memory?
"Who are you?" Raj finally asked.The man smiled. "You could say I scout talent. But not just for cricket. For design. Decision. Growth."He reached into his file and pulled out a document and said "This isn't a job offer. It's an invitation. A three-day internal test. Not with your bat but it is with your brain."
Raj asked: "Test?"
He answered,"You'll be asked to plan gear lines. Spot player issues. Suggest solutions. Work with people. Think like someone who'll run more than just innings."
Raj's mouth went dry.This wasn't what he expected.Not today,not so fast,not ever.But something about it felt right to him.
"I'll be there," Raj said.The man nodded once. "Good."Then as Raj stood up to leave, the man added softly:"And Raj,keep your eye on the ones who smile too fast. Not everyone here wants you to rise."
A system window popped out.
[System Thread Recording: Test Flag Planted]
This is not a normal challenge.
Observation Level: High.
Hidden Paths May Unlock.
As Raj stepped out of the room, he didn't see the shadow near the corner of the hallway.But someone was watching him walk away.Their arms folded.A quiet cunning smile on their face.The test hadn't even started but the game had already begun.
He lay on his bed staring at the ceiling fan, watching it spin in slow, lazy circles with sound.His roommates had already drifted off, one snoring softly, the other scrolling on his phone with earbuds in.But Raj's mind was spinning faster than the fan.
A test? With gear?
He didn't even know such things happened in cricket camps.Was it a trap or was it an opportunity?Or is it both?
While he His thinking about it his phone buzzed.One new message.From an unknown number.He opened it, It shows:
"Heard about your special invitation. Don't forget you still play cricket, not chess."
Raj didn't shock.He didn't reply. Because he already had a guess who sent it.
The next morning, he reported to the indoor hall where the test session was arranged.There were five players selected.
All standing around a table of gloves, bats, pads, and scanned reports.Sandeep was one of them.Of course.Raj kept his eyes on the board.
An older coach walked in and said, "Welcome to the decision chamber. You five were selected not just for how you play, but how you think."
They handed each player a sheet.
Raj's task?It shows:
"Build a lineup for a five-player field unit, using gear that improves performance. Spot three weaknesses and suggest two changes using real samples."
It sounded simple.But there were dozens of gear pieces laid out.Some poorly stitched,some are much expensive,some are random.And Raj could tell they were waiting to see who looked overwhelmed first.
He started slow.Glove first and then moved to shin pads.He didn't reach for the expensive ones.He reached for the ones that felt like home,the rougher ones.Because those were the ones real kids wore.He placed them neatly on the table and started writing notes.
Sandeep leaned over at one point and whispered, "Better write fast. Real players don't need time to think."
Raj just looked at him once.Then kept writing.
After 30 minutes, they were told to stop and step back.A head coach walked along each table, reading notes, testing placements.When they reached Raj's layout, one paused.He picked up the shin pad."This padding choice is old."Raj nodded. "But it forces cleaner footwork. He won't take lazy steps."The coach raised an eyebrow.Then moved on.At the end, the lead mentor stood in front of the group.
"Most of you built with flash. Only one built with memory."He looked at Raj and said: "Accepted."
[System Trigger: Internal Respect Path – Activated]
Raj is now marked as a 'Creative Asset' under scouting level.
Special Title (Locked): Thinker on the Field
Back in the dorm that evening, Raj opened his bag to check his gear.He stopped at once.Because something was missing.His RC-2 glove prototype, the one with the reinforced seam was gone.He turned everything inside out.But he found nothing.He checked with the hall manager.
"No lost and found," the man said.Raj didn't ask any questions further.But he knew.He returned to his bed and sat down.His hand trembled slightly.
He is talking to himself that the glove had the new padding test design. It wasn't even revealed yet.
Whoever took it,they knew what they were doing.And outside, in the shadows near the equipment room, someone was holding the glove.Their thumb brushed over the initials stitched inside: "RP".They smiled.He didn't sleep well on that day
On the next morning, Raj woke early and headed straight to the main office before training began.He didn't run.He didn't show panic.But something in his chest burned.
It's just a glove.., but it's not just a glove.
At the admin desk, he asked to speak to the head mentor.The assistant coach raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
Raj looked him in the eye and said:"One of my gear samples is missing. RC-2. It was sealed in my bag. Now it's not."
Ten minutes later, Raj stood in the same room where he'd given his decision-building test just yesterday.The mentor from Room 14 was there again.He leaned forward. "You're sure it wasn't misplaced?"
Raj nodded. "I double-checked. It's not just missing. Someone took it."The mentor studied him.Then nodded and said:"I believe you."
Raj blinked. "You do?"
"Yes. Because I saw what you stitched that glove for."He stood up and added, "And I've seen boys try to rise by stepping over others."
[System Note: Observation Level Increased]
Hidden Path Flag Planted: Rival Sabotage (Stage 1)
You did not react with anger.
You reacted with awareness.
System respects your calmness.
Back in the dorm, Raj returned to stitching.He didn't cry.Didn't show anger.He just began sketching RC-2B, a slightly different version.But as he opened his stitching journal, a folded paper slipped out not his own.He opened it.It was written as:
"They stole from you last time too.
The only difference now — you're ready for it."
And at the bottom a tiny sketch of a cracked glove.Not broken.Just tested.He held the note tight.He didn't know how she always found the right words.But he knew one thing for sure now:
He wasn't the same boy who got stepped on in his first life and this time, he was going to win the game he didn't expect.
To be continued....