112 A Usual Day

"You guys really like stealing my clothes." Walking out of the elevator, Hayden scoffed at Sayuri. "If these continues, and if there will be many more of you, I'll run out of clothes."

"Well, that's your problem." Sayuri turned around, leaned adorably towards him, and pouted. "That's not ours. It's your fault you attracted us."

"There is an abundance of guys just like me in the world of wielders." Hayden protested to Sayuri. Sayuri put her hand behind Hayden's neck and dragged herself towards her, kissing him. "Jeez, so greedy with the smooches."

"Heh." Sayuri tapped Hayden on the nose. "You're not like them. You're massively different than every single one of them. All of them only want us for our beauty. You? You control yourself. You're a principled man. You're someone who sees more of us than mere beauties. Also, you're cute when you're fanboying over us."

"I…" Hayden blinked. "That's actually the best compliment anyone's ever given me. You really are good at this."

Sayuri giggled. Precipitously, a lovely voice rang out from the sofa. It was from Eun-ha. "Oho, he finally accepted you?"

"You bet he did." Sayuri lovingly gazed at Hayden in the eyes. This made him rattled as she has never done this before.

"That's new." Hayden exclaimed. Regardless, Hayden has seen that look from Eun-ha. In fact, he always sees that look on Eun-ha whenever they look into each other's eyes.

"Expect more, Hayden-kun." Sayuri pecked Hayden on the lip for the second time. "Also, don't attach –san anymore. Call me by my given name. Or a nickname."

"Yeah, yeah." Hayden wrapped his left arm around Sayuri. "Mhm… Sunshine."

"Sunshine?" Sayuri tilted her head.

"You know, because you're the most cheerful person in the world." Hayden caressed Sayuri's cheek. "You're like our little ray of sunshine."

"That's cute." Eun-ha approached the two. Hayden put his hand on Eun-ha's waist too and kissed her. She turned her head to Sayuri. "Guess we're in a polygynous relationship now, huh?"

"That's what I said, heh." Sayuri giggled. "I wonder how our fans would react when this matter is unveiled?"

"It'd be a riot." Hayden interjected. "Two of the most beautiful women on Earth, mine alone? With our popularities combined, the world will be split in two ways. One that'd bash me out of jealousy, enviousness, and for no reason at all. And one that'd support us, show us some love. The latter will have a higher amount of base."

"You've got this all calculated?" Eun-ha asked.

"You become sexier when you talk that way." Eun-ha bit her lip.

"Whoa there." Sayuri broke free from Hayden. She teased. "That sexual tension is intense. It was one night."

"Come back here." Hayden rolled his eyes. Sayuri tittered. She obliged. The two buried their faces on Hayden's chest. '16 years old. Two girlfriends. The most beautiful ones to boot. Who would've thought?'

…..

7:00 AM. Manila Sports Complex. Hayden and Daniel just arrived. He didn't take Dusk and Dawn this time, leaving them in Sayuri and Eun-ha's care. Dusk and Dawn thankfully didn't reject it.

For the past few hours, Hayden was first sent on a supply run by the artistic one, Chung-hee, to get stuff for Aiko's birthday. The next thing he did was go home, draw up some birthday stuff he was asked to, wrap his gift, record some videos, and cook the meal of the Annual Youth Pride Team. A usual day's worth of work.

Alighting, the two entered and changed into their jerseys. While walking to the indoor court, Daniel asked, "Where were you yesterday?"

"I had some matters that I had to deal with." Hayden's nonchalant face subtly implied that Daniel shouldn't pry further. "Did you do what I instructed you to practice on yesterday?"

"Dribble with a blindfold? Yes, I did." Daniel exhaled deeply. "Why did you have me do that anyways?"

"Because, in the court, it's like a battlefield." Hayden explained as they entered the indoor court. "Processing what you can see is important. But don't you think sound and touch is important as well? Coach Dominic, did you…?"

"Yeah, yeah, I checked up on him once in a while." Dominic answered without much thought. "Don't worry, my Ability's range is quite unique in that it is fluid. I reached him."

"Oh, that's why the practice was much more undemanding…" Daniel directed his eyes to the ceiling without moving his head. "Anyhow, it's time for me to practice shots, right?"

"No. That's not important." Hayden shook his head. "You are going to practice with us."

"What? I can't do that with puny three days of practice, right?" Daniel was confused of Hayden. "I mean, we equally all have the advantage of Dominic's Mind Force."

"Trust me. You're better than them." Hayden acquired a ball from the ball basket. "That's why you're going to practice with us. Also, it is to advance your skills faster."

"Okay." Daniel agreed. His eyes contained extreme determination. If either it was to impress Hayden with his progress, simply to play good, or desire to play in the Annual Youth Pride for Scarlet to be proud…. No one would know. "I will practice."

"Yes, you will." Hayden threw the ball at Daniel, who caught it without even looking. "Okay, First Drive."

Hayden ran forward. Daniel ran parallel to him. Two steps in, Daniel passed the ball to Hayden. Two steps in, Hayden passed the ball to Daniel. This happened until Hayden and Daniel was in front of the opposite court.

Daniel received the ball and stopped moving. Hayden, under the net, jumped. Daniel threw the ball towards Hayden's hands. The ball, when it reached Hayden, fitted perfectly in his right hand, as he dunked. This all happened within three seconds.

"Holy shit." Dominic went wide-eyed. "The sheer speed of that play was amazing. The seamless coordination. The concentration. Nobody would expect that!"

"It's as if Hayden is transforming Daniel into some kind of weapon." Adjacent to him, Sophia's expression was calm, but her voice had signs of being shook. "A monstrous weapon. A shadow that will support him."

"That's why he wanted a wielder and someone he can trust, huh?" Dominic understood why Hayden chose Daniel. "To do these? He will indeed be our secret weapon. A secret weapon that will augment the ultimate weapon."

"Second Drive." Hayden picked up the ball and passed it to Daniel. The two did the same routine. Except this time, the ball was bounce passed instead of a regular pass.

This alone was not astonishing. It was the force that both Hayden and Daniel used to do the passes. The force was high enough that it made an extremely loud sound and the ball practically disappeared from sight. At least for those who aren't wielders.

"Third Drive." Hayden passed the ball again to Daniel. For the third time, they did the routine. This time, their paths weren't linear. It was on a wave-like pattern that intertwined. Their coordination was nothing short of inhuman, with their passes unpredictable.

"Holy mother of god." Dominic sighed in admiration. "What kind of practice were they doing that Monday?"

"Okay." At the end, Hayden nodded. "These will be our main weapons. However, in a real match, this wouldn't be as useful. That's why we're going to have to use it flexibly. Improvise on the run. Change gears in the middle of a drive. Increase or decrease the tempo."

"I… Can do that." Daniel contemplatively spoke. "How about our other weapons? Our coordinated three-point shot? Coordinated lay-ups? Dunks?"

"Do not worry about that." Hayden shook his head. "We have fully perfected those. Those are already not seen in any basketball history. It's an unanticipated skill. That is our greatest weapon, the element of surprise."

"Okay, I get you." Daniel gave up on doing all those cool things. After all, Hayden was the veteran. "You're the boss."

For the next hour, Hayden and Daniel practiced their drives to the point that they can execute it in any manner they wanted. Their already high rate of learning was increased by Dominic's usage of his Level 3 Mind Force.

When stacked with the effect of Sophia's Maiden of Tranquility, the power was terrifying. It was as if Hayden and Daniel's speed of forging out their techniques were tripled.

And when the two is combined with Hayden's analytical skill, able to point out the weaknesses of each, their speed was enhanced further.

The second the Philippine time zone struck eight, Amado entered to see Hayden and Daniel's high velocity passes and speed. He was petrified at the door, venerating the skillful display of the duo.

It was only when Hayden told Daniel 'time for a break' was Amado put out of his daze. He approached Dominic. "Coach… Who is that?"

"Oh, good timing. That there is Daniel Luntiang-Dahon." Dominic put his right hand on Amado's shoulder. "He'll be Hayden's secret weapon. The final cog to our win in the Annual Youth Pride stage."

"But coach…" Amado said with worry. "Wouldn't the players cause a ruckus when they hear of this?"

What was Amado so worried about? Well, the Annual Youth Pride basketball team for all countries, like in the Olympics, are solely allowed 12 players for the roster, five starters, and seven reserves.

The current fifteen people, the five crème de la crème removed, in the basketball camp will have a showdown on Friday on three teams of five. They will have a competition in a round-robin format.

If Amado was correct, and that Daniel will be Hayden's 'secret weapon'; that means that Daniel was guaranteed to be in the ranks of reserves that the fifteen others will have to fight hard to achieve. This will, no doubt, incite chaos.

"Well, all Hayden has to do here is to shut them up, right?" Dominic chuckled lightly. "If all of them witness the two's practice. Or even see a sliver of Daniel's own skill. Then wouldn't they accept it quietly? Or else they'd have to answer to Hayden. And…"

"No one wants that." Amado simultaneously spoke with Dominic. "Okay, I get it, coach. Wait, can I ask a question?"

"Go ahead."

"If this guy is a secret weapon, why isn't he among the 15 people who were invited?"

"With that high level of skill, don't you think you would've heard of him? That's because he is an unknown. One of those hidden geniuses brought in by Hayden himself."

"Oh, okay. Makes sense." Amado bobbled his head from side to side.

As Daniel rested on the bench, Hayden talked to Dominic regarding Daniel. At the same time, the members of the camp entered the court one by one wearing jerseys.

"Line up!" Dominic shouted. The members all followed the command, except for Hayden. "Today, we will be joined by a new member. He will practice with all of you in place of Hayden. He will also be in the final seven reserves. No questions asked. Anybody who has a complaint, take it up to Hayden."

When the crowd heard this, they experienced a rollercoaster of emotions. First, they were naturally angry. Who wouldn't be? They were all working so hard to improve, yet, an outsider becomes part of the final seven reserves? Without undergoing through the testing?

Next, they became anxious when they looked over at Hayden. 'Come, I dare you to do it, challenge me' was written all over his face. Finally, they relented and attempted to rationalize why Daniel was here instead of stepping up.

Of course, they all had their doubts. Until Daniel practiced with the starter five, Hayden removed. They all noticed that Daniel's passes were godlike. It was well-timed. Accurate. Easy to catch in spite of its speed. And was ingenious.

Daniel did high-level maneuvers such as an elbow pass. A spinning bounce pass that curved to another direction that made it unanticipated, yet accurately going to the hand of who he was going to pass to. And his dribbles were reminiscent of Hayden's high-level streetball handling style.

It was a powerful display of flexibility. A display that made them realize why Daniel was put in the seven reserves. Everyone was shocked of this.

Although his shooting skills were rather subpar, with a success rate of 65%, his superb skill in passing, ball control, and court awareness more than evened it out.

By lunchtime, everyone was convinced that Daniel deserved the place in the seven reserves. Besides, he was significantly friendlier than Hayden. This allowed him to intermingle with the people as easy as breathing.

For the second time, Hayden brought out lunches for the people. This time, it was sandwiches on whole grain bread with turkey, roast beef, veggies, and cheese. It was a hearty lunch with a high nutrition value.

Hayden ate his lunch with Daniel, Sophia, and Dominic. Hayden, Dominic, and Daniel all discussed viable strategies for the stage of the Annual Youth Pride.

Dominic also informed of them that Origin Limiters should be activated whilst in the World Government Island. It's an unspoken rule.

"That's why we haven't made contact with wielders from the rest of the world, huh?" Hayden muttered as he gobbled the last bite of his sandwich.

"Yes, and we wouldn't want that." Sophia was the one who spoke this time. "You see, the state of the world of wielders of Philippines is currently too fragile. We are divided with two main sides of equal balance. And there's the matter of that enigmatic Pangkat Anino as well. They're a variable that we cannot control."

"How powerful is this Pangkat Anino exactly?" Daniel inquired. He has naturally heard of the Pangkat Anino.

"Nobody truly knows." Sophia shook her head. "There are only rumors. One rumor is that Pangkat Anino is stronger than Puting Araw and Kamay ng Lagim combined. One rumor is that Pangkat Anino's leader is stronger than our leader, Rose. A dual wielder."

"Dual wielder?" Daniel had an expression of someone that was clueless. It was clear that this was the first time he heard of the term, 'dual wielder.' "What's a dual wielder?"

"You haven't heard?" Dominic narrowed his eyes. "A dual wielder is a wielder that enjoys the power of two Abilities. As such, they are mighty existences that can kill people above their own Level."

"There's such an existence?" Daniel quietly cried out. "Let me guess. They're absurdly rare? And our leader is the sole dual wielder in the Philippines?"

"They are indeed rare." Dominic nodded. His irises wandered to Hayden. "You see, the chance of a wielder experiencing a reawakening is one in a million."

"Reawakening?" This time, it was Hayden who had his curiosity piqued. "What is this reawakening?"

Dominic expounded on reawakening. His next words were implicitly targeted at Hayden. "It is the currently only known way to possess two Abilities. Ms. Rose herself reawakened in the middle of a fight. When she lost her best friend. There is no, at least known, occurrence of a dual wielder being born naturally."

"Interesting." Hayden drank from his water bottle. "What are the conditions for this reawakening?"

"Puting Araw is a young organization, with a puny hundred years of history." Dominic gravely said. "Accordingly, there is nothing known of this reawakening phenomenon. There is a hypothesis though. Based on Rose's own reawakening. And that is reawakening has a chance of befalling a wielder during times of the greatest stress. Or emotional turbulence. There have been no scenarios outside of this."

'How clichéd.' Hayden thought internally. 'A power boost during a time when a best friend dies? So overused.'

The conversation was cut there. When that finished, Hayden seized everything and got permission to leave early. It was to prepare for Aiko's birthday.

Many of the players were dissatisfied of Hayden's attitude. He wasn't practicing at all! Regardless, what can they do? Hayden was too damned skillful for them. They all had no choice but to accept Hayden's behavior.

…..

Vermillion City in Indonesia. At the very center was a skyscraper that usually housed the elite members of Red Cloud and the strongest wielder of it.

With it being conquered by Kamay ng Lagim, the entirety of the Vermillion City was in the process of being converted into a base of operations for criminals during the past few weeks. The skyscraper was converted into Kamay ng Lagim's nexus.

Meanwhile, the four complexes stayed. On the Pejuang complex was Kamay ng Lagim's base of operations. The second largest complex that belonged from the previous Kekuatan (Strength/Power) Clan's complex was Forest Giant's.

The third largest, from the Intelijen (Intelligence) Clan fell on the hands of Fan Maiden. Lastly, the smallest complex, from the previous Saudagar (Merchant) Clan, went to Maestro of Death's hands.

Moving on. At the topmost room of the skyscraper nexus was a conference room with windows all around and a balcony. In the balcony, a black portal appeared. Out came Black Devil and Sitan.

"Ah, fresh air." Sitan's demonic voice was relaxed. An awful combination that would send chills down anybody's spine. "What a wonderful life we have on Earth. Good job on choosing the next base. I wonder if we can move my throne room underneath here?"

"I don't see why not, Your Highness." Black Devil respectfully replied. "With my Ability, I can transport it from where it is, to here."

"You do that later." Sitan had a satisfied tone. "For now, call everyone. I want to discuss a matter. A matter that will cement our position in the two countries."

"Yes, sir." Black Devil conjured up seven portals in the conference room. A few minutes later, everyone came into the room.

Sitan stayed on the balcony while Black Devil entered. "Our overlord, Sitan, has something to discuss with everyone. Please, sit."

The seven people sat. Black Devil opened the door to the balcony once more as infernal organ music rang around. Sitan entered the conference room with his chin high. His disposition was that of a tyrant.

When Sitan sat on the head seat, Black Devil sat to his right. Sitan cleared out his throat. "First order of business. The destruction of Puting Araw through an all-out war. Any thoughts?"