Siddharth Naidu's shadow remained. Sid had grown taller, faster, more confident, yet he could not shake the unease Arjun instilled in him years earlier. At the under-15 national trials, Sid aimed to reclaim dominance.
He attacked early, hitting sixes, drawing applause, flaunting flair. The scouts noticed his aggression, but Arjun remained indifferent. He allowed Sid to bask in the spotlight while quietly observing weaknesses.
Sid missed subtle cues: the bowler's fatigue, the slight changes in field placement, and Arjun's mental mapping of patterns.
When Arjun came to bat, he played quietly, exploiting Sid's missed opportunities. Singles that seemed minor shifted partnerships. Rotations of strike frustrated Sid. By mid-innings, Arjun had subtly guided the game toward a comfortable position for his team.
Sid tried to intimidate him verbally during breaks, but Arjun never reacted. Calm. Precise. Nothing touched him.
By the end of the match, Arjun had scored 58 runs, the highest in the game. But the victory didn't feel personal. Sid's frustration was irrelevant; Arjun was playing a game of strategy, not ego.
On the way back to the pavilion, a scout whispered to another, "He doesn't just play cricket. He predicts it."
And somewhere in Guntur, the foundations of the Devil's empire were quietly growing, building silently, and preparing to reach far beyond the boundaries of any field.