Coach Raghav never raised his voice during training.
He did not need to, because the structure of the drill itself carried all the warning anyone required.
"Bat heavier than the ball," he said once, his tone neutral, before stepping back into silence.
When Technique Strips Illusions
The first ten minutes exposed everyone.
Boys who relied on strength lost their shape as soon as the bat resisted them. Boys who depended on flair found their balance collapsing when timing was taken away.
Rudra did neither.
He deliberately slowed every movement until nothing felt rushed. His front foot landed first, his head stayed still through contact, and the ball met the bat late and controlled rather than loud.
At first, the bat felt wrong in his hands—too restrained, too quiet, almost passive.
Then the rhythm settled.
And once it did, it refused to leave.
System — Real-Time Ledger (Subtle)
As repetitions accumulated, the system followed with the same unemotional clarity it always used.
Batting Timing remained at Level 3, but its experience value rose steadily through clean execution rather than effort.
Batting Timing: 41 → 48 / 100
There was no spike and no shortcut, only accumulation that could not be undone.
Shot Selection, already developed through earlier match play, refined further—not through creativity, but restraint.
Shot Selection: Level 11 — 31 → 38 / 100
Balance responded the most, tightening with every controlled movement.
Balance: Level 8 — 29 → 37 / 100
This was not hard work.
This was correct work.
When Power Tried to Interfere
A length ball pitched slightly fuller than expected.
Instinct urged Rudra to drive harder, to impose himself.
He resisted the impulse and played the ball straight, allowing the bat's weight to do the work.
Coach Raghav's pen paused briefly.
Then it resumed counting.
That single decision mattered more than a boundary ever could.
Others Lose Sync
Ritesh attempted to compensate for timing issues with muscle. The bat turned in his hands, the face opening just enough to betray him.
The edge was soft but unmistakable.
Coach Raghav closed his notebook.
"One," he said calmly.
One correct movement recorded.
Nothing more.
The lesson was merciless, but it was fair.
Session End — Internal Accounting
Rudra finished his allotted set with controlled breathing and steady forearms. Fatigue was present, but it was orderly rather than chaotic.
The system completed its accounting without ceremony.
Focus: 93 → 96 / 100
Emotional Control: 97 → 100 / 100 (Level 5 stabilized, threshold secured)
Hand–Eye Coordination: 82 → 85 / 100
No levels were crossed.
But nothing regressed.
That mattered more.
Recognizing the Pattern
Rudra understood the structure now.
Power sessions produced spikes that impressed quickly and faded just as fast. Technique sessions built foundations that resisted decay.
The system valued both, but it never treated them equally.
Technique raised the ceiling.
Power only tested it.
End of Day — Honest Numbers
That night, stretching slowly, Rudra reviewed himself with the detachment of an accountant closing the day's ledger.
There was no glamour in the figures, and no applause waiting behind them.
Batting Timing was approaching the upper half of its level.
Balance was no longer fragile under fatigue.
Shot Selection had refined further without requiring conscious choice.
Most importantly, nothing from today would need to be unlearned tomorrow.
Rudra exhaled slowly.
Technique came before power not because power was dangerous, but because without technique, power did not survive repetition.
And the system never rewarded things that failed to last.
Extra Nets, Fewer Words
When the whistle ended the session, most boys left immediately. Bats were slung over shoulders, sweat forgotten, and voices returned as if released from restraint.
Rudra stayed.
Alone With the Pitch
Without noise, the ground felt different.
There was no competition here, no eyes watching, no evaluation being performed.
Only him, the bat, and a worn strip of turf that had seen too many dreams.
He placed a single cone near off stump, not as a target, but as a reminder.
Front foot first.
Straight bat.
Head still.
Ball after ball, he fed himself gentle throws.
There was no power in the strokes, only shape.
System — Solitary Accounting
Working alone did not accelerate growth.
It purified it.
Batting Timing crossed another quiet threshold.
48 → 55 / 100 (Level 9)
Shot Selection refined again, driven purely by restraint.
38 → 44 / 100 (Level 11)
Balance tightened further.
37 → 44 / 100 (Level 8)
No mental stats shifted.
This was not stress.
It was refinement.
A Presence at the Boundary
"You're still here."
Rudra turned to see Coach Raghav standing near the boundary rope, notebook closed.
"Why?" the coach asked, neither accusing nor impressed.
Rudra answered without rehearsing.
"My body is weak," he said. "My technique cannot be."
Raghav studied him for a long moment.
Then he nodded once.
A Lesson Without Teaching
"You know why I count repetitions?" Raghav asked.
Rudra shook his head.
"Because repetition is the only truth," the coach said evenly. "Matches lie. Talent lies. Praise lies."
He gestured at Rudra's grip.
"That doesn't."
Rudra adjusted instinctively.
The coach watched.
He did not correct.
He did not praise.
That silence meant it was right.
System — Mental Alignment
The exchange registered differently than physical work.
Focus did not rise.
Understanding did.
Decision Speed: 52 → 56 / 100
Emotional Control: stabilized under clarity, no fluctuation
This growth came not from effort, but from certainty.
The Final Ball
Rudra played one last straight drive with no follow-through, holding balance until the ball came to rest.
Coach Raghav turned away.
"Leave earlier tomorrow," he said. "Eat properly. Sleep."
It was permission, not dismissal.
End of Day — Cliffhanger
As Rudra packed his bag, the system closed its ledger for the session.
No levels had changed.
But something fundamental had stabilized.
Technique was no longer fragile.
It could now survive fatigue.
And fatigue was coming.
As Rudra walked home beneath the fading sky, shoulders heavy and mind quiet, he sensed it clearly—
Tomorrow would not be about repetition.
Tomorrow would be about pressure.
And both the system and the coach would be watching to see which one broke first.