"Sheva! Bagas! Here!"
"Laysa! Anna! Claudia!"
The mont they landed in Dubai, all of the Indonesian players were greeted by the enthusiastic, thick Indian accent. When they all turned around, everyone but those who were called were surprised to see the familiar Indian people who greeted them here.
Those were not fans, but legit players who would also fight in the sa tournant. Of course, Sheva noticed his presence quickly, as in an international airport like this, it was easy to distinguish an Indian’s face compared to any other faces that passed by so quickly. Those two were Pragg and Vaishali, the Rashbabu siblings, whom they all befriended after the Olympiad a few weeks ago.
Honestly, it was quite strange how clothes make the man. Or the woman as well, on this occasion. When they were in their casual shirt like this, both Pragg and Vaishali looked like any ordinary Indian students, probably coming here to study sothing or doing an internship. However, once they were in their suits and ca to the chessboard, their aura changed instantly, becoming more... Feral.
More dangerous.
"Hey, Brother! Nice to et you!" Bagas gave the boy a casual hug, which was followed by the sa action from Sheva. Pragg also waved awkwardly when he saw Claudia blushing madly at him, still not used to having a girl fanboying over him. This elicited low chuckles from the others, while the girl’s father had his jaw almost dropped when he saw this.
"My princess... Who is that boy?" He asked in a barely whisper to dina. However, the sound of gnashing teeth was enough to make the IM understand the man’s feelings right now.
"That boy is Praggnanandhaa, and don’t worry, Uncle, it is just a silly crush on her idol. Claudia doesn’t really have anything else besides that." dina said while also trying to hide her smile. Of course, as his wife, Audrey didn’t have the sa reservations.
"Oh, don’t be a spoiled spot, Dear! Just look at how cute she is!" Audrey squealed as if she was watching a cheap romance drama with a conflict unfolding before her eyes.
After the pleasantry was over, Sheva and the other teenagers finally realized that Pragg and Vaishali were not alone. Here ca with them a shy boy who looked a little bit awkward, as if he were out of place.
"He is Arjun. Arjun Erigaisi. You all should’ve heard about him, right?" Pragg introduced his friend so casually, which was followed by a soft, soothing voice from the boy who introduced himself as well.
"My na is Arjun. Nice to et you, everyone." The boy, Arjun, smiled awkwardly.
Sheva could feel the corner of his mouth twitching a little when he heard that. With how nonchalant Pragg introduced Arjun, if he didn’t know any better, they would all think that the boy was just an ordinary friend. However, looks could really deceive. He might seem like easy prey, but in reality, the boy was a ferocious hunter on the chessboard.
Yeah, Arjun Erigaisi was another one of Indian’s super geniuses, with him, Pragg, Nihal Sarin, and Gukesh Dommaraju all being the successors of Viswanathan Anand himself. In fact, Arjun was the highest-rated player among the four, with a rating of 2692. He was the closest one to get into the 2700-rated club, and so might say that he was the best among them all.
His playing style was also unique. It was so contrary to his shy personality, because once he started to get into his hunting mode, he would attack from all directions, trying to overwhelm his opponent with his sophisticated offense. He was nicknad a madman for his reckless offensive style, but it worked perfectly well for Arjun himself.
"Anyway, what are you guys doing here? Are you waiting for soone else?" Sheva asked curiously. "Also, where is your mother, Pragg?" The last ti he was invited to the boy’s house, Sheva could still rember the mother’s concern about letting him go abroad alone, so there was no way both Pragg and Vaishali would be there by themselves.
"Yes, we are waiting for so of our friends." Pragg nodded in confirmation. "As for our mom, she is back to the hotel room first, and yeah, she is also here." He sighed helplessly. There was no way! It was always a boy’s dream to be independent. However, he and Vaishali were still underage, so their mother didn’t dare to let them go by themselves for now.
They chatted for a while before dina finally checked the ti on her phone. It showed 21:00, which was already late for anyone to hang out in the airport. So, they all decided to bid their farewell first, prioritizing rest.
"See you at the venue two days later!" Pragg, Vaishali, and Arjun waved at them.
"Yeah, see you!" Sheva nodded solemnly, knowing that they were going to be his rivals in this tournant.
"So, they are Praggnanandhaa Rashbabu and Arjun Erigaisi, huh?" Duta, who hadn’t spoken a single word earlier, said with a solemn tone. "The two geniuses of this generation... I wonder how strong they are..."
Sheva was taken aback when he overheard that. In his impression after getting to know the boy for several hours, he always thought that Duta was a quiet boy like Taher, a man of few words. However, it seed that behind his aloof personality, the boy had a strong ambition, and he had already set his eyes on Pragg and Arjun.
"So, you have already set your eyes on them?" Bagas asked teasingly. It was always good to have Bagas in the group, because he could get along well with anyone else. Seeing that the boy just nodded silently, yet with determination burning in his eyes, Bagas couldn’t help but burst out laughing. "Good ambition! You have guts, much like Sheva a few months ago! However, do you have the strength to back it up?!"
Everyone also watched the boy carefully. After all, the boy was a new addition to the group, and they hadn’t gotten to know him well enough during this ti, so this was the chance for them to see a glimpse of his thoughts.
For that question, though, Duta just smiled a little, showing his confidence while also saying, "I don’t really know before I try it myself, right?"
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