Ken's mind was a bit of a mess after the game, especially after receiving a message from Tara notifying him about the chatter online. He was once again reminded that even his private life was under the speculation of the public.
This put him in a terrible mood.
"Hey, I'm going to stay out for a bit, don't wait up for me." Ken said on the phone.
"Where are you going?" Ai's concerned voice spoke on the other end of the line.
Ken was silent for a while. Truth be told, he didn't know where he wanted to go, just that he wasn't in the right frame of mind to return home right now. He wanted to be a supportive husband to his pregnant wife, but he couldn't be at the moment.
"I'm feeling antsy after not playing tonight, I'll probably head to the batting cages in town." Ken replied.
"Okay… I love you."
"Love you too."
Ken hung up the phone and placed it in his bag before leaving the stadium. He got a taxi and asked the driver to take him to a batting cage.
Being a professional baseball player, he'd never gone to the batting cages in Detroit since he could get plenty of practice during training. But he didn't know where else to go.
At this time of night there were only a couple of establishments open, and he certainly didn't feel like going to a bar by himself. Not only would he certainly be recognized, there might also be another scandal started online because of it.
Just the thought alone made Ken even more depressed.
"Hey, aren't you that baseball player? Kane or something?" The taxi driver asked.
"Yeah… Something like that." Ken replied half-heartedly. He didn't have the energy to correct the guy.
"I knew you looked familiar!" The guy exclaimed, now excited. "My son watches you guys all the time, he said that you're his favorite player. Oh man, he's going to be so happy that I met you."
Ken's heart softened slightly at the man's words.
"Do you have a marker? I've got a ball that I can sign for him." He said, digging into his bag and producing one of the balls he had lying around.
"Really!? Oh you're amazing Kane, thank you so much." The man said, digging in his center console. He produced a black marker and passed it back.
"What's your son's name?"
"Nathan."
Ken wrote expertly on the ball, his signature flashy since he had practiced so often in his previous life. Once finished, he handed the ball and the marker to the man in the front seat.
"Thank you again, he's going to be so excited I can already see it." The man replied, grinning from ear to ear.
Ken could see the man's smile from the rear vision mirror, causing his mood to improve slightly. 'I wonder if I'll smile like that when thinking about my own children?' he thought briefly.
They soon arrived at his destination and when Ken went to pay, the taxi driver waved him off, "You've done more than enough for me tonight, please don't worry about paying."
Ken smiled warmly, "I thought you might say that… I left another gift in the back seat, go take your son somewhere nice this weekend. Thanks for the ride." He said, turning on his heel and quickly leaving the scene.
He heard the stammering of the taxi driver which only improved his mood further.
Ken had left a 300 dollar tip on the seat, expecting that the man might have tried to let him ride free. He was not lacking money, so why should he receive free things? Especially from people who were out trying to work for their family.
The good deed left him feeling refreshed, so by the time he arrived at the batting cages, he felt free and unfettered.
He approached the counter, seeing an older man behind it. Ken paid for his entry and went over to one of the empty batting cages before placing his bag down and taking out his trusty wooden bat.
This one was fairly new.
"Let's start off slow." Ken muttered, deciding to hit the 90mph pitches from the beginning. After a few warm up swings, he stepped into the batters box and got ready.
WHOOOOOOSH
THWHACK!
The sound echoed off the walls, causing everyone to turn in his direction. At this time of night, there were only about 15 people in the place, but now they were all staring at him.
WHOOOOOSH
THWHACK!
Once again he stuck the ball with the middle of the bat, producing another deafening sound.
"Who is that guy?"
"He's so tall… Is he a professional?"
There were some kids and teenagers in the vicinity. They all began to speculate his identity, yet Ken focused on the task at hand. After another 8 pitches, he nodded in satisfaction.
"Time to go up in speed."
Just as he was about to increase the speed, someone finally recognized him.
"Ah! That's Ken Takagi from the Ligers!"
"Oh my god! You're right."
"What's he doing here? Didn't they just finish a game tonight?"
"Ken didn't play you idiot, he's probably here to blow off some steam."
"Do you think he'll give us an autograph?"
Ken could feel plenty of small eyes fixated on him, causing him to let out a small chuckle. Perhaps if he didn't meet that taxi driver earlier he might have thought these kids were annoying, but thankfully he was in a better mood.
He turned around and faced the kids on the other side of the cage, smilingly. "Did you guys want an autograph?"
"Really!?"
His words filled them with excitement, to the point where they were jumping up and down in anticipation.
"Of course. But I don't have a marker on me, could one of you check with the guy at the counter?"
"Yes!"
The kids hurried off and soon were lining up patiently with the items they wanted signed. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity for them.