Ken's eyes followed Coach Hanada who had stomped his way over to Akira and the other first squad members who just so happened to distance themselves from him.
If he remembered correctly, Akira was a tyrant while he was the Ace pitcher. He took his status and lauded it over anyone who was not in the first squad, making them clean up after him or just outright bully them.
Of course this changed once Ken took over his position. All of the status he had turned to naught, and he was forced to work hard in order to stay in the team, with the hopes of one day retrieving the position.
He wasn't entirely sure who became the Ace after he injured his shoulder, not like that mattered at this point.
Ken shook his head, now was not the time to think about the past. He beckoned to Shiro who was being nosy and trying to listen in to the grilling of the unruly senpai.
"Shiro, let's continue."
"Ah y-yes." He stammered, turning his attention back.
Ken let out a long breath and breathed in through his nose. He could feel where he was lacking in his last pitch which caused it to go way off target. With a few adjustments, his muscles would be able to adapt to the mental training he had been doing last night.
As long as he continued to throw a few more pitches, everything would be as it should.
Once again Ken got into his pitching stance, each movement looking more deliberate than before. The next moment the ball came whipping out, off target once again, however this time Shiro was able to reach it in time.
"Again."
Shiro was a little perplexed at how Ken's pitching was so all over the place, yet he still did what he was told. The coach had already given them the positions, so he would need to make the most of the situation.
Of course, if the pitcher did not have great control, it made for a nightmare to lead.
He let out a small sigh after sending the ball back to Ken.
'Man, he should have stayed at first base.' He commented inwardly, losing a little motivation.
Shiro waited for the next ball, ready to spring up the moment the ball left Ken's arms. Since both of the last pitches had been high, he was expecting something similar.
WHOOSH
Without a word, he extended his legs and was debating whether to jump for the ball once again. However, as the ball came closer he suddenly realized that he had misjudged.
Not only was the ball faster than the last pitch, it was also well and truly a strike.
Since he had gotten up in anticipation of a bad pitch, the ball which was aimed for the strike zone was now inconveniently where his privates were located. A look of panic and despair assaulted his features as he tried to save his crown jewels.
Thankfully, due to his short height, the ball managed to hit the tail end of his chest protector, right beneath the naval. However, just because they missed the royal treasures, didn't mean that it didn't hurt.
"OOOOOFFF" After a loud thud, the sound of Shiro's lungs emptying of air entered everyone's ears, causing them to snap their gazes in his direction.
"Come on Shiro, it wasn't that bad." Ken said dismissively, walking up and grabbing the ball which had ricocheted in between them.
'Not that bad!? I hardly saw the damn ball coming!' Shiro screamed internally, currently unable to form words since he was winded.
He had experience catching around 130km/h and could tell that the pitch he had just received exceeded that speed.
Shiro had no doubt in his mind that Ken had just thrown was definitely faster, maybe even close to 140km/h.
"Alright everyone, let's head onto the field. 2nd team will be batting first." Before Shiro could get himself off the ground, Coach Hanada called out to the team, signaling the beginning of the Intersquad match.
The 2nd team gathered in the dugout a few minutes later, surrounding the coach.
"Here is the batting lineup. Yusuke, you're up first followed by Shiro."
"Yes Coach!" Both Yusuke and Shiro responded with gusto. It seemed that the two were both excited.
Yusuke walked up to home plate and adjusted his helmet and elbow protector. Tapping the home plate once, twice and thrice, he looked up at the pitcher and nodded, indicating that he was ready.
Akira who had just been chewed out earlier by the coach, was feeling a bit pissy. He decided that he would take it out on his juniors during this game, ensuring that he made them look useless.
His tall frame and long limbs made him look like uncoordinated, however he was able to throw quite fast as a result from the leverage. Getting into his stance, he whipped a fastball on the outside, painting the strike zone.
PAH
"Strike one."
The umpire said plainly, forcing Yusuke to click his tongue. The ball could have been called either way, but he quickly changed gears and tried to focus on the next one.
"Hehe, I'll show these pipsqueaks they're not on our level." Akira mumbled, a smirk forming on his gaunt features.
The next ball was similar, this time on the inside. The speed was a respectable 130km/h and held a great deal of control.
DONG
Yusuke sucked in a deep breath and swung in rhythm, sending the ball over the short stops head for a base hit.
"Tch, lucky boy." Akira spat out, returning to the mound.
"Nice hit!" The players in the 2nd squad dugout called out words of encouragement, happy to get on base in the first innings.
Now it was Shiro's turn to head up to bat. Thanks to his short stature and wide shoulders, he was actually a rather good hitter, at least in middle school.
However, feeling the pressure of going against his senpai, he was currently nervous. He gulped before setting his feet and going through his batting routine.