THWACKKK!
The fastball was collected cleanly by Ken's bat, striking the sweet spot emphatically. The sound echoed within the arena, bringing with it screams and cheers as the ball flew into the air at the perfect angle towards the outfield.
Ken's eyes watched the ball for a few moments before his body was pumped full of adrenaline.
"ORYAHHHHHHHHH!"
Ken shouted at the top of his lungs, feeling all of the frustration leave his body, quickly replaced by a euphoria that was almost indescribable. He tossed the bat aside and began his run around the bases, much to the joy of the crowd.
The roar of a Liger sounded over the speakers and the horn blared, celebrating the home run.
Ryan who had just watched one of his best pitches get sent into the stands looked as if he'd just swallowed a stone. His expression was grave, clearly shocked after being outplayed by Ken.
He could only watch as Ken rounded the bases, not even sparing him a look.
Ken on the other hand was filled with adulation as he crossed the bases, finally rounding 3rd. At home plate, Daichi, Adrian and Jose were waiting for him to arrive.
"Let's go!"
As Ken stepped onto home plate, all three guys crowded him at once, celebrating the grand slam he just hit. Fist bumps and high fives were interchanged rapidly before the guys made their way back to the dugout.
Trailing behind, Ken finally turned to Ryan whose eyes had never left him. Though his disappointment was evident, the fire in his eyes had not subsided, in fact it was burning even brighter than before.
'So he hasn't given up yet. Good.' Ken thought, turning back towards the dugout.
The worst thing that Ryan could do now would be give up, especially after making the decision to walk Daichi and load up the bases. Miami would now have to live with this result and move forward if they wanted to remain competitive.
The problem was, Ken was the one they were facing.
Before Ken even got into the dugout, he was met by his grandfather who grabbed his arms and shook him back and forth.
"That's my boy!" he shouted, donning the biggest smile Ken had ever seen on his grandfather's face.
Seeing this, Ken couldn't remove the grin from his lips even if he wanted to.
"It was just a lucky hit." He replied, though it was hardly believable.
"Luck is also skill my boy. Now go get some rest, you've still got to keep their batters from scoring." Mark said, nudging him towards the dugout.
"Yes sir!"
Ken soon arrived into the dugout and was met with chaos and pandemonium. Every one of his teammates were fired up thanks to his grand slam. Once again, he was subjected to butt slaps and having his hair ruffled.
But he didn't mind at all right now.
Back in the bar in Tokyo, the place had erupted into cheers, yet one voice toppled the rest with ease.
"ORYAHHHHHHH! LET'S GO KEN!"
"UNI CORN"
"UNI CORN"
Makoto shouted at the top of his lungs, spilling his full beer around the place. Most of the time, people couldn't stand how loud and obnoxious the guy was, but right now everyone was distracted.
"Dude that hit was insane! I can't believe he hit a grand slam in the World Series…"
"See what I mean?" Hiroki said, turning to Riku and Masayuki who had been doubting Ken earlier. Of course he didn't blame them for not knowing, since they had not played with Ken for long.
"That was wild…"
"The next round is on me!" The bartender shouted, causing a cheer to erupt from the patrons.
Makoto silently appeared at the bar a moment later, "Can I get 6 beers for my table?" he asked with a serious expression. All signs of his inebriation were gone, as if he had not even started drinking yet.
Once again, he was ordering free beers for the table with no intention of sharing them.
"Doesn't that mean the game is essentially over now? I don't see Miami coming back from 4 runs behind, especially when they're facing Ken." Shiro stated.
However, all of the professional's at the table shook their head.
"There are no absolutes in baseball, Shiro. I thought you would have known that already." Hiroki replied, stepping right back into his role as the senior.
"But I mean statistically, Ken's never given up more than 3 runs in a single game." Shiro said, doubling down.
A few moments later, Makoto arrived at the table with 6 beers, placing them in front of himself on the table. When everyone looked at him expectantly, he just glared at them, "Go get your own if you want a drink."
"Makoto… Did you take our free round again?" Yusuke asked, letting out a sigh.
"You snooze you lose junior." He said shamelessly.
Hiroki stood up and cracked his knuckles, his eyebrow twitching from annoyance, "Two of you hold him down, its time to dish out some punishment."
Masayuki and Riku stood up abruptly, wearing a distorted expression, "I'll grab his left side, you grab his right." The latter stated, slowly walking around the table.
"H—Hey guys, let's not make a big deal out of this…"
"Wait! NOOOOO!"
Makoto's screams were drowned out by the chatter within the bar and the dark laughter coming from the three men who were beating him up soundly.
The owner of the bar saw the fight, but all he did was smile with satisfaction, even waving off the security guard who had come to investigate the disturbance.
It was as if he knew this situation was for the best.
Some time later, Makoto returned to his seat with a miserable expression, now only a single beer in front of him on the table.
Hiroki and the others sipped their beers and smiled, turning their attention back to the big screen where the Ligers were continuing their 4th inning after Ken's grand slam.