Coach Hanada wore his usual poker face, but he leaned to the side and said some words to one of the assistant coaches.
"Go grab the radar gun and get a measure on his pitches."
"Yes Coach."
Unaware of what was going on in the dugout, Ken squared up his shoulders and looked down at the batters box. Jun, the other Aoyama twin was waiting patiently, his sharp eyes staring down at the mound.
'That last pitch was off. Just pitch it into my glove Ken…' Shiro once again placed his glove on the outside, wanting to waste some pitches so the pitcher could get into a rhythm.
The next pitch came flying out of Ken's fingers, this time further outside instead of inside. Thanks to Shiro's good reflexes, he was able to reach his glove out in time and secure the ball.
"Ball."
Coach Hanada's eyes moved to the assistant coach who he talked to earlier, only to see he was still in the process of getting everything set up. He narrowed his eyes, focusing on Ken on the mound.
'He still seems composed, almost as if he was expecting this result…'
The coach couldn't help but let his mind run wild. Just what was with this kid and why did he seem much more mature than a regular 1st year.
'I think that last ball was around 130km/h. As long as he can improve his control, we might be able to use him this season on the mound. With his batting ability, he would be a key player on both ends.'
The next pitch came, this time right down the middle. Jun didn't hesitate to pull the trigger, swinging his bat and making connection with the ball.
However, it seemed he mistimed it slightly, sending the ball high into the air above Ken.
"Ah damn."
Tatsuya who already had a massive lead, quickly ran back to first base.
PAH
Ken easily caught the ball which slowly drifted down a few feet in front of him and headed back to the mound. His face still somber.
"Out."
"Hmph. He got lucky there." Akira huffed, clearly having a bone to pick with the new first year.
'Just a few more…'
Ken felt as if his muscles were finally calibrating after such a huge layoff. It was as if there was a wall that he needed to break through in order to map his image training to his physical output.
Shiro on the other hand was currently sweating profusely.
'Argh, I never know where his pitches are going to land. This is the worst.'
The assistant coach who was in possession of the radar gun finally sent a thumbs up to Coach Hanada, letting him know that he was ready.
The next batter walked up to the plate and turned his attention to Ken.
'Hiroki…'
Suddenly, Ken's entire demeanor changed. His once somber atmosphere seemed to heat up an entire realm, showing his will and determination to have a frontal battle.
Hiroki Kondo was a boy of average height and had an average frame. That was until one saw his body which held rippling muscles underneath.
He was one of those kids who grew up on the countryside, working in the fields with his parents from a young age. This gave him undeniable strength and dexterity which translated to him being a demon in the batters box.
If someone were to ask Ken who the best player on Yokohama's team was, he would without a doubt say it was Hiroki, at least that was the case until Daichi's talent awakened.
With Ken on the mound and Hiroki's amazing batting and defense, they were able to make it to nationals in his previous life.
Ken couldn't help but feel excited facing off against his good friend. Of course Hiroki had no knowledge of this, only seeing that Ken's aura had changed drastically.
"Oho, he's getting fired up now." Yuta commented.
"It's a battle between men HAHA" Makoto interjected.
Even Coach Hanada could see the changes in Ken.
"It seems that he instinctively knows that Hiroki is our best player. Geniuses are scary…"
Shiro could see the changes in Ken, but he was unsure of how to lead him. Especially since all of the pitches had not gone to where his glove was yet.
He let out a small sigh before deciding to place his glove on the outside once more, however surprisingly, Ken shook his head.
'Huh? Where does he want to go then?'
He kept moving the glove until ending up right in the middle of the strike zone, only to receive a nod.
'WHAT!? Right down the middle??' Shiro almost jumped in fright from the shock he just experienced.
Ken on the other hand wore a frightening smile, filled with the will to fight. He would not run away from Hiroki, he respected him too much to act cowardly.
Seeing the expression on Ken's face, Shiro could only do as he said. However, he needed to keep an eye on the ball in the case it was off target once more.
Ken performed his wind up and sent the ball rocketing from his fingertips.
PAH
Before anyone could register what had happened, the ball arrived into the webbing of the catchers glove, causing a silence to fall upon the field and both dugouts.
"W-What was that?" Shiro turn the glove towards himself, blinking a few times as if not believing that the ball was in his glove.
"S-Strike."
The umpire called out the decision after a few moments, only after getting over his shock.
Even Coach Hanada was stumped. It was almost as if the ball teleported into the catchers glove in a fraction of a second.
"What's the speed!?" He suddenly remembered that he sent the assistant coach over with a radar gun and quickly looked over towards him.
The assistant coach was too busy staring at the radar gun with his mouth open and did not even look his way.
"Damn it." In a huff, the coach ran around the field and pushed the man out of the way.
"Oh my god…"