It was a few hours past midday, the July heat bearing down from the sky at East Cobb fields in Georgia. The past few days had been quite busy with the WWBA National Championship hosted by Perfect Game.
A man who had slicked back white hair and wore a polo shirt walked around the outskirts of the main field, his blue eyes scanning the people who had come out to watch the final game of the tournament.
The man was in his mid 60's, but he looked exceptionally fit for his age.
"Mr. Fisher, it's good to see you." A figure called out, getting the man's attention.
Rob Fisher, the chairman of the WWBA turned his head and recognized the man who had spoken. "Coach Wyatt, what a pleasant surprise," he said calmly, "I thought you would have already left with your team after losing yesterday."
Coach Wyatt wore a wry smile, "Well, we were going to… But the kids wanted to stay and watch the final."
Hearing this, Rob's expression turned suspicious. "Are you sure it was the kids who wanted to stay and not you?" he asked dryly.
Coach Wyatt laughed, raising his hands, "Alright, you got me. But how could I say no to watching his progeny in the finals?"
Rob nodded, "Well at least you're honest. It's not every day that the son of a future hall of famer competes in such a tournament after all."
The two exchanged a few more words before Rob bid his farewell, continuing on his walk around the premises. Many people would call out greetings to him as he walked past, showing just how well liked the man was.
His walk was interrupted by the sound of the PA system.
"The finals of the 2038 Perfect Game WWBA 15U National Championship will begin in 30 minutes. Please make your way to the main field prior to the match."
Rob's eyes shined before he casually turned and walked back towards the main field.
Even before the announcement, the seating had already been filled by spectators. Those who arrived late were forced to stand outside the field and watch from there.
Due to his position, Rob already had a spot reserved for him.
As he walked to his seat, Rob could spot many scouts in the crowd. Even if he didn't know them personally, it was easy to identify since many had laptops and radar guns at the ready.
Rob shook his head, letting out a sigh.
"I've never seen so many college scouts at a 15U tournament before…" As Rob sat down, the woman next to him commented.
"It's not surprising," Rob replied, "Detroit Elite are playing after all…"
The woman shook her head, "Still… There's at least 2 years until these kids are eligible for college, can't they just wait until then?"
Rob chuckled, "You don't understand. If the kid is even half as good as his father, whoever scoops him up will probably dominate for the next 3 years."
The two chatted for a while longer before the kids began to jog onto the field. On the 3rd base side wearing a white uniform, the favorites for winning the tournament gathered to warm up.
Their coach was a tall and fit looking figure sporting a small beard, wearing the same thing as the kids. Walking by his side was a teen who was just a little shorter.
Even from a distance, it appeared that the two were extremely close.
"Grandpa, why are there so many people?" the teen asked, his eyes looking out over the increasing crowd.
The teen was clean shaven and a chiseled jaw with curious brown eyes. This paired with his bushy brows and symmetrical face made him look quite handsome for his age.
"Ahem… Remember to call me coach when we're on the field." The coach said, clearing his throat. "They're here to watch baseball of course. Don't worry, just ignore them and play like usual, you'll be fine."
The teen nodded slowly, "Alright grand—I mean coach."
Hearing the kid almost slip up again, Chris Takagi grinned and ruffled his grandson's hair. "Go and warm up Kenji. I won't let you pitch if you don't do it properly."
"Yes sir!" Kenji replied, flashing his grandfather a grin.
As he watched his grandson jog out onto the field, Chris felt his heart flutter. For a moment, Ken's visage overlapped with Kenji's, startling him briefly.
He smiled, "He looks more and more like you every day…" he muttered to no one in particular.
The kids warmed up on the field until it was time to begin the game. In the final of the 2038 Perfect Game WWBA championship, only two teams remained. It was Detroit Elite vs Baseball Performance Academy, or BPA for short.
As the captain of the team, Kenji walked over to the umpire for the coin toss. Across from him was BPA's captain, a teen that was much shorter than Kenji's 6'2 frame.
From afar, it almost looked like an adult standing across from a child.
"Call it in the air." The umpire said, pointing to Kenji.
As soon as he tossed it, Kenji called for tails.
"It's tails."
"We'll bat last." Kenji stated, holding out a hand towards the opposite captain, "good luck."
The other captain seemed a little taken aback by the gesture, but he grasped the outstretched hand and repeated the words before jogging back to the dugout.
Kenji returned to his own dugout prior to the start of the game, just in time for a speech from the coach.
"Alright guys, we've done really well this tournament so far and there's just a single game left. I need you all at your best so we can finish this strong." Chris stated, his eyes moving over his players.
"What's our number 1 rule?" he queried.
"HAVE FUN!" the team shouted back.
"Sorry, I didn't catch that." Chris replied, cupping his hand behind his ear.
"HAVE FUN SIR!"
Chris laughed joyfully in response. "Damn right! Captain, your turn."
Not missing a beat, Kenji walked forward and raised his hand in the middle of everyone, "Have fun on 3 everyone!"
"1, 2, 3"
"HAVE FUN!"