The effect was instant. Kenji who had been looking downcast earlier now seemed to shine upon the mound. His tall frame cast a long shadow along the ground thanks to the afternoon sun.
Thanks to Ken's shout, many eyes were still on him. A few people close by had recognized him despite his shallow attempt to hide his identity with his baseball cap covering most of his face.
"Excuse me, are you Ken Takagi?" Someone asked him.
Without looking away from his son, Ken replied. "Yes, that's me. But if you don't mind, I'd like to watch my son play right now."
"O—Oh, of course. Sorry for bothering you."
Only now did Ken realize that the voice sounded quite immature. He turned and saw a teenager around the same age as his son, the disappointment in his features obvious at a glance.
Ken let out a sigh, feeling like a bit of a tyrant for how he reacted. He reached out his hand and ruffled the kids hair, "What's your name kiddo?"
The teen seemed shocked for a moment, but a smile filled his face in the next moment. "My name is Ryan."
"Mmm, that's a good name. When the game finishes, grab a marker and come find me, I'll autograph something for you." Ken said, ruffling his hair once more.
"Thank you!"
With the interaction now over, Ken turned his attention back to the field with a clear conscience. As a public figure, he needed to be a role model for kids like this. There was nothing worse than finding out your idol was a jerk.
WHOOOOOSH
PAH
The sound of the ball striking the glove echoed across the field.
Ken nodded in satisfaction, a grin pulling at the corner of his lips. Kenji's pitching form was much better, leading to a smoother and ultimately much faster delivery.
With his internal speed gun, Ken placed the fastball in the early 90's. For a 15 year old, such a speed was insane, especially when there was still so much growth potential.
Of course Ken was throwing 100mph bombs in Koshien when he was 15, but he couldn't use the same standard of measurement on his son. After all, Ken had the Major League System back then, whereas Kenji did not.
Ken felt a surge of pride seeing his son on the mound, following in his footsteps. Though he had told everyone he didn't want to pressure Kenji into pursuing baseball, he only realized now that he might have been dishonest with himself.
After all, who wouldn't want their son to succeed them?
PAH
"Strikeout!"
Kenji's entire demeanor had shifted after seeing his father in the crowd. From that point onward, every one of his pitches were crisp and unhittable, resulting in the collapse of BPA's batting line up.
PAH
"Strikeout."
"3 outs, changeover."
Ken pumped his fist silently, his joy evident.
Kenji happened to turn at the exact time to see his father react. The smile that bloomed on his face was radiant, showing just how much he valued his father's approval.
The score was still tied at 8-8 coming into the bottom of the 9th inning. This match had been much closer than many were anticipating, but since Kenji had pitched quite a lot during the tournament, Chris had only brought him in for the final 2 innings.
"Alright nice work Kenji." Chris said ruffling his grandson's hair, the pride in his voice evident.
He turned to the rest of the team and addressed them, "We're on the home stretch guys, we need to dig deep and strike while the iron is hot. Kenji, I need you to get on base no matter what…"
"Yes sir!"
After getting confirmation, Chris nodded, his gaze moving to a spot on the bench where a teen was sitting by himself. He had dark hair and a baby face, looking quite a bit younger than the other teens in the team.
"Tatsuya." He called out.
The teen flinched, his eyes growing wide as he turned to the coach.
"Yes grandpa?"
Chris's eye twitched as he heard the boy once again forget to call him coach, "Ahem… Warm up your body, I'm putting you in as a pinch hitter the moment we get on base."
However, his words seemed to cause a bit of a stir with the other players.
"Coach T, why are you putting Tatsuya in? He's only 13, he shouldn't even be playing in the 15U tournament." One of the kids complained bitterly.
"Because he can hit better than any of us." Kenji stepped forward, his 6'2 frame towering over his teammates. In an instant, the dissent quieted down.
Based on the kid's reactions, it was clear that Kenji was greatly respected by all.
He made his way over to Tatsuya who seemed like a child next to him and put an arm over his shoulder, "As long as this guy tries, he'll hit any strike thrown at him." Kenji stated with a grin.
Tatsuya raised his gaze and saw the smiling face of the teen, unable to prevent his own smile from tugging at his lips.
"Then its settled." Chris said, clapping his hands together. "Let's fight to get on base and give Tatsuya the best chance of sending us home for the winning run."
Without prompting, Kenji walked into the center of the dugout and placed his hand in the air, "Alright boys, have fun on 3."
"1, 2, 3"
"HAVE FUN."
After the chant, the next batter grabbed his gear and walked up onto the field. Kenji was batting 2nd, so he also went to grab his gear before he was stopped by a tug on his shirt.
He turned, seeing Tatsuya's baby face staring back at him.
"Thank you Kenji…" he said softly.
Kenji laughed and ruffled the kid's hair affectionately, "No worries. I told Uncle Daichi that I'd take care of you after all."
At the mention of his father, Tatsuya looked a little bitter for some reason.