Daichi's face flushed with worry as he saw Ken embroiled in the collision. He only calmed down once he saw his brother walk towards the dugout relatively fine.
Even Chris frowned at the obviously dirty play from the opposing catcher. Thankfully his son was okay and was even awarded the run, bringing Yokohama further ahead on the scoreboard.
"Batting 7th, 1st base, Naoki."
Naoki came up to bat, but ended up striking out after only 3 balls, putting an end to the top of the 3rd innings.
"Are you still okay to pitch?" Coach Hanada asked Ken, though he could already tell the answer. What kid would want to sit out in the middle of a Koshien match.
"Hehe, I'm fine coach."
In actuality, he was still feeling a little ginger from the impact, but that wouldn't stop him. He placed his cap on and walked onto the field, making his way to the mound.
"Batting 1st, Short stop, Tatsuo."
Hearing the weird guy's name called up to bat made Ken flinch subconsciously.
'Damn it, not this guy again.'
Thankfully he didn't seem to be staring at him weirdly anymore, but instead looked focused and determined.
Yuta was feeling a little anxious since this guy was scary in the batters box. However, he still decided to attack right from the beginning so as not to lose any ground.
He called for an inside fastball, only to receive a nod from Ken.
As he gripped the ball in his hand, Ken felt his body heat up and fill with strength. The effects of Showdown had appeared once more, giving him an added confidence.
He began his wind up and planted his left foot and whipped the ball right towards the open glove of Yuta. His muscles protested slightly from the earlier collision, but they still did their job.
WHOOOOSH
DONG
Ken's eyes opened wide in shock as Tatsuo gracefully hit the inside ball and flung it into the air. However, a smile formed onto his face in the next moment as he turned his attention to Naoki in the infield.
"My ball"
He motioned with both hands, ensuring that no one would get in his way, his eyes focused on the ball in the air. Or at least people assumed that he was since his fringe was in the way.
Pah
"Out."
The sound of the ball slotting into the glove sounded out, followed by the umpires call.
Tatsuo had already made it to first base with his intense speed, yet he looked confused after the umpire shouted that he was out. He looked around as if to understand what had happened.
He had definitely made contact with the ball, so why did it only go so far?
"Damn it!"
Frustration burned onto his features as he stewed in his confusion. He was forced to walk back to the dugout like a lost little lamb.
Ken watched his figure retreat and could only shake his head. The kid had far too much talent, yet it was clear that his work ethic was non-existent.
"Baseball isn't that easy." He muttered to himself, feeling vindicated in that very moment.
Since he had been played around with by this person in his previous life, it was almost too good to be on the other end of the situation. It was clear that the guy lacked a lot of knowledge about the game, otherwise he wouldn't have swung like he did at the inside ball.
They had successfully jammed him, making for an easy catch in the infield.
Everyone on the Shinjuku team started to become rather despondent, all apart from one person. Like an older brother, Kei consoled Tatsuo and told him his mistake, even taking the bat and showing him where he'd hit the ball.
If anything, Kei seemed to be the happiest person at the stadium right now since he was finally able to teach Tatsuo how to play baseball.
Ken continued his streak, successfully taking out the next two batters and bringing an end to the 3rd innings.
The current score was 4-0 in favor of Yokohama.
The next few innings became a pitchers game, with no changes to the score. The two pitchers seemed to step up their game as they competed with strikeout after strikeout.
Tatsuo once again fell to the simple tricks of Yuta who had already figured out that he was a newbie. Once he'd been told by Ken that the teen had no experience playing baseball, a Buddha-like smile appeared on his expression.
Getting out once again had forced Tatsuo into a spiraling depression. This was the first time that he had been made to feel this way in his life, yet as always, Kei was there to console and teach him.
Of course since they were in the middle of a game, there was not enough time to go over more than just the basics.
Ken had managed to make it to first base in the 7th innings, however Yusuke, Naoki and Yuta were promptly struck out, leaving him stranded.
He probably could have stolen second base if he really wanted to, but the farther away he was from Tatsuo, the better state his mental health would be in. There was also the fact he was facing a lefty on the mound, who made stealing 2nd base a very risky endeavor.
Ken returned to the mound and backed up his performance. With his pitching grade now at S+, he was able to perfectly follow Yuta's leads, constantly keeping the Shinjuku team on their toes.
This continued until the top of the 9th innings with Yokohama up to bat for the last time.
The score was still 4-0 in their favor, yet Makoto stood in the batters box with a desperate expression on his face. He had already failed to get a hit after 3 at-bats, being overshadowed by the juniors on his team.
At this rate, he wouldn't know how to face them in the future.
'I'm the captain damn it… I can't let it end like this.'