In the next moment, some paramedics ran out onto the pitch in order to check on him.
The whole stadium seemed to be holding its breath as it watched and waited for the teen to get medical attention.
Soon enough a stretcher was brought out and took the tall youth away. However, he lifted his thumb meekly in the air as if to tell everyone that he was okay.
This was met with a round of applause as they congratulated the youth for his hard work throughout the long and entertaining match.
Yet despite knowing that their teammate was okay, the Shinjuku squad did not look relieved at all. It was as if their heart and soul had left their bodies, leaving them standing around blankly.
Tatsuo seemed to be the most affected out of the bunch. He stared at the figure of his friend being carried away in the stretcher, his emotions in turmoil.
"Replacing Kei as pitcher, Nanami."
The voice resounded throughout the stadium, introducing the new pitcher for Shinjuku. He approached the mound meekly, not expecting to be brought out at all this match.
With their Ace gone, Shinjuku was in shambles.
Ken waited patiently by the side while Nanami began to warm up his arm. He felt sorry for the delinquent pitcher, but there was nothing that could be done. Although he had gotten the glove up to his head, the force of the ball still likely gave him a concussion.
As long as he rested up, he would be fine.
Around 2 minutes later, the new pitcher was ready. The umpire called out for play to resume and Ken made his way back to the batters box.
The first pitch came and Ken instantly knew that there was quite a skill gap between this pitcher and the last.
DOOOOONG
Ken pulled no punches as he wound up and struck the ball with force. It would be disrespectful if he were to take pity on an opponent, especially one that had been giving it their all.
The ball sailed into the stands, etching another home run for Yokohama.
Although it was not as far as Makoto's, it still elicited a round of cheers from the stadium and dugout. He made his way around the bases casually and noticed his stalker with his head lowered.
He found it a little ironic that the teen who had made him despair in his previous life was now the one feeling the same. However, he was not a sore winner, so he continued on his way.
Upon arriving back at the dugout, he received a warm welcome. It was his second home run of the game and likely the one that put the nail in the coffin.
"Nice work Ace!"
"Way to cap off a game."
The only person who appeared calm was Coach Hanada who still had his eyes on the field. He nodded at Ken and gave him a little smile.
Once everything settled down, Ken took a seat and removed his cap. His job still wasn't over yet, so he wanted to rest up a little.
"Ah, is this right?" Kaori called out, an open notebook in front of her.
"What is it?" Ai asked, feeling her curiosity bloom.
She peaked over her shoulder and tried to find out the anomaly, however her eyes opened in the next moment.
Before Kaori could voice her opinions, Ai placed her finger on the other manager's lips, telling her to be quiet. She didn't want to announce this information to anyone, just in case.
The game continued with Yusuke able to get a single. Unfortunately, Naoki hit a grounder to the pitcher which ended up in a double play.
"3 outs, changeover!"
Thus it was time for the team to close out the bottom of the 9th innings. The current score was 6-0 in Yokohama's favor and they would be starting from the top of the batting order.
"Ken."
As Ken walked onto the field, he heard a feminine voice call his name, causing him to turn around. He saw Ai who seemed to be blushing a little.
"Do your best."
"Ah… Thanks."
Ken felt that it was a bit odd for such a thing to be said, however he still thanked her and made his way towards the mound. They were up by 6 runs, why would he need to do his best to finish the game?
Yet he quickly shrugged it off, especially after seeing who was up to bat.
"Batting first, Short stop, Tatsuo."
The guy looked to be downtrodden as he stood in the batters box. It was clear that he had given up, casting a sorry shadow on home plate.
"Tch."
Ken got annoyed just looking at the guy, yet he didn't hesitate to throw his best pitch. Armed with his Showdown skill, the ball approached the 100mph speed as it entered cleanly into the catchers glove.
PAH
The harsh noise seemed to wake up the youth who was out of sorts in the batters box. He raised his gaze only to see Ken's glare from atop the mound.
'Huh?'
'Why does he look so… mad.'
Tatsuo stared in confusion, not understanding what was happening. How could someone who was about to win the game look so pissed off?
'Is he mad at me? But why?'
"Don't give up."
"Eh?"
Tatsuo turned around and looked at the smiling catcher behind him.
"He's telling you to not give up until the game is over." Yuta said, standing up and throwing the ball back to Ken.
"Look at where you are man, this is Koshien. Just think how many people never get the chance to stand where you're standing right now." He said, gesturing to the packed arena and pristine field they were in.
Tatsuo looked at his surroundings, feeling his dull heart begin to beat loudly once more.
A memory seemed to force its way to the forefront of his mind, replaying in his head.
["Man, I can't wait to go to Koshien. There'll be thousands of people watching us play against the best teams in the country." Kei's voice sounded, his anticipation evident.
"Is it really that exciting?"
"Hehe, it's like the best feeling in the world."]
"Kei…"
'If only I would have gone to training…'
Tatsuo gritted his teeth and felt shame and anger threaten to overcome him.
In the midst of all his internal anguish, he moved his gaze to Ken upon the mound and felt his fighting spirit ignite. His once dull green eyes were now aflame, showing his intention to battle to the death.
Ken felt the intense stare and couldn't help but grin wildly.
"Oho, now that's a good expression."