Ken felt his body grow even hotter as he felt the primal gaze from the teen in the batters box. There was something noble about a duel between pitcher and batter that could not be replicated anywhere else.
He knew that the guy in front of him had otherworldly talent, but talent was not enough to win games. Even with Ken's system, he still had to work his backside off in order to get better over time.
So while he was never born with great talent, in his mind the system made up for that difference.
Yuta called for a pitch inside, wanting to either force a jam or at least a foul. However Ken shook his head, he wanted to beat this genius in the most overwhelming fashion.
Right down the middle.
Ken felt his heart beat in anticipation as he gripped the ball in his glove close to his chest. In the next moment he brought his left knee up and stepped forward, shifting his weight with ease.
THUD
The sound of his foot planting elicited a sound which was easily audible over the packed stadium. As his arm whipped around, the force of his body caused his cap to fly off his head, exposing his dark brown hair.
WHOOOSH
Tatsuo gritted his teeth, his eager eyes locked onto the ball. Instinctively he could tell that this ball was faster than the others he'd faced, yet he didn't yield.
If he backed down now, then Kei's sacrifice earlier would have been for nothing.
"Hup!"
He let out a sound which was almost like a growl before swinging his bat with all of his might. It was only in this moment that he realized what kind of game baseball was, finally understanding why people were so passionate about it.
As his eyes tracked the fastball, he couldn't help but reveal a smile while words appeared in his mind that he'd never said before in his life.
'This is fun.'
DING
The bat managed to hit the top of the ball, sending it directly towards Naoki at short stop. It bounced along the ground before easily being collected by the guy with the fringe.
Yet Tatsuo didn't spare him a glance. He ran with all of his might towards first base, his smile growing even wider.
PAH
"Out!"
Despite his best efforts, he did not make it in time.
With his lungs burning, Tatsuo looked up into the sky and felt his eyes moisten.
'I'm sorry Kei…' He said inwardly.
Yet the teen was still wearing a smile. It had only been for a fleeting moment, but he had felt it. He was definitely having fun.
"2 more outs!"
"Nice work Naoki!"
Ken watched the figure of Tatsuo heading back to the dugout. He wasn't sure, but he felt as if the kid seemed much brighter than before, as if he'd gone through a significant change.
Ai in the dugout seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, pressing on her chest in order to calm down her beating heart. Despite being up so many runs, she was still so anxious for some reason.
"Batting 2nd, Left outfield, Chihara"
Unfortunately for Shinjuku, the next batter did not share the same fighting spirit as Tatsuo. He already looked as if he was going to burst into tears in the batters box.
"Strike."
PAH
"Strike."
PAH
"Strikeout"
The whole stadium seemed to grow tense as the next batter approached. Yet the Yokohama team seemed oblivious at this moment.
To them it was just one more out until they made it to the next round.
"Do you think he can do it dad?" Daichi asked, already at the edge of his seat.
Chris nodded, "We have to believe." However, inwardly he was feeling some anxiety.
Unaware of his family's situation, Ken cracked his neck slightly and faced his next victim.
'Just one more out then we're into the next round.'
PAH
"Strike."
PAH
"Strike two!"
PAH
"Strikeout! Game set."
*DING*
In the next moment, the entire stadium erupted. Their cheers were on another level compared to the rest of the match, showing just how impressed they were.
Ken felt his body relax after being tense for so long. However he didn't have time to relax as his teammates swarmed him, ruffling his head so thoroughly that he lost his cap.
"Nice Ace!"
"We won! We won!"
The team carried on for a little while longer before making their way back to the dugout where they were met with the coach and 3 managers.
"Congratulations Ken." Coach Hanada placed his hand out for a handshake.
"Eh?"
Ken was a little confused, however he still took the man's hand and shook it.
It wasn't just him that was confused. Tatsuya spoke up like a whiny child in the next moment.
"Hey Coach, aren't you going to congratulate us too? It's a team win after all."
The coach frowned, resisting the urge to facepalm. He looked incredulously at the immature teen and shook his head instead.
"Do you not know what Ken just achieved?"
Tatsuya looked around, only to see confused faces on everyone, including Ken.
"Oh wait!" Makoto shouted, his face morphing into one of adulation.
"Ken didn't let that Tatsuo kid onto base at all. That means we get Ramen for dinner!"
A look of understanding appeared on the team's face before they broke out into a chant.
"YEAH! RA MEN"
"RA MEN"
"RA MEN"
Coach Hanada blinked a few times before letting out a sigh. It seemed that he needed to teach his players to pay more attention to the games. Although it was true that players shouldn't only chase singular accolades, this one was a big deal.
"No that's not it… Ken didn't let ANYONE onto base." He said, breaking the team out of their chant.
"Just look at the Jumbo screen."
Everyone at the same time turned towards the Jumbo screen at the back of the field, only to see Ken's name being showcased on the board.
At the same time, an announcement came over the speakers.
"Yokohama has defeated Shinjuku with a score of 6-0. Congratulations to Ken Takagi for his remarkable performance, having thrown a perfect game."
"Eh?"
"EH!? Perfect game??"
All of his teammates suddenly turned to him with wild expressions. How could the person who had made the achievement not even know what he had done?
Ken felt his vision waver as he was suddenly picked up by Makoto and Hiroki.
"Oi, what are you—"
"Heave ho"
"Heave ho"
He was suddenly tossed into the air a few times, now that his teammates had discovered what kind of feat he'd accomplished, they were all in an even better mood.
In the stands there were two figures who felt a rush of emotion as they saw Ken lifted into the air. His brother Daichi and his father Chris were both embracing each other, full of pride.
"He did it!"
"Mmm. Not only did he throw 160km/h he also threw a perfect game… It doesn't feel real." Chris said, feeling his emotion burst outward.
This was one of the proudest moments of his life, despite it only being an early match at Koshien.
A/N: Want a mass release? Check the authors notes!