The next day around lunch time, the Yokohama team settled into the room they were all familiar with by now. This was where they discussed tactics for their upcoming matches.
Coach Hanada was up the front as usual, going through the things to look out for in the game. He had bags under his eyes, evidence of the late night he had pulled in order to gather all of this information.
Ken hadn't seen it the last few times since he was paying attention to the content, yet now that he was not playing, his mind wandered a little.
It was not only the head Coach, the other assistant coaches also looked dead tired. Perhaps it was because of the added pressure of the finals, or the fact that Ken was not going to be playing the game, but everyone in the room carried a fierce determination.
Ken was filled with mixed emotions. He thought that he would be okay not playing today, especially since he had achieved what he wanted to by getting his father to leave his job overseas.
However, now that he was here, he felt a little selfish.
'I really hope these guys can win… They deserve it.' He thought inwardly.
Coach Hanada wrapped up his talk about the other team and finally focused on their own.
"As you all know, Ken is unable to play today which means we'll be relying on you Akira." Seiji pointed to the teen who seemed to be locked in despite not playing this Koshien tournament.
"Yuta, I'll need you to do your best behind the plate. These guys have high on base percentages so I'm expecting a lot of hits particularly later in the game."
"Yes Coach!"
"Good. The rest of the lineup will be the same with Akira slotting into the 9th batting position. Everyone after Hiroki will be moving up a spot."
The players nodded, it was easy enough to understand without the coach spelling it out.
Seiji let out a smile, having finished what he needed to say. However, he still looked like he wanted to add more.
"So far you've all played remarkably to get us through to the finals. No matter what happens today, just know that I'm proud of all the hard work that you've accomplished. Yet even more so, I'm proud that you've grown together as a team."
He looked at his players and felt a sudden surge of pride.
"However, since we're already here… Why don't we go and win it all?" The Coach said with a hearty laugh.
"YEAH!"
"ORYAHH"
"Let's win the whole damn thing."
Taking his cue, Makoto walked into the middle of the group and placed his large hand in the center. His eyes moved around his teammates in a silent order to reciprocate.
Ken was the first to get up as he moved forward and placed his hand on top of Makoto's.
Soon enough everyone joined in, including Seiji and the assistant coach's.
"YOKOHAMA!"
"FIGHT!"
The room walls reverberated from the cheer, the echoes bounding around.
The players went straight from the room and picked up their bags and equipment before heading out the door. Since the game was scheduled to start at 2pm, they wanted to get there with plenty of time to spare.
Ken was one of the last out the door, his mind rather preoccupied.
"What's the matter? Are you bummed that you can't play?"
He heard the coach's voice right behind him, startling him out of his thoughts.
"Oh haha. Yeah it sucks, but I've got faith in our team." He replied as they made their way out of the residence and into the street.
Seiji nodded. He would be lying if he said the he wasn't disappointed that Ken couldn't participate in today's finals. However, he knew that he needed to prioritize Ken's health over the championship.
He wouldn't be able to forgive himself if anything happened to Ken if he allowed him to play.
Of course, even if he placed his name on the roster, he could already imagine the scene of Chris marching onto the field and causing a ruckus.
Thinking of such a thing, he couldn't help but smile.
He wouldn't expect any less of his Senpai.
"Akira has really improved since the start of the year. As long as he keeps his head cool, we have a good shot of winning." Coach Hanada added.
Ken too had noticed how hard Akira had been working. Although he hadn't been paying too much attention, the guy had also been in attendance at the team training events he was hosting.
"Yeah, let's hope he keeps a cool head."
As the two chatted, they finally arrived at the stadium around 15 minutes later. Much like the other days that they had attended, there were thousands of people outside the stadium.
Some were lining up for tickets, while others were waiting for the doors to the arena to open. Once they spotted Yokohama's team walking towards the entrance, some people began to shout.
"Good luck today Yokohama!"
"We're rooting for you"
There was only positive words thrown their way which made the team feel good about themselves. It wasn't often that High Schoolers would receive the same level of treatment as professional athletes.
For some, this was just a taste of what was to come. Yet for others, it would be something they'd never get to experience again.
Not long later they were ushered to their locker room for the final match against Koryu High. Despite not being on the roster, Ken had decided to get into his uniform as well.
Whether or not the won, he wanted to be on the field for the award ceremony after the game.
The winners would receive a gold plaque and gold medals, while the runner up would get the same but in a silver color. There was also the individual accolades that were given out after the match.
Since he'd made it to the finals, his hopes of winning one of these were high.