A smile crept onto Ken's face as he heard his father's next words. Finally, the time had arrived for him to showcase his pitching skills.
"Good luck." Ken held out his fist to Hiroki who flashed him a grin.
"You too Ken, Daichi."
Hiroki sent a cheeky salute his way before wandering off with the other group.
Ken placed his arm around Daichi and whispered.
"This is our chance to impress and make it onto the squad."
Daichi nodded in agreement. Since he wasn't selected in the preliminary squad yesterday, he needed to showcase his talents today otherwise his hopes of competing alongside Ken would be finished.
Once they arrived at the bullpen, the coach turned around and spoke up.
"Alright, looks like we have 5 pitchers and 4 catchers." He said, surveying the group of players in front of him.
"We'll be taking a maximum of 3 pitchers and 2 catchers in the team which means you'll be competing against each other. Catchers get your gear on, and pitchers warm up your arms."
The players sprang into action, using the gear available to them.
Ken was left with the other pitchers who began to go through their warm up routines. He recognized Kei and another 3rd year player named Satoshi Subaru. He had been the Ace last year for the National team's Asian Baseball Championship run.
The guy was average height and had sharp sword-shaped eyebrows, giving him a fierce expression. His messy hair was hidden beneath his cap, giving him a more refined and dangerous aura.
He had led the National team to victory over the Chinese Taipei squad in the finals of the Asian Baseball Championship. With his dynamic and precise pitching, he held the team to 0 runs until he ran out of gas in the 7th inning.
Unlike most High School baseball teams, the National Team generally had a starting pitcher, relief pitcher and closing pitcher. This was closer to how professional teams operated, putting less stress on the shoulders of the Ace.
Ken knew that Satoshi would be his biggest threat in these tryouts, yet he was not discouraged.
While Satoshi had a wide array of pitches, he lacked the killer fastball that Ken possessed. That wasn't to say that his pitches were not effective, just that Ken's had more impact.
Ken's gaze moved to the other pitchers in the lineup and could not recognize them.
"Looks like we'll be competing against each other again, Ken." A voice came from behind him, startling him.
He turned around to see a teen with his hair tied into a ponytail. However, that was the only thing memorable about his features.
The guy was average height with an average physique, even his voice sounded average.
'Who the hell is this guy?' He questioned in his heart.
"This time it will be different though…" The teen said, a determined look appearing on his average face.
"S-Sure, good luck."
Ken quickly turned around before he was found out. He didn't want to seem rude or embarrass the guy since he'd forgotten who he was.
At the same time, he couldn't be blamed.
'I doubt this guy's mother would be able to pick him out in a small crowd.'
"Alright, everyone line up in the bullpen. I want to see your pitches." Coach Takashi announced, getting everyone's attention.
The players did as they were told and took a spot at the marker. Since there were only 4 catchers, Ken found himself without a partner. However he didn't make a fuss since he was sure the coach would have something else planned.
Oddly enough, he had only just noticed that the coach was putting on a chest protector himself, followed by a face mask.
'Eh!? The coach is going to catch my pitches?'
Now that he looked at him, the coach looked far too adapt at putting on the equipment. This told him that he'd had plenty of experience doing so in the past.
"We'll throw 10 pitches warm up and then another 15 before moving down the line."
With that, he approached the empty position in front of Ken and sent him a smile.
"Start when you're ready!" He announced before crouching down.
CRACK CRACKLE CRACK
The moment he squatted down, the sound of cracking bones rang out in the bullpen, causing everyone to snap their heads in the direction of the coach.
Ken's jaw was wide open, and he was not the only one.
Coach Takashi let out a few uncomfortable grunts before he finally got into the right position.
"Well? What are you waiting for? Throw!"
Ken quickly picked up his jaw and got into position. Thanks to his Dauntless trait, whatever trepidation he felt earlier quickly evaporated as he stared down at the coach.
He started slowly, throwing some warm up pitches and gradually increasing the strength he used.
Coach Takashi was a natural, easily collecting the throws and sending the ball back with ease. It was in complete contrast to his age.
After finishing his tenth pitch, Ken nodded towards the coach. From now on it would be where the real deal started.
Since the coach hadn't made any signs, Ken decided to throw a fastball right down the middle to show off his speed and accuracy.
The aura around Ken suddenly changed as his face turned serious. Power and determination seemed to seep from his figure, painting the surroundings in an ethereal glow.
Ken lifted his left knee and coiled his body, poised to strike.
When he stepped forward and planted his left foot, the coach's eyes widened as he felt a sense of danger grip his body. Yet his experienced body did not falter, tracking the ball as it left Ken's fingertips.
WHOOOSH
PAH
"Mmm"
Coach Takashi instantly felt his hand start to go numb, even after catching it perfectly within is glove. He couldn't help but let out a little grunt of approval before throwing the ball back to Ken.
"Again." He stated, squatting down once more.