Kei felt Coach Takashi's sharp gaze on him and instantly began to feel anxious. He wasn't sure what he had done wrong, but he knew he would find out in a moment.
"What kind of pitch was that?" He shouted, clearly annoyed.
"If there wasn't a pitcher in the batters box right now, that ball would have been sent flying for a home run."
After saying so, he looked back at Ken and paused, as if remembering something.
"Ahem, okay maybe it would have been hit regardless." Coach Takashi said, clearing his throat.
"Catchers, I want you to lead the ball like you're trying to get the batter out. I won't accept any half-hearted play even if it's only a drill! Ken, go ahead and smack the ball if you see another one you can hit."
The coach increased the stakes, giving Ken permission to hit the ball.
The drill which had begun lightheartedly, suddenly turned serious.
Ken almost couldn't believe his ears at the coach's words. It had taken a lot of his willpower not to swing at the ball that was going right down the middle of the strike zone.
Yet now that he'd been given free reign, he suddenly felt a lot more comfortable.
'Let's see how this goes.' He thought, tightening his grip on the bat.
Keiichi who was the current catcher for the drill, sent a few signs to Kei upon the mound. Since he now had to treat the drill as if he was in a game, there was a sudden switch that happened in his mind.
His earlier timidness seemed to disappear, replaced with a determined gaze. It seemed that he was a player who excelled in actual game scenarios rather than drills.
"The count is 0-0, let's proceed." Coach Takashi yelled.
Kei nodded before kicking out his leg and beginning his unorthodox wind before whipping out his left arm.
"Second base!" Coach Takashi shouted aloud just as the ball left Kei's fingers.
Ken watched as the ball flew towards him, his eyes glued on the trajectory. With his improved mental capacity, he found it far easier to track where the ball was going to go.
'Outside and low…'
It looked a bit far for him to get a proper hit in, so he decided to let it go.
PAH
Keiichi sprung up and shifted his feet, sending the ball rocketing towards 2nd base with ease. Kei quickly crouched down, not wanting to get hit in the crossfire.
Pah
Satoshi who was standing upon 2nd base managed to catch the ball precisely, even making the action of swiping the glove down to tag the imaginary runner.
"Good! Again."
Coach Takashi called out, much more impressed with the play.
Once again Kei nodded before throwing his pitch.
"Third!"
This time, it was an inside ball which forced Ken to step back from the plate.
PAH
In one smooth movement, Keiichi shuffled his feet and moved behind Ken with swiftness. In the next moment he'd already let the ball loose and thrown it perfectly to the player on 3rd base.
Pah
Coach Takashi's eyes showed a hint of satisfaction. Usually it was difficult to throw to 3rd base when a right hand batter was in the box. They were not required to move out of the way, as long as they didn't intentionally impede the catcher.
Ken could tell that the catcher was experienced, particularly when trying to stop a runner stealing base.
However, the past 2 pitches had been balls which meant the count was currently 2-1.
If he kept on calling for balls, soon enough he would walk the batter.
"Let's keep going, remember the count." Coach Takashi said, gazing at Keiichi.
However, the catcher seemed rather unperturbed as he made the signal for the next pitch.
The next ball came flying towards the strike zone once again, however this time the coach remained silent.
'Two-seam fastball, breaking away…'
Ken flashed a grin before planting his foot and swinging with all of his might.
DOOONG
Everybody turned their attention to the ball which flew towards the outfield, their jaws slack.
While there were a few who knew that Ken could hit a ball, it was one thing knowing about it and another thing seeing it up close.
The ball didn't stop, clearing the back wall for a home run.
Even the players who were doing drills in the outfield had seen the ball clear the fence. They too turned their attention back to the diamond in question.
"Ahem…" Coach Takashi cleared his throat, buying himself some time to think about a solution.
In essence, the pitch was a good one. It was a tricky ball to hit for most batters and would be a strike as long as it went through to the catcher.
It was a perfect ball on the outside which could be used to protect against a base steal.
"Ken, let's have you switch with… Satoshi." Coach Takashi said, his face slightly red.
He didn't know many of the other pitchers, but he at least knew that Satoshi wasn't great in the batters box. If he picked another random pitcher and they were the same as Ken, he'd feel embarrassed.
"Ah, no problem." Ken muttered, dropping the bat and placing the helmet back in the pile of equipment.
As he got his cap on, he ran towards 2nd base and was met with a wide grin from Kei upon the mound.
"You won't let me have anything for free will ya?" He asked half-heartedly.
"Haha sorry roomie." Ken replied, letting out a small chuckle.
With that he took up position on the 2nd base and awaited the remainder of the drill.
After around 10 more pitches, Keiichi was told to rotate off. The next catcher came up, yet he was significantly slower in getting the ball to the bases.
It wasn't the fact that he had a bad throw, just that his footwork couldn't measure up to that of Keiichi's who seemed to have perfected the technique.