"Great! I've got to go, but let's chat later Daisuke." She said, sending him a wink.
"O-Okay bye." Daichi said as he felt his heart flutter.
Once Miho had left, he floated over to his bed and collapsed, a giant grin on his face. He grabbed the nearby pillow and hugged it to his chest while staring at the ceiling.
He was so caught up in his emotions that he didn't even realize she'd called him by the wrong name.
Seeing the actions of what seemed like a typical teenage girl, Ken felt both amused and annoyed. However at the end of the day, he didn't mind suffering for his brother.
The problem was, would the team mind?
***
Almost 3 hours later, everyone had finally arrived on the baseball field at the Tokyo University campus.
Since school had technically resumed, it was not just the National Team present. There were plenty of young adults that were walking past or stopping to watch the team as they went through their warm ups.
However, because most of the players present had played at Koshien before, the small crowd of onlookers did not bother them at all.
"Alright everyone, gather up please."
Chris's voice rang out, getting the player's attention.
Sporting their new National Team jersey's, the 16 players made their way over. Everyone was full of enthusiasm for the upcoming training, all except Ken who was wearing a solemn expression.
Daichi had been on cloud nine ever since his interaction with Miho, yet Ken knew that once they began the system's training plan, he would soon see his mistake.
"Since you are all athletes, we'll be implementing a new Strength and Conditioning training plan which will focus on building your stamina and fitness."
Hearing this, most of the team nodded. They were expecting some changes since moving up to the International level so they came prepared.
Yet there was an additional person in the group who flinched when hearing this term, almost as if he had PTSD.
Hiroki stiffly turned his neck towards Ken, his gaze drilling into the side of his head.
As Ken turned, the two locked eyes. The former gave a questioning, almost pleading look towards Ken, as if to ask if this training plan was one of his own.
Ken let out an exaggerated sigh before nodding slowly.
Hiroki's face dropped as he felt his heart rate increase from the terrible news he'd just uncovered. Flashbacks of almost dying at their extra curricular training appeared in his mind, threatening to give him a panic attack.
"H-How bad is it?" He whispered.
"It's bad…" Ken responded
Hiroki paled in response, not even hearing the next words from the coach.
"Now I will warn you all beforehand that this training will be pretty grueling, but I can assure you that it will be very beneficial in the upcoming weeks." Chris said, his eyes roaming over the players.
They eventually stopped on Daichi as he gave a smile.
"I'll also let you know that this training plan was made by one of our players. Daichi well done, even the Head Coach gave his approval for this one."
At his words, the rest of the team looked his way curiously. Since they hadn't been together long, not everyone knew who he was.
However, to be acknowledged by the renowned Head Coach, his training plan must be rather good.
"Alright, let's head over to the training stations and I'll take you through the workouts."
Chris then led everyone to a part of the field where markers were set up and began to explain the different exercises that they would be taking part in. These include burpees, squats, push-ups, box jumps, side lunges, kettle bell swings and a few more calisthenic exercises that targeted the core muscles.
"We'll be doing some High Intensity Interval Training, also known as H.I.I.T to make sure your heart rate stays high. Each exercise will be done for 60 seconds, with a 30 second recovery time before moving to the next set."
The players didn't seem too perturbed by the description of the workout, of course that was likely because they'd never done it before.
Coach Takashi stood on the side with his arms crossed, wearing a smug smile on his face. He noticed that out of the 16 players, only 2 or 3 seemed to grasp just how difficult the training would be.
"Break up into groups of two and go stand in an area that is free. Each zone will have a staff member who will demonstrate the exercise for your during your rest period."
Once everyone was in position, Chris looked around and grinned.
"Ready?"
FWHEE
The moment he blew the whistle, their first official workout for the National Team had begun.
Ken had taken Daichi as his partner and they were currently in the burpee zone. This happened to be one of his most hated exercises, but he grit his teeth and pushed through.
It would only get worse from here.
While the first couple of exercises were okay, by the time the players were onto their fourth, the sound of grunts and heavy breathing resounded on the field.
Though it had only been approximately 6 minutes, half of the team felt like they were dying.
FWHEE
As the whistle sounded for the rest period to begin, Ken could feel 14 pairs of eyes staring in his and Daichi's direction. There was no longer any curiosity, having been replaced with hatred and malice.
Yet they did not have enough time to convert these thoughts into action as they were ushered onto the next exercise after 30 seconds.
The cycle repeated itself until everyone had completed the same exercise 2 times.
FWHEE
"Alright well done guys." Chris said, clapping a few times.
The moment they heard those words, everyone collapsed onto the ground and began sucking in deep breaths. Even Ken with his SS+ ranked Stamina was feeling exhausted, showing just how brutal the mere 30 minute workout was.
No one currently had the energy to complain as they were fighting to get oxygen into their bodies.
"I'll give you guys another few minutes, then it's onto the next part."
Chris's words were barely audible above the gasps for air.