Ken felt the air around him sink into depression. After Cuba had taken the lead with a single swing of the bat, many of the Japanese players had their heads lowered.
As his gaze moved to Kei on the mound, he could see the guy gritting his teeth in frustration, his hand balled into a fist. As someone who had been in the same position as him before, Ken could empathize.
He turned to his father and Coach Takashi, expecting some movement from them. However, they seemed to be remaining steadfast, with no plan to make any actions.
'What is going through their head?' Ken asked in his heart.
While he had never been a coach himself, usually when a pitcher was fatigued, the natural thing would be to make a substitution. So why weren't they making the call?
It wasn't as if they didn't have a replacement. Both he and Satoshi were at full strength and were able to step in if needed.
Daichi felt a hint of bitterness after conceding the home run. His words were ignored earlier and they were left in this position because of it.
Just as he was about to give into despair, he heard a voice from the outfield.
Ken jogged in from the outfield, close enough so that everyone on the field could hear him.
"Don't mind Kei! We'll get those runs back in no time."
Kei who had his head lowered, turned to the sound of the voice and saw Ken staring at him. For a moment, his figure seemed to shine brightly in the sun, making it hard to see him properly.
"Let them hit the ball, we've got your back!" Ken shouted, giving a thumbs up.
At these words, Kei felt an odd sensation fill his body from the ground up. It was akin to a warmth which spread at a rapid pace, eating away at the fatigue that racked his body.
It wasn't just Kei, the other Japanese players felt their blood ignite, bringing with it a renewed sense of determination. They were simple words, yet they served as a uniting phrase which pulled the team together.
Ken was like a charismatic General who had appeared in front of the weary Japanese army, uniting their spirits and lifting the morale.
"Yeah! We've got your back Kei!" Masayuki shouted from the outfield, repeating the phrase and driving the point home.
"Let them hit!" Aki screamed, pounding his fist into his glove.
One after the other, the players on the field shouted out together, sending their confident words of encouragement to not only Kei, but to themselves.
"LET THEM HIT!"
"YEAH!"
Daichi was the last to join in, igniting his own fighting spirit after the push from Ken. No longer was he feeling cornered or in despair.
Ken couldn't help but grin after seeing the results of his Dauntless trait manifest in front of his very eyes. It was one thing seeing the description in the system, but a completely different beast when put into action.
The two coach's who were silent by the side suddenly felt their hearts beat faster. Without a word, they looked at each other and saw shining eyes staring back.
"Your son is a born leader…" Coach Takashi muttered.
"Y-Yeah, I guess you're right." Chris replied, the disbelief evident in his tone.
"Batting 5th, Short stop, Sergio."
Sergio who had just crept into the batters box, felt the sudden pressure bear down on him out of nowhere. It was as if 9 hungry tigers had locked onto him the moment he arrived, causing a cold sweat to drip down his back.
The pitcher who had seemed broken only a few moments ago was staring at him intensely, as if he wanted to rip his head off. This added with his delinquent aesthetic, made it even more intimidating.
'W-What the hell happened to these guys?'
But he had no time to think on the matter anymore as he felt a sudden sense of danger overcome him.
WHOOOOSH
PAH
"Strike!"
"What!? That guy was hardly standing earlier and he can still throw 96mph?" The crowd in the stands felt shock as they looked at the jumbo screen and saw the speed of the pitch.
However, they weren't the ones who had to face the ball.
Sergio felt the hairs on his neck stand up at the fireball he'd just witnessed first hand.
WHOOOSH
PAH
"Strike!"
PAH
"Strikeout!"
"ORYAAAAH!"
Kei shouted out in vindication after striking out Cuba's 5th batter. All of the shame he felt earlier was overturned, at least in this moment.
"Batting 6th, 1st base, Rogellio."
"Strike."
"Strike."
"Strikeout!"
Once again, Kei blitzed through the opposing batter, not even allowing him to touch the ball. Of course Daichi played a big part with his leads, building up Kei's confidence once more.
"Batting 7th, Right outfield Armando."
"Strikeout!"
"3 outs, changeover."
Just like that, after giving up 3 runs in the inning, Japan were able to stem the bleeding and escape from any further damage.
On the way into the dugout, Coach Takashi placed his hand on Kei's shoulder.
"Nice work out there."
Kei's eyes widened for a moment, not expecting the compliment since he had been pitching so poorly up to the last 3 batters. However, he replied thankfully before going to sit down on the bench.
"Grab some ice for your shoulder, we'll be changing pitchers next inning."
While he wasn't exactly satisfied, Kei nodded and did as he was told.
Even though they had survived the inning, they were now behind on the scoreboard at 5-6 in favor of Cuba. This meant that they would have to get a run from the sidearm pitcher, something they'd failed to do since he was substituted into the game.
"Guys listen up. It's the bottom of the 6th, which means our starting batters will get at least 2 more chances in this game. I want you to properly watch the pitches in your first at-bat." Coach Takashi said, his expression serious.