DOOOOONG
Shock and pain crossed the Australian players faces as they tracked the ball through the air.
"LEFT!" Jeb yelled out, but the player was already running towards the back wall.
But it was all for naught.
The ball rocketed into the stands, leaving no room for doubt in anyone's mind. It was a single home run, once again.
Ken jogged around the bases, hearing the cheer of the crowd and the Japanese dugout. With his home run, the score was now 5-0 in their favor with Australia yet to get an out against them.
This was the start of what would be a statement to the remaining teams in the World Cup.
Japan were here to win it all.
In the locker room after the game, Ken let out a big stretch, sitting upon the comfy couch provided. He looked relaxed and carefree, not something one would expect after just participating in a baseball match.
"Well that was over fast." Aki stated, digging in his nose.
Masayuki flashed him a scowl, "We could have scored more if you didn't get 2 double-plays."
"Eh… Hehe~"
Aki felt a little embarrassed, but he quickly shook it off. After all, he was one of the most shameless in the team.
"I think 17 runs in 5 innings was enough right?" Daichi added with a smile.
Riku strolled into the room with a towel around his neck, wearing his trademark grin.
"Yeah, I was starting to feel a bit bad for them honestly. After all, they only got 1 run in return~." He said, though his expression seemed to be at odds with his words.
"But still, that giant and the shorty… They were good players." Hiroki piped in, giving some respect to their opponent.
Remembering the solo home run that the 6'7 guy hit, the players went silent. It truly was one of the biggest they'd seen at Rodgers stadium, at least in comparison to their own.
"Alright guys, let's get ready to head off. Lunch is at 12 and then you'll have some free time until our next film session at 5pm."
Chris walked into the lockers, alerting the players. After the game, he once again chatted with his old friend, Australia's coach.
"Yes sir!"
The players were in a great mood as they packed up their things. Not only did they get to finish the game early, most of them performed rather well. There was also the allure of some free time, something that was scarce usually.
"Hey, want to go to the gym later?" Ken asked Daichi on their way to the bus.
"Yes!"
Hiroki's ears perked up, answering before Daichi got the chance. He looked way too energetic for what Ken was actually asking.
"You good man?" Daichi asked in puzzlement.
"Ah… Yeah, just the lack of training is making me feel restless." He replied.
Ken and Daichi nodded. Since their schedule was so jam packed, the only training they did was mental training in their film sessions and some light exercises.
Adding on that Hiroki was basically stuck in place on 1st base, it was understandable that he was getting restless. If one took into account that Hiroki trained like a mad man, this made even more sense.
"Alright, but let's have lunch first. I've also gotta do some homework afterwards." Ken responded.
The team returned to the hotel and had lunch. As if a reward for their dominating victory, rice was on the menu.
"Oh my goodness, I've missed you so much." Riku announced, hugging his rice bowl like a lost lover.
"It tastes just like home…" Kuro said, a tear rolling down his face.
Ken thought it was a little strange that a US hotel would serve such things, but once he saw Miho arrive at the table with a grin on her face, he could more or less guess something.
"Did you do this?" He asked, motioning to the food in front of him.
"Fufu~ how could you tell?" She looked rather pleased with herself, especially after seeing Daichi's surprised expression.
"Really Miho? I love you!"
Daichi dove into his rice, shoveling into his mouth without a care in the world. He didn't see the wide eyes and shocked expressions of everyone around him.
Coach Takashi who had just walked into the dining room, suddenly saw his Granddaughter with her face flushed red. He froze in place and stared at the scene with wide eyes.
Ken's gaze happened to cross the coach's almost causing him to choke on his food. Until he left a few moments later, suddenly acting as if he hadn't seen anything.
"Dude what did you just say?" Hiroki whispered to Daichi.
"What? I was just saying thanks for the rice." Completely oblivious, Daichi looked at Hiroki with an innocent expression.
Ken gestured towards Miho who was fidgeting, her face still red as a tomato.
Daichi looked over, only to be confused.
'Wait… why is she blushing? What did I say?'
"W-Well, enjoy your meal. I've got some things to do now." Miho stammered before running off in a flash.
Daichi turned to his brother, like a drowning man asking to be saved.
"What did I say?"
"Well…"
…
"WHAT!?"
Daichi stood up from the table, his expression filled with horror. If the patrons weren't already used to the Japanese team's antics, they might have been surprised.
"Shhh, chill out man. You're drawing attention to yourself." Ken said, trying to calm down his brother.
However, the guy listlessly floated down onto his chair, losing his appetite.
"My life is over…"
Diachi looked as if his whole world had come crumbling down upon him, truly a sad sight.
Both Ken and Hiroki looked at each other, only now finding the situation amusing.
"It's okay man. I mean, Miho didn't seem exactly upset when you said those words." Hiroki said, flashing Daichi a thumbs up.
Hearing this, Daichi's face morphed a few times before remembering the blushing face of Miho. Her cuteness doing wonders for his mood.