On the other side of the field, the US team were already in the midst of going through their drills. Ryan happened to look over and see Coach Williams making his way over to the Japanese staff.
"What's he doing?" He muttered.
Yet in the next moment his eyes widened in shock. He saw the Japanese coach come in for a hug and the two men embraced.
"Who is that over there?"
The large figure of Samuel Colt, the 3rd baseman appeared next to Ryan, his voice full of confusion.
However, Ryan was too surprised to respond, not that he had any clue to begin with.
"Ryan, what are you doing?" One of the coach's yelled. It was only when he didn't receive a response that he turned to what the teen was looking at.
Even he was stunned at the scene taking place.
Soon enough, the entire US team had noticed what was happening and turned their attention to the scene with Coach Williams.
They saw Ken walk over and give the coach a hug, shocking them to the core once again. Ryan especially felt shocked and betrayed at the action for some reason.
Most of the team only knew the Coach as a ruthless old man who would demand nothing less than perfection. To see him hugging a member of the opposite team was tantamount to treason.
Yet no matter how curious they were, the moment Coach Williams came walking back towards their side of the field, everyone went back to minding their own business.
Everyone except Ryan and another figure.
Santiago Williams jogged over to the coach, his expression filled with excitement.
"Is that them?" He asked, his actions making him look like a puppy.
Mark nodded, a small smile gracing his lips. He reached up and ruffled the teen's hair before replying.
"Just be patient, I'll introduce you to them later."
"Okay!" Santiago replied, filled with happiness. He quickly turned back the other way and joined in on the drills once more.
"Who are those people to you?" Ryan asked, his tone sounding accusatory.
Coach William's raised his eyebrow in response, clearly dissatisfied with the way he was being talked to.
"I don't think that's any of your business Ryan." He said succinctly.
With his tall frame at 6'5, Mark was more than a few inches taller than the teen. He looked down at him with a serious expression, completely opposite the look he just gave Santiago.
Ryan swallowed his complaints, quickly relinquishing his attitude. He had been too hasty, almost forgetting what kind of coach the man was in front of him.
"You're right sir, I apologize."
Afterwards, he turned around and was about to head over to the drills. Yet Mark called out to him.
"You're starting today… Don't hold back."
Ryan froze in place, his mouth turning up into a smile.
"I won't…" He said with a deep tone.
'Just you bastard's wait, I won't let you get a single hit.'
On the other side of the field, Ken wore a grin as he went through some outfield drills. He hadn't expected to see his Grandfather today, nor did he expect him to be the U18 United States Head Coach.
It seemed that baseball ran deep in his family, much more than he knew.
His eyes moved to Daichi, only to see the guy hard at work with Satoshi. Originally he was a little worried that such a thing might effect him mentally, but it seemed like the guy was even more fired up than before.
After around 15 minutes, they were called onto the field for the National anthems.
When The Star-Spangled Banner began to play, everybody in the audience got to their feet and began to sing. Since there was around 5000 people present, their voices were audible from the field.
Of course when the Japanese National Anthem came on, no one in the crowd apart from Ken's mother and a few other fans joined in.
For some reason, Ken decided that he was going to sing it at the top of his lungs.
He wasn't exactly a great singer, but he did his best. He suddenly wished that Shiro was here to lead them in singing.
The other players were a bit taken aback by Ken's volume, but they quickly caught on, raising their voices loudly as if to shout out their pride for their country.
"May Japan's Reign, last for ten thousand years. Until the pebbles, grow into boulders, lush with moss."
Ken heard a high and angelic voice ring out to his left, almost throwing him off completely. As he turned, he saw Kuro with his eyes closed, singing comfortably at the alto range.
"May Japan's Reign, last for ten thousand years. Until the pebbles, grow into boulders, lush with moss."
As the anthem came to an end, there was silence in the arena for a few moments. Unexpectedly the crowd cheered, raining down applause onto the field for the Japanese player's passionate performance of their National Anthem.
A feeling of unity spread across the team as they stood side by side. Each one of them wearing the pride of their country on their backs as they came up against the titan in the United States.
Coach Takashi wore a look of approval on his face, appreciating the moment. Ken's antics hadn't escaped his gaze.
'Truly a good match for my Granddaughter…' He thought inwardly, stroking his goatee.
After the crowd had calmed down, Masayuki and Leo went up to the umpire to participate in the coin toss.
Standing next to the model-like Leo, anyone would feel inferior. Whether it was physique or demeanor, the guy looked like a marble sculpture, unaffected by the rabble around him.
Masayuki might have lost in the looks and aura department, but he would not lose out in fighting spirit. Unconsciously, he tensed up his muscles, trying to appear bigger than he usually was.
Players from both teams let out a laugh at the scene as the umpire flipped the coin.