"So you've finally decided to bring him out." Mark Williams muttered after seeing Ken ascend the mound.
As a Grandfather, he was thrilled to see his Grandson on the mound. Yet as the U18 US coach, he felt a little trepidation.
His eyes narrowed onto Coach Takashi, the World Renowned National Team coach for many years. He had a feeling that the guy had been saving Ken for this very moment, wanting to stifle their batting line up.
While placing Ken who was still a freshman as a closer, he was able to attune and prepare him for the big stage. This gave him valuable experience, pitching against the best batters in the world.
Though it might have been frustrating for Ken, this truly was the best path for his future development.
As his thoughts moved to this, he couldn't help but turn his attention to Ryan who was calmly sitting on the bench. Unfortunately for Ryan, the spotlight had been on him since a young age.
He was forced to be at the forefront from the very beginning. Any slump in performance was heavily criticized, while his achievements would be lauded throughout the media as if he was the next prodigy.
'I can't imagine what such pressure does to a person.' Mark thought, his gaze softening.
In truth, Ryan had faced a ton of backlash for his struggles against the Japanese team in his last match. While Mark had tried to shield the teen, there was only so much that he could do.
He had Ryan sit out of the remaining games and was considering benching him for the finals. However, he could not deny the kid after seeing his vast improvements in only a few days time.
On the other side of the field, Chris watched on as Ken began to warm up his arm on the mound. His heart surged with pride as any good father would.
"Thank you for trusting me." Coach Takashi said, placing his hand on Chris's shoulder.
"Hmm? What do you mean?" Chris turned around, not entirely sure where these words were coming from.
The Head Coach let out a little chuckle before responding, "When I suggested Ken as a closing pitcher, I could see you hesitated. While you agreed with me verbally, your eyes suggested otherwise."
"Eh?"
Chris suddenly felt a little embarrassed. He inwardly cursed his stupid face that portrayed his emotions too easily.
"Hahaha!"
This only caused Coach Takashi to let out a peel of laughter in response.
"This is why I like you Chris, you're easy to read."
Back on the mound, Ken threw his final warm-up ball and sent a nod to the plate umpire. A small grin graced his lips.
'I feel sharp today.' He said inwardly.
He thought back to the conversation he had with the Head Coach after the meeting.
"Alright, now that we're at the finals… All bets are off." Coach Takashi said, his face dead serious.
"Really? You mean I can throw my other pitches?"
"Pitches? As in plural?" he said with a shocked expression.
Just thinking about the coach's reaction filled him with amusement.
"Batting 1st, Center outfield, Santiago."
Before he could continue to think about the past, his first challenge appeared in the batters box. Santiago Williams who was now technically his Uncle…
The guy sent him a wave, causing Ken to let out a muffled laugh. Even with all of this pressure, the guy still wanted to be friendly with him.
Yet the moment he got into position, Santiago's whole disposition changed. His tightly gripped bat was poised to strike the first ball that entered his range.
'That's more like it…' Ken said inwardly, beginning to feel fired up.
Daichi crouched down and made the sign, his expression serious. Whenever Santiago was in the batters box, he felt an oppressive aura that made it hard to breathe.
Ken nodded before lifting his left leg and clutching the glove to his chest. He planted his foot and sent his arm out like a whip, raking down hard with his fingertips and sending the ball blitzing towards Daichi's glove.
WHOOOOSH
PAH
"Strike"
'Ah.'
Santiago felt a shiver run through his body after facing the pitch. His bat was far too slow to catch the bullet-like projectile that streamed past him.
This was the first pitch he'd experienced from his new family member, and it didn't disappoint.
"Wow! Nice pitch!" Santiago said, sending a thumbs up to Ken.
The umpire watched on with confusion, not knowing whether the guy was being nice, or if he was being inflammatory. Yet judging by the batters expression, it seemed likely that it was the former.
'What a weirdo.' He thought.
"Ahem… Take your position Santiago."
"Yes sir!"
Ken received the ball back from Daichi and took his position once more.
"They're a lot faster in person." Leo said, his eyes narrowing.
"Are you feeling nervous?"
Leo turned to see the bulky Sam next to him, yet he scoffed in response.
"Me? Nervous? I'm as cool as a cucumber."
No one rebutted him, showing just how much they respected their Captain. Some believed that Leo would be calm even if the apocalypse suddenly happened out of nowhere.
WHOOOOSH
PAH
"Strike"
The second ball was just as fast as the last one, yet the result was the same. Unlike Ryan's grip changes, Ken used the traditional grip for his fastballs, yet the increased spin enabled them to move around a lot more.
The result was similar, yet Ken's technique was far more reliable.
'I think it's time to change it up.' Ken thought after receiving the ball.
He was about to make a sign to Daichi, however his face turned up in a grin in the next moment.
"Looks like we're on the same page." He muttered.
Ken wound up and sent the next ball out.
'This is it!'
The ball lacked the same spin as the last one, prompting Santiago to plant his foot and swing for the fences.
WHOOOOSH