After realizing the error of his ways, Ken apologized profusely to his mother, almost getting on his knees while his stomach protested loudly.
Yuki had already half forgiven him before his apologizing, yet she ensured that Ken had fully understood his rudeness before yielding. She retrieved his dinner from the microwave where she'd hidden it and put it on the table in front of him.
Ken thanked her many times before digging in, satiating his hunger.
***
CLANK
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING? ARE YOU MESSING WITH ME!?"
The sound of items falling onto the floor rang out in the room as a teen was yelling at his computer screen. His face was red and filled with fury while his sandy blond hair bounced around.
Upon the screen was a baseball match between Yokohama and Shinjuku High, depicting a tall figure on the mound who looked crestfallen. He massaged his shoulder briefly before walking off the field.
This was the final match shown on the video titled "The downfall of Ken Takagi" posted on youtube.
"Thank you for watching the video, please like and subscribe for more videos around baseball news."
As the narrator finished his words, the screen went black, showing his logo.
Ryan stared at the screen with a mixture of emotions, yet the most evident was anger. How could the person who beat him in the World Cup be reduced to such a state in the past year?
He had been diligently working on his game with Ken set as his rival. The pressure that he felt from the freshman was like someone was breathing down his neck, spurning him to give it his all.
Yet after Ryan returned from practice today, this video came up on his feed. At first he had scoffed, his inner keyboard warrior getting ready to explode.
However, after watching the video, all he felt was anger and bitterness.
"What a joke… There's not point in beating you now."
After seeing such a thing, Ryan felt a bad taste in his mouth. He now felt that Ken was not worthy of being his rival, despite winning against him at the World Cup.
"He'll never make it to the Majors, I should just forget about him." He said, though part of him was disappointed.
"Ryan? What was that noise?"
A woman's voice called out from the other room, getting his attention. She opened the door slightly before poking her head in.
"I just dropped something Mom sorry." Ryan replied, trying to sound sincere.
The woman frowned, "But I heard you yelling? Is everything okay?"
It took a few minutes of him explaining before his mother finally accepted his excuses.
"Ah, I almost forgot." She said, opening the door a little wider.
"You got this in the mail."
After handing her son the letter, she promptly left the room, muttering something about teenagers being weird.
Ryan of course heard every word that she said, yet he chose to leave it be.
He turned his attention to the letter and opened it.
"Congratulations, you've been selected for the USA U18 Baseball team for the Pan American games. Please see enclosed details and RSVP as soon as possible."
Ryan nodded, before folding the letter back up. He felt a little better after being named as part of the U18 team once again this year.
Every bit of opportunity he received on the National Team would only add to his stock coming into college. Since he was in his 3rd year, he was already projected as a top prospect ahead of every other pitcher in High School.
At first this wasn't enough for him, yet after seeing what Ken had turned int0, he began to think a little differently.
"I guess you can be thankful that you at least beat me once." Ryan muttered.
With that, he threw Ken out of his mind. The guy was no longer worthy to be considered by him at all.
***
"We're home!"
Chris and Daichi walked into the house after returning from the airport at around 2pm. It had been over 3 weeks since they first left for Tokyo University for the U18 Asian Tournament.
The two looked dead tired, as if the trip had taken its toll on them both physically and mentally.
"Welcome home you two!" Yuki almost jumped out of her chair as she went to greet the two at the threshold.
She hugged them both lovingly and smiled.
"We're celebrating tonight!" Yuki said, almost skipping back to the kitchen where she was preparing to cook dinner.
"Where's Ken?" Daichi asked, looking a little confused.
"He's probably in his room." His mom said nonchalantly, as if it had turned into a typical thing.
Both Daichi and Chris looked at each other briefly before the latter motioned for him to go check.
Daichi was feeling a little uneasy, hoping that Ken wasn't holding a grudge for missing out on the U18 team. Of course he had no part in not selecting Ken, yet he still couldn't help but feel guilty.
He quietly made his way up the stairs and knocked gingerly on Ken's door. Yet after not receiving a response, Daichi put his ear up to the door, trying to see if the guy was sleeping or something.
Yet all he could hear was the sound of heavy breathing and grunting coming from the other side, causing him to go pale. He almost turned around and walked away, yet there was part of him that was curious.
'Just what the hell is he doing?'
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
"Come in!"
Surprisingly, Ken called for him to come in, despite the grunting still occurring.
Daichi slowly opened the door, steeling his heart for what he was about to see.
He almost breathed out a sigh of relief as he saw Ken on the floor doing some sit-ups. Yet in the next moment his eyes widened as he saw the figure that Ken was sporting.
"Hey bro, welcome back!" Ken said, a hint of surprise in his voice.
He stood up from the floor and seemed incredibly imposing. His entire body was layered with a sheen of sweat and his muscles seemed to be bulging with power, specifically his shoulders and abdominals.
"W-What the hell man!?"