"Hey didn't you say that their Ace was washed up?" A short haired teen said to his teammate, his expression incredulous.
"I—I don't know…"
WHOOOSH
PAH
"Strikeout! 3 outs, changeover."
The Yokosuka team felt suffocated from the pressure Ken exerted on them. Each pitch felt as if it was going to break the sound barrier.
It was scary.
Ken wiped the sweat from his brow, a grin now planted on his expression. For the first time since losing his system, he felt that things were beginning to work out.
On his way back to the dugout, Ken massaged his shoulder, feeling the fatigue build up. He'd just finished pitching the 7th inning, yet his arm was already tired.
'I guess this is what its like without the fatigue management skill.' He thought wryly.
The score was currently 2-0 in favor of Yokohama despite Ken putting on a wonderful pitching performance. Without players like Hiroki, their batting prowess had taken a hit.
It didn't help that he had also regressed on offense.
'I really need to work on my batting as well.' Ken mused inwardly.
'Maybe I'll ask my Dad for help since he was the one who taught me to begin with?'
Ken nodded. It would be good to spend some bonding time with his father without thinking of their current predicament.
"How's your arm?" Coach Hanada asked, showing concern.
Ken grinned in response, he knew he couldn't hide anything from this sharp-eyed coach of his.
"I think I've had enough pitching for today." He stated, words he never thought that he'd utter in his lifetime.
The fact he could admit such a thing showed just how much he had grown as both a person and a professional.
Seiji pat Ken on the back on his way into the dugout, wearing a satisfied smile on his face. Even if the guy hadn't admitted it, he planned on taking Ken off the mound in the next inning.
Of course Ken didn't have to know that piece of information.
Ken walked further down the bench and saw Mamoru staring blankly at the field. The teen had been attached to him earlier in the year, shadowing him like a little brother.
Yet his attitude had changed as Ken fell into a slump. He would no longer speak to him respectfully, in fact, he ignored him most of the time.
However, Ken didn't blame him.
He took a seat next to Mamoru, startling the teen momentarily.
"Are you ready?" Ken asked.
"R-Ready? For what?"
Ken chuckled, seeing the nervous reaction from his teammate.
"The mound, it's yours for the next two innings." He said nonchalantly.
"Eh? Really?"
Mamoru was surprised. Ken had only pitched around 80 balls this game, yet he was relinquishing the mound to him? They were only up 2 runs, wouldn't it make sense to use the Ace in this situation?
"Of course. I need to rest my shoulder after all."
"…"
Mamoru felt complicated in that moment. He had finally seen the pitches he'd been enamored with after so long, yet now he was stepping down after only 7 innings?
"Senpai… Tell me the truth. Why has your pitching sucked until now?"
"KEUGH!"
Ken spluttered and began to choke on his saliva, leading to a coughing fit. He had not expected the teen to be so harsh and go right for his jugular from the start.
"Ahem… It's hard to explain." He said, clearing his throat.
However, seeing the sincere expression on Mamoru's face, he decided to elaborate slightly.
"After the World Cup, I seemed to have some hidden injuries that had built up over both Koshien and the 2 weeks of games. Because of that, my pitching form deteriorated instinctively to protect my body."
Ken chose to elaborate a little on the coach's theory. While it was not completely true, it at least created a believable notion.
Mamoru's eyes widened, not expecting this sort of explanation. Almost instantly he felt a deep sense of guilt for how he had treated Ken recently.
"I—I'm sorry Senpai!" Mamoru quickly stood to his feet and bowed his head at 90 degrees, showing deep respect.
"Huh? Why are you acting like that?" Ken raised his eyebrow in surprise.
"I treated you poorly when you were going through a tough time. I thought you'd just gotten cocky and let your talents go to waste. Please forgive me." He stated, keeping his head bowed.
Ken felt a little puzzled at what to do, but he soon let out a small laugh and helped the teen up. In truth he wasn't angry or anything, to him Mamoru's treatment of him was nowhere near as bad as the Japanese media.
If anything, at least Mamoru was nice to his face.
"Alright, enough of that. I accept your apology, so go and win the game for us okay?" Ken said, wearing a grin.
Mamoru's wide eyes stared at Ken, sparkling. He had to look up since the guy was so tall.
"T-Thank you Senpai! I'll never forget your kindness."
With that, the teen was filled to the brim with fighting spirit as he began to warm up his shoulder with vigor.
In the next inning, Coach Hanada called for the replacement of Ken on the mound, sending Mamoru up to pitch. As he got to his position, he flashed a brilliant smile to Ken in the dugout.
Ken couldn't help but chuckle, sending him a thumbs up.
Mamoru's situation had reminded him of another person who looked up to him. His gaze turned reminiscent as he thought about his number 1 fan in America, Michael.
'I hope that kid's doing well.' He thought.
PAH
"Nice pitch!"
Ken nodded in satisfaction. Despite his weird attitude towards him in the beginning of the year, Mamoru truly was talented.
He was 15 and could already pitch upwards of 90mph. Unlike Ken, his form was well polished, though he seemed to lack the stamina to throw for too long.
However, Ken felt a lot better knowing Yokohama had an upcoming pitcher like this.
'Looks like Mamoru will be able to carry the team after I graduate.'