The trip went rather fast as the two chatted away. It was a rather odd feeling, getting along so well with someone after only 1 day of knowing them.
By the end of the bus ride, Ken felt as is he'd known Steve for many years already.
Apparently he had played baseball from a young age, but only outside of school since he was home schooled until recently. Ken was a little surprised since he thought that kids who were home schooled generally lacked social skills.
Disregarding his own generalization, he patiently listened to his new friends back story.
As they got up to leave the bus, Stephanie also got to her feet. It seemed it was also her stop. She once again completely ignored Steve, not even sending him a glance.
'Yikes, this could be worse than I thought.' Ken said inwardly, sending the unsuspecting Steve a pitiful glance.
Unaware of his plight, the guy walked forward, beckoning Ken to follow.
"The Gladiators club is this way, but we usually practice on the fields close by." He said, picking up the pace.
Before long, the two were jogging towards the fields.
Upon finally arriving, Ken hadn't even broken into a sweat. He glanced at Steve who also seemed to be fine and nodded his head inwardly. It was clear that the guy was in shape.
His gaze moved to the field which seemed to be in great condition. It was laid out in synthetic turf and there was enough capacity for around 100 spectators.
"Coach! I've brought someone to try out." Steve yelled out, his voice catching the attention of not only the coach, but a lot of the players who had already gathered.
Ken felt a little awkward suddenly receiving a whole bunch of stares, but he didn't back down. Now was not the time to appear meek and timid.
"Steve… Our next tournament is this weekend, we've already finalized the team." A man in his early forties with a killer mustache turned to him and spoke with exasperation.
However, when his eyes landed on Ken, he began to size him up. There was a hint of hesitation in his gaze, as if deciding if it was worth taking a look.
"Give him a shot Coach, I guarantee you won't regret it." He said, shining a smile at the man.
Just before the coach was about to refuse once more, Steve walked a bit closer to him and whispered something in his ear. There was a frown on his face for a few moments before his eyes suddenly lit up.
He looked at Ken in disbelief, then once again sized him up.
Whatever hesitation was in his gaze earlier seemingly disappeared as he walked closer to Ken. If anything, there was now a sparkle in his eyes.
"Ken was it? Is it true that you're the same guy who killed our U18 team at the World Cup?" The coach asked in a low voice. It seemed that he didn't want to alert the other players just yet.
"I wouldn't exactly put it like that, but yes I pitched for the U18 Japanese National team." Ken said, trying to remain a little humble.
"Hehe… I'm Coach Wyatt, its a pleasure to meet you." The mustachioed man said, his lips turned up in a grin.
"Ken Takagi, likewise." He replied, completing the handshake and introduction.
"Well, as I said we've got a tournament starting this weekend, so we've pretty much decided on the team. But I can't exactly let ya walk away empty handed now, can I?" Although he said this, his mouth was still grinning ear to ear.
Ken didn't exactly know what he was talking about, but decided to play along.
"Just tell me what I need to do." He said with conviction.
"Excellent!" Coach Wyatt said, patting Ken on his left shoulder with glee.
"Usually we'd hold open tryouts for a spot on the team, but we closed them last week. If you want a spot, you'll have to try out in front of the whole team." He added.
'Hmm? That sounds a little odd.' Ken thought.
However, his Academic trait quickly came to a conclusion. It was likely that if the coach put him in the team, it could sow discourse and negatively affect morale. The coach wanted the team to see his abilities and prove himself to them.
"Alright let's do it." There was no hesitation in his voice.
Both Coach Wyatt and Steve seemed rather pleased with his attitude, practically jumping in the air with glee.
"Go get padded up." Coach Wyatt told Steve, his eyes still sparkling.
"Ken, have you got your own equipment?"
"Mmm. I'm just missing a bat." Ken replied.
However, Coach Wyatt frowned in confusion. "You can hit as well?" He asked, sounding a little skeptical.
Ken looked at him weirdly. It was odd that the guy knew about his performance in the World Cup but did not know about his hitting abilities.
"I'm decent." He responded.
"Hmm okay. We'll have you bat as well then." The coach said, "Go follow Steve and meet us on the field in a few minutes."
Ken nodded, heading towards the locker room where Steve had just disappeared to.
The Coach made his way onto the field, seeing all of his players warming up. They were meant to be going through a regular practice, but something much more interesting was about to occur.
"Alright you lot, gather up." He said loudly.
The players stopped what they were doing almost instantaneously and headed over.
"I know I said we had finalized the starting line up for the tournament this weekend, but we've had a change of plans."
At these words some of the players looked a little annoyed, but no one spoke up. They respected their coach too much to speak back.
"We'll have a new guy trying out for the squad today. You're all welcome to watch."
A few whispers rang out, as the players talked amongst themselves.