Ken received the ball and waited for the next lead. This time it was a fastball right down the middle, which seemed a little odd. However, he was sure that Steve had his reasons for doing so.
Unbenknownst to Ken, Steve was filled with both panic and excitement. He had barely even seen the previous pitch, so he was lucky that Ken's throw was extremely accurate and landed in his glove perfectly.
However, Steve wasn't satisfied with this. Now that he had finally met such a great pitcher, he wanted to catch the balls on his own, which meant he needed to do better. What better way to see a pitch than ask for one right down the middle?
The fire was lit within him, merely from seeing a single fastball from Ken.
Once again Ken entered his pitching form, his actions nearly identical. The ball whipped out like a rocket, its target the center of the strike zone.
WHOOSH
PAH
"Strike two."
Nico failed the timing so bad that his bat seemed like it swung after the ball had been caught by the catcher. However, no one made fun of him, not even Ken who seemed to be enjoying the dull expression on the guys face.
Steve on the other hand was getting even more excited.
'I finally saw it!' He shouted inwardly, praising himself. Now that he knew what to expect, seeing the ball the second time was much easier than the first.
That wasn't to say that Ken's pitches were easy to see, just that Steve's vision was rather excellent. Not only did he get the timing down after only 2 pitches, his mind started to be filled with ideas on how to utilize his amazing speed.
Nico's body language told a different story. He had never faced such dangerous balls before, despite playing baseball for over half his lifetime. His shoulders were slumped, looking as if he'd already given up.
"Come on Nico! Just make contact."
A voice roused him from his depressed state, causing him to turn his head in the direction.
The bulky figure of Max was there, cheering him on. But soon enough, the rest of the team joined in, trying to give him strength.
'Guys…' In all honesty, Nico felt touched.
Despite not feeling like he would be able to hit the ball, he managed to get his mind back on track. Even if he was going to strike out, he would do his best to hit the ball and not look lame or afraid.
After all, he had his pride as a baseballer.
Coach Wyatt smiled after seeing the teams camaraderie in full effect. Usually this was the toughest thing to ingrain into a team, but seeing that it was alive and well made his expression soften.
By now Ken had already received the ball and was waiting for the next lead from Steve behind the plate. Upon seeing the sign, he was a little taken aback, but nodded nonetheless.
He wasn't sure, but he felt like he could see the mischievous smile behind the guy's mask even from his spot on the mound.
Feeling a little amused, Ken took a deep breath and composed himself.
Once again, he entered his wind up and took a large stride, whipping the ball out accurately.
Nico's eyes narrowed as his body filled with strength. He only had a small window of time to swing, since the pitches were so fast. Despite being made to look silly right now, he was the lead-off batter for the Gladiators, that should mean something.
'I won't let you guys down!' He screamed in his heart.
Nico planted his foot, twisting his body and sending an almighty swing at the ball, his intentions obvious. What better way to send a message than to hit the ball for a home run?
The power he generated was commendable, creating a wicked noise as the bat flew through the air.
WHOOOOOOSH
By the time he'd completed his full swing, it was obvious that he'd hit nothing but air. However, there was a moment where Nico's mind was full of confusion.
'Where is the ball? My timing wasn't that far off was it?'
PAH
He heard the ball enter the catchers glove and was even more confused. It was clear by now that his timing was off, but for it to be such a big margin hurt his pride.
"Strikeout." Coach Wyatt said softly, his eyes sparkling.
"What a masterful changeup!" He exclaimed, applauding. In his eyes, he had not seen anything different with the throwing action, nor the wind up from Ken, meaning there was no obvious tell.
To see such a vast difference in speed showed just how much control Ken had over his body, even at such a young age.
Hearing the word "changeup" Nico finally understood where he'd gone wrong. He was still trying to time the fastball, which happened to be at least 10-15mph faster than the pitch he'd just seen.
It made sense why he lost.
'Mmm, that felt good.' Ken said inwardly, looking at his hand.
He had been a little worried that something might change or he may have needed some time to readjust with the return of the system, but he was pleasantly surprised. It seemed that the system adjusted itself to him, not the other way around.
"Well, is there anyone else who wants to go up against Ken's pitches?" Coach Wyatt asked, his attention on the players close by.
Everyone looked to Max, as if he was their last line of defense.
Feeling their gazes, the Captain felt like he didn't have much of a choice in the matter.
"Alright, I'll go." Max said, grabbing a helmet and a bat before heading onto the field.
Before stepping into the batters box, he took a few practice swings, creating an imposing noise as the bat flew through the air. Ken could instantly tell that the guy was a good batter, likely the clean-up for the Gladiators.
However, it didn't matter.
WHOOOOOSH
PAH
"Strike"
PAH
PAH
"Strikeout…"
"What a damn monster…"