***
"It's the bottom of the 9th inning with the Chiba Cougars behind a single run against the Hanshin Tigers. With 2 outs and a runner on 2nd base, the Cougars will need to pull something out of their hat."
"Hiroki, you're up." The coach called, causing everyone to look in surprise at the young kid on the bench.
Hiroki stood up slowly, his movements filled with confidence. He wore a solemn expression, but he seemed to be invulnerable against the pressure.
"Substitution for the Cougars. Hiroki Kondo will be replacing Himura Daigo."
The announcers professional voice rang out over the stadium, causing a round of confusion to take hold on the spectators.
"They're sending out a rookie? Now?"
"No way! Are they trying to lose?"
"Wow! The Cougars are bringing out their most recent draft. This will be his debut match in the NPB, what are the coaching staff thinking? I sure would hate to be Hiroki right now."
As Hiroki entered the field, he could feel the gazes of the 10,000+ crowd focused on him. There were some jeers, as well as some shouts of support from the stands, however, he simply ignored them and walked towards the batters box.
"Coach, why did you send the newbie in? Isn't this too much to ask from a rookie?" One of the players asked with concern.
The coach merely shook his head. "He might be young, but I can feel a fighting spirit within him. If anyone can give us the edge, it's this kid."
The player shook his head, clearly not agreeing with the call that was made. However, there was nothing he could do about it in the end. He looked towards the field from the dugout and focused on Hiroki's figure.
Stepping up to the plate, Hiroki lifted his bat and got into position, his gaze upon the pitcher. He felt the noise in the surroundings begin to get quieter as his focus increased.
The pitcher lifted his leg and sent the ball flying towards the strike zone. It's trajectory was tough, almost slithering through the air like a snake as it approached.
Hiroki's eyes never left the ball, watching it complete its journey into the catchers glove.
PAH
"Strike."
He didn't swing, not even flinching as the dangerous ball flew past him. However, this didn't fill the audience with much confidence.
"Swing at the damn ball!"
"What are you doing!?"
But Hiroki didn't hear them. In his mind, all of the outside noise was worth nothing, so he discarded it. He'd played in Koshien stadium before, many times. The fact that he would also be debuting here against the Tigers seemed like fate.
He patiently waited for the next ball, gripping his bat tightly.
The next pitch came, a slider to the outside. He once again watched the ball closely.
PAH
"Ball."
"Good vision!" The coach called out, trying to reassure him.
However, Hiroki didn't even hear it.
As the pitcher entered his wind up once more, the sound of running echoed in his ears. Instantly, Hiroki guessed that the player on second base was trying to steal third.
In that moment, he made up his mind.
WHOOOOSH
PAH
"Strike"
Hiroki had swung at the ball, exaggerating his follow through. With the swing, he positioned his body between the catcher and the 3rd baseman, preventing an easy throw.
The catcher cursed, trying to move to the side before letting the throw go towards 3rd base. However, the extra movements he had to make had given the runner enough time to slide onto the base.
"Nice steal Hideki!"
The coach's eyes widened, appreciation evident in his features. Perhaps the layman wouldn't have realized what Hiroki did, but he sure did. His already good impression of the kid increased even further.
Back on the field, Hiroki rolled his shoulders and positioned himself once more. He tightened his grip on the bat, staring towards the pitcher once more.
'They're not that fast.' He said inwardly, a small grin forming on his face.
Seeing this, the pitcher seemed to grow a little annoyed. To have such a young kid look at him like that wounded his pride.
With exaggerated movements, the pitcher wound up and took a long stride forward. The ball was whipped out of his fingertips, producing a great amount of spin.
The spin made the trajectory difficult to predict, for both the catcher and the batter.
"Hup!"
Hiroki let out a grunt, planting his foot and twisting his body. His large muscles groaned, wringing out every ounce of power that could generate in this single moment.
The noise of the wooden bat displacing the air around it was terrifying.
WHOOOOOOSH
THWACK!
The ball struck the center of the wooden bat, producing a thundering noise which echoed across the stadium. The arena was quiet for a brief moment before erupting into a roar.
Hiroki watched as the ball sailed into the outfield, like a bird flying into the horizon. He discarded his bat and began his run towards first base, his eyes locked onto the ball.
By the time he'd reached first base, he understood that it was already over.
"HOOOOOOOOME RUN!"
The stadium lights began to flicker as the announcers voice called out over the speakers. The arena was abuzz with cheers and the whistling, raining down upon Hiroki as he completed his victory lap around the bases.
Hiroki couldn't help but grin from ear to ear, basking in the feeling of hitting the first home run of his professional career in the NPB.
As he rounded 3rd base, he saw all of his team waiting for him at home plate, their faces filled with shock and wonder.
By the time he placed his foot onto home plate, the team basically attacked him, jumping up and down and ruffling his hair. At some point he'd lost his helmet, but he didn't care.
All he knew was that this moment felt perfect, almost too good to be true.
'I finally made it… Thank you Ken.'