"Ball four, take your base."
Ken let out a pained smile and threw his bat to the side, trying not to show his annoyance. After his home run in the first inning, he was subsequently walked in the following at-bats.
'This sucks…' He mused inwardly, taking his spot on first base.
He let out a sigh, feeling frustrated. Ken had never been walked this much in his life, yet only a couple of months in America and he had to face a new kind of reality.
Compared to back home, baseball in America felt far more calculated. In Japan, coaches spoke about fighting spirit, teaching their players to never give up and continue to challenge themselves.
This oftentimes led to a pitcher not wanting to walk a batter, even if it made perfect sense to. Some might call this arrogance, but to Ken, it was just a way of life.
What was the point in running away now? What would you do if there was no chance to walk the batter next time?
But Ken couldn't expect for everyone who played baseball to follow his own ethos. If all players were the same, just what kind of game would they be playing?
Ken imagined playing against 9 carbon copies of himself and shuddered. It was quite vivid, especially since he often batted against himself in his Image Training.
Shaking such weird thoughts out of his head, Ken looked up at the scoreboard. It was currently the bottom of the 6th inning with a score of 10-1, causing him to let out another sigh.
They just needed 1 more run and the game would be over thanks to the mercy rule. If not, Ken would have to suffer through the boring match, wasting away in the outfield for the remainder.
Since Brett had been pitching so well, Coach Wyatt kept him in the game under the excuse that he might not get much playing time in the future. Unable to argue with such a stance, Ken merely accepted it.
WHOOOSH
PAH
"Strike."
'Oops, I better pay attention.' Ken thought, turning his attention back to the game.
His mind stalled for a moment, but then his lips turned into a grin as if he'd thought of something.
'I can probably get this run myself…' He thought, taking a lead from first base.
Since there were no outs, Ken had plenty of time to try and work his way to 3rd base. Though he hadn't been given the signal to steal bases, he didn't think the coach would mind.
Because the pitcher was right handed, he should have an easy enough time getting to second base.
However, upon remembering the tournament in Texas, Ken turned to the first baseman and glared at him. Of course this wasn't the same guy who had tried to stomp on his hand, but Ken was still wary.
Being the recipient of a glare for no reason, the first baseman stepped back, raising his hands. "W—What did I do?" he asked sheepishly.
But Ken ignored him, turning his attention back to the pitcher. The moment he started his wind-up, Ken kicked off the ground in a hurry.
His Quick First Step skill activated, boosting his acceleration between the bases.
"Second!"
PAH
"Ball."
The catcher stood up in one smooth motion, sending the ball flying accurately towards 2nd base. The pitcher had to dive out of the way, almost getting cleaned up by the throw.
Ken leapt forward with his legs out, performing a slide towards second base. Almost as soon as he made contact, the glove holding the ball was tapped on his shin.
"Safe!"
Keeping his foot on the base, Ken sprung up to his feet and began to dust off the dirt from his uniform. He winced a little, feeling as if he'd gone a little too hard into the slide.
'I wish I had a sliding skill. Maybe then I won't have to worry about hurting my ass.' He mused inwardly.
"Tch."
The second baseman clicked his tongue in annoyance, clearly upset he couldn't get the tag in time.
Ken waited until the pitcher had the ball again before taking his lead. The count was 1-1, as long as he could get to third base, a pop-fly into the outfield would end the game.
With this motivation, Ken stared at Max in the batters box, as if to convey his intentions before looking back at the pitcher.
The pitcher's arm twitched, setting alarm bells off in Ken's mind.
'Crap!'
He quickly ran back to second base, moments before the throw came from the pitcher. Thankfully, he was able to securely step on base before the ball reached him.
"Haaahh." The second baseman let out a frustrated sigh after once again being thwarted by the runner. In fact, he looked to be having a bad time.
Ken couldn't blame him. If he was down 10-1, he would probably be depressed as well.
Paying the second baseman no mind, he took another lead. His hawk-like eyes descended on the pitcher, looking for any suspicious movements that might indicate another pick off.
As soon as the pitcher moved, Ken lowered his head and sprinted towards 3rd base. He didn't hesitate, catching everyone off guard.
PAH
"Strike."
"Damn it!" The catcher cursed, hopping to his feet and launching the ball towards 3rd base. His frustrations were evident and he'd put his all into the throw.
Unfortunately for him, the throw was off. The ball flew through the air, sailing over the head of the 3rd baseman. The guy jumped high, stretching his glove in order to try and save it from getting past.
Yet there was nothing he could do. The ball cleared his glove, flying into the outfield.
Ken who had already begun his slide, suddenly kicked off the ground, wearing a big smile. He stepped on 3rd base and rounded the corner, heading straight for home plate.
Max quickly stepped back from the plate, giving him a wide berth.
Tap~
"Game set, Gladiators!"