Walking up to the mound, Ken locked eyes with the next batter. The guy's face was serious, as if he had already evaluated him as a threat, but there was no sign of backing down.
Ken couldn't help but feel a grin touch the corner of his lips. His fighting spirit began to spark, bringing with it a rising sense of excitement.
'Please be a challenge…' He said in his heart.
Soon enough, he arrived on the mound and picked up the rosin bag, tossing it around in his hand leisurely. Ken paused and tilted his head, as if he was thinking of something.
'Maybe I shouldn't use showdown on this guy?' He mused.
Ken's reasoning was simple. He wanted to fight against one of the top batters with nothing but his raw pitching prowess. Despite the showdown skill being his own, he believed that limiting himself would be the most satisfying and challenging.
Once the idea took hold in his brain, it was hard to undo it. A surge of confidence rose up from within, stoking his ego. He turned his attention to the batters box and grinned, throwing the rosin bag to the ground.
"Let's see what you're made of." He muttered.
Unaware of Ken's inner thoughts, Steve threw the ball to the guy and got into position. At first, Steve was a little wary of Trent, since his reputation as one of the best High School batters was well known.
But after remembering what kind of pitcher Ken was, he couldn't help but feel a budding sense of confidence. After all, there was no way Trent would have faced such pitches in the High School circuit.
With his mind now at peace, Steve called for a fastball on the outside. With Ken's speed, there was no real need to waste pitches. As long as the course was difficult, the chances of them being hit was rather low.
Ken nodded, his fingers twitching in anticipation. Bringing his glove to his chest, Ken swung his leg up before kicking off his back leg and striding forward with power. His actions were crisp yet fluid, painting a domineering, yet beautiful scene.
As his body opened up, his arm came past like a whip, shooting the ball out with tremendous velocity. But that was not all. His fingers raked down on the ball, causing it to spin violently through the air.
Trent's eyes lit up, his whole body surging into action. From the moment the ball left Ken's fingertips, his gaze had locked onto its movements.
Like a mighty Lion stalking its prey, Trent struck, intending to decapitate his target. The wooden bat sliced through the air, fueled by a tremendous burst of strength.
WHOOOOOSH
THWACK!
In a flash, the ball sailed into the air with force, stunning the pitcher and catcher duo. Ken's eyes followed the ball which was clearly going over the fence. However, its trajectory was off, narrowly missing the foul post by a few feet.
"Foul."
"Arghhh so close!"
The crowd let their feelings be known, lamenting the missed opportunity. Meanwhile, the Gladiators team let out sighs of relief thanks to the lucky break.
Ken however, turned to Trent and experienced a newfound appreciation for the guy. After hearing the title of best batter in High School, he couldn't help but compare him to Leo, who also held that title 2 years ago.
Subconsciously, he had underestimated Trent, almost falling victim to his own ego in the process. With his ego now bruised, Ken was able to think clearly, realizing he'd made a mistake.
'I guess I shouldn't hold back then.' He thought inwardly.
'Mika, please activate showdown.'
[Affirmative. Activating showdown on Trent Waters.]
In the next moment, Ken felt the familiar and almost euphoric sensation fill his body. His muscles suddenly bulged, almost bursting with power.
As he experienced this sensation, Trent's unreadable expression suddenly fractured. A hint of fear flashed in his eyes for a brief moment as he stared at the mound with trepidation.
The atmosphere seemed to change drastically, making it hard to breathe. To Trent, Ken's figure appeared to grow in size, his shadow sinking into the mound like the roots of an ancient tree.
A dark and majestic aura assaulted him as he stared at the tall figure on the mound. For a moment, he was frozen, unable to even move. Yet he managed to turn his head and see the catcher sweating bullets.
"Damn it, this is gonna hurt." Steve muttered.
Trent caught the words and was mystified. From the guy's reaction, it was clear that he'd experienced this sort of thing from his pitcher before.
He gulped, turning his attention back to Ken. Gripping the bat tightly, he tried to weather through the storm, yet as the latter entered his wind up, the pressure only increased.
PAH
"Strike!"
"Ouch~" The sound of the catcher complaining entered Trent's ears, snapping him out of his trance.
'W—What the hell was that?' Trent exclaimed in his heart. He hadn't been able to react in time to the pitch in time, let alone swing at the ball.
Just like that, the count was now 0-2 and whatever confidence he'd felt earlier was turned into nothingness.
"Mmm, that's better." Ken muttered, feeling much better.
He received the ball from Steve and quickly got back into position, waiting for Trent to do the same. However, the guy was just staring at him blankly for some reason, causing Ken to raise his eyebrow in question.
"Take up your position." The umpire called out, wanting to move things along.
"A—Ah, sorry."
Once Trent was ready, Ken looked to Steve who had just called for a changeup. Not one to easily disobey his catcher, Ken nodded. Once again he lifted his knee and strode forward with momentum.
WHOOOOSH
PAH
"Strikeout."
This time, Trent was able to swing, but it was far too early. He held his follow through for a while before letting out a pent up breath.