"Impossible, Isn't he in Japan?"
Leo shrugged, "Unless it's a different Ken Takagi who happens to be the same age and can throw 100mph fastballs almost every pitch."
When he said it like this, it indeed sounded ridiculous. But the fact was, Ryan had seen Ken struggle ever since the U18 World Cup had ended. So much so, that he'd completely removed the rival title that he'd placed upon him.
Ryan went deep into thought. Disregarding the fact that he was in America, the most surprising thing was that he had recovered his form. Perhaps he had even gotten better than the last time they'd faced each other.
Suddenly, Ryan was assaulted by a feeling that he hadn't experienced in almost 2 years. It was as if a fire had been lit inside of him, one that had been dormant for far too long.
It burned brightly, filling him with an unquenchable thirst.
'I won't lose…'
When these words appeared in his mind, Ryan felt shocked. Why was this his reaction when his future was so uncertain? Shouldn't he be focused on finding out what college to attend, or what the next steps were for him?
Yet there was something that he could not escape. The competitive desire to beat this figure who had seemingly come out of nowhere. The one person who he had called his rival.
Leo's smile still lingered as he looked across the table at Ryan. "I haven't seen you this worked up in a long time." He said, letting out a chuckle.
"Y—Yeah. I guess I was just remembering the World Cup loss." Ryan said, feeling a little embarrassed.
"Mmm, It was quite humbling. Though in a way, I'm grateful that it happened." A look of reminiscence appeared on Leo's face as he said these words.
Ryan too seemed to agree with his statement. If anything, the sensation he experienced after hearing of Ken's exploits, was enough to show just what kind of effect the guy had had on him.
"I don't know why, but I don't want to lose to him again…" Ryan admitted, feeling a little embarrassed saying it out loud. Thankfully though, Leo didn't call him out on it.
"Mmm, same here. I heard even MLB scouts are sniffing around since he's only a Junior."
"Junior!?" Ryan stood up from the table, almost knocking his cutlery to the ground.
Leo didn't react, merely nodding. "There's a chance he could even declare for the MLB draft next year with his draft stock."
Leo wasn't wrong. With the amount of attention that Ken had drummed up after only 2 months in America, by the time he reached the end of his Senior year, he could be one of the top prospects in the country.
"Join the Majors?" Ryan grit his teeth, a fierce expression on his face.
'Why…? Why him?'
Jealousy instantly overcame him. It might have been irrational and completely unjustified, but Ryan could not control the emotions that he was feeling, not right now.
Leo let out a sigh, feeling that he might have pushed the guy too far. Originally he'd brought up Ken in order to get Ryan fired up, but it seemed to have invoked a deeper emotion.
Realizing that he had messed up, Leo placed his cutlery down and cleared his throat.
"Ahem… You might have missed the draft combine and your eligibility to enter the draft is now compromised. But, that doesn't mean you can't try out directly for a team…"
Those words seemed to snap Ryan out of his trance, causing his gaze to lock onto Leo.
"Open tryouts are over… Most of them happened last month in May, but I didn't have my GED in time to join." Ryan narrowed his eyes, trying to understand what his friend was getting at.
"Well… I have a relationship with one of the trainers at the Miami Blue Marlins. They're having a closed tryout prior to the draft." He replied in a roundabout way.
Ryan's eyes lit up, but he was dumbfounded. For what reason was Leo going so far for him? If anything, he'd only been a burden for the past month, and it wasn't like they'd parted on such good terms when Leo graduated.
"Why would you do this for me?" Ryan asked, feeling rather vulnerable and exposed. Throughout his life, his father had always used him as a tool, with the sole goal of riding his coattails to the Major's.
The guy was never proud of him, nor did he show any love or affection.
For the longest time, he also felt as if Leo used him as a tool. He was only allowed to pitch whatever the guy said, and would be reprimanded if he ever stepped out of line.
But it seemed like things had changed ever since the World Cup loss against Japan.
Leo sighed, but a smile touched the corner of his lips after. "I don't want to see America's prodigy waste away due to some controlling a-hole who can't let go."
Ryan felt his expression waver, a lump forming in his throat. Hearing the validation from his friend caused the walls which were holding him together to begin to crumble. He fell back onto his chair and held his hand in his hands.
Just like before, tears began to stream out of his eyes, but this time it was for a different reason. These weren't the tears of despair, they were from hope.
Leo stood up from his chair and walked over, placing a hand on the guy's shoulder. "I'll warn you, the tryout won't be easy. Potential draftees with much more experience than you will all be getting tested."
"Not only that, some of these guys have 3 years of college or more under their belt. Just because you show up, it won't mean that you'll get a spot in the roster." He said seriously.
Ryan finally lifted his head, looking at the handsome man comforting him. Without a word, he stood up and hugged him, "Thank you friend… I'll forever be in your debt."