"Where is Steve and Ken?" Coach Wyatt asked, a hint of panic in his voice. To be missing their battery so close to the game starting was not ideal.
"I think they went to warm up on their own." Latrell replied, shrugging.
The coach didn't seem at ease with this answer and pointed to Latrell, "Go and find them quickly, we don't have time to waste." He commanded before beginning to pace.
Since it was the final game, they were on the largest field, yet the seats were already filled to the brim. In fact, people even lined up around the cage since there wasn't enough room in the seating area.
Coach Wyatt looked into the crowd and saw a few familiar faces of scouts that had already approached him over the past few days. His nerves increased, turning his attention back to Latrell's retreating figure.
'Why now of all times?' He thought.
Back in the clearing near the parking lot, Ken and Steve were beginning to wrap things up.
"Dude, your pitches are perfect… Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Steve complained, getting to his feet after receiving the last pitch.
Ken shrugged, "I had to change my pitching form around 6 months ago and I wasn't sure if I'd still be able to throw them." He answered casually.
"Eh? You changed pitching forms?"
"Mmm. After the World Cup my pitching went downhill, it wasn't until around a year later that I found out it was because my mechanics were off."
Steve wore a confused expression, but he shook his head dismissively. "Anyway, I guess all that matters is we now have some more pitches to work with. Those Dodgers won't know what hit them."
"Ken, Steve! The coach is about to blow his top if you don't get back now." Latrell called out from some distance.
"Ah… Yeah we should probably get back now." Ken said, feeling a little sorry for his coach. He rolled his shoulder a few times, a smile forming on his face.
'I feel light… I wonder how many of them can hit my pitches?'
Since this team had beaten the Elite Squad, it meant that they had an even better lineup. Ken would be satisfied if he could strikeout every one of them.
The trio made their way back to the field, only for Ken's eyes to widen in surprise. "There sure are a lot of people." He remarked.
"Dude, it's the finals… What do you expect?" Steve said out of the corner of his mouth.
"Of course it doesn't compare to Koshien, but its more than I expected for such a small tournament." Ken continued, ignoring his friend.
"S—Small tournament!?" he exclaimed incredulously. But when Steve thought about it, Ken had played on the biggest stage for U18 players, so he shouldn't be too surprised at the turn out.
"There you guys are!" Coach Wyatt came storming over, a hint of relief creeping onto his face. But there was some frustration mixed in, as if he'd been worrying for quite a while.
"Sorry coach, Ken wanted to show me his slider and forkball." Steve replied, making sure to put the blame solely on the Ace's shoulders. Since Ken was the golden goose, the coach was less likely to scold them.
"Eh!? Slider and Forkball!?" the coach's expression turned to one of confusion as he turned to Ken, wanting to confirm it.
Ken merely nodded in response, not elaborating.
"You've had those pitches this whole time? Just what were you—" The coach cut himself off, letting out a sigh filled with defeat, "Nevermind. Just get yourselves ready to play."
"Yes sir!"
Around 10 minutes later, a gentleman walked into the center of the field with a microphone in his hand and addressed the crowd.
"Welcome everyone to the finals of the WWBA National Tournament. I trust you've all been entertained watching the best teams in the nation compete for glory." His voice echoed across the field, eliciting a cheer in response.
The man was rather charismatic and was able to hold everybody's attention with ease.
"Today, we have our two finalists, both hailing from Texas. Please give it up for our first finalist, Dulin Dodgers!" He said, pointing to the right side of the field.
The team dressed in white and orange arrived onto the field at the mention of their name, receiving applause from the crowd.
"Their opponents for today are the dark horse of the tournament, the Adidad Gladiators!"
Upon his announcement, Ken and his teammates wandered onto the field. Steve held his hands in the air to receive the cheers from the crowd, like a seasoned veteran. Ken on the other hand merely plodded along, wanting the game to start already.
Once everyone was on the field, the announcer addressed the crowd once more, "Remember, there will be a ceremony after the game so please stick around to watch the proceedings. I'll now leave things with the umpires for the coin toss. Please enjoy the game!"
With that, he left the field and everyone turned their attention to Max and another figure standing next to the umpire.
"Heads."
The coin was tossed into the air before landing on the pitch.
"Heads it is." The umpire said, pointing to Max.
"We'll bat first."
"Gladiators have won the toss and elected to bat first! Dodgers, please take the field."
"Tch." Ken clicked his tongue, but he returned to the bench anyway. He'd just have to wait his turn to pitch once more.
"Don't be so impatient." Steve said, wearing an exasperated expression. He knew that Ken was a pitching maniac, but this was just getting absurd.
"You'll never understand just how much I love pitching." Ken stated, brushing his friend off.
Steve rolled his eyes, "Show me some respect, just remember who has to catch those damn pitches of yours."
Ken couldn't really refute the words. If anyone else was catching his pitches, he couldn't guarantee that they'd be able to do so properly. It had taken Shiro quite a lot of pain and suffering to do so, and that was while Ken didn't have the system.