"Taylor Jenkins."
But before he could respond, he heard the name of his new catcher.
"Good luck out there." Ken said, watching the guy's figure walk up to the starting line.
"Cheers."
"Who is that guy?" Steve asked, his eyes silently judging the figure.
"That's my new catcher." Ken replied nonchalantly.
"Eh? You've replaced me already?" Clutching his heart dramatically, Steve acted as if he was hurt deeply.
Ken scoffed, quickly ignoring the guy. He was really curious as to what kind of time someone like Taylor would have, especially since he seemed so confident.
'Since he didn't seem too impressed with Steve's time, that must mean he should be faster. If the record is under 6 seconds, then this guy should at least be a 6.3 or 6.4' Ken thought, scratching his chin.
"On your marks"
"Get set."
FWHEE
Taylor was quick off the mark, his form looking rather dazzling. It was obvious that he'd had some practice doing the 60-yard dash before, which seemed in line with what he'd told Ken earlier.
Ken turned his attention to the board, waiting for the time to appear.
"Whoa, 6.18."
The once silent group of teens whispered amongst themselves after seeing the strong result of Taylor's dash. What was even more surprising was that the guy had such athleticism despite being a catcher.
"I wonder if he's a lead-off batter." Ken muttered. Generally the athletic guys would bat first, as long as they were good enough at making contact with the ball.
Taylor returned, still looking rather fresh despite running hard just a few moments ago.
"Nice run man, 6.18 is pretty fast." Ken stated.
Taylor shrugged in response, "I can still go faster, but at least I beat my time from last year." He replied nonchalantly.
The trio waited for a few minutes as more and more people were called up to do their first run. Around 5 minutes later, Ken finally heard his name.
"Ken Takagi."
"Good luck man." Both Taylor and Steve said these words at the same time, causing them to glance at each other weirdly.
Steve flashed the former a scowl before creating some distance between the two. Inwardly he was annoyed that this guy was trying to cosy up to his friend.
Taylor on the other hand rolled his eyes, promptly ignoring Steve and turning his attention to the dash.
Ken felt his mind clear up as he approached the starting line. Instead of nervousness, he was experiencing a sense of excitement. He hadn't truly tested out the limits of his new and improved physical grades, so he was looking forward to it.
"On your marks."
"Get set."
FWHEE
The moment the whistle sounded, Ken kicked off the ground with force. His cleats dug into the grass, propelling him forward in an instant. Starting off low, he pumped his powerful arms and legs, quickly accelerating in speed.
Like a machine, he powered forward, each movement swift and filled with strength as he approached the finish line.
"Damn that was fast…" Taylor mumbled in surprise. Despite not seeing the time yet, Ken's reaction speed and acceleration was enough for him to know that the time would be quick.
It wasn't just him, nearly all of the players silently watched the board, waiting for the time to appear.
"W—Whoa, no way…"
If the crowd was impressed after seeing Taylor's run, they were mostly silent now, filled with awe after seeing the time.
"6.03 seconds… That dude is a monster." Taylor said, his eyes moving to Ken who was heading back their way.
"Hehe, speed isn't even his best attribute. The dude has enough stamina to run for a whole day and night." Steve said, feeling a sense of superiority after showing off his friend.
Ken looked at the board on his way past and nodded in satisfaction. 'I can probably still go faster.' He thought, going through the run in his mind.
The good thing about his Academic Trait was that he was able to remember many more details than the average person. Even now, he could think of a few ways to improve his time.
"Nice work partner." Steve grinned, holding out his fist for a fist bump. His choice of words were to let others within earshot know that they were a duo and to back off.
However, Taylor didn't even pay attention to the guy. "Who would have thought that you're also a speedster…"
Ken fist bumped Steve, using a little more force than he would usually since he knew what the guy was doing. "I'm what you'd call a jack of all trades I guess." He replied to Taylor.
"Ow~" Steve exclaimed, massaging his knuckles. He felt a little left out between the duo of Ken and Taylor, but soon enough his name was called again for his second attempt.
"Stephen Adams."
Ken didn't leave him hanging, saying a few more words of encouragement. "If you can't beat 6.3 seconds, I'll tell Mom to stop making you food."
Steve froze on the spot, turning to Ken with shock. "You're bluffing… Yuki would never let me go hungry."
Ken shrugged, "I'll just tell her you said that her food is trash. Good luck getting any food then."
Steve gasped audibly, clutching his chest once more as if he was appalled by the notion of missing out on Yuki's food.
"Stephen Adams… Please hurry up."
Unfortunately for Steve, he was quickly ushered over to the dash before he could respond. However, his whole demeanor seemed to change. It was as if this drill was something that involved life or death.
Even the staff members felt the suffocating atmosphere.
"On your marks."
"Get set."
FWHEE
"YUKIIII~"
Ken pinched the bridge of his nose after hearing Steve yell out his mother's name as he took off for the 60-yard dash. He couldn't help but shake his head, feeling a headache coming along.
But a few moments later, he looked up at the board only to let out a small chuckle.
"6.27 seconds. Looks like my threat worked." He said smilingly.