The first week of college flew by with Steve and Ken managing to get into somewhat of a routine. Ken had taken a hiatus with his own training regime so that he could get a gauge on what baseball practice would be like.
While the training on the field was based more around skills and game scenarios, they also required players to hit weights in the gym at nights. This was something that Ken had little experience with, but the trainers were brilliant.
Even only after a week, Ken could feel the differences in his body. It was not often that he was sore after working out, but this week had shown that even with his Fatigue Management skill, there was still room for pain.
He didn't mind the work out schedule, but there was an absence of cardio, almost as if the players were reluctant to do it. But this was easily supplemented with his own training in the mornings.
All in all, as long as he stayed consistent, this was the perfect set up to improve both his fitness and his baseball skills.
"So that intersquad match is tomorrow huh?" Ken asked, cracking his knuckles in anticipation.
"Mmm. The guy must have realized we were plotting something since he hasn't been messing with us ever since that day." Steve chuckled, "But like we're gonna let him off that easy."
Ken nodded, "Those girls still look at me weird…"
"At least they're not your damn neighbors…" Steve complained, his face reddening. "I still can't that Tara girl in the eye."
"There there. You're just lucky you weren't having a cold shower." Ken consoled him half-heartedly, a small grin creeping onto his lips.
"Y—Yeah I guess you're right." Instead of chirping back, Steve agreed with his words, prompting Ken to raise an eyebrow.
"Bro, I'm sure they've seen a pecker before. Plus, you're not self conscious about…" Ken raised his pinky finger, letting the unsaid words linger.
"Hey… I'm not ashamed about my Johnson, if that's what you're talking about. I'll have you know, it is definitely larger than average." He stated confidently.
"Good for you man." Ken said, patting his shoulder enthusiastically. "It's a pity that you'll never get to use it." He said, letting out a peel of laughter.
"Oho? Didn't I tell you?" Steve replied, wearing a sleazy expression.
"Eh? Really?"
"Mhmm, it was after prom night. We snuck in—"
"Alright alright, I don't need to hear all the details." Ken said, waving his hand dismissively. "I'm sure the story would have only lasted a couple of minutes."
"…"
"Hahahaha!"
Ken couldn't help himself and began to laugh after seeing the forlorn expression on Steve's face. It felt good to banter back and forth with his friend, especially when talking about such subjects.
"Well I mean, you're not entirely wrong…" Steve replied, "But I made up for it later."
At this confession, Ken nodded and patted his friend on the back like an older brother. "The first time is always the quickest and most awkward." He admitted.
"You were the same?" Steve asked in surprise.
"Oh definitely. But it left me plenty of time to do some additional training afterwards." Ken added with a smirk.
"PFFT"
"Hahahaha!"
The two broke into laughter, forgetting about their daily struggles. There was something about hanging out together that made everything seem a lot less serious, breaking away from the monotony of training and studying.
Despite both working hard, it hadn't seemed so bad when there was moments like this.
"Well, we should probably get back to studying, otherwise we'll be tired for tomorrow's mission." Ken said, turning to the pile of books and notes on his desk.
"You're right. How about this? I'll get some sleep first, and you can consolidate the notes for both of us?" Steve suggested, wearing a hopeful smile.
"Heh, good joke. Now hurry and get your ass up before I whack you with this textbook."
***
The next morning, the two went for their usual run, but Ken dialed it back a little. Since they would be playing a game today, he didn't want to go too hard and risk burning out.
Today would be the day he'd be able to show everyone just what he was capable of. Throughout the whole week, he'd barely done any pitching, likely because they were saving his arm for today.
After getting breakfast, the two arrived at the meeting spot. They would be taking a shuttle bus to Robertson Field for the intersquad match. Apparently that was also the field where they played home games.
Ken and Steve saw Kaden, who briefly nodded in their direction. However, upon seeing the mischievous smile pasted onto Steve's face, the guy paled considerably before retreating onto the bus.
Ken nudged his friend, "Hey man, don't scare him just yet. It might ruin our plan." He chastised.
"Ah crap. You know me, I always like to stir the pot."
Eventually, the whole team piled into the bus and were taken to Satow Stadium. It was a rather large venue that could seat up to 1500 spectators. They were funneled onto the field and dropped their equipment off before being addressed by Coach Brown.
"Alright, as we said earlier in the week. We'll be holding our yearly intersquad match today. We'll have 2nd string members and freshman against our main squad." He said, looking over all the players.
His gaze was serious, making it seem like this match was a big deal. "Remember, this isn't about who wins or loses, this is about how you perform. We want to see what you're capable of."
"If I see you playing halfheartedly, I won't hesitate to take you off the field, regardless of if you're in the main squad or not."
"Yes Coach!"
All the players shouted in unison, hearing the words loud and clear.
Ken nodded in satisfaction. There would be no point playing if nobody was giving their all, especially since he wanted to test himself against proper college players.