"Ken!"
Ken was in the middle of heading towards the outfield like he had done the last few innings, when he heard his name. He turned, only to see the coach beckoning for him to come back.
For a brief moment, he thought he was being taken out of the game. However, his intuition perked up in the next moment.
'Is it my turn to pitch?'
If he had a tail, it would be wagging at a million miles per hour. Thankfully, for his dignity, this was not the case.
"Are you ready to step onto the mound?" Coach Brown asked, his expression unreadable. There was still a little tension remaining from their altercation at the beginning of the game, but the topic made it easier to ignore.
"Yes sir!"
Coach Brown nodded, "Show us what you can do." He said simply.
Ken felt a wave of elation as he nodded like a pecking chicken. There was nothing better in baseball than pitching, at least according to him. When on the mound, it was as if he had control of the entire game.
Like a General who fought on the front line's with his army behind him.
Unable to wipe the grin off his face, Ken walked over to the mound and took a moment to gather himself. He closed his eyes, and took a few deep breaths.
Today would be his first time pitching against college level players, not just one, but a whole team. How he performed now, would likely dictate the level of trust the coaching staff would have in his abilities.
Not only would this directly be tied to his playing time, but also the amount of resources that Columbia spare for him.
Ken opened his eyes, determination flashing behind them. But the first thing he saw was Steve's face up close to his own, causing him to almost let out a shriek of surprise.
"Dude, what the hell are you doing?"
"Sorry, I didn't want to interrupt your meditation session." Steve said, "I wanted to have a quick chat before we start. I was think—"
Ken shook his head and interrupted his friend, "No need to explain it to me. I'll follow your leads."
Steve frowned, and was about to speak up, but Ken was already turning him around and pushing him towards home plate. "Get off my mound." He said, giving him a little shove in the back.
Steve could only shake his head in exasperation, returning to his spot while muttering something under his breath. The two had known each other for long enough that Ken probably already knew what he was about to say.
'Let's hope that's the case.' He muttered in his heart.
In the main squad's dugout, Kaden grabbed his bat and walked onto the field. He was beginning his stretches like usual before approaching the batters box, but upon seeing Ken on the mound, his whole body froze.
He blinked a few times, not understanding why the guy was standing there instead of Blake. Kaden suddenly felt his stomach begin to cramp up, something that had been happening since the last few days.
'I'm going to die…' He cried inwardly.
But then, he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry bro, I'm sure they're not stupid enough to throw a beanball at you in front of the coach. Coach Brown doesn't look like he's in the mood for such antics either." Ayden said, gesturing towards the coach.
Kaden paused, assessing his brother's words. Everything he was saying seemed to make sense, in fact, it was extremely logical. Why would a freshman pitcher put a mark on his debut by throwing an intentional beanball?
'Surely he's not that petty to throw away his future just for some little prank I pulled.' Kaden thought, his eyes landing on Ken.
Ken so happened to turn at the same time and sent him a small smile. Even from such a distance, he wasn't able to see any malice within the expression, allowing Kaden to breathe a sigh of relief.
'Oh thank god…'
With his newfound peace and clarity, Kaden watched on as Ken began his warm up pitches. Each of the throws were accurate, as well as fast, showcasing his skill even though they weren't proper pitches.
The sound of the ball landing in the glove was loud and crisp, echoing out across the field. Even his teammates let out whistles of appreciation after witnessing it.
Ken gave the signal to the umpire and the game began once more.
Kaden stepped into the batters box and got ready. He brought his bat up and waited patiently for the pitch to come.
'Let's see what you've got.' He thought.
He watched as Ken entered his wind-up and stepped forward with a large stride. Kaden's eyes narrowed as he tried to predict the trajectory and timing of the ball.
But in the next moment, he quickly leaned back, causing the ball to narrowly miss his chest on the way past to the catcher.
PAH
"Ball."
Kaden felt his heart begin to beat frantically at the near miss. He turned to Ken first, then the umpire, but as his eyes moved to Steve, he saw a dark and mischievous smile planted on the guy's face.
'N—No way…'
Kaden paled, feeling his anxiety reappear. Whatever false sense of security he had lulled himself into prior, had now been shattered.
'They're trying to hit me…' He thought, feeling a cold sweat drip down his back.
Immediately, Kaden wanted to step away from the batters box. There was no way that he would willingly get hit by a 100mph fastball, that was just crazy talk. Not to mention that his frame had very little fat to protect him.
But he couldn't back away now. This game wasn't just about the freshman, this also involved his status on the team. If his form were to fall off, there was a possibility he could be moved to the 2nd string in the future.