Chris frowned. The fact that Naoki had only brought up Daichi could only mean that they had passed on Ken for whatever reason. He had probably asked for Chris's help because they were worried Daichi would decline if they didn't select his brother.
He didn't have to think for long before giving an answer.
"My two boys are both old enough to make decisions for themselves, I won't interfere." Chris stated, his tone cold.
Inwardly, he was devastated that Ken was being left out, not because he was his real son. But because he knew how much Ken had worked to improve himself in the span of a year after taking a step back from pitching.
Now that he knew the reason for for him changing positions, it was even more heartbreaking to hear.
However, Ken had gone this far on his own merit, so Chris decided not to pity him. He would continue to support him in the background, no matter what decision he made.
His gaze moved to the field where both his sons were celebrating the home run with giant smiles on their faces. He wondered if they would ever get to play together on the same team again in the future.
Naoki seemed to have expected the response as a wry smile formed on his face. He had no doubt that if he offered both of his sons a scholarship, Chris wouldn't have hesitated to put a word in for him.
However, the reality was that they only wanted one of the sons.
He produced a card from his coat pocket and respectfully handed it to Chris. "We will send the letter to your residence, but here is my card in case you need anything."
Daichi and Ken who were celebrating on the field, happened to look up into the stands where their parents were. They saw an unfamiliar man handing over a business card before walking away.
Ken's eyes lit up while Daichi seemed to be confused.
"Who was that man talking to Mom and Dad?" He asked.
"I think it might have been one of the scouts!" Ken exclaimed, feeling a sense of excitement flood through his body.
"But why would they be talking to our Dad?"
"Maybe it's about us? Dad knows a lot of people in the industry so I wouldn't be surprised."
Daichi was a little skeptical, however he chose to humor his big brother for now. They had still yet to win the game considering it was the top of the 7th innings.
After Daichi, Tatsuya came up to bat and got out on a flyball to center field. Takeshi was struck out in quick succession while Shin managed to get onto first base. However, Kouichi kept up his bad batting appearance and hit a grounder straight back to the pitcher for their 3rd out.
Since Seiko's batting innings had taken a while, Kouichi had managed to regain his stamina. He was like a true ace, blitzing through the tail end of Seigakuin's batting order with ease.
While his pitches weren't as fast as his 140km/h fastball in the previous innings, they were still very much alive. Along with Daichi's leading, they managed to shut down the opponents to end the 7th.
The score was currently 7-5 in favor of Seiko middle school.
This didn't change until the 9th innings when Kenta hit a 2 run home run to send Ken and himself around the bases. Daichi hit a double afterwards, but was promptly given out after a grounder from Takeshi resulted in a double play.
Thus the score jumped to 9-5 with Seigakuin's clean-up hitters up to bat in the bottom of the 9th innings.
Despite the 4 run advantage, none of the Seiko players looked complacent. Kouichi especially seemed as if he had walked onto the battlefield. He looked like a solitary hero as he stood upon the mound, his tall frame casting a long shadow on the field.
Daichi stared at him upon the mound and could only let out a smile. He knew that this man didn't need any words of encouragement, he was primed and ready to decimate the opponent.
All he needed to do was lead properly for one more innings and they would be crowned the champions of the tournament.
Kouichi didn't disappoint, sending a fireball straight into Daichi's outstretched glove. The sound of the ball striking leather seemed to echo in the playing field, sending the batter into despair.
'W-What the hell is this guy on? Hasn't he pitched for 8 innings straight already?'
The batter felt incredulous, seeing that Seiko's pitcher was still able to throw so fast and accurate despite pitching over 150 balls in this game. He tried to foul off some balls in order to drive up the pitch count, however a two-seam fastball zoomed in and caused him to swing wide.
"Out!"
A cheer rang out from the crowd and dugout in response.
"Just two more outs Kouichi!"
"You can do it Ace!"
Spurned on by the words if his teammates, Kouichi's eyes glimmered. The next 3 pitches were deadly strikes, making the main clean-up batter look as if he was an elementary schooler.
The entire Seigakuin team looked dejected as they watched their best batter retreat to the dugout with his head held low in defeat. There were already tears of frustration welling up in his eyes.
The final batter wasn't in any better condition, approaching the batters box with his shoulders slouched, seemingly already defeated.
"KEEP YOUR HEAD UP! ITS NOT OVER YET!"
A shout came from the Seigakuin dugout. A middle aged man who Ken could only assume was the coach was yelling out on the edge of the field.
His face was serious, yet tears were welling up in his eyes, belying his true emotions.
In response, the other Seigakuin players roared out, showcasing their fighting spirit and unwillingness to give up. The coaches words were like a spark which ignited the fire within the team.
Ken couldn't help but feel for these people. He had been in the same situation many times, yet there could only be one winner in the end.
PAH
"Strike"
PAH
"Strike"
PAH
"Game!"