Once the news dropped that Ken's suspension had been reviewed and an internal investigation opened against a former employee, the media had a frenzy. The scandal brought other cases back from the woodwork, and many other athletes who had been a victim of Michael's twisted justice came forward, telling their story.
Luke Emmert the President of the NCAA received enormous backlash for allowing the farce to continue for as long as it did. While he had made the right decision in the end, it was too little too late in the eyes of the media.
And so under such pressure, he was forced to announce his resignation as President to appease the masses. His 10 year reign on top of the NCAA had come to an end, and whatever good he had done was tarnished thanks to a single employee.
While it might seem sad, things like this happened all the time in the world of business. Luke had gracefully stepped down and chosen to retire completely, handing the reigns to the next in line.
It wasn't until the start of the season approached that the news surrounding the scandal began to die down. Ken had long moved on from the issue and had been focusing on his academics and the upcoming season.
The batch of freshman that were recruited into Columbia this year were talented. Particularly Brian Sweeney who had been a top 5 recruit coming out of High School. Not only was he quick on his feet and good with the bat, the guy was loud and boisterous, not afraid to bark out orders in the infield.
Brian was quickly integrated into the lineup, taking up the vacant short stop position which had been left by Tristan, the former captain.
When asked why he had chosen Columbia, the red-haired fellow said it was because he planned to get the Bobcats their first national trophy. This, of course was laughed off by most of the media, but not Ken.
After feeling the guy out for a while, Ken realized that he was not only hard working, but also quite respectful and willing to take criticism. Something that many top recruits would balk at.
Ken was even more surprised upon using Identify on the kid.
NAME: Brian Sweeney
AGE: 18
TALENT ASSESSMENT: SSS
POTENTIAL: EX-
USER STATS:
>Physical Fitness: SSS
>Pitching: C
>Fielding: SSS
>Game Intelligence: SS
>Mental: SSS+
Additional Notes: Extremely motivated.
Not only was he in great shape, the guy's game intelligence and mental grade were outstanding. It was clear from a glance that Brian would definitely make it to the majors in the near future.
Which was why Ken quickly took him under his wing. Every training session that they attended, Brian would tag along, including their morning runs. His fitness was even ahead of Steve, which happened to have an even better effect than Ken had expected.
Feeling as if he was being replaced, Steve became hyper competitive. Small things such as who crossed the finish line first in their runs became a source of bragging rights in the petty struggle between the two.
On this morning's run, Ken felt the two begin to sprint with over 400 yards left to go. They were either side of him, and began to pull away as they dashed towards the tree in the distance.
At first Ken found the competitions amusing, but seeing as how they planned to leave him in the dust, he could no longer hold back.
'Mika, use limit break.'
Ken picked up his speed, reducing the gap between them and waiting for the burst of speed from the skill. However, it didn't come.
[Skill is unavailable since the user is not currently playing a game.]
The monotonous voice replied to him, causing a surge of panic to hit him.
'N—No… I can't let them win.' Ken thought, his eyes darting between the two figures. It was one thing if the two were competing against each other, but he had seen the smug looks from Brian and Steve as they passed him.
He had a feeling that if he lost this unofficial race, that he would not hear the end of it for the entire season, perhaps even his whole life. Now that he thought about it, there had never been a time where he'd lost to either of these two, so doing so now would cause his place as the big brother to be at risk.
"ARGHH NOT TODAY YOU BASTARDS!" Ken cried out, pumping his arms and legs furiously. He was not about to let these two think that they were better than him and lose whatever respect he'd built up.
The tree began to get closer and Ken was already in line with Steve and Brian, yet he was unable to pass them in a short time. Desperation began to sink in and thoughts of sabotage entered his mind, however he quickly disregarded it.
They were all sprinting, if one of them were to fall on the path, it could cause injury.
300 yards
200 yards
100 yards
50 yards
Ken squeezed every bit of energy from his muscles as he furiously pumped his long arms and legs towards the goal. At the very last moment he pushed his head forward, sprinting past the tree first.
A sense of relief washed over him and he began to slow down, feeling his heart pumping in his chest. Placing his hands atop his head, he turned around only to see the two figures of Steve and Brian laying on their backs gasping for air.
"Better luck next time fellas." He said between harsh breaths.
The two didn't have the strength to reply, too busy trying to catch their breath. This suited Ken just fine, who didn't want to appear weary in front of them.
A small chuckle escaped his lips as he recovered enough to properly function once more. The season was not far away and he felt even stronger and more focused than last year despite his physical grades not increasing.