Dejected, the teen headed back to the dugout, not making eye contact with Ken on the way past. Or at least, Ken didn't think he was, it was hard to tell with that fringe.
Ken stepped up to the batters box, feeling a whole bunch of eyes on him. In the next moment he felt the sounds in his surroundings disappear, causing a smile to tug on the corner of his lips.
His skill Crunch Time had activated, bringing his whole body into a focused state.
'Lucky me.'
The ball left the pitchers hand and flew towards him, seemingly in slow motion. Ken's heightened senses made it feel as if he had a complete grasp of everything within a 2 meter radius of himself.
He could feel where the catchers glove was, could see the trajectory of the ball and could even count how many times it spun through the air. Information continued to pour into Ken's brain as he calculated the most optimal timing to swing his bat.
DONG!!
Ken didn't even need to look at the ball to know where it was going. He casually placed the bat on the ground and began jogging around the bases, relishing in the state he was just in.
This was the first time he had experienced the Crunch Time skill which increased all of his attributes by 2 grades. It truly felt like he was having an out of body experience.
Naoki stared at the boy who had just hit one of the biggest home runs he had ever seen, even by high school standards.
"What is that kids name?" Naoki asked, feeling a little giddy.
"Ah, that's Ken Takagi. He's one of the ones we highlighted." The main coach stated, still tracking the ball which had yet to land on the ground, his face filled with awe.
Only now did something click in Naoki's brain. It had been over 6 months since he attended the Kanto Tournament in Yokohama and Ken looked a little different.
He couldn't be blamed for not remembering someone, especially since he had already decided not to pursue them. Naoki traveled the country most of the year and would scout hundreds if not thousands of players each year.
His memories came rushing back, yet the thing that stuck was the boys defect. His poor throwing arm.
"Wait what!?" Naoki almost jumped in fright.
"Doesn't this guy play 1st base?" He asked the main coach.
"Huh? No, he signed up as a pitcher."
Naoki felt truly confused at the current situation, not even knowing if this was the same person. However, now that he looked closely, Ken resembled his father Chris, especially with his tall frame and chiseled jaw.
He shook his head in the next moment, he would be able to make his mind up after he saw Ken pitch. His original assessment was that Ken was a good player with his only deficit being his throwing arm, as long as this was fixed there was no issue with offering him a spot in the team.
Ken returned to home plate, however there was no one to congratulate him. This was to be expected as everyone here was competing against each other, even if they were on the same team.
He headed back over to the dugout and took a seat.
The next two batters were promptly dealt with by the opposing battery.
"3 outs, change!"
Ken stood up and began to rotate his shoulder before grabbing his glove and hat. He ascended the steps onto the field and smiled, placing the glove on his right hand and heading over to the mound.
As he began to throw the ball back and forth and warm up his shoulder, he didn't realize that there was someone within the crowd who was gawking at him.
"S-S-Southpaw!?"
Naoki felt incredulous as he saw Ken warm up by throwing pitches with his left arm. It was only after a few moments that he was able to piece together his broken thoughts and articulate a question to the main coach.
"Did you notice anything weird about that player?" He said, pointing at Ken.
The main coach was a little surprised but he shook his head, "No, nothing too out of the ordinary, why?"
Naoki massaged his temples, however he soon calmed down. It wasn't exactly obvious, especially since this was the first time these people had seen Ken play.
"He bats right handed, but he pitches left handed." He said patiently.
"Ah… Wow sorry I didn't even notice." The main coach felt a little embarrassed, but he was a bit confused. Although it was weird, why would it matter in this situation?
Ken finished his warm up pitches and set his eyes on the batter who had come up to face him. It was Ryo Kata, the lead-off hitter who would eventually rise up and become a professional.
He felt his fighting spirit ignite, knowing that he would get the chance to battle this youngster before his prime. After getting the lead from the catcher, Ken nodded his head and began his wind up.
After planting his right foot he threw out his left arm like a whip, projecting the ball right to where the glove was waiting, as if it was drawn by a magnet.
DONG
The ball was hit right in the center of the bat and flew straight into the left outfield, stopping just before it reached the fielder. Ryo who was quick on his feet, easily managed to reach 1st base.
Ken gritted his teeth in frustration, yet he continued on. After giving up a hit to Ryo, the next two batters were able to make contact however they were caught thanks to some good fielding.
He wasn't used to being hit so often which was starting to get to him a little.
'If only I could throw with my right arm…'
With Ryo left on first base, a stocky teen came to the batters box, staring at Ken with a grin.
'Let's see how you like my inside pitch.' Ken thought inwardly, putting his all into this next throw.
DONG!!
Ken felt a pit in his stomach as he watched the ball sail over to the left outfield and over the fence.
'Damn it!'