After saying their goodbyes, the two made their way to the airport once more. The last time they did this is was summer of the previous year after a devastating loss to the Florida Crocs.
Back then, they at least knew that after summer ended they would see each other back at Columbia again. But now, things were different.
Ken felt older for some reason. If he included his previous life and how long it had been since he regressed, he would be over 30. Of course his current body was only 21, so he had no excuses.
"Well, I guess this is it man…" Steve said.
"Yeah, I guess so."
"Good luck at your workout."
"You too man…"
The atmosphere was a little heavy, but no one tried to diffuse it. The two guys hugged it out for a few moments before saying their final piece and heading in their own directions.
They didn't know when they would see each other next, but if Steve was drafted to Texas, he could always visit him when he visited his parents. Ken hoped that this was the case.
He made his way to the boarding line for the plane, taking a look back at his friend walking in the opposite direction. Funnily enough, Steve didn't turn to look until Ken had turned away.
As Ken got into his seat, he felt a sense of melancholy. Apart from Ai and his parents, Steve was the person he was closest to in America. He was in mixed minds about the next year, but he knew that it was going to be tough.
Ai had gone back to Japan 3 weeks ago so they had already said their goodbyes. He of course could not travel back since he would be busy before the upcoming draft.
The flight was only an hour and a half and he soon arrived in Pittsburgh. There was a driver waiting for him at the airport who took him to the Residence Inn Hotel, just across the road from PNC Park.
Seeing the large stadium up close made him feel a sense of anticipation, removing some of his earlier melancholy.
It was around 12pm and the workout didn't start till the following day so he had a lot of time to himself. After dropping off his bags in the hotel room, Ken got changed into his workout gear and decided to go for a run and do some exploring.
Placing the newest Nikey shoes on, he walked out of the hotel and looked both ways before deciding to go left. At first he got into a small jog and took in the sights, but soon he was up to a decent running speed. The wind touched his skin, cooling the sweat that had begun to form.
Around 30 minutes in, he had already forgotten most of his worries. The river was on his right, hiding behind a mass of trees along the path and it was long enough that he didn't have to make any turns.
Eventually he decided to turn back around and head back towards the hotel, picking up his pace. Due to his size and running pace, many people sent him curious glances along the way, but he was used to this.
As he came back to the stadium, Ken began to slow his run, checking his heart rate and distance traveled on his fitness watch. This had been a gift from Ai for his 21st birthday and he used it every day.
He was able to track his workouts on an app. It had been a little annoying at first, but now that he had worked out all the kinks, it was rather beneficial.
'8 miles… I'll have to head to the gym to finish the rest.' He thought.
While looking at his watch, Ken bumped into a man who walked onto the path in front of him. He sent the guy stumbling forward a few paces.
"Ah! Sorry." Ken said, bowing slightly in apology.
The man who looked to be in his 30's turned around with an angry expression on his face and spoke back in broken English, "Watch where you going."
With the way he spoke and his appearance, Ken recognized that the man was probably Japanese. He bowed and apologized profusely, this time in Japanese.
The Japanese man was surprised and took another look at him, as if to evaluate Ken further.
"You are Japanese? What are you doing here in Pittsburgh?" The guy asked curiously, his anger already gone from his face.
"Ah, I'm here for the pre-draft workout tomorrow." Ken replied.
"Eh!? You're Ken-senshu? What a coincidence." He said smilingly.
Ken tilted his head in question. The guy looked a little familiar, but he couldn't place him.
"You look like your father… Chris wasn't it? He was a good guy." The man said.
"Eh? You know my father?" This time Ken was surprised. He assessed the man in front of him once more. "Did you used to play for the Warriors?"
"Hehe yes. But I play in the MLB now."
Ken's mind was spinning, trying to remember the name of the player in front of him. The man himself seemed to be enjoying his plight, not helping him at all.
"Ah! Yoshi Tsutsugo-senshu." Ken exclaimed, quickly bowing. "It is nice to meet you sir."
"The pleasure is all mine." He said with a smile, "I will also be taking part in tomorrow's workouts."
"Really?" Ken was surprised.
"Yes, I was waived by LA not long ago. My agent told me to come to Pittsburgh and try my luck."
"Wow, maybe we will be teammates in the future." Ken said with appreciation. Having another Japanese player on the team would be great.
"Hehe, we will see." Yoshi said. "Anyway, I have some plans so I will see you tomorrow. It was good to meet you Ken-senshu."
Ken bowed and watched as the man left. If he remembered correctly, Yoshi indeed played for the pirates in his previous life, but was released the following year. He would then play for Toronto then a few minor league teams before heading back to the NPB.
He was a journeyman full of experience.
Ken returned to the hotel and sought out the gym, wanting to finish his workout. Tomorrow he would need to be in good shape to make a good impression.