***
After the game, Ken met up with Tom to discuss the progress of his pitching form.
"So, how did you go?" Tom asked, his expression unreadable.
"Just about as well as I expected." Ken replied, his tone sounding rather frustrated. "I can already see the headlines in the paper tomorrow."
"Don't worry about what the media says, just treat it as white noise. Were you able to focus on your new pitching form?" He asked.
Ken nodded, "Because I only pitched at around 80% I was able to hone in on the things you taught me. My abs are still burning from the game." He admitted, rubbing his stomach.
"Good. If you keep this up for a few months, I can guarantee that you'll see some results." Tom added, placing a hand upon Ken's shoulder. "It might be tough on you and the team, but I've already spoken with the Ligers front office. As long as you keep improving, they won't be complaining."
Ken felt a little exasperated. He didn't expect that he would need to keep this up for a few months, even sacrificing his play on the field in order to increase his pitching grade.
He suddenly realized why people usually did such things during the off season and not midway through. If he were to revert to his old pitching form, all of this would be for nothing, so Ken had no choice but to persist.
The silver lining was that the organization was supportive. This meant that they valued him as a central piece for the future of the team.
Of course if he couldn't throw a perfect game and qualify for the world series, his career would be short lived. But that was beside the point.
"Go home, get some rest. I'll review your pitching tonight and tomorrow we'll speak about some areas for improvement." Tom said.
"Thanks Coach." Ken replied, bidding his farewell.
On his way back to the car, Tom shook his head in exasperation. "To pitch 95mph at 80%, what a monster," he muttered.
He couldn't wait until Ken's pitching form was fully optimized. Just thinking about it now made him feel tingles.
Back at home, Yuki and Ai were sitting on the couch, having just watched the game. They didn't attend every home game, often choosing to put it on the TV as background noise.
But seeing Ken struggle on the mound had been tough to watch tonight. What made it worse was that the commentators were constantly questioning the coach's decision to keep him on the mound.
It led to a worried atmosphere within the house.
Ken who returned sometime later alongside Daichi and Rohan, noticed the shift. He could see his wife and mother looking at him with concern.
Ken laughed, "What's this all about? Why do you two look like our pet just died."
Ai frowned, "We don't have a pet."
"Exactly! So why is everyone so gloomy?"
"Are you okay Kenny?" Yuki asked.
"I'm fine, everything went according to plan." He replied, assuring her.
"You planned to give up 5 runs and 15 hits?" Rohan asked, raising his eyebrow.
THUD
"OW~"
Ken reflexively threw out a glancing punch, hitting Rohan square in the left arm.
"My new pitching coach told me to only throw at 80% and focus on my form. While I didn't do as well as I would have liked, I already feel like I'm getting the hang of it." Ken admitted.
"But will they even let you pitch again after that performance?" Ai asked, coming closer to him.
"Of course. Just remember, they already paid me a ridiculous amount of money when I was drafted. Why would they give up on such an investment after only a single bad game?" Ken said with a chuckle.
His words didn't really ease Ai's worry.
Ken placed his hand upon her belly and rubbed it gently, "I just need some energy from my childre— Ahem, child."
He had almost used the plural, giving away that Ai was having twins. Thankfully no one seemed to notice, however Ai gave him a stern look.
"How is the gender reveal party planning going?" Ken asked, changing the subject.
"It's good. We're going to have it during the all-star break, that way everyone can be here for it." Ai said with a smile. "Did you speak to Rohan yet?"
At the mention of his name, Rohan's ears perked up and he looked at Ken with confusion. "About what?"
Ken laughed, "Not yet. I'll speak to him when it gets closer."
A look of worry flashed across Rohan's face.
"Don't worry, it's not a big deal." Ken said, smiling. However he made his way over and whispered, "But if you mess it up, I'll never forgive you."
Rohan paled.
"Anyway, what's for dinner?" Ken asked, rubbing his stomach in anticipation.
"There's Katsudon. You boys go sit down, I'll dish it up for you." Yuki said, gesturing towards the dining table.
Both Daichi and Ken wore a wry smile. Katsudon was what their mother usually cooked when they achieved something big, like a win in a baseball tournament.
To be given this meal after losing so miserably felt a little weird.
"What's Katsudon?" Rohan asked with some trepidation after seeing Ken and Daichi's expression.
"Pork cutlet and rice with sauce. It's delicious, don't worry." Ken said, patting him on the back.
"Did you eat babe?" Ken asked his wife.
Ai smiled and rubbed her belly. "Enough for three—Ahem… two."
At this slip of the tongue, Ken laughed out loud. The rest of the people in the room watched the scene with confusion. It seemed that even they could not guess that there were twins in Ai's belly with this little information.
That night, Ken made a big breakthrough in the Image training. He was able to successfully mirror the pitching he'd been working on with Tom House. This would make the process much smoother when changing over to the new pitching form.
"Now its only a matter of time." Ken muttered.