There were a lot of eyes on Ken every since he made his debut in the league for a number of reasons. First of all, breaking the record for the most strikeouts in his debut match had been a surprise for many, but it came with mixed reviews.
Many believed that Ken was simply too arrogant. His claims on media day still followed him around to this day, tarnishing peoples perception of him.
When he had broken the record for the fastest pitch speed, it caused a frenzy. Countless articles came out, questioning whether Ken would be able to complete his outrageous claims of throwing a perfect game and qualifying for the world series this season.
This brought many over to his side. Seeing that the rookie was so competent, some believed that it was only a matter of time before he managed to throw a perfect game.
However, this was before Ken began to work with Tom House. The rumors quickly flew around about his new pitching coach, that he was the reason why Ken had regressed as a pitcher.
Of course the media sunk their teeth into this controversy, propagating the information to whoever would listen. To them, Tom House was the sole reason why Ken was going through a slump.
Even some sports analysts openly criticized the legendary coach, saying that he was ruining one of the brightest prospects that baseball had seen in years.
Such a scene made Ken feel quite uncomfortable. While he could handle criticism himself, seeing that Tom was the one being vilified made him quite angry.
However, the old man would simply laugh it off whenever Ken brought it up.
"Just focus on your pitching, Ken. Once you make a breakthrough, you'll shut all those doubters up." Tom said with a smile.
Ken nodded, "Yes coach."
So over a month passed with Ken's poor performance on the mound. The cheers that used to greet him as he stepped onto the field to pitch were far more reserved. On this day, he even heard a few jeers from the home crowd.
Ken shook his head, he knew the fans could be harsh, but he didn't think that people would boo him after only a month of inconsistent pitching.
'Do I need to start pitching at 100%?' Ken thought for a moment.
But he quickly decided not to. What would be the point in making this sacrifice if his pitching grade never increased?
After a month of dedicated practice both in the Image Training and on the outside, Ken finally felt as if he was making progress. It was only a matter of time before it increased, he just needed to be patient.
WHOOOOSH
WHACK
The first pitch he threw was sent into the outfield for an easy two bases. Despite throwing in the 90's, these Major league hitters were difficult to get past.
"Get him off the field!"
"We don't need no chumps in slumps."
A volley of hate came from the home crowd, washing over the field below. He had only thrown a single pitch, but these guys were already going after him.
Ken sighed, closing his eyes. A sense of urgency welled up from within.
He tried to think back to when Coach Hanada trained him all those years ago, what he experienced when his pitching grade increased last.
It was something that was difficult to put into words, it was more of a feeling.
Things were different back then. The system was offline due to the upgrade, so he needed to feel everything with his own body.
Ken's eyes flashed open in shock.
'Am I not improving because I'm still relying on the system?' he thought incredulously.
Despite only throwing at 80%, Ken was still using his lively fastball and other skills passively. He had done it for so long that Ken didn't even realize it was the case until now.
Ken dropped down to one knee and began to tie his cleats while the next batter was announced. He quickly navigated through the skill screen and disabled every one of his pitching related skills until they were all off.
'I hope this works…' Ken mused, returning to his feet.
He wished that he had come to this realization outside of the game. Going against Major League hitters like this was nerve wracking. Just a single mistake could put them way behind.
Ken breathed out slowly, looking towards Nate on 3rd base. He then lifted his leg and strode forward, controlling the length of the stride and the impact on the dirt.
Engaging his core, Ken opened his hips and cocked his arm before whipping it past his face. Ken felt every individual part of his form. Every action had a cause and a reaction, even a small difference in the mechanics would cause changes to the pitch.
The ball flew from his fingertips before careening into the dirt in front of the plate. Daichi managed to scoop the ball up skillfully, but the crowd was not happy with the dud pitch.
Another slew of insults and jeers came from a certain part of the audience.
However, Ken ignored them, his mind replaying the scene in his head.
'I released too late and my stride wasn't far enough."
WHOOOOOSH
PAH
The next pitch came out better, but Ken still wasn't happy with some things. His mind was constantly working as he tried to understand the most optimal form.
Four more pitches came and soon it was a full count. With each pitch, Ken got closer to his goal, making slight adjustments with each throw.
In the crowd, Tom's eyes never left Ken, watching him like a hawk.
He could see the concentration in the kid's face and knew that he was close to a breakthrough. Tom clenched his fist and waited, waited for the inevitable moment that things clicked.
And then he saw it.
The perfect form that Tom had been aiming towards appeared, causing his eyes to light up with excitement.
WHOOOOSH
PAH
"Strikeout!"
*DING*