Later that night, Ken arrived back at home with a giant smile on his face. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders after almost a month of uncertainty.
There was no better indication that he had improved than his pitching grade increasing 2 levels. Not only that, Ken now knew the way to increase his pitching even further, after all, he wouldn't be satisfied until it reached the Legendary grade.
Upon arriving home, he saw his mother on the phone, moving around the kitchen.
"Yes, he's taking care of me." She said, shaking her head in exasperation.
"I'll be coming home soon so don't worry."
Ken raised an eyebrow, "Is that Dad?"
Only now did Yuki realize that Ken had come home, she gave him a look and wordlessly handed the phone over.
"Hello?"
"Ah Ken, what's up man?"
Ken's expression turned odd, "Steve? Why the hell are you calling my mom?"
"Hey man, your mom is like my mom ya know? Can't I call to check up on her?" Steve replied, sounding offended.
Ken's eyes narrowed, suddenly understanding why he was calling. "You're just upset that she's here and isn't cooking you food anymore…"
Steve was silent on the other end for a few moments before he replied, "Anyway, congratulations on the game tonight. I saw you broke your record again."
Hearing the subject get changed instantly upon being called out, Ken couldn't help but laugh.
"Thanks, how is Triple-A treating you? Are you being called up any time soon?" Ken replied.
Steve let out a groan of annoyance, "I hope so. Ken, the pitchers down here are baby's. I used to think that you were a diva, but these guys put you to shame."
"Thanks? I guess…"
"Well anyway, I gotta go. Tell your mom I miss her."
"Wait. I need you and Tara here during the All-star break, can you guys make it?"
"Yeah yeah, for the gender reveal right? Just send Tara the details and I'll see you then."
"Alright, will do. Good luck making it to the league, hopefully we'll get to play against each other soon." Ken replied with a smile.
"Heh, just make sure you throw a perfect game soon, or we might not even get that chance." Steve shot back.
Ken hung up, but a small smile remained on his lips. It was good to know that his friend was doing well back in Texas, even if he was harassing his mother.
He handed the phone back to his mom, "I didn't know you adopted two sons?" he quipped.
Yuki laughed, "What can I say? I just attract all the strays."
At that moment, Rohan walked into the room and sniffed the air, "Wow, what's cooking? It smells delicious."
At this, Ken and Yuki both looked at each other and laughed. "Looks like another stray has appeared."
"Hmm?" Rohan raised his eyebrow in question.
***
With Ken's pitching grade now increased, his performance the following month and a half was outstanding. People soon forgot that he had gone through a slump at all.
The All-star break quickly approached and Ken wasn't too surprised after being named a relief pitcher for the American League. It was an added bonus that Daichi had also been selected as the starting catcher.
Not only this, Daichi had also been invited to participate in the home run derby as a rookie. While this was great news, it kind of put a wrench in their plans for the gender reveal.
By now, Ai's baby bump had truly begun to show and she was glowing. Her appetite had increased voraciously and it seemed that the twins were making the most of the extra food.
"The All-star game is on the 19th of July and the derby is the night before." Ken said, "That means we can have the gender reveal on the 18th here, unless you wanted to do it while we're in California?"
Ai sighed, "it's fine, we'll do it here. Will everyone be able to make it this Monday though? It's only 2 days away."
"Dad will definitely make it, but I'll have to check with Steve and Tara. I don't think there will be any issues."
And he was not wrong. Two days later, Ken's busy apartment became even busier, but there was a sense of excitement in the air.
Yuki, Naomi were working tirelessly in the kitchen, preparing all of the snacks and food for the party while Ken and the others set up the decorations.
Since it was the end of Summer, the weather was fantastic and inviting, perfect for an event like this.
Apart from his father and Steve, there were only a few others invited to the gender reveal. Ken wanted to make sure that it was only his inner circle present, since he didn't want news of his personal life making it into the media.
He saw two tall men chatting in the corner and walked over with a smile on his face, "What are you to doing over here?"
"Just talking about dad things, I guess we can make an exception and let you join us early." Chris said with a laugh.
Ken grinned wickedly, "I thought I'd come and see the old Grandfather's in the corner."
At this, Mark laughed heartily, especially after seeing Chris's face falter. "Let's hope your child isn't as cheeky as you."
"I'm sorry to say, but the odds of that happening are nearly zero." Ken shrugged.
"That is true. But it would be nice to have a sweet granddaughter to dote on." Chris said, letting out a sigh. "But knowing our genes, it'll will probably be a boy."
"He's right. For the past 5 generations, the Williams family have only had boys." Mark replied somberly. "Let's hope that you can break the curse."
The two men looked at him, their gazes full of hope. Ken could only shake his head and laugh, "Why do you look like a bunch of softies? I'm sure my kids will be spoiled regardless."