"Are you nervous?" Ken asked Daichi, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
They were at Rodgers stadium, the home of the LA Evaders for the home run derby that was taking place tonight. Daichi was sitting calmly on the bench, inspecting the bat he'd be using to participate.
"Do I look nervous?" he replied patiently.
"No, but you look constipated. I told you not to eat so much at the party."
Daichi glared at him in response, eliciting a laugh from Ken. "Alright, my bad. I'm just trying to keep things relaxed." Ken said with a shrug.
"I'll be fine as long as you pitch where I want it." Daichi added flatly.
At this, Ken scratched his head. "I still don't know why you picked me… I only ever pitch to strike someone out. Just the thought of having all my pitches hit for a home run is making me feel sick."
"Stop whining, you know why I picked you. Just think of it like you're pitching for batting practice, as long as I don't get last, I'll be happy." Daichi stated.
"Huh? No way." Ken balked, "If we're going to compete, we have to win."
Daichi laughed, "Good, then make sure you pitch to me properly." He said, patting Ken on the shoulder.
There was quite some time to kill before the event started, and Ken quickly got bored. That was until he saw a familiar face among the players.
"Ah damn it, what's he doing here?" Ken grumbled in Japanese.
Daichi turned his head and saw the person Ken was talking about casually walking over. There was no mistaking the sandy blond hair and the handsome face of the newcomer.
"Ken, Daichi." Leo said, nodding.
"Leo… What are you doing here?" Ken asked, trying to remain polite.
At this, Leo raised his eyebrow, "I'm participating, why would I not be here?"
"Right… I guess that makes sense," Ken replied, scratching his head. He hadn't actually looked at the participants, but seeing Leo in his Yanks uniform should have been a dead giveaway.
"Looks like we'll also be teammates tomorrow in the All-star game." He said dryly, "If I'm honest, I find it a little unsettling."
"Unsettling?" Ken's eyebrow twitched. He already had a professional grudge against Leo after losing to him in both the Majors and College, seeing him here only reminded him of their history.
Leo nodded, "Why would I want to play with my rivals? I'd much rather play against them."
Hearing this, Ken almost laughed, "I guess we are of the same opinion there." He admitted, feeling slightly better. "That doesn't mean we can't compete in this home run derby."
"You say it like you're the one competing." Daichi added from the side.
"Right…" Ken felt a little embarrassed. He had forgotten that he was the one pitching, not batting tonight. Technically, he was just an accessory in the proceedings.
"You could always compete with Leo's pitcher." Daichi said, shrugging. "Who did you bring? Ma-kun?"
Leo shook his head, "I brought Ryan, he knows me better than my current teammates."
Both Ken and Daichi froze hearing the name. Ryan Smith, the pitcher who they'd faced in the U18 World Cup all those years ago, the one who had made it to the Majors first out of everyone in that class.
'He's here?' Ken thought, his eyes scanning the surroundings.
He hadn't seen the guy in so long, but he had always been in the back of Ken's mind. He had subconsciously compared himself to Ryan all this time, even though they had only faced off two times many years before.
Ken felt a sense of excitement.
Since the Blue Marlins were in the National League, Detroit were not set to play them this season. The only way they would compete this season would be if the two made it all the way to the World Series.
"Is he also playing in the All-star game?" Ken asked, his demeanor changing.
"Yes, as a relief pitcher." Leo replied.
After saying this, the announcer began to speak over the audio system, announcing the first round would be kicked off in 10 minutes time.
"I should go get ready." Leo said, bidding his farewell.
Daichi and Ken were silent for a while before the latter spoke up, "I never thought I'd see Ryan in the All-star game." He said.
"We were bound to see him again eventually."
"Yeah… I wonder how much better he's gotten since then?" Ken replied.
Meanwhile, Leo returned to his spot and found his pitcher going through his stretching routine. "You'll never guess who I saw." Leo said, a small grin forming on his face.
"Ken and his brother." Ryan replied without any emotion.
"Oh? So you knew?"
"I saw them when I entered the stadium earlier."
"And you didn't say hello? Knowing you, I thought you would have said something to Ken about his behavior this season. Why keep complaining to me when the source of your frustration is right here?"
Ryan sent him a glare, "Why would I talk to that boastful idiot. If he wants to take the Majors lightly, I'll just crush him the next time I see him."
Leo shrugged his shoulders, "The only way you'll play them is if you meet in the world series this season. Even if the Marlin's make it, you'll be facing us in the world series." He said confidently.
"Well, it doesn't matter." Ryan said, returning to his stretches, "Either way, the guy will get what's coming to him. If he can't throw a perfect game or qualify for the World Series, his career is over anyway—even if he doesn't retire like he claimed."
"Yeah yeah. Let's go over the game plan, we'll be up second in the first round." He said, rolling his shoulders.
While the crowd was starting to get heated up, the announcers called for the first pair to head up and officially begin the 2022 Home Run Derby in Rodgers Stadium.