The next morning, Ken awoke at 5am like clockwork. Usually when he awoke from Sleep Protocol, he would be full of energy, but this morning, Ken was out of sorts.
As he got out of bed to get ready for his morning run, a large part of him just wanted to crawl back into bed and sleep for longer. It was an unfamiliar feeling for Ken who had needed almost no motivation to train these past years.
'What is wrong with me?' he thought.
Ken took a few moments to clear his head. He walked into the en suite and splashed cold water on his face, trying to wake himself up.
As he raised his gaze and looked into the mirror, he saw the same kid who had been chasing his dream all those years ago. His eyes softened and he felt a small amount of pity for the earnest child staring back at him.
'What would my younger self think of me now?' Ken thought, shaking his head.
He let out a small laugh, "you'd probably scold me right?" Ken muttered to himself.
Ken had achieved his dream from back then. Not only was he still playing baseball, he was in the Major League as a starting pitcher. There was also his wife, Ai, the woman he had chased in his previous life.
He could already imagine how excited his past self would be if he knew what kind of life he was living right now. So why did he feel so stifled?
Was it because he'd been lied to by the system?
He didn't know.
"Why haven't you left yet?" Ai appeared at the door to the en suite and called out to him. She looked half asleep still.
"I was just about to leave." Ken replied, moving closer and planting a kiss on top of her head, "Go back to sleep, I'll wake you when I get back."
Ai mumbled something before turning around and getting back into bed.
Ken let out a chuckle and left the room, feeling a little bit better.
'There's no point in thinking about it further. I just need to finish this final mission and I'll be able to get on with my life.' He thought.
Ken had already planned to follow through with his retirement if he didn't complete his two remaining tasks, so the mission had not changed anything. After all, he would certainly have no choice but to quit if he lost the system and returned to his Middle Schooler talent.
"Did you sleep in this morning?" Daichi and Rohan were waiting in the lounge for him as he walked down the stairs.
"It's only 10 past 5, don't act like I slept the whole morning." Ken quipped, letting out a small chuckle.
"And here I thought we'd be getting a break this week." Rohan added, letting out a sigh.
Daichi scoffed, "You only play in games once a week, what are you complaining about?"
Rohan blinked a few times, "H—Hey, just because I only play every week, doesn't mean I'm not training like the rest of you."
"Don't be mean brother, Rohan works hard every match." Ken replied.
"I do?" Rohan raised his eyebrow.
"Yeah, who else is going to keep the bench warm for me."
"Hahaha."
Both Ken and Daichi laughed while Rohan grumbled in response, "You guys always pick on me."
"Alright lets go. Just because we don't have a game this week, doesn't mean we can slack off. Even if we win the Division series, we'll likely be up against New York in the Championship series." Ken added.
At the mention of the Yanks, Daichi and Rohan went silent. The Ligers record against the Yanks this season was 2-6 and even then the wins were too close for comfort. Many people would probably bet against them if the two teams matched up again.
"Let's worry about the Division series first and foremost." Daichi said.
"Mmm. Who are you hoping that we face between Toronto and Seattle?" Ken asked curiously.
"Seattle have a better team, I doubt they would lose to Toronto this year."
"You're probably right, but that doesn't mean that Toronto doesn't have a chance." Ken said, patting his brother on the shoulder, "Just because they have a better team, doesn't mean that Seattle will win."
Daichi didn't disagree with him, because he knew what Ken was implying.
"I don't think we're the weaker team Ken. Once we find a way to deal with Leo, we'll be able to win." He said.
Ken nodded, "We'll find a way, we have to. Once the Yanks are out of the way, I have full confidence of winning the World Series."
"That's a little ambitious…" Rohan muttered from the side.
Ken shot him a smile, "Dream big, I always say. What's the point in playing the season if you're not trying to win it all?"
The trio continued their discussion all the way through the run. It was obvious by the end that they were nervous, but hopeful for this post season run. Since they were all technically rookies, everything was new.
"I've heard that playoff games are even more intense." Rohan added.
"We'll have to wait and find out."
The guys returned to the house and went through their stretching routine after the run before jumping in the sauna. It had become a routine for all of them every morning.
"We should go do something today." Rohan said, relaxing in the sauna.
"You guys can, I'm meeting up with Tom today. I think I've had a breakthrough with my breaking balls." Ken said, remembering his new signature skill.
Daichi raised his eyebrow, "You need a catcher?"
"You can come if you want," Ken shrugged, "It'll probably be good for you to get used to my new pitches."
"New pitches? Have you been working on something else?"
"I've been working on a cutter, but its more than that. You'll understand when I start pitching later." Ken said, grinning with anticipation.