"It's final, the Miami Blue Marlins have defeated Philadelphia to secure their spot in the 2022 World Series against the Detroit Ligers. If you had have asked me at the start of the season which teams we'd see at the end, I wouldn't have said either of these teams."
"You're right Bob, I don't think anyone could have predicted this match up."
"Well there was definitely one person who knew that his team would make it into the World Series…"
"Ah yes, you're referring to Ken Takagi. I still find it hard to believe that this man managed to complete all of his goals that he set out at the start of the season."
"It's one thing doing any of those tasks, yet he managed to do all 3. I think this season for him will go down in history as the best rookie season of all time."
"You're not wrong. I can tell you that the Pittsburgh Raiders organization are probably kicking themselves after passing up Ken in the draft."
"Well, Peter Skenes is still a wonderful talent. I'm sure he will eventually turn into a great pitcher when he finally moves up to the big leagues. But you're right, to miss out on such a generational talent in Ken, must be a bit of a blow."
"We can't forget about Ryan Smith who has been playing almost as well as Ken. While his numbers might not be as formidable, his output when on the mound is everything a team would want from their starting pitcher. I daresay that he will receive the Cy Young award for the National League despite only being his second season in the Majors."
"He's done well, there's no doubt about it. Having worked his way up from the minor league without attending College, I'm sure not many expected this level of success from Ryan."
"But the real question is, who will come out on top in the World Series?"
All across the media, reporters were discussing the Major League post season and upcoming World Series. Many analysts were comparing Ryan and Ken, something that became a hot debate across many social circles.
Funnily enough, Ken seemed far more arrogant than Ryan this season, the complete opposite of how things were in the U18 World Cup back then.
Ryan was now serious and reserved. It seemed that his experiences after leaving his parents had humbled him greatly, though it did nothing to restrict the competitive fire that burned inside of him.
After qualifying for the World Series, Ken received tens of endorsement opportunities from various brands, most of which were from Japan.
Back at the start of the season, his arrogant media antics had caused the endorsement deals to dry up. It seemed that no one wanted to associate with a rookie who operated in such a way, let alone one that had his career on the line.
Yet now that he had accomplished all of his tasks, Ken Takagi was now a hot commodity. His perceived arrogance was now downgraded to a supreme confidence, something the brands wanted to take advantage of.
Poor Tara and Barry Hart were instantly thrown into disarray from all of the attention their client was getting.
Tara sat back in her chair and let out a sigh, rubbing her fatigued eyes after staring at the computer screen for the past few hours. She looked tired after sifting through almost a hundred emails.
"You finished yet?" Steve asked, placing his hands upon Tara's shoulders, giving them a small massage.
"Not yet… I need to summarize each of the endorsements before I can show Ken. Then I'll need to group them based on the industry to avoid signing with competitors. They also need to align with his brand, otherwise there's no point in even showing him." Tara explained, closing her eyes to enjoy the massage.
"Oh wow, that sounds tough." Steve replied, kissing her on the top of the head. "Couldn't this wait until after the World Series is over? After all, wouldn't Ken be worth more if he wins?"
"Mmm… If he wins, we can renegotiate terms. This is just the initial phase, there's way more work to be done after we get Ken's approval." She explained patiently.
"I see. Well I'm sure he doesn't care too much about this kind of stuff, so don't stress too much." Steve said, trying to soothe her.
"He might not care, but its my job to ensure that everything is done correctly. If I make any mistakes, Barry will probably have a hernia." Tara replied, letting out a half-hearted laugh.
"How about you take a break, we can go out somewhere nice for dinner."
However, Tara shook her head, "I can't, sorry. Why don't you go chill with Ken?"
Steve let out a chuckle and kissed his girl on the top of her head once more before leaving the room.
Seeing that Steve had left, Tara let out a deep sigh before stretching.
"Alright, let's do this…" she said, trying to gather some enthusiasm.
However, not even a minute later, Steve returned to the room, carrying his phone. He handed it over to Tara without saying a word. She gave him a questioning expression before holding the phone up to her ear.
"Hello?"
"Tara, it's Ken. Steve says you're not taking any breaks, is what you're working on so important that you can't go have dinner with your partner?"
Ken's words took Tara by surprise. She turned to Steve nearby who was wearing a mischievous grin on his lips.
"I—It is important. If I don't do these as soon as possible, you might miss out on some important endorsements." She explained.
"I'll be honest, I don't really care about endorsements right now, at least not until the World Series is well and truly over. Do me a favor and take the rest of the night off."
Tara hesitated before finally agreeing to put the work down. She hung up with Ken and turned to Steve, wearing an exasperated expression.
"Thank me later." He said, giving her a wink.