“Don’t be nervous Kohai, we’re all on the same team.” A soft yet trustworthy voice rang out from behind him, surprising Shiro quite a bit.
“A-Ah thank you Senpai.” He muttered, suddenly feeling a little better.
“I’m Yuta, a third year. Nice to meet you.” Yuta smiled warmly.
“I’m Shiro, nice to meet you too.” He replied.
The small chat and introduction seemed to have calmed any nerves that Shiro had leftover, allowing him to concentrate. He saw the first ball coming and decided to let it through.
Unfortunately the umpire called it a strike despite being just outside of the strike zone by his calculations. Since he was a catcher, he was well aware that the way a catcher framed a pitch could have a great impact on calls.
‘This Yuta must be a really good catcher.’ He thought inwardly. Knowing that there was already a good catcher on the team only served to light a fire within him. Ever since leaving Fujimi, he vowed to never be oppressed again, even by his teammates.
‘I’ll send the next one packing.’
Akira sent another ball towards the same spot, wanting to steal another strike with the help of the catcher.
“As if I’ll let you!”
Shiro loaded up and swung hard, sending the ball right in between third base and the short stop.
“Yes!” The players in the dugout cheered, seeing how the ball looked like it was about to pass by both fielders.
“ORAAAAHHH!”
The third baseman let out a shout as his muscles seemed to almost rip through his tight uniform. He leapt into the air, scooping the ball up with his glove before flinging it to the short stop in front of him in one smooth motion.
The short stop swung his head and was about to throw to second base, however he was surprised to see that Yusuke was already sliding towards the bag. In a fraction of a second he made the decision to send the ball to first base.
“Out.”
Shiro stood on the base a few moments later with a disappointed look on his face.
“Ah damn it, I almost had it.” He cursed.
Ken couldn’t help but smile after seeing the display. The muscular student on third base was the captain Makoto Watanabe, known for his flashy athletic plays.
The short stop with the fringe was the silent assassin Naoki Ito. Despite the fringe covering his eyes at all times, he was able to quickly and accurately throw to anywhere in the infield lightning fast.
“Very good.” Coach Hanada mumbled and began to write down some comments on his clipboard.
Ken didn’t need to peek over his shoulder to know what he was writing. Just the fact that Yusuke had arrived onto second base in time and prevented the double play was enough to know that he had speed and skills.
“Ken, you’re up after Ida” Coach Hanada said, pointing to the player who was walking to the plate now.
A grin formed on his face. There was a certain pride with being named the 4th batter on the team, better known as the clean-up hitter. It seemed that he had made enough of an impression to receive this position.
However, in the next moment he shook his head. He shouldn’t let something like this stroke his ego, not until he made the first team. What was the point in being the best on the second team? Absolutely nothing.
Ida was someone that Ken did not remember or even recognize, therefore it was no surprise that he was struck out in 3 consecutive pitches.
Ken picked up a bat and made his way to the batters box. It was currently 2 outs and Yusuke was on second base, meaning he had to either hit a double or go straight for a home run.
Since he didn’t trust any of the other second team players to score in this 3 inning Intersquad match, this would likely be the only time he would have the chance to get runs on the board.
His eyes shifted to the outfield to where two players who looked eerily similar were standing. These were the Aoyama twins, supreme speedsters who could get to any ball as long as it entered their territory.
Ken knew that he couldn’t hit it into the left or center outfield, just in case he didn’t get a full piece of the ball. Which only left the right outfield.
“You sure like to observe.” Yuta said from behind Ken, a hint of amusement in his tone.
“I like to do my research Yuta Senpai.” Ken replied, a grin forming on his face.
Yuta’s face flashed with surprise, yet a smile crept onto his lips a moment later.
‘Looks like we need to be wary of this guy.’
After saying so, he didn’t wait for a reply and squared up his shoulders, finally focusing on the mound.
Akira who had been staring daggers at Ken was starting to feel stifled after being ignored for so long. It was almost as if he was being completely disregarded.
This on top of being chewed out by the coach earlier, only served to fuel his rage.
‘I’m gonna wreck you boy.’ Akira ground his teeth, gripping the ball in his hand tightly.
Finally, the object of his hate turned and faced him after ignoring him for so long. Akira let out a deep breath, managing to calm his state of mind a little. It would do no good if he were to make a fool of himself here.
He nodded at Yuta, happy with the lead. In the next moment he performed his wind up and sent the ball rocketing towards the strike zone at a cool 130km/h, one of his fastest pitches.
Ken’s eyes narrowed as he followed the ball, judging the rotational speed and anticipating where it would land within the strike zone.
He waited a fraction of a second longer than he usually would before throwing all of his weight onto his front foot and swinging through with power.
DONG!
The very first ball he faced was sent flying into the right outfield, seeming as if it would never come down. The second year Yuki in the outfield followed the ball for a few seconds before giving up, deciding to watch it fly over the gate.
“Huh?” Akira couldn’t help but stare at the first year who leisurely made his way around the bases, not even celebrating his hit.
‘Isn’t he meant to be a pitcher?’