Yuta let out a sigh. Throughout his time as a catcher, he had played with many pitchers, yet they all seemed to share the same traits. He thought that Ken might be a little different considering he was rational and level-headed.
However, by the look on his face Yuta knew he wouldn’t be able to convince him to walk the man before him.
“Yuta-senpai.”
“Mmm?”
“What happens if I walk him here and then we get into a situation where I have to face him in the prefecture tournament? Will I have to walk him again?”
Yuta seemed a little taken aback, not expecting such a response.
“This game is low stakes, so what’s wrong with losing? If I run away now, what’s to stop me running away from even bigger challenges further down the track.”
Ken’s words were calm and he spoke in an even tone, however they sent waves through Yuta’s mind. He stood stunned for a while, processing them.
“Yokohama High, please hurry up.” The umpire said, snapping Yuta out of his thoughts.
“Y-Yes sorry.”
He turned back to Ken and flashed a smile, “Let’s do it.”
Ken gave Yuta a thumbs up, happy that he was able to convince him. He then turned his attention to Carlos who looked as if he had just lost a bet.
‘Time to pay you back… With interest.’ He smiled fiercely and gripped the ball in his glove.
During the time when the two were chatting, Carlos was gritting his teeth. There was nothing that pissed him off more than being walked when he was at bat. Since it had happened many times in the past, he knew exactly what the catcher was doing when he called timeout.
‘They’re gonna walk me in a friendly match? Cowards.’
All of his motivation was thrown out the window and he almost walked out of the batters box in response. That was until he saw Ken turn in his direction with a fierce look on his face.
Yuta made his way past Carlos and squatted down before speaking up.
“Let’s see what you’ve got.”
Carlos felt his heart beat faster in anticipation.
“Hahaha that’s more like it.”
Now that the gauntlet had been thrown down, the two parties stared down the pitching lane at each other, their expressions filled with fierce competitiveness.
Ken nodded towards Yuta who had made a sign before going straight into his wind up and sending the ball flying towards the eager Carlos.
WHOOSH
PAH
The sound of Carlos’s bat cutting through the air was loud, only drowned out by the noise caused by the ball hitting leather.
“Strike.”
Despite missing the ball, Carlos didn’t seem worried.
‘The ball is a little faster than I thought so my timing was a little off.’
He made some mental adjustments, before gripping his bat tightly once more. In his mind, the next ball was going to be sent packing.
“Nice pitch Ken!”
This time it was the coach who called out words of encouragement, clearly embroiled within the battle. He was inwardly pleased that Ken had not decided to walk the powerhouse Carlos, even if it meant risking their potential win.
‘It’s a showdown between men.’ Seiji Hanada felt the full impact of the players youthfulness on the field.
“Send it out of the park Carlos!”
Not to be outdone, Coach Goto also dropped his smiling facade and began to yell out to his player. It seemed that the fated battle on the pitch was also effecting him despite his age.
Even though it was only a friendly match, both teams dugouts were alive, cheering for their respective teams. The crowd full of Shuei supporters also joined in, creating a lively atmosphere.
Ken felt the noise drown out as his Crunch Time skill activated in a timely manner. A smile appeared on his face as he felt his body bolstered with an additional power which began to flow through him.
‘There’s no way I can lose.’
Yuta made the sign for a forkball, placing his glove just below the strike zone.
However, Ken shook his head. This wasn’t a fight where he needed to use a breaking ball to outwit his opponent.
‘My fastball won’t lose to anyone.’
A wry smile appeared on Yuta’s face as he received the rejection from Ken.
‘Okay Ace, I’ll trust you.’
With that he called for a fastball on the inside, getting a nod in response.
Ken loaded up and sent his pitch flying, feeling as if he generated a lot more power than his previous pitch as it shot towards Yuta’s open glove.
DING
PAH
“Strike two.”
‘Huh!? It got even faster?’
Carlos was currently at a loss. He was completely confident that he had got the timing down, yet he had only barely managed to make contact with the top of the ball.
Yet instead of being disheartened, a wide grin appeared on his face.
“HAHAHA. Show me more!”
‘This is it. This is the kind of pitches I want to face… Just like back then at Koshien.’
He gripped his bat once more and stared at the boy on the mound who appeared to be like a tall and ancient tree, standing grandly as if it was part of the field itself.
‘More… MORE!’
Ken caught the ball from Yuta and walked back to his position. He picked up the rosin bag and coated his hand in the powdery substance before throwing it back onto the ground.
‘I think it’s time to try out the lively pitch now. I just hope Yuta can catch it.’
He looked at Carlos who was all but foaming from the mouth in anticipation for his next pitch and couldn’t help but chuckle. He couldn’t blame him, he too was looking forward to this next pitch and gaining payback for past grievances.
After receiving the sign from Yuta for another fastball to the inside, Ken nodded before adjusting his cap. This final ball would be an announcement of his return to High School baseball.
He took one last look at Carlos before he began his wind up. Ken’s muscles seemingly bulged as he performed the same action he’d done thousands of times in both his lives combined.
The moment he planted his foot, he whipped his arm around and shot the ball out from his flexible fingertips. The moment it left his hand he knew that it was one of the best pitches he had thrown.
DING
PAH
“Strike three! Out! Game set.”