Daichi focused on his brother on the mound and felt a tremendous sense of satisfaction. Having known what Ken had to overcome with his injuries and missing out on Osaka, he truly had a lot of respect for everything he’d accomplished.
However, while one could respect their opponents, they should never roll over and admit defeat, not until the final horn sounded to indicate the end of the game.
Therefore he gripped his bat tightly once more and awaited the next pitch. He emptied his mind and stared calmly, intending to hit the next one by hook or by crook.
Yuta threw the ball back to Ken upon the mound who was still wearing a grin. He was amazed just how well his partner was pitching at this moment, it was almost as if he’d turned into a different person altogether.
‘Is this what it means to exceed your limits?’ Yuta thought as he crouched down into position.
He made the sign for a forkball next, wanting to get Daichi out right in this moment. The last swing had come close to the ball, despite it being the fastest ball Ken had ever pitched.
‘We can’t be too cautious with this guy.’
Ken nodded. He almost felt as if he was having an out of body experience at the moment. His pitches felt effortless and didn’t seem to fatigue him in the slightest.
In the next moment, he lifted his knee and pressed forward, planting his foot in the dirt and whipping his arm out, sending the ball flying.
Daichi’s eyes lit up, his grin growing even wider.
‘Gotchya’
WHOOOOOSH
DONG!
The whole arena burst into cheers as the sound of the ball being struck true resounded throughout the stadium. They followed the ball as it sailed into the left outfield, watching on with eager eyes to see where it would land.
Daichi followed the ball with his eyes and let out a laugh, not even bothering to run. His face was still turned up in a grin as he locked gazes with Ken upon the mound.
“Nice pitching Bro.” He said with a thumbs up.
Pah
“Out!”
The umpire shouted after seeing the ball sitting securely in Tatsuya’s glove. He had needed to run all the way to the back fence, yet he still managed to secure the ball easily in the end.
Ken had mixed emotions as he saw his brother walk off the field and towards the dugout. His strength seemed to leave his body in the same moment, a result of the Showdown and Limit Break skills coming to an end.
Yet something seemed to be bothering him. How was Daichi able to so confidently hit his forkball when it was the first time he’d thrown it this match.
Even in other matches he rarely threw the pitch, mainly to keep his arm safe.
Back in Yokohama, there were 3 figures sitting in front of the TV at the bakery. They were Tetsu, Naomi and Yuki.
“I-Is it over yet?” Yuki asked, her face cradled in both of her hands.
Tetsu jumped up in shock as he saw Ken’s pitch being smacked by Daichi into the outfield.
“N-No way!?” He watched on as the ball almost looked like it was going over the fence, only to fall into the waiting glove of the outfielder.
“Haaaah thank goodness.”
Tetsu heaved a sigh of relief after seeing that Ken had not given up a home run.
Yuki felt her nerves peak as she asked the group once more if it was over.
“Tch, why are ya even here? If ya don’t wanna watch then go home!” Tetsu barked.
It was clear that it wasn’t Yuki’s first time acting as such while they were trying to watch the game live on TV.
Tetsu suddenly felt the surroundings go cold as an oppressive atmosphere began to creep up on him. He could feel two scary eyes drilling into the back of his neck, giving him an eerie feeling.
“D-Does anyone want some snacks!?” He quickly shot up out of his chair and left the room, running upstairs before he was consumed by fear.
Naomi couldn’t help but laugh out loud, seeing how here husband had retreated so easily.
“Don’t mind him Yuki, he’s been watching every one of Ken’s matches on TV. Even I get yelled at if I bother him during game time.” She consoled Yuki whose face had returned to her pouting expression.
She had battled all morning whether or not to watch the game, yet she eventually decided to come. Yuki believed that she owed it to her sons to support them, even if it was half the country away.
“W-Who wants popcorn.” Tetsu asked, slipping back into the room with 2 bowls.
“Yes please~”
In another part of the country, an old man with balding gray hair stared at the TV screen, his hand stroking his goatee in contemplation.
“He’s fast… I’ll give him that.”
The old man was interrupted by the clinking sound of a tea set which was brought into the room.
“Grandpa, would you like some tea?” The cute youthful voice asked.
“Yes please, Grandpa loves your tea Miho-Chan~” His usually deep voice seemed to rise a few octaves as he doted on his granddaughter.
She smiled sweetly and poured his tea, before turning her attention to the TV.
“Is there anyone that you’ve taken a fancy to Grandpa?” She asked, her eyes focusing on one particular individual.
“The kid on 1st base and the one who just hit that ball are good candidates.”
Now that they had begun to talk about baseball, the old man’s voice retained its former tone and deep resonance.
“What about that tall pitcher? Wasn’t he the one who pitched a perfect game and can throw 100mph?” Although she was acting a little coy, her Grandpa knew that she was far more invested in baseball than she led on.
“Oh? Do you like him?” He said, once again stroking his goatee.
“I think he’s got the potential to be the number 1 pitcher in Japan.” She said with confidence.