After giving up the home run, Ken was finally able to take out the next batter after composing himself. However, even after 6 months of practice, he still couldn’t recreate the same power he had with his right arm.
Perhaps if this had happened at the start of his middle school career it wouldn’t be that noticeable. Yet against other budding talents, his pitches were being picked apart because they lacked power and liveliness.
Feeling a little depressed, he headed back to the dugout and placed a towel over his head. If he had more time, or even if the pitching missions were unlocked in the image training realm he could have been able to improve in time.
“Ken?” One of the coaches for the blue team walked over to him and touched him on the shoulder, trying to get his attention.
“Ah, yes Coach?” He replied, removing the towel from his head.
“We’re going to move you onto first base in the next innings.” The coach stated before walking away without waiting for a reply.
Ken could only stare at his retreating back, feeling a touch of despair. His face twisted for a moment before he threw the towel at the ground in anger.
‘Damn it!’
As if sensing his despair, his right shoulder throbbed with pain all of a sudden, causing him to clutch it instinctively. Yet when he held it, the pain disappeared as if it was an illusion.
It was only now that he realized that this feeling was familiar. He had felt the same thing every single day during his previous life as he poured over his regrets.
“Oi you, it’s time to get on the field.” One of his new teammates snapped him out of his reverie.
Ken contemplated not going onto the field for a moment, but Daichi’s face flashed in his mind just as he was about to call it quits. He shook his head and a small smile formed on the corner of his lips.
‘I won’t be able to face him if I don’t give it all I’ve got.’ He thought, grabbing his glove and hat.
He walked onto the field and took a look at the new pitcher on the mound who flashed him a sly grin, clearly happy that he had been called up to replace Ken. He chose to ignore this, taking his spot on the 1st base.
Of course Ken hadn’t been just training his pitching the past 6 months, he had been refining his fielding and baseball knowledge throughout. He would use every bit of time to his advantage in this life, all in order to live without regrets.
The pitcher got a few warm up pitches in until play recommenced. His pitches were sharp, but they weren’t dynamic. Even from Ken’s vantage point he was able to predict the course and speed only after a few balls.
‘Kouichi is a lot better than this guy.’ Ken thought inwardly.
Now that he thought about it, he hadn’t asked Kouichi what High School he was going to.
“First!”
Ken whose thoughts were elsewhere suddenly heard the shout and instantly turned his attention back to the field of play. Although he had been late, he still managed to track the ball which was about to shoot past the right side of his body.
Out of instinct, Ken reached out with his glove and grabbed at the ball. The ball spun inside his outstretched glove, teetering on the edge as if it was going to fall out. However, it was almost as if Ken’s glove was coated in glue, preventing it from escaping.
“Out!”
Ken breathed a sigh of relief before collecting the ball from his glove and firing it back towards the pitcher, shooting back a sly grin to the boy. He wasn’t usually this petty, but it was quite refreshing to see the look of shock on the pitchers face.
“I knew it!” Naoki’s eyes shined after seeing the superb catch.
“Since he can now throw with his left hand, he’s the perfect candidate for first base.”
The main coach nodded, but he still seemed a little confused “Lefties are suited for first base because they wear the glove on the right hand which is closer to the other fielders. But what did you mean? Do you know this kid?” he asked inquisitively.
“This Ken fellow is actually one of the candidates I’ve scouted before. However he used to be a right handed player. The only reason I didn’t offer him a scholarship was because he sucked at throwing with his right.” Naoki answered, his eyes still trained on Ken.
“Oh, it must have been a long journey to train up to throw with his left arm. That means that he’s dedicated too.” The main coach seemed impressed.
Naoki shook his head, “No, it’s only been 6 months since I last saw him.”
“S-Six months!?” The Coach was flabbergasted. Usually such things would take many years to even come close to working up the dexterity required to throw a ball effectively. Not only this, the boy could even pitch half decently with his non-dominant arm.
Ken played the remaining game on first base, showcasing his skills and quick feet to stand out from the rest. If it was just this it wouldn’t mean much, however he was a menace when it came time to bat.
During his remaining 2 at-bats he managed to hit a double and another home run, separating himself as one of the top candidates to make it into the team. The pitcher from earlier wouldn’t even make eye contact with him from then on, feeling too embarrassed.
The next match was the Red team against the Yellow team, meaning Ken was able to take a break for a while. However, since he had been stationary most of the time he was left with an abundance of energy.
Uninterested in watching the game, Ken picked up a ball and walked over to the bull pen where pitchers would warm up. He grabbed a bucket of balls and began to throw pitches with his left arm.