Shinji stood at the batters box with his bat gripped tightly. If one looked under the helmet they could see him gritting his teeth, an obvious sign of frustration.
He stared at the unassailable titan upon the mound and felt almost helpless.
‘Why can’t we hit his pitches…’
This was the one question that was burning in his mind. If the ball was just fast, then they would surely be able to at least hit it every now and then. But there was something more, something that made it nigh impossible to strike.
But he couldn’t tell what it was, even after facing another 3 pitches.
“Strikeout!”
“Two outs! Nice pitching”
“1 more for another 3 up, 3 down. Let’s go Kenny!”
Ken’s eye twitched after being called something only his parents called him. He slowly turned his head only to see Yusuke giving him a big thumbs up from 2nd base, a wide grin on his face.
He slowly reciprocated the gesture, however inwardly he was already thinking of ways to get back at the bastard who uttered that name in public.
However, he couldn’t remain in such a state for long since the main event had arrived.
Carlos’s presence was one that demanded his full attention, like a dangerous predator who had just entered the arena, armed with a metal baseball bat.
Ken stared him down, not losing an inch of ground to the intimidating air of the peak batter. If Carlos was a predator then Ken was a gladiator, armed with a spear in order to thrust through the tough defenses of its prey.
The two locked gazes, the distance between the mound and home plate feeling insignificant in their eyes.
Without a word, Ken lifted his knee towards his chest and stepped forward, putting all of his strength into his front leg before whipping the ball out towards the waiting glove of Yuta.
WHOOSH
The ball careened through the air like a spear, it’s aim true.
Yet Carlos wielded his heavy bat, planting his foot and rotating his body. The torque generated from his muscular figure was transferred into his weapon, creating a loud noise at the point of impact.
DOOONG!
Shock appeared on the face of everyone present on the field, all apart from one person.
Carlos couldn’t help but feel a sense of thrill overcome him as he watched his ball sail into the left outfield, with no signs of slowing down.
“I always catch my prey.” He said, sending a smug gaze to Ken as he jogged to first base.
Ken on the other hand had completely ignored him. He quickly turned his gaze to follow the trajectory of the ball, his eyes trained on Tatsuya in the outfield.
‘If it’s him, he can make it…’
Tatsuya followed the ball which soared over his head, using his intense acceleration to catch up to it.
“Tatsu! F-Fence!”
Jun called out in worry, seeing his brother run full speed at the back fence. If he were to collide at his current speed, there was no way he would come out unscathed.
Yet Tatsuya seemingly ignored his pleas, keeping his attention focused on the ball above his head. It was only at the last moment that he turned his head and acknowledged the fence.
Like straight out of an action movie, he lifted his left leg and propelled himself upwards off the fence, reaching out his right arm with his glove outstretched.
Those who watched the scene felt their jaws unhinge at the agility and height he managed to achieve in a single move.
Tatsuya felt as if his body was floating in slow motion as he used all of his muscles to reach out and capture the ball before it went over for a home run. To get as much extension as possible, he had to turn his head away from the ball, relying on his instincts to catch it.
THUD
The sound of Tatsuya falling to the ground broke the silence. He let out a small grunt, a result of the impact.
Time seemed to come to a stop as everyone waited with bated breath to see the outcome.
“Tatsu! Are you okay?” Jun asked, his face full of worry.
Tatsuya turned his head and let out a cheeky grin, opening up his glove and showing his spoils of war to everyone. Jun stared in shock, not knowing how to react.
“Out! Changeover!”
“UWAHH!”
“Kyaaa! He’s so cool!”
“ORYAAHHHH”
The whole field and crowd broke into crazed cheering after witnessing such an athletic play out of nowhere. One might think that they had just won the game with the way everyone was carrying on.
However, that line of thought might not be far from the truth.
There were two people on the field that recognized it right away.
“DAMN IT!”
Carlos took his helmet off and threw it on the ground, the earlier smug look having disappeared from his visage entirely. He was now filled with bitterness and heartache as his home run, his victory was stolen from him.
Since there were now only 2 innings left, as long as Ken kept his pitching form, that would be the last at-bat for Carlos for the game.
Ken stood upon the mound with mixed emotions. He had not expected Carlos to go after his forkball on the very first pitch, something he’d done to surprise him.
‘Looks like I’ve failed.’ He thought bitterly.
Since Carlos wouldn’t be batting again this game and he’d only struck him out two times, that would mean he’d fail the urgent mission that the system had given.
His pitching grade would be decreasing from A- to B, putting him right where he started after his shoulder had first healed.
A bitter smile appeared on his face as he inwardly cursed.
Of course he might be able to give up a few hits in order to ensure Carlos got another chance to bat, but that left a sour taste in his mouth. He would be forsaking his own principles and jeopardizing the team’s chances at nationals for his personal gain.