Ken arrived at Comerica Park right on 2pm. After some time in the Image Training, he was feeling rather fatigued, but that would not be an issue soon.
He walked into the trainers room and saw a man with a bushy beard streaked with gray seated at his computer. The guy was typing away, obviously not realizing that someone had come in.
“Hey Lee, is this a good time?” Ken spoke up, causing the man to flinch in surprise.
“Geez Ken, you scared me mate.” Lee said, holding his hand to his chest. “Go take a seat, I’ll be with you in a moment.”
Ken nodded, but his curiosity got the better of him. He walked over and stared at the monitor over Lee’s shoulder, reading what he was writing.
“What’s this you’re writing? Is it a novel?” Ken queried.
Seeing that Ken was looking over his shoulder, Lee squirmed a little in discomfort. “It’s a web novel series I’m writing based on Ancient China. Luke, the MC transmigrates from Earth to an alternate universe with the Sovereign System. It’s a war and kingdom building novel.”
Ken blinked a few times, not knowing how to respond for a moment.
‘Transmigrating with a system? That hits a little too close to home… Thank goodness I regressed.’ Ken mused inwardly.
“I never knew you were a writer. So what, do you write the book and then show it to a publisher?”
“Hehe, this one is already signed by a publisher. I post chapters on Royal Road every other day until the book gets released on kindle next year, I’m hoping it does well since I’m getting some positive feedback.” Lee said, his whole demeanor changing.
Seeing how passionate Lee was about his writing, Ken couldn’t help but smile. It turned out that it wasn’t just him wholeheartedly pursuing his dreams. Everyone had their own challenges that they needed to overcome, regardless of their circumstances.
“That’s awesome man, I’m happy for you. Make sure you save a signed copy for me, I’ll pay a premium price for it.” Ken said sincerely.
“I’ll do that.” Lee replied with a smile, “now, take off your shirt and lay on the table, I’ll get my oils.”
Though the phrasing felt awkward once again, Ken didn’t hesitate. He planned on taking a nap for an hour or two in the trainer room to recover for the game tonight.
He did as he was told, lying face down upon the table. Warm oil dropped onto his back before firm yet confident hands ran over his muscles, instantly making Ken relaxed.
It wasn’t long before his eyes closed and his consciousness drifted off.
After an undetermined amount of time, Ken woke up on the massage table like he’d done many times before. He lifted his head only to see Lee typing away once more on his keyboard.
He took a few moments to get his bearings before sitting up.
“How long did I sleep for?”
“An hour or two. You should probably head over to the locker room and get ready mate. Can’t have the star pitcher missing this close to the start of the ballgame.” Lee stated, his eyes not moving from the monitor.
“You’re right, thanks Lee. Good luck with the writing.”
“Cheers mate.”
Ken left the trainers room and made his way to the locker room, only to find Daichi and some of his other teammates getting ready.
“How was your massage?” Daichi asked, wearing a grin.
“Relaxing as always, I’m already feeling much lighter.”
“Oi Ken, you didn’t tweet anything ridiculous yet did you? No predictions of a perfect game or shutout or anything?” Jake spoke up, his words causing a few chuckles to break out.
Ken stared blankly at the guy, letting out a sigh. “Looks like I’m never gonna live this down.” He muttered, though he realized he deserved it.
Even though he’d completed all the tasks he set out at the beginning of the season, Ken still felt a little embarrassed about the commotion he made back then. Although no one suffered more than Cheryl, his teammates probably also had a hard time.
“Hey I hear Big Shaun is performing the National Anthem tonight. I’ll need to try to get an autograph at some point.” Miguel Cabrera the oldest on the squad stated.
He had not played a game this season, and he was set to throw the ceremonial first pitch tonight to kick things off. If anything, he was on the team for his veteran presence amongst this young team.
“Who is Big Shaun? Never heard of him.”
“What!? You don’t even know who he is? How old are you again?”
“24…” Samson replied unblinkingly.
Miguel clutched his heart, feeling every day of his 39 years weighing him down. “You youngsters will never understand my difficulties…”
With Miguel having an existential crisis, he was quickly ignored.
“Alright guys, we’ve got some media interviews for the next hour.” Mark appeared in the locker room, raising his voice to get everyone’s attention. “I need Ken and Daichi first, Cheryl will come and get the others later.”
At the mention of their name, the two brothers followed their Grandpa out of the locker room and soon arrived where a bunch of reporters were waiting.
Media interviews was something that Ken disliked, especially after the mess he made at the start of the season. However, this was part of his job. With all the benefits of being a professional athlete, he needed to take the good with the bad.
“I have a question for Ken. What do you think about playing against Ryan Smith in this series? I heard you two have some history.”
Ken’s eyes narrowed, “We played against each other when I was 15,” he clarified, “as for what I think about it, there’s not much to say really.” He explained calmly.
“Baseball is a team sport. While individuals contribute to wins, its not the deciding factor. I’ll do my best to defend against the Blue Marlins and allow our batters to get a win.”