The next day, Ken was on his way down to the baseball fields after class had ended. Since the conversation with his father last night it was as if a fire had been lit inside of him.
“Hey man are you okay?” Shiro asked, trailing behind him.
He had barely spoken a few words throughout the whole day, not even giving an excuse about not showing up to school yesterday.
‘How can we get to nationals and win?’
In his previous life Yokohama High School had made it to the first round of nationals in his first year, however this was thanks to a relatively easy fixture during the prefectural tournament.
This immediately showed as they were the first team to be eliminated in the very first round of Koshien. Since many things had changed, he couldn’t count on having an easy fixture once more.
Even if he were to become the Ace pitcher of the team once again, Ken knew that he would not be able to achieve the results he needed on his own. After all, baseball was a team sport.
Unless he had the strength to strikeout every batter in every innings, he could forget carrying the team himself.
“Ken! What’s wrong with you?” Shiro finally had enough of being ignored and stepped in front of Ken.
Ken stopped in place, seeing the annoyed look on the short guys face.
“I need you to get better.” He said simply, his gaze not leaving Shiro’s face.
“Huh!? What the hell are you talking about?” His response was almost too polite for suddenly being criticized out of nowhere.
Ken continued his walk towards the baseball field, only stopping after a few steps.
“Nationals… We’re going to win it this year, so I’ll need your help.” His tone was sharp, carrying the determination flowing from within.
Shiro felt a shock creep up from his toes, assaulting his whole body. What kind of crazy words was this person speaking? What right did a first year who hadn’t even made it to the main squad have to make such a declaration.
However, despite knowing just how outlandish it sounded, there was a part of Shiro that was filled with excitement. It was the same feeling that he got on the field whilst playing against the very man before him.
He wanted to believe in these words, just like he did that time.
“A-Alright. Let’s go win at Koshien.”
A smirk teased the corner of Ken’s lips before he nodded. With his knowledge of the future and the system, he would be able to identify those within the team who had the potential to get better.
Not only this, he could identify strengths and weaknesses within the squad, putting him in the best position to suggest training and make decisions.
However, even if he had the information there was no way that anyone would listen to a simple first year student like himself. Which meant he needed to work his way up the pecking order, even making use of the coach to accomplish his goals.
With the Charismatic Air skill, he believed such a thing would be possible. Yet to have the most effect, he would need to take back the Ace position.
After getting changed, Ken and Shiro met up with the other players on the field who had already begun their warm-ups. It was still only the first and second years who weren’t on the main squad, however they were due to be back at practice today.
Yusuke saw Ken and nodded in his direction, acknowledging his presence. Ken nodded back, his mind calculating what to do with his fellow first year.
Since his potential was amazing, he could be a great boon in the coming years for Yokohama. However, the tumor inside of his knee was already beginning to effect his physical abilities, particularly his crazy speed and agility.
If Yusuke were to make it into the squad, he could become a liability in the middle of a match, potentially costing them runs or even a game. He could not afford to take such a risk, not when his mother and father’s happiness rested on it.
Before he could continue on this line of thought, Coach Hanada made his way onto the field, followed by another 12 or so players dressed in the same baseball uniforms.
“Good, everyone is here.” Coach concluded.
His eyes moved over the players on the field, brightening briefly as they passed over Ken. In truth, he was a little worried when Ken had not appeared yesterday, especially after seeing how talented the boy was.
“Today we’ll be having a friendly match. First team vs Second team.”
Instantly, murmurs broke out around Ken and the other first and second years. This was something that occurred every year without fail, and was the opportunity for the other players to show off what they’re made of.
While it was meant to be a friendly, no one treated it as such. Since the inception of the tradition, the first team had never lost against the Second team. This was true even in his previous life.
Ken first looked at Shiro, then at Yusuke. These were his two best players that he would need to rely on in order to have a chance in the match.
“I’ll be picking and coaching the Second team squad while the assistant Coach Kano will be taking over the First team.” Coach Hanada stated.
Everyone except from the Second years and Ken seemed to be surprised by this fact. One would usually think that the Coach would make the assistant coach in charge of the second team, however this was not the case.
Coach Hanada liked to work first hand with the new players that had joined and get a good gauge of their capabilities. This was because players would only be able to play for high school clubs until they graduated, meaning first years were the lifeblood of a club.
This was another reason why Ken respected the man in front of him. Aside from his large baseball knowledge, he was really invested in the club and especially the players.
Looks like we’re in for a showdown, oldies vs newbies. Who will win?
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