Ken nodded, he was thinking along the same lines.
“Strikeout!”
“3 outs, changeover!”
During their conversation, Ichiro had been quickly struck out in 3 balls. He retreated back to the dugout, removing his helmet and revealing his glorious hair.
His face looked like he was constipated, though he was in fact just frustrated. He had finally thought he’d be able to get a hit after Ken was struck out, yet he couldn’t even make contact with the ball.
Unaware of the unspoken rivalry directed at him, Ken retrieved his cap and glove and walked back onto the field to begin the bottom of the 2nd inning.
He waited for Daichi and leaned close.
“Get ready for some heat.” Ken said with a grin.
“Hmm?”
He turned his attention to the other dugout and saw Leo practicing his swing. The sound of the bat cutting through the air was audible halfway across the field, indicating just how dangerous he was.
Daichi nodded. Leo was the only one who had managed to score against them in the previous match, even when Daichi called for all the pitches he was worst against.
This just went to show what kind of player Leo was. In some ways he was what Daichi aspired to be like, at least when it came to his play style.
However, playing beside people like Ken and Masayuki, Daichi felt as if he was lacking in the leadership department.
“Stay on your toes.” Ken remarked before jogging over to the mound.
He had a good reason to say this, since the next balls would only get tougher to catch.
“Batting 4th, Catcher, Leo.”
As the statuesque Leo stepped into the batters box, Ken’s lips turned up into a grin.
‘Mika, please use showdown on Leo.’
[Understood.]
The euphoric feeling of his muscles filling with power overcame Ken. No matter how many times he used the skill, it never got old.
Leo’s eyes narrowed as he stared at Ken suspiciously.
‘What the hell is happening?’
The moment he stepped into the batters box, Ken’s aura changed. He began emanating a terrifying pressure, filling Leo with a sense of foreboding.
Not even when he’d played against college players had Leo experienced such a sensation. Who would have thought that such a monster would appear from all the way over in Japan.
As Ken lifted his left leg for his wind up, Leo felt an intense pressure.
PAH
“Strike!”
Leo blinked a few times after the ball had flown past him, struggling to understand what had just happened. His gaze moved to the screen, only to see the numbers flash boldly.
“102mph…”
For the first time in a long while, Leo felt pressured in the batters box. He turned back to Ken on the mound and nodded inwardly.
‘Okay, I acknowledge you… But that doesn’t mean I’ll go down without a fight.’ He said in his heart, adjusting his shoulders slightly before getting into position once more.
Daichi felt the atmosphere thicken as Leo lifted his bat. A dangerous yet icy cold aura emanated from his figure, threatening to overwhelm him.
Daichi gulped, feeling a sense of trepidation. This was the most intimidated he’d been behind the plate, yet he had no choice but to try and ignore the guy.
He squatted down and made a sign to Ken, his fingers quivering subconsciously.
Ken frowned for a moment before shaking his head.
‘What kind of lead is that? Don’t tell me he’s intimidated?’ Ken thought inwardly.
Usually his brother was extremely aggressive behind the plate, yet the ball he called for was quite passive. Why would he throw a curveball now? Wasn’t that just giving Leo a free hit?
‘Fastball or nothing bro…’
Daichi was taken aback a little at the refusal. It wasn’t until he felt Ken’s burning gaze on him that he had a realization.
‘What am I doing?’
In truth, the moment Leo got serious, it had a large mental impact on Daichi. He started to believe that if Ken threw another fastball, it was inevitable that it was going to be hit.
It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Ken, it was just his primal instinct as a catcher to want to minimize the chances of being hit. Perhaps if it was Satoshi or Kei on the mound, calling for a breaking ball would make sense.
Yet it was Ken standing up there right now, his brother.
Daichi’s expression changed, his face showing a fierce determination.
‘There’s no way Ken’s fastball will lose here.’
He placed his glove right in the middle of the strike zone and called for a fastball.
‘Give it all you’ve got bro!’ He shouted in his heart.
Ken’s eyes widened in surprise, yet he grinned widely in the next moment.
“That’s the Daichi I know and love.” He muttered.
In the next moment, Ken lifted his left leg and stepped forward. The moment his foot planted on the ground, dust flew up, seemingly shaking the ground beneath him.
The ball fired out from his fingertips, blazing forth towards Daichi’s open glove.
‘Down the middle?’
Leo’s face turned up in annoyance as he saw the course. He felt like he was being underestimated.
“Hmph!”
WHOOOOOSH
DING
The bat made contact with the ball, slamming it into the ground and up high into the air from the rebound. It went straight towards Ken and seemed like it was about to sail over his head.
Leo dropped his bat and made a run for it, silently cursing in his heart. With the movement of the fastball, he wasn’t able to make proper contact with it.
By the time the ball arrived above Ken’s head, he’d already leaped into the air with his glove outstretched. Thanks to his long limbs, Ken was able to collect the ball out of the air
“First!”
Aki yelled from his position at short stop, yet Ken didn’t need reminding.
As soon as his feet touched the ground, he sent a blistering throw into Hiroki’s outstretched glove.
“Out!”
The game continues with some epic back and forth! Who will win the pitchers duel?
Mass release: 22/30
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