It looked as if Ken could not fully rotate his shoulder while performing the throw, or perhaps he couldn't subconsciously do it. It was only now that things seemed to click in his mind, the puzzle pieces falling into place.
The reason why Ken was no longer the Ace pitcher for Seiko middle school and why he was so obsessed with becoming a first baseman.
'It must be an injury… But I never heard him or his family talk about it?'
While Daichi was thinking deeply, the coach yelled out that it was time to do some batting practice with the pitchers.
They moved the line off the pitch and onto the side, grabbing their helmets and bats to get ready for the training.
"Everyone will get 3 at-bats, I will be the umpire and call how many bases or if its an out. Understood?"
"Yes Coach!"
Ken's mind was still preoccupied, however he managed to get a hold of himself. As long as he performed well in the batting training, there was a chance that he could make the line up, even if it was just as a Pinch Hitter.
While he had improved his batting, it was nowhere near the level of Daichi's. He lacked the Coordination and power to slog balls like his friend, at least for now. He suddenly regretted not taking that Balance and Coordination Elixir last night instead of the Agility.
With this drill, he would not be able to showcase his upgraded speed, nor could he show the Coach his bunting skill.
Daichi turned around and almost let out an audible sigh of relief as he saw Ken's expression. He looked focused and ready to perform, unlike how he was on the field earlier.
He was terrible with pep-talks, so Daichi was thankful that he wouldn't have to make a speech and possibly embarrass himself.
Soon enough, it was Daichi's turn. He grabbed his bat and was about to head up to the batters box, but he suddenly felt a weight of a hand on his shoulder.
"Knock it out of the park." Ken said, a cheeky grin painted on his face.
Daichi didn't say a word, opting to put out his fist in response.
Ken chuckled before giving it a bump with his own fist and sending him off. He couldn't wait to see the Coach's reaction to Daichi's insane batting skills.
Coach Yoshida was standing behind the catcher, feeling his anticipation rise as the newcomer stood in the batters box. He was impressed with the newbies fielding and had already considered moving him onto the 2nd base from this alone.
However, inwardly he was praying that this wide-shouldered kid would blow him away with some otherworldly batting skills. His frame which looked more like a high schooler filled him with great hope.
'His starting form looks solid… let's see how he goes.'
Kouichi was standing on the mound, awaiting the signal from the coach. His pitches felt crisp today and they were moving well, filling him with confidence.
Seeing the large frame of the newcomer in the batters box made him feel a little intimidated. However, after remembering that Daichi had never played baseball before, caused his tense nerves to ease.
"Let's go!" The Coach said, putting his face mask on.
Kouichi nodded and began his wind up, aiming for the catchers glove of Hikaru. The glove was placed on the outside, barely within the strike zone.
Kouichi whipped the ball with his right arm after completing his throwing action, sending the ball speeding towards the outstretched glove. The ball was fast, approaching the 85km/h mark.
Daichi's eyes never left the ball, tracking its trajectory and making mental calculations in his head. His left foot rose slightly as he timed the first pitch.
When he felt the moment was right, he planted his left foot and swung at the incoming ball with nearly all of his strength. The shift in the weight to his front foot generated enormous torque which traveled from his arms to his bat.
DONG!
Daichi felt he sweet sensation of hitting the ball with the center of his bat travel up his arms as he followed through on his swing. His eyes followed the ball which rocketed into the sky, traveling towards the right side of the outfield.
The ball hung in the air and looked as if it was a bird which had taken flight. It felt like an age before the ball began to lose some speed and began to fall back towards the Earth.
Kouichi watched on with shock as the ball sailed over the fences, just barely inside the foul posts. His gaze moved to Daichi who was wearing an innocent smile, clearly happy at the shot he had just made.
"H-Home run!" The coach eventually shouted, half in shock and half in jubilation.
'What a monster!' he exclaimed inwardly, his gaze looking as if he had found a golden goose.
"Nice hit!" Ken shouted with glee, feeling almost as much pride as if he were the one to make the home run.
His teammates on the other hand were too busy picking up their jaws from the floor to make any comments. The look of disbelief was communal, yet Ken's shout made them remember that this monster was actually on their team.
Soon enough they also joined in on the action.
"Whoa! Nice hit"
"He's gotta be our new number 4 right?"
"How did he send that outside pitch so far? What a monster."