SHIIIIIIICK
The sound of fabric ripping sounded throughout the bullpen, yet no one paid attention to it in that moment. They followed the ball which had been propelled forward with sheer force, spiraling through the air with ill intent.
PAH
“Mmm that’s better.” James called out, his face filled with glee. He was about to walk forward and compliment the young kid when he suddenly noticed his shirt hanging off of his body.
“Ah! What happened to your shirt?” He exclaimed in confusion.
It was torn in such a way that it looked like he’d been attacked by a wild animal.
Ai quickly covered her eyes with her hands, feeling her face redden. Yet her fingers parted imperceptibly in order to stare a little longer.
Ken felt the breeze tickle his skin as it made use of the large tears to gain entrance to his body. He looked at his mother who seemed to be annoyed that such a nice shirt was ruined.
“Someone get this kid a jersey.” The coach yelled out before heading over to Chris who was still outside the bullpen.
He leaned in with his eyes locked onto Chris’s.
“Just what the hell have you been feeding this kid?”
There was no accusation in the tone, only appreciation. It seemed that he was more than satisfied with Ken’s performance, despite being a professional coach for the Yokohama Warriors.
“I-I’m not sure.” Chris replied. In fact, apart from Tetsu he was the most shocked person in attendance.
Apart from the last time they were here to see Dr. Yukichi, the last time he’d seen Ken pitch was in the second year of middle school. It was only now that he realized just how monstrous his son had become in that short period of 2 years.
Tetsu was not only shocked by the pitch, but also by the well toned and chiseled body of the teen in front of him. From the clothes Ken usually wore, he’d just assumed the kid was a scrawny and tall dude, yet he was dead wrong.
He turned to see his daughter peeking through her fingers at his body and couldn’t help but feel his face flush red.
“Damn it, don’t look.” He snapped, placing his large soft hands over her eyes.
However he soon felt a bite on his pinky, causing him to yelp out in surprise.
By the time one of the staff arrived with a jersey, Ai had already burned the image into her mind. She had a satisfied expression on her face which matched well with her flushed cheeks.
After getting changed, Ken now looked a little odd. With a baseball jersey on and his nice business pants, he looked ridiculous to put it nicely.
“Hahahaha! Quite the look you’ve got there Kenny Boy” James commented, placing his arm around they youth’s shoulder.
Ken felt embarrassed in that moment. If he was honest, he wished that he could just go home right now. The thought of having to be in public dressed like this was enough to make any teenager mortified.
James held him a little closer, leaning in a little before speaking.
“If you keep improving, I’m sure we’ll see you in the big leagues soon.” He said, his tone full of confidence.
“Thanks Mr. Matthews.” Ken replied, feeling grateful for the man’s words of encouragement. It felt good to be acknowledged by a professional of the sport, something that had never happened to him prior.
But it seemed he wasn’t done yet.
“Just don’t get cocky. Everyone in our batting line up would have been able to hit that ball, if not foul it. You’ve still got a few years to improve, so don’t let it get to your head.”
Whatever confidence Ken had gained quickly fell down the toilet. He had thought that since he could strike out players like Carlos that he’d at least stand a chance against some of the pro’s. Even if they were at the end of the batting lineup.
However, James’s words seemed to bring him back down to Earth.
There was no way he wouldn’t trust the words of a guy who had played in the Majors for over a decade. After all, his ultimate goal was to reach the Majors with his brother.
“Yes sir, I’ll do my best.” Ken replied, giving an earnest smile.
“Good!”
Seeing the sincerity in his response, James was in a good mood. He was happy seeing the kid he had his eye on had improved so much in a short span of time, better yet he was not even cocky about it.
Too many times back home he’d find some good seedlings, only for them to rot away due to pride or improper work ethic. He knew enough about people to know when they were sincere or not.
“Go grab some pants from the locker room with your Dad, you look ridiculous.” He said, giving Ken a slap on the behind as he walked past.
Not expecting the contact, Ken’s cheeks tightened out of reflex and he covered his buns. He had seen the infamous butt slaps during Major League games, however this was the first time he’d been on the receiving end of one.
He suddenly heard a contagious laughter coming from the other side of the fence, something he recognized instantly.
His father was holding his sides and laughing hysterically, with tears flowing from the corner of his eyes while the rest of his group stared at him in puzzlement.
By the time Ken left the dugout, Chris was still in fits. It wasn’t until Ken was standing in front of him that he finally managed to calm down.
“W-What’s so funny?” Ken asked, a hint of annoyance in his tone.
Chris chuckled and put his arm around Ken’s shoulders, a knowing look creeping onto his face.
“You reacted the exact same way I did after receiving my first butt slap in America.” He replied, his face still showing amusement.
“Ah…” Ken seemed to have accepted his fate as the group moved back towards the facilities.
“Let’s go change your pants before we head to our seats.” Chris said, consoling his son.
James watched the retreating figure of Ken and their group heading to the locker room, a smile ingrained on his features.
‘Sorry for lying to you Kenny Boy. I just don’t want you to become complacent.’