Baseball: The Legendary Ace

The sun was barely up when Kaito arrived at the back of the school grounds. Ken was already there, holding his bat and tossing a ball into the air, smacking it lightly against the ground as he waited.

"You're late," Ken said, smirking.

Kaito groaned, setting his bag down. "I'm too engrosed practicing at home and forgot the time."

Ken laughed. "Yeah, yeah. Let's see if that arm of yours is already warm."

They wasted no time getting to work. Kaito pitched while Ken worked on his swings, and they took turns giving each other feedback.

"Your release point's a bit off today.," Ken said after a few pitches.

"Right," Kaito replied, nodding.

Ken took a swing and missed.

"Leaning too far back again," Kaito pointed out.

Ken rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, one more try"

They kept at it, the sound of the ball cracking against the bat or slamming into the net filling the quiet morning air.

Midway through their session, a different sound reached their ears—a sharp, clean CRACK that made them stop and turn.

"You hear that?" Ken asked, lowering his bat.

Kaito nodded. "It's coming from over there."

The two grabbed their gear and headed toward the practice grounds. The sound grew louder as they approached, and when they rounded the corner, they froze in place.

On the field, a tall, muscular boy was in the batting cage. His swings were precise, powerful, and relentless. Ball after ball from the machine flew over the fence, one homerun after another.

"Whoa," Ken muttered, eyes wide.

Kaito didn't say anything, too stunned to speak.

"Pretty cool, huh?"

The sudden voice behind them made both boys jump. They turned to see a girl standing nearby, arms crossed, watching the batter with a proud smile.

She had a sharp, confident presence, her school uniform neat and her clipboard held tightly to her chest. Her expression radiated authority, but her smirk had just enough cheek to put people on edge.

"Who's that?" Ken asked, still staring at the boy in the cage.

"Tatsumoto Jun," the girl said casually. "First baseman, cleanup hitter, and the backbone of our team this year."

Ken and Kaito exchanged glances, their curiosity growing.

"He got into the first team as a freshman last year," she continued. "With a record of hitting three home runs during the Fall Tournament, he will definitely lead our team this year."

Kaito finally found his voice. "Three home runs? Seriously?"

The girl nodded sounding like Ken. "Yeah, Yeah, too bad we lost in the semifinals to Kumahe Gakuin. They made a comeback in the ninth inning and scored two runs. If it wasn't for the collapse of our ace, we might've made it to Spring Koshien."

Ken whistled, clearly impressed. "Wow, I'm sure so many schools have invited him before"

"Yep," she replied. "Kumo Gakuin wanted him bad, but he chose Ichibu instead. Hopefully, he doesn't regret it."

Ken, always eager to know more, leaned in. "Hey what's the deal with this school? Seems like there's some serious competition around here."

The girl raised an eyebrow. "You don't know? Where have you been hiding?"

Ken grinned. "Under a rock, I guess. Educate me, oh wise and beautiful one."

The girl smirked. "I'm definitely beautiful but don't call me that, I'm a student manager ok. Anyway, our Nagano Prefecture has four powerhouse schools, the four kings: Kumo Gakuin, Shodan High, Kumahe Gakuin, and our Ichibu Gakuin.

"Kumo and Shodan have dominated the Koshien spots lately. They've got better sponsors and can recruit more talent. But our Ichibu is no pushover. We're known for our tough training regimen. Coach Sanada doesn't mess around—he's a former NPB player."

"Sanada?" Kaito repeated, eyebrows rising.

"Yeah, coach is a stern man. You'll see if you stick around," the girl said, glancing at them. "So, what's the deal? You two freshmen planning to join the team?"

Ken puffed out his chest and grinned. "Join? I'm gonna train so hard that I'll be the next Tatsumoto. Just wait!"

The girl snorted. "You wish."

"Hey, I'm serious!" Ken protested, but his grin didn't waver.

Kaito chuckled at the exchange but stayed quiet. He wasn't the type to boast, but he felt something stir inside him as he watched Tatsumoto's relentless swings.

He was pumped and nudged Ken with his elbow. "Come on, let's get back to work."

Ken shrugged, still grinning. "Alright, alright. Let's go."

As they jogged back to their practice spot, Ken nudged Kaito. "Man, can you believe that guy? Three home runs in the Fall Tournament? And as a freshman?"

Kaito nodded, gripping his bat a little tighter. "Yeah. He's on another level."

They reached their spot and resumed practice, but Kaito's mind kept drifting back to Tatsumoto and the girl's words.

Kaito still felt the continuous spark of determination. If he could have the chance to improve a lot, would he be able to become a team backbone like Tatsumoto?