Face Me! (1)

Ken walked up to the batters box with a determined gaze. He locked eyes with Hiroki upon first base who looked to be a little anxious, but who could blame him.

It was 2 outs in the 9th inning and Japan were losing by a single run. The game was literally resting on Ken's shoulders, a freshman and débutante on the U18 world stage.

All eyes in the arena and dugout were focused on him in that moment, waiting to see if he could pull off a miracle and turn the game around.

Ken would be lying if he said that he didn't feel any pressure. All of his teammates hopes were carried on his back, weighing down heavily on his psyche.

Yet amidst all of this, a smile crept onto his lips.

This was what he had dreamed of, what he'd been preparing for all this time. As a pitcher, he was used to being heavily scrutinized by everyone, this scenario was no different.

Only that he was on the opposite side this time.