56 Mentoring (2)

Yet before he could speak up, Chris came over and grabbed a hold of his arm, putting a small amount of pressure on Kouichi's elbow with his thumb.

"Argh!" Kouichi yelped in pain, not expecting such a thing.

"Are you trying to injure me!?" He yelled out, backing away defensively.

Chris shook his head, "I'm a professional, I would never purposefully hurt an athlete. I only put a tiny bit of pressure on your elbow, you should try it yourself to see if I'm lying."

Although wary, Kouchi eventually did as he was told and almost cried out in pain again.

"W-What's happening?" He stammered, feeling all sorts of confused.

"You need to give up on the forkball Kouichi. From what I can tell, you haven't been throwing it for long which is why you're only feeling some mild pain. Your body is not developed enough to sustain such wear and tear." Chris explained, being as straight-forward as possible.

"But how will we win if I don't have a breaking ball? My pitches aren't fast enough to only use fastballs." Kouichi complained. He had tried other breaking balls, yet the forkball was the only one he could throw.

Chris let out a sigh, lamenting at how rash teenagers were these days. "Have you heard about the two-seam fastball?" He asked.

"Two-seam?" Kouichi tilted his head in confusion.

Even Ken felt the term was foreign. Having no breaking balls of his own, Ken's interest was piqued, causing him to lean a little closer.

"Show me how you hold the ball while pitching a fastball." Chris directed.

Kouichi did as he was told, holding up the ball.

"Okay, that's what we call a four-seam fastball. This grip allows for the most speed and velocity, however it is predictable and lacks movement."

Chris reached forward and turned the ball in Kouichi's hand, exposing the horseshoe shaped seam towards the front. He then took a step back and explained.

"This is a two-seam fastball. Not only can it be thrown at a similar speed, the seams and rotation causes the ball to move erratically through the air. If you use these two grips effectively, you won't need to learn a breaking ball before your body has fully developed."

Ken's eyes lit up. He had never really paid attention to the grip of the ball when he was pitching, something that did not make him very proud at this moment. This was probably the reason why some of his pitches had movement, while others were just straight and fast.

Kouichi stared at the ball for a little while, yet he didn't seem too convinced. What kind of difference would changing the position of the ball in his hand really do?

Chris could see that the teenager wouldn't accept things so easily, so he directed him to throw a pitch and see for himself.

Daichi got into position and waited for the pitch to come his way. He of course trusted his father, so he had plenty of time to follow the movement of the ball once it left Kouichi's hand catching it perfectly in his glove.

Kouichi blinked a few times after throwing the ball, not believing what had just happened. His usually dead straight fastball looked alive as it snaked through the air, filling him with happiness.

As he pitched with his right arm, he noticed that the ball slid towards the right just before reaching Daichi's glove. If he could add this pitch into his arsenal, it should be just as effective as his forkball.

"Wow! Thank you Mr. Takagi" Kouichi bounded over, the excitement palpable in his features.

Chris waved him off, yet his true feelings were plastered on his face in the form of a boastful smile.

"Now, the next part will probably be the hardest." His face turned serious as he addressed Kouichi.

The boy's expression darkened, yet he nodded. Now that Ken's father had identified what was wrong with him and even given him a new weapon to his arsenal, he had decided to follow whatever he was going to say next.

"No more pitching until the next game." Chris said flatly, yet his tone was stern.

"Oh… Sure that's fine." Kouichi replied positively.

"Ah… Ahem. Good, very good. I'll also give you a training regimen to follow which will help increase the strength and flexibility of your arms." Chris continued.

He had been so sure that Kouichi would object to his request that he had prepared many ways of convincing him. Yet it turned out that not all teenagers were rash and disobedient like a certain someone used to be.

Chris turned his gaze to Ken who shuddered unconsciously in response. A sudden feeling of guilt crept into his bones for some unknown reason, but it quickly disappeared when his father smiled at him warmly.

'What the hell? The guilt I felt from my previous life just overcame me for a moment.' Ken thought inwardly, before shaking his head and trying to remove the lingering feelings.

His father took Kouichi through the exercise regime and even had a copy that he had written the night before. Ken appreciated how thorough and professional his dad was, complimenting him inwardly.

After another hour, they finally went their separate ways.

The weekend flew by, particularly with Ken's father being home and having some time off. The trio went to the batting cages a couple of times and Chris was shocked with the sudden improvement from Ken.

Compared to the first time he had taken them this year, Ken was like a whole different person. Daichi had also improved by leaps and bounds, especially since his body had started developing properly.

The family made the most of Chris being off work, eating meals and going out together. 

The days past like this until the Kanto tournament fixtures were released.

Seiko had gotten lucky and was given a bye for the first game, meaning they had made it through the first round without even having to play a game. They would play against the winner between Joto and Nogi Choritsu middle.