Chapter 23 — Advanced Training Begins
The next morning, Zach woke up before his alarm.
Before the sun.
Before his mom.
Before anything.
His body felt electric—like the win had lit something inside him that refused to go out.
He sat up, rubbing his eyes.
Ping.
The system chimed softly.
"Training Day: High Potential."
"Ethan's lesson will introduce a new technique."
"Team Synergy: 42% (Locked)."
Zach whispered,
"Team Synergy…?"
No answer.
Just a quiet glow inside his chest.
He smiled, grabbed his glove, and hurried to get ready.
At the Sports Store
When Zach arrived, Ethan was already outside—
bucket of balls, radar gun, portable mound, resistance bands, cones.
Tyler stood beside him eating a donut.
A BIG donut.
Covered in chocolate.
Tyler waved.
"Mrmph! I'mmmm reammmmy!"
Zach blinked.
"Are you… eating BEFORE conditioning?"
Tyler swallowed dramatically, then grinned.
"I need energy to survive the torture."
Ethan pinched the bridge of his nose.
"It's not torture. It's called 'training.'"
Tyler gasped.
"That sounds like torture!"
Blake stepped out from behind the store.
Glove in hand.
Face serious.
"Let's start."
Ethan pointed at Blake.
"See? That's the correct attitude."
Tyler muttered,
"Teacher's pet…"
Warmups
Ethan ran them through stretches, resistance band work, and footwork drills.
Tyler collapsed every five minutes.
Blake kept pushing himself, jaw set.
Zach noticed Blake wincing occasionally—
tiny, quick flashes of discomfort.
The system picked it up too.
Ping.
"Team Link: Micro-stress detected."
"Subject: Blake."
"Possible injury or mental block."
Zach frowned.
He jogged over quietly between drills.
"Blake… are you hurt?"
Blake stiffened.
"No."
A lie.
The system flashed:
"False Response Detected."
Zach tried a different approach.
"You can tell me. I won't tell anyone."
Blake hesitated.
Chewed his lip.
Looked away.
"It's nothing. Just… my shoulder gets tight sometimes."
Zach's eyes widened in concern.
"That could be serious."
"It's FINE," Blake snapped.
Then softer:
"It has to be."
Before Zach could argue, Ethan clapped loudly.
"OKAY! NEW DRILL!"
Blake jogged off quickly.
Zach followed slower, worry sticking to him like glue.
Advanced Pitching: The Angle Ladder
Ethan set up a tall net with colored squares taped onto it—
blue, yellow, green, orange, red.
A vertical "ladder."
Zach tilted his head.
"What is that?"
Ethan grinned.
"A challenge."
Tyler whispered,
"Oh no."
Ethan explained:
"You need to hit five different height zones. From low to high. Clean. Controlled. No wild throws."
Zach's eyes lit up.
Tyler's eyes dimmed.
Blake's jaw tightened.
Ethan pointed at Zach.
"You go first."
Zach's Turn — Skill Awakening
Zach stepped onto the mound.
Focused.
Controlled.
The system chimed:
"Angle Memory: Active."
He threw—
Low blue square.
POP.
Then yellow.
Green.
Orange.
Finally—
Red.
POP.
All five hits.
Perfect.
Ethan nodded proudly.
"You're learning faster than I expected."
Tyler whispered,
"Zach is basically a baby superhero…"
Blake's Turn — Something Is Wrong
Blake stepped up.
Shoulders tense.
Breathing uneven.
He threw the first pitch—
and grimaced.
The ball missed the low zone by a foot.
Next pitch—
higher, but still off.
He shook out his arm.
Third pitch—
he missed again, face tightening.
Ethan stepped forward.
"Blake. Stop."
Blake clenched his teeth.
"I'm fine."
"No, you're favoring your right shoulder," Ethan said. "Let me check—"
"I SAID I'M FINE!"
The field fell silent.
Even Tyler didn't speak.
Blake realized how loud he'd been and looked away, guilt on his face.
Ethan softened.
"Blake… you're not in trouble. We just want to help."
Blake's fists trembled.
Zach approached slowly.
"Blake… losing hurts worse if you pretend you're okay."
Blake's breath hitched.
For a moment, Zach thought he'd shut down.
Or blow up.
But instead—
Blake whispered,
"…It's been hurting since before the game."
Tyler's eyes widened.
"Dude…"
Ethan knelt beside Blake.
"Why didn't you say anything?"
Blake swallowed hard.
"Because if I stop pitching… then I'm nothing."
Zach's heart ached.
He shook his head.
"No. You're more than your pitching. You're our teammate."
Blake stared at him.
Then nodded weakly.
"Okay… then help me."
Ethan Evaluates Blake
Ethan checked Blake's shoulder with careful hands.
Tender.
Stiff.
Overworked.
"Nothing torn," Ethan said.
"But you've been throwing too much. You need a few days of partial rest."
Blake paled.
"But… I'll fall behind…"
Zach shook his head firmly.
"No. We'll keep training. Together."
Tyler grinned.
"And I'll yell encouragement at you the whole time!"
Blake groaned.
"Please don't…"
But he was smiling.
Tiny, but real.
New Drill: The Synergy Game
Ethan set cones in a triangle.
"Alright boys. New drill."
The boys lined up, confused.
Ethan explained:
"This drill tests communication. All three of you will field grounders, fly balls, pop-ups. But—"
He pointed at Tyler.
"Tyler gives ALL the instructions. Out loud. For each play."
Tyler froze.
"Wh- what? ME?! Why ME?!"
Ethan smirked.
"You're the loudest."
Zach nodded.
"True."
Blake added,
"Very true."
Tyler gasped.
"I HAVE BEEN BETRAYED."
But he did it anyway.
And surprisingly—
He was good.
"ZACH LEFT!"
"BLAKE CUT IN!"
"ZACH BACK UP!"
"BLAKE THROW HOME! HOME! HOME!"
The boys moved flawlessly.
Perfect timing.
Perfect flow.
The system pulsed.
Ping…
"Team Synergy Increased: 42% → 55%."
"Threshold Approaching…"
Zach felt the connection between them tighten—
like invisible threads pulling them together.
They were moving as one.
As a team.
Training Ends — A New Rival Appears
As the boys packed up, a car pulled into the lot.
A boy stepped out.
Older.
Bigger.
Wearing a bright red jersey with the words:
Ridgeview Hawks
—one of the strongest teams in the division.
He walked toward Ethan without hesitation.
"Coach Ramirez?"
Ethan raised a brow.
"Yes?"
The boy pointed at Zach, Blake, and Tyler.
"I heard your team beat the Foxes. Impressive."
Zach blinked.
"Thank you."
The boy smirked.
"I hope you're ready. Because your next game is against us."
Tyler gulped.
Blake squared his shoulders.
Zach met the boy's stare calmly.
The boy stepped closer.
"And just so you know…"
His eyes sharpened.
"I don't go easy on rookies."
The system chimed sharply.
Ping.
"New Rival Detected."
"Threat Level: HIGH."
"Ridgeview Hawks — Upcoming Challenge."
Zach whispered:
"We'll be ready."
The boy smiled dangerously.
"I hope so."