章 57: 57. Training Start (II)

Shirogana turned towards Rei and gave him the tennis ball. He simply said," Keep this ball with you. Try to play it when you have time to make your catching smoother as possible at home. It is important and you should also keep your wrist and elbow a bit more rigid."

Rei only nodded and kept the ball with him. Noticing it's already noon, Shirogana took all three of them and went back home. Shirogana reminded Rei once again, "Rei you have to practice these 2 drills whenever you have time. They are the base of being a catcher. Also, massage your legs when you feel pain it helps to release some of it" while driving.

Rei nodded with determination on his face visible. They all went inside and went to freshen up before they ate lunch. Rei helped Narumi wash the dishes and went back to his room. He sat on his bed and thought about the drills he practiced. He clasped his face and got up.

He started to practice the catcher stance. He was able to stay in the position for only half an hour again before he fell on his butt again. He stood up and went to the stance again. He continued with this till the clock struck 4. He couldn't continue further as his legs ached to practice.

He massaged his legs as he sat on the bed trying to ease his pain. He looked at the tennis ball on the table as he massaged. He stood up, took the ball, and went outside. He knocked on Sora's door and got no response. He opened it slowly and saw him sleeping.

Not wanting to disturb him he closed it and knocked on Meiko's door. After a few seconds, the door slowly opened and Meiko asked, "Yes, Do you need anything, Rei?"

Rei showed her the tennis ball and asked, "Can you help me practice if you are free, Meiko?"

Meiko held her head with her hand and thought. She answered nodding, "Yes wait a minute." and went back inside.

Meiko came out after some time and they both went to the small backyard in the home. Rei told her about the training he did with Shirogana in the morning for Meiko's curiosity. Meiko nodded as he saw these drills being practiced by some people back at Kazi Senior.

Reaching the back yard Meiko started to slowly throw the ball for Rei to catch. Rei tried to catch the ball as smoothly and slowly as possible. They continued to play for another hour. Rei made some progress in this drill, unlike the stance drill. He was able to catch the ball in a smooth motion compared to the morning.

Rei was satisfied with the result only after an hour of playing. He went inside with Meiko towards the hall to watch some television. They saw Sora and Shirogana watching baseball so they joined them.

The match was between some high school baseball teams in the regional tournament. It was not as interesting as a match between two teams in a major tournament for Rei. Shirogana told them some of the common mistakes the teams were making.

Meiko stood up and went to help Narumi to prepare dinner in the middle of the game. Rei listened to all the mistakes pointed out by Shirogana to learn from them. The match was overall an informative one for Sora and Rei.

After the match, Shirogana said to Rei, "Rei learn the drills I taught you today for the whole week. Next Sunday we will go to the park again and I will evaluate how far you have come and if I am satisfied I will teach you some more drills to practice."

Hearing that he could learn more drills flared Rei up. He nodded with determination and didn't reply. He was determined to improve his timing in the stance this week and make his hands softer and his catching smoother.

All of them went towards the dining hall as they heard Narumi calling them. Eating dinner everyone went back to their rooms while Rei stayed back to help Narumi wash the dishes.

While washing, Narumi asked Rei, "So How was the training today Rei."

"It was good Oba-san. I had so much fun and learned many things."

"That is good Rei. But be careful when you play."

"Yes, Oba-san."

Rei continued to talk with Narumi while washing the dishes. After completing the dishes Rei went back to his room. Entering his room he kept the tennis ball on the table and got to work on his stance timing. He squatted down as Shirogana showed him and remained silent.

After 25 minutes his body started to shake as he felt pain in his legs. His body shook more as he prolonged on the stance. Reaching the 40 minutes mark Rei could not continue and sat down breathing hard.

He massaged his legs to ease the pain but felt good seeing he stayed for 10 more minutes making 40 minutes his record. He sat down massaging his legs and thought about how he can play better. He understood that this stance should almost be second nature to him if he wants to become a good catcher.

He practiced for some more time and he reached 40 minutes sometimes but was mainly at 35 minutes on average. Feeling accomplished he sat on the bed stretching his legs out to rest. He turned his head and saw his picture with Tensei, him, and Izumi. He took the photo frame and reminisced about the past where he used to train with Izumi and Tensei.

He slowly murmured, "Today I took my first step towards becoming the best catcher Otou-san. Oji-san taught me some drills to exercise and I will continue to practice on them till I am perfect. I will fulfill my promise to you Otou-san, I and Izumi will become the best duo there is. Please watch over both of us from above."

Rei couldn't help but cry at the ending. He clutched the frame hard near his chest letting out drops of tears. He wiped them away with a determined expression and slept while hugging the frame tightly.