Chapter 28 — Shared Focus
Practice the next day felt quieter.
Not calm.
Just quiet.
The kind of quiet that happens before a storm.
The Hawks had shaken the team.
Not because they were stronger—
but because they knew exactly where to attack.
Zach walked onto the field with Tyler and found Blake already stretching.
Not aggressively.
Not angrily.
Just… quietly.
Focused.
Tyler whispered,
"He's been here for ten minutes. I saw him stretching like a professional… it was terrifying."
Zach approached slowly.
"Blake… how's your shoulder?"
Blake rolled it carefully.
"Better. Ethan sent me videos last night of shoulder stretches. I did all of them."
Zach smiled.
"That's good."
Blake looked away, voice softer.
"…Yesterday scared me."
Zach blinked.
"The Hawks?"
"No. Them knowing I'm hurt."
Blake's eyes tightened.
"My dad always says a pitcher who's hurt loses value."
Zach's chest squeezed.
"Pitchers aren't tools," he said gently.
"They're people."
Blake nodded, but didn't look convinced.
The system pulsed softly.
Ping.
"Blake Emotional Block Detected."
"Cause: Fear of disappointing father."
"Mission Progress: Incomplete."
Zach inhaled slowly.
He'd help.
No matter what.
Ethan Arrives With a New Drill
Ethan clapped loudly, breaking the tension.
"Alright team! Gather up! Today you're doing something… insane."
Tyler raised his hand.
"Um… can we do something NORMAL for once?"
"No," Ethan said immediately.
Tyler whined.
Coach Ramirez tossed a bucket of balls down.
"We're doing the Chaos Diamond."
Tyler screamed.
"That sounds ILLEGAL!"
Ethan grinned.
"It basically is."
Drill — The Chaos Diamond
The drill works like this:
The whole team spreads across the infield.
Ethan hits balls randomly—grounders, line drives, pop-ups, bouncers.
Players MUST call loudly.
Teammates must trust the caller.
No hesitation allowed.
Zach, Tyler, Blake, Emma, Noah, Bryan, Micah, Eli, and Jaden all spread out.
Ethan raised the bat.
"READY?"
Tyler yelled,
"NO!"
Ethan ignored him and swung.
Chaos Begins
CRACK!
Grounder to short.
Zach charged—
Emma called—
Zach backed off instantly.
Emma threw to first—OUT.
Next ball—
POP-UP!
Near pitcher's mound.
Three kids shouted at once.
"ME!"
"I GOT IT!"
"No, ME!"
They collided.
Hard.
Tyler groaned from the dirt.
"OWWW! Zach your shoulder is pointy!!"
Blake coughed.
"You headbutted my ribs!"
Zach stood up, brushing dirt off his shirt.
"I'm sorry."
Ethan sighed.
"And THAT is why we're doing this drill."
Slow Progress
At first, the Dodgers were a mess.
People yelled too loudly.
People didn't yell at all.
Tyler called for balls that weren't his.
Noah ran in circles.
Bryan panicked.
Eli slipped.
Micah forgot which direction was left.
But slowly—
They got better.
Zach started anticipating Blake's movements.
Emma began controlling the left infield.
Tyler's voice actually became useful.
Bryan stopped freezing.
Even Noah started reacting quicker.
The system chimed.
Ping.
"Team Synergy Increasing: 102%…"
"New Threshold Approaching."
Zach inhaled sharply.
It was happening again.
Unexpected Moment — Blake's Fear Surfaces
During the drill, Ethan hit a line drive straight at Zach.
He reached for it—
but Blake shouted:
"LEAVE IT. IT'S MINE."
Zach stopped instantly.
Blake charged in.
Caught it.
Threw to third.
Perfect play.
Coach Ramirez nodded.
"Good communication."
Blake exhaled sharply.
His confidence spiked—
Zach could feel it.
But then Ethan hit another ball.
A grounder.
Straight at Blake's glove side.
Blake hesitated.
Just for a split second.
And that split second made him wince.
His shoulder.
The ball rolled by.
Emma barely saved it with a dive.
Ethan called time.
Everyone froze.
Blake breathed hard, clearly trying to hide the pain.
Ethan approached.
"Blake. You hesitated."
Blake grit his teeth.
"I'm fine."
Ethan shook his head.
"No. You were scared of hurting yourself."
Blake stiffened.
"That's not weakness," Ethan said calmly.
"It means your body is telling you to protect it."
Blake swallowed hard.
"But if I'm scared… I can't pitch."
Zach stepped forward.
"Yes you can."
Blake looked at him.
"How?"
Zach placed a hand over his own chest.
"You let us help you."
Blake stared at Zach.
Then—
like a glass wall cracking—
his emotional block flickered.
Tyler added,
"Yeah! We're literally here! Like… right here! RIGHT NOW!"
Zach smiled.
And then—
The system pulsed.
Hard.
PING!
"Mission Update: Support Blake — BREAKTHROUGH."
"Emotional Block Reduced."
"Bond Strengthened."
"Synergy Surge Activated."
Zach's breath caught.
It wasn't over yet.
Because something new appeared:
"New Feature: Shared Focus — UNLOCK SOON."
Zach felt a shiver.
Something big was unlocking.
Something that could change everything.
The Soft Moment — Blake Opens Up
Practice ended late.
The sun was low.
Kids packed up their bags.
Blake lingered, sitting on a bench.
Zach walked over.
Blake didn't look up.
"…My dad doesn't like excuses," he whispered.
"He thinks resting is weakness."
Zach sat beside him.
"Do you think resting is weakness?"
Blake shook his head.
"No… I just don't want to disappoint him."
Zach leaned gently against Blake's shoulder.
"You won't disappoint us."
Blake blinked.
"I know. That's what scares me."
Zach tilted his head.
"Why?"
Blake looked at his hands.
"Because if I fail… I don't want to let you down either."
Zach's chest tightened.
Tyler, who had been pretending not to eavesdrop, sniffled dramatically.
"That is the sweetest thing you've EVER said. I'm gonna cry—"
Blake threw a glove at him.
"DON'T cry."
Tyler sniffed.
"No promises."
Zach laughed softly.
Blake smiled—
small, but real.
The system pulsed softly.
Ping.
"Shared Focus: 87%."
"Unlock in progress…"
Zach breathed out.
Almost there.