Chapter 29 — Shared Focus Unlocked
The morning of the Dodgers' final practice before the Hawks game felt unreal.
Bright sky.
Warm breeze.
Perfect weather.
But underneath all that…
tension.
Real tension.
Zach felt it immediately from the team.
Tyler: Excited but terrified.
Blake: Quietly focused.
Emma: Calm but watching everyone.
Bryan: Nervous.
Noah: Chaotic energy as usual.
Micah, Eli, Jaden: All jittery.
The system pulsed.
Ping.
"Shared Focus — Near Threshold."
"All players emotionally linked at high sync."
Zach inhaled deeply.
Today was the day.
Blake Warms Up — And Stuns Everyone
Blake jogged to the bullpen area and started doing his shoulder warmups.
Carefully.
Methodically.
Exactly like Ethan taught him.
Ethan watched with crossed arms.
Coach Ramirez stood beside him.
Blake picked up a baseball.
He held it for a long moment.
Zach felt his emotions through the Synergy Link:
Fear…
Doubt…
Determination…
Strength…
Hope…
Then Blake threw the ball.
POP.
A clean, controlled, smooth throw.
Ethan blinked in surprise.
"Again."
Blake threw.
POP.
Perfect.
Again.
POP.
Harder.
Blake exhaled and looked at his hand in shock.
"It didn't hurt."
Zach smiled.
Tyler screamed dramatically,
"MY BOY IS HEALED! IT'S A MIRACLE!"
Blake actually laughed—small but real.
The system chimed.
PING!
"Support Blake — COMPLETE."
"Confidence Restored."
"Team Bond Strengthened."
Then another message appeared.
"Shared Focus — READY TO UNLOCK."
Zach's heart pounded.
But it didn't unlock yet.
Something was missing.
Tyler's Discovery
While everyone warmed up, Tyler crouched behind home plate munching on sunflower seeds.
"Noah! Throw me something! Anything! A sock! A rock! A cookie!"
Noah threw a ball.
Tyler caught it without looking.
Everyone blinked.
"Do it again!" Tyler shouted.
Bryan threw a ball.
Tyler caught it again—
one hand—
blindly.
Tyler froze.
"…Guys."
He dropped his seeds.
"I think… I've leveled up."
Blake stared.
"What does that even mean?"
Tyler put on his catcher's gear dramatically.
"Hit me!"
Ethan raised an eyebrow and hit a soft grounder.
Tyler snagged it like a pro.
Emma whispered,
"He actually improved…"
Zach smiled.
He felt something through the link:
Tyler's emotions, normally chaotic and all over the place, shifted into:
Focus
Excitement
Belief
Pride
Purpose
Zach's breath caught.
Tyler wasn't just being silly today.
He was stepping up.
The system pulsed.
Ping.
"Team Emotion Alignment: 99%."
"Shared Focus Imminent…"
Something was building—
pulling them together.
The Drill That Triggered It
Ethan gathered the entire team.
"Alright! One more drill before we close out. This is the most important one."
Tyler raised his hand.
"Does it involve snacks?"
"No."
"Then I object."
Ethan ignored him and continued.
"This drill is simple. Nine players. One ball. You must get the ball from home plate to every position and back again… WITHOUT TALKING."
Tyler gasped like someone told him Christmas was canceled.
"NO TALKING? I CAN'T SURVIVE LIKE THAT!"
Coach Ramirez patted his shoulder.
"You'll live."
"No I won't!"
But he tried.
The drill began.
Silent Defense Drill
Zach started with the ball at shortstop.
He looked at Blake on the mound.
Blake met his eyes.
Nodded.
No words needed.
Zach tossed to second.
Micah immediately fired to first.
Eli flipped to third.
Jaden threw to left.
Emma shot it to center.
Noah sent it to right.
Bryan zipped it back to Zach.
Every pass was smooth.
Precise.
Perfect.
No one hesitated.
No one panicked.
No one needed to shout.
They just knew.
The system vibrated.
Ping…
"Shared Focus — ACTIVATING."
"All players simultaneously connected."
Zach felt their emotions overlap.
Tyler's excitement.
Blake's determination.
Emma's calm.
Bryan's anxiety turning into confidence.
Noah's chaotic joy.
Everyone's energy pulled together.
Zach felt something click in his mind—
A warmth spreading through his chest—
A glowing sensation—
And then—
PING!
✅ SHARED FOCUS — UNLOCKED
The system roared in Zach's ears:
"Shared Focus Activated (Lv.1)."
Ability: During games, you gain temporary awareness of teammates' emotional states AND instinctive understanding of their movements."
Effects: smoother defense, faster reaction time, error reduction."
Zach gasped softly.
But he wasn't alone.
Blake held his chest.
"…Did you feel that?"
Tyler blinked wildly.
"MY HEART JUST LEVELED UP."
Emma smiled faintly.
"I think we synced."
Bryan whispered,
"That felt… amazing."
Ethan and Coach Ramirez exchanged glances.
Neither knew what just happened.
But the kids did.
They were in sync.
Truly.
And Then — The Hawks Arrive Again
Just as practice ended—
A shadow fell over the field.
A car pulled up.
The same car.
Mason stepped out.
But this time—
he wasn't smirking.
He wasn't mocking.
He was… serious.
He called out:
"Zach Miller."
Everyone froze.
Zach stepped forward slowly.
Mason's eyes narrowed.
"We saw your practice."
Tyler shrieked,
"ARE YOU SPYING ON US AGAIN?!"
Mason ignored him.
"You're not the same team from last week."
Zach said nothing.
Mason continued:
"You improved. A lot."
Still Zach didn't answer.
Mason stared for a long moment.
Then he said:
"Good."
Everyone blinked.
"Good," Mason repeated.
"Because now the game will be worth playing."
He turned, opened his car door, and added:
"Don't hold back. Because we won't."
Then he left.
No threats.
No insults.
Just a promise.
A challenge.
And somehow…
That was scarier.
End of Night — Sunset Reflections
As the Dodgers packed up, Blake walked up to Zach.
His expression steady.
"Zach."
"Yes?"
"When we face the Hawks…"
Blake held out his fist.
"We're doing it together."
Zach smiled warmly and bumped it.
"Yes."
Tyler ran over and threw his arms around both of them.
"GROUP HUG OF DESTINY!"
Blake groaned.
"Get off me."
But he didn't push him away.
Zach smiled.
The system pulsed one last time.
Ping.
"Shared Focus Stable."
"Team Ready for Major Challenge."
Tomorrow—
The Hawks.
The real test.