The sound of a siren blasted out over the stadium, followed by the cheers of those in attendance. Ringing the siren was a tradition that dated back to as early as the 1930's, used to signify the beginning and ending of each match during Nationals.
Ken looked down at the field from his position, surrounded by his teammates. Since his father had gotten one of the general entry seats, it was likely that there were no seats left in his vicinity.
So he decided to stay with the team instead.
"Batting first, Short stop, Daisuke."
A beautiful voice and smooth cadence rang out over the stadium, soothing those who listened to it.
"Oh awesome, they actually announce your names here?" Tatsuya spoke up, feeling a bout of motivation.
"Yeah it's like a real professional game." Hiroki replied. He too seemed excited, though likely not for the same reasons as Tatsuya.
Ken was too focused on the field to listen to his teammates. He looked up at the jumbo screen which showed the teams currently playing, as well as showing a live feed of the match.
Sakushin Gakuin vs Osaka Toin
"Hey isn't that your brother?" Shiro said, pointing to the catcher who just appeared on the screen. Since he'd played against Daichi in middle school, he remembered his face.
"What? You have a brother?"
A number of voices rang out around him, shock evident in their features. They hadn't expected that Ken had a brother who was on the Osaka Toin squad.
"Yes yes, now be quiet. The game is starting." Ken waved them off, never taking his eyes off the field.
He wanted to see just how much Daichi had improved, while also getting a gauge of how good his team was. After all, he was planning on facing against them in the semi finals.
WOOOSH
PAH
"Strike!"
A cheer rang out as the first pitch was thrown, resulting in a blistering strike. Ken felt a shock run through his body as he witnessed the throw, instantly moving his attention to the jumbo screen.
"152km/h…"
"W-What!? 152km/h? Isn't that like 95 mph?" Yuta blurted out in shock.
Ken narrowed his eyes, reevaluating the figure upon the mound.
'Looks like last years champs are going to have a hard time this year.' Ken thought.
[Would user like to copy Yatsuo Tanaka's information for use in Image Training]
'Eh?'
Ken blinked a few times, almost not believing what he was hearing.
'You can do that?'
[Yes]
Once again, Ken felt a little attitude behind the reply, however it was overshadowed by the gravity of the situation. If he had guessed right, Mika should have the ability to create an AI version of Osaka's pitcher that he could bat against.
If this was true, then he had potentially opened up a whole new way of preparing for opponents. Not only could he hit their balls, he could also analyze their forms and come up with ways to play against them.
'Mika, will I be able to face whoever you copy in Image Training?'
[Yes]
'And how accurate will it be?'
[Depending on how much information the system can perceive, it can be up to 95% accuracy.]
Ken couldn't help but suck in a cold breath of air at this revelation. While his image training had been largely successful, it was largely dependent on the state of his physical abilities which meant he was unable to make any breakthroughs inside of it.
However with this timely addition, its usefulness had grown exponentially.
'Okay Mika, please copy Yatsuo's information.'
[Understood]
*DING*
1000 Major points has been deducted.
'Eh? W-What the hell?'
Ken felt his face flush after he received the notification.
[This is the cost for copying Yatsuo's information]
Mika's cold and unfeeling voice entered his mind, casually explaining the situation. However, there seemed to be a hint of goading behind the words, yet Ken was too gob smacked to call her out on it.
'W-Why didn't you tell me that in the first place?'
[User did not ask]
Ken felt his face heat up in anger. Just when he thought that his new AI was beginning to be helpful, she went and did something like this.
He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly through his mouth in an effort to compose himself. Now was not the time to be placing the blame on anyone, it could have been an honest mistake.
'Dear Mika, next time I ask you to copy someone's information, can you please let me know the cost first?'
Ken did his best to sound sincere and polite, so as not to tempt his new "Ally" into making any other "Mistakes" in the future.
[Understood]
Unaware of the inner turmoil Ken was experiencing, his teammates continued to watch the match. Unlike how they were in the beginning, their faces slowly turned serious.
"Strikeout! 3 outs, changeover."
After the call from the umpire entered their ears, a wave of whispers broke out.
"Man that pitcher is insane."
"His speed didn't drop below 150km/h the entire innings."
Only now did Ken realize that he had missed out on the first innings thanks to his little spat with Mika. It wasn't that their conversation took long, it was because it was over far too quick.
'3 up, 3 down. He really is talented… But he's not the only one.'
While others might only praise the pitcher for his throwing, there was also the mastermind behind the plays who dictates where and how to throw the ball.
Daichi was otherworldly when it came to leading.
Ken had been the recipient of his genius leads in his previous life. Even though it was his first year of high school, he was elevated to the same level as these monster pitchers at Nationals.
However, a catcher could only do so much in a game. Despite receiving the godlike leads from Daichi, he was thoroughly exposed by the Shinjuku lineup in their very first match at Koshien.