When things finally calmed down, Ken took his seat on the bench. He had received a notification the moment after the bat made contact with the ball, so he was curious as to what happened.
He quickly opened his status window, only to see a flashing icon on the missions sub-menu.
It was only now that he remembered what had happened last night. He had received a notification and had forgotten to look at it before asking Mika to work her sleep magic.
It was ironic that he had yet to look at the mission since he had been looking forward to them ever since winning the Kanagawa Tournament.
While he had time, he quickly opened the missions menu and couldn't help but suck in a deep breath.
#NEW MISSION: Summer National Tournament
*Task 1: Strike out 50 players [0/50]
*Task 2: Hit 6 home runs [1/6]
*Task 3: Make the Quarter Finals of Koshien
*Task 4: Make the Semi Finals of Koshien
*Task 5: Make the Finals of Koshien
*Task 6: Win the National Tournament
*Task 7: Win player of the Tournament
REWARDS:
>Task 1 rewards - 3000 Major points
>Task 2 rewards - 3000 Major points
>Task 3 rewards - 7000 Major points
>Task 4 rewards - 7000 Major points + Gold Lottery ticket
>Task 5 rewards - 10,000 Major points + Gold Lottery ticket
>Task 6 rewards - 15,000 Major points + SS-Grade Physicality Elixir
>Task 7 rewards - 15,000 Major points + SS-Grade Mental Elixir
Hidden Task: ??? - Platinum ticket
While he was checking out the mission tasks and rewards, the beautiful voice made its appearance over the speakers once again.
"Batting 6th, 2nd Base, Yusuke."
As Yusuke made his way to the batters box, he did his best to shake off some of the anxiety he was experiencing. Of course he was excited since Ken had just hit a home run to put them up 3 runs, but it was a tough act to follow.
He glanced at the pitcher and could feel an intimidating glare coming his way. The eyes that stared at him were screaming, as if to declare that he would not even be able to sniff the next pitches.
And it wasn't too far from the truth.
PAH
"Strike."
PAH
"Strike."
WHOOSH
PAH
"Strikeout! 3 outs, changeover."
Yusuke received two fastballs followed by a slider. After having seen the two 150km/h fastballs, he'd adjusted his timing accordingly, only to get out with the breaking ball.
He walked back to the dugout with a wry smile on his face, feeling a little humiliated.
"Don't mind Yusuke, we'll get him next time." Makoto said, placing his large hand on the teen's shoulder.
"Captain…" Yusuke felt tears welling up in his eyes as he was consoled. It was true that misery loves company, so seeing that he wasn't the only one who struck out dramatically was enough to perk up his spirits a little.
"Remember our deal." Coach Hanada spoke up as Ken walked past, flashing him a grin.
Ken turned his head and nodded seriously, his face oozing determination.
'Eh? He doesn't think I'm serious right?' Seiji was a little taken aback at Ken's attitude, but he let out a small sigh afterwards. He should have known that teenagers were hot blooded and would absolutely take on the challenge.
Ken's mind was still reeling from the Summer Tournament mission that he'd been given. Just seeing the appearance of the SS-Grade Elixirs were enough to make his mouth water, yet there was something else which sounded even more enticing.
The Platinum Ticket…
He'd tried to ask Mika what it was, even making sure to use his manners. However, no matter how much he pried, the answer was the same.
[User has not discovered this reward yet, therefore its description is unavailable]
As for what the hidden task could be, he was even more clueless. It could be anything from batting accolades to pitching achievements, yet he would never get to know.
He almost wished that it had stayed hidden from his sight so he could just completely ignore it. However, rewards were secondary at this point.
They needed to win the game which meant he would have to play like their lives depended on it.
Ken began to warm up his shoulder, sending pitches to Yuta who was in position behind home plate. With each throw he began to get more focused and locked in, before he was finally ready.
He glanced at the umpire and nodded, indicating that he was ready to start the innings.
After a few moments and signals from the umpire, a voice rang out over the speakers, announcing the next player up to bat.
"Batting first for Shinjuku, Short stop, Tatsuo."
Ken's eyes narrowed as he glared intently at the youth with skin as flawless as jade. His body seemed to heat up the moment his opponent stepped into the batters box, a result from his showdown skill activating.
Seemingly oblivious to the stare he was receiving, Tatsuo was deep in thought.
'How was it again?'
He tapped the base with his bat, followed by the tips of both of his cleats before turning and facing Ken.
'T-That form…'
Ken's eyes widened in surprise as he saw his form being used by the opposition. It looked a little unnatural, but he could clearly spot the form that his father had taught both him and Daichi.
While it wasn't a trade secret and was considered rather orthodox by batting standards, he hadn't yet seen anyone replicate it since playing.
It wasn't only Ken that noticed the peculiarity.
"Hey, that's the form you taught us…" Daichi said, pointing to the kid in the batters box.
"Hmm… I think you're right." Chris said, equally as puzzled.
"I was taught this stance from my coach when I played in America. It allowed me to make good use of my height in reacting to pitches." He added, still in thought.
Ken shook his head, putting the situation to the back of his mind. Whether Tatsuo batted left-handed, right-handed or even backwards, it didn't change the fact that he needed to keep him off the base.
'Let's do this.'