Ken felt a tremendous strength within his body in this moment as all of his grades were increased by 2 thanks to the Limit Break ability. Although he had not willed it to activate, it couldn't have come at a better time.
His physical grades which were all S+ were now catapulted into the SS grade, increasing his body's fitness drastically.
His pitching grade which was already increased by 2 thanks to the Showdown skill, was now further elevated to the SSS grade. At this moment in time, Ken was the best version of himself both physically and mentally.
What better time was there to showcase himself than right now in front of a cheering crowd and the whole nation who were tuning in over the TV. Not to mention his father who was also in attendance that day.
A wide grin had affixed itself to his features, giving him a wild and carefree appearance as he stared down at his opponent.
Ken kicked his knee up and entered his pitching action, something he'd done tens of thousands of times in his life. However, this time everything seemed to flow naturally with minimal wasted movements.
Each move was filled to the brim with a powerful intent, showcasing the level of concentration and determination that was hidden within Ken.
Ken let out a grunt as his first ball whipped out from his fingertips, heading right for the outstretched glove of the catcher. The ball seemed to move slightly in the air before breaking inside.
WHOOOOOSH
PAH
"Strike!"
Daichi held his follow through as the familiar sensation of his bat hitting the ball failed to appear. His eyes widened in shock as he finally experienced the dreaded fastball of his fully recovered brother.
Subconsciously, his gaze moved to the jumbo screen at the back of the stadium and almost fell over from shock.
'157km/h!?'
He stared at it for a while longer before turning to Ken upon the mound who was still wearing the same grin as before. His eyes giving off a challenge, "Hit me if you can."
While most of the onlookers might not appreciate the last ball, those who had decent knowledge of baseball most definitely would. Despite being slower than Ken's fastest ball, the pitch he had thrown was a two-seam fastball.
The very idea of the two-seam fastball was to induce movement, often at the sacrifice of velocity. So the fact that Ken was almost able to reach almost 100mph with a two-seamer was remarkable.
Instead of being intimidated, Daichi felt a wave of happiness followed shortly after by a burning desire to catch his pitches.
'If we were on the same team…'
Daichi's mind raced as he thought about all the possibilities. Not long ago he thought that only having 2 pitches to work with would have restricted a lot of his tactics, yet these thoughts were burst through by Ken's earlier pitch.
Who needed variety when 1 weapon was so overwhelming.
After going through the scenario's in his mind, Daichi quickly shook his head. Now was not the time to be thinking about such things, especially since it was the Semi-finals of Nationals.
'I guess I'll have to settle on just hitting it for today.' He thought, a brilliant smile appearing on his baby face.
With that, he got back into position and gripped his bat tightly. Those who were astute would notice that he shared a similar form to Ken, though slightly modified because of the height differences.
Yet paired with his overbearing Balance and Coordination, it was just as deadly.
Those in the crowd felt that something was a little off. The game was meant to be serious, as it would determine which team would advance to the finals against Koryu.
So why were the pitcher and batter grinning like this?
"Hey wait, didn't Ken say that he had a brother in that interview?" One of the crowd members asked aloud.
Since the arena had quietened down a little thanks to the tension, it wasn't just his friend that heard the remark.
"Oh yeah, they share the same last name. Does that mean Daichi is his brother?"
As the crowd speculated around him, Chris paid it no mind. His attention was solely fixed upon his two boys who were facing each other for the very first time.
He didn't want to miss a single moment in their first clash.
Already he could tell that Ken was pitching faster and cleaner than he ever had before. Since he had no knowledge of the system, he chalked it up to rivals increasing each others abilities when playing against one another.
Chris didn't care who won, he just wanted both of his boys to do their best so they would have no regrets after the match.
He leaned forward on the edge of his seat as he waited for Ken to throw his next pitch.
Unaware of the discussions within the crowd, Ken sent a nod to Yuta and went into his pitching action. His form seemed to contain even less wasted movements than before, allowing his muscles to optimally transfer his strength to his arm.
The ball tore down the distance between the mound and the plate, spinning viciously on its way toward Yuta's open glove.
Daichi tracked down the ball and planted his left foot before twisting his body, trying to squeeze every ounce of power into his swing. The sound of the bat tearing through the air pierced one's ears.
WHOOOOOSH
PAH
"Strike!"
The umpire seemed to have been affected by the atmosphere, his calls carrying a larger emphasis than they usually would.
'161km/h'
Daichi looked at the jumbo screen once more and couldn't help but chuckle out loud.
'This is it. This is what I wanted to see.'
"O-Ohhh! 161km/h!? Is that a new record?"
"Holy crap I don't believe it."
The crowd burst into exclamations, seeing the bold orange numbers upon the board. They hadn't expected an even faster ball to be thrown by the first year high school student.