"O-Okay, thank you Ken!"
Ken sent him a wink and ran back to the rest of his team, turning back to wave before he went into the tunnels.
"Holy crap! How are you so lucky!?" Michael's friend exclaimed, his jealousy through the roof.
However, Michael did not care about his friend's jealousy. He looked at the match ball and read what it said.
'Dream big and never give up - Ken'
"What does it say?" His friend tried to peak over his shoulder, yet Michael quickly clutched the ball to his chest, tears forming on his face.
He looked over to Ken's retreating figure and shouted.
"I WON'T GIVE UP!"
Ken must have heard his words because he stopped in place and turned back around, flashing him a brilliant smile.
"I know."
He mouthed the words, but Michael could tell what he said.
"Bro, why are you crying?"
"I'm not…" Michael said, drying the corner of his eyes with his sleeve.
On their way into the tunnels, Daichi was confused.
"What was all that about?"
Ken grinned, "Just planting a seed…"
NAME: Michael Thompson
AGE: 13
TALENT ASSESSMENT: C-
POTENTIAL: ??
Additional Information: Quit baseball after being bullied in middle school. Will likely waste his potential if left to his own devices.
Ken dismissed the Identify window in front of him and couldn't stop smiling. Who knew that his number 1 fan would have the potential to be such a monster. Perhaps he would see him in the Major's one day.
After the players got all of their belongings and cleared out the locker room, they got straight onto the bus and were dropped off outside of a restaurant.
"Yakiniku!?"
"YESSS!"
Riku crawled out of the bus, as if he was in a desert after not eating or drinking for a week.
"Food… I need food."
"Get out of the damn way." Masayuki cursed, kicking the guy down the bus stairs.
"Alright guys, this is an all you can eat Korean BBQ restaurant. Don't hold back okay?"
After hearing the magic words, "All you can eat." The players were ecstatic and quickly piled into the restaurant. Instantly the place was rowdy with chattering and merriment.
Ken's dad returned to one of the tables with a couple of beers for himself and the Head Coach. Yet just before he could get a drink his phone went off.
"Ah! Back in a second."
He returned a few moments later with Yuki who said her hello's respectfully. She saw that Ken and Daichi were busy chatting away and decided to leave them be, letting them celebrate with their team.
As she sat down, Yuki felt a tap on her shoulder.
"Mrs. Takagi?"
"Hmm? Yes dear?"
Out of nowhere, the young woman leaned forward and hugged her tightly, leaving Yuki flabbergasted.
"Is that Miho hugging mom?" Ken asked, his eyes wide in shock.
"Ah!"
Daichi quickly stood up and ran over, feeling rather awkward. He bowed a few times and introduced them properly.
"We finally meet!" Yuki announced, getting to her feet and hugging Miho properly this time.
While the duo were getting acquainted, Ken was busy stuffing his face. After using showdown for so long, his body was screaming for sustenance. He could already tell that he'd lost weight on the mound this game, so he needed to bulk once again.
The night turned out to be quite entertaining as the players could finally unwind. Throughout the entire 2 weeks there was always the next game hanging over their head, preventing them from fully letting loose.
Yet now that it was all over, Ken began to see another side of some of the players.
Masayuki was probably the most unhinged. He was matching Riku's energy, if not overshadowing him in both being annoying and teasing.
It wasn't until 2 hours later that things had started to calm down.
Riku was fast asleep on the couch as he nursed his comically sized stomach filled with meat, while Masayuki was dozing off next to him. Hiroki was on the floor doing sit ups with the excuse he was burning off some calories.
As his gaze moved to the Head Coach, he saw the guy slurring his words while he talked animatedly at his father. Chris just smiled and nodded, letting the old man speak his mind.
After a few more minutes, Chris stood up and addressed the players, telling them to clean up and get ready to head back to the hotel. Their flight would be leaving tomorrow afternoon.
Riku required 2 shoulders to lean on as he held his stomach like a pregnant woman. Every step he took, he winced, making onlookers view him with contempt.
On the bus back, Ken sat next to Hiroki while Daichi was with Miho. Ken knew that they would be heading back to Japan tomorrow so he didn't want to interrupt his brother's time with his girlfriend.
Once they returned, who knew when the two would see each other next.
Upon arriving at the hotel, everyone went their separate ways. Ken got the first opportunity for a shower and quickly got into bed afterwards.
"Looks like I've got some time before anyone comes…" He muttered before lying on the bed.
This was as good a time as any to go through his World Cup missions.
#MISSION: U18 Baseball World Cup
*Task 1: Get onto base 15 times [32/15] [Completed]
*Task 2: Hit 8 home runs [16/8] [Completed]
*Task 3: Do not drop a single catch [Completed]
*Task 4: Advance to Super Round [Completed]
*Task 5: Finish top 2 in Super Round [Completed]
*Task 6: Win the World Cup [Completed]
*Task 7: Win player of the Tournament [Completed]
*Hidden Task: Rob a home run two times [2/2] [Claimed]
REWARDS:
>Task 1 rewards - 5,000 Major points [Claim Reward]
>Task 2 rewards - 5,000 Major points [Claim Reward]
>Task 3 rewards - 7,000 Major points + Fielding Boost [Claim Reward]
>Task 4 rewards - 10,000 Major points + Skill Selection ticket [Claim Reward]
>Task 5 rewards - 15,000 Major points + Potential Booster [Claim Reward]
>Task 6 rewards - 25,000 Major points + SSS-Grade Physicality Elixir [Claim Reward]
>Task 7 rewards - 25,000 Major points + SSS-Grade Mental Elixir [Claim Reward]
>Hidden Task rewards - Trait: Academic [Claimed]