Hearing this, Ken's eyes lit up.
'Thanks Mika, it really is good to have you back.' He said, wearing a genuine smile.
[…You're welcome.]
Ken let out a small sigh and tried to fire himself up. He had a feeling that the next 3 months were going to be hell, but if it meant reaching the goal he had set for himself, then nothing else mattered.
Plus, he had a loyal training partner that would join him on the journey. Just thinking about it brought a concerning smile onto his lips.
'Okay, let's take the Mental Elixir.'
Ken didn't even address what his mental grade would be without the Mental Elixirs. He knew that he had neither the time, nor the patience to increase this stat on his own, therefore he shamelessly sought to use the SSS-Grade Mental Elixir.
[Muting vocal chord functions… Standby.]
'Ah crap…'
As soon as he heard the monotonous voice of Mika in his mind, Ken instantly regretted his decision. A wave of anxiety attacked him from, activating his PTSD.
In the next moment, he was assaulted by a mind splitting headache. If he were to describe it, it would be like taking an Ax to the back of the head repeatedly.
Instantly, he felt nauseas. If Ken wasn't laying down he would have already fallen to the ground and likely begun emptying the contents of his stomach. His body began to seize and he ground his teeth back and forth, trying to hold onto his sanity.
He held on for dear life, facing the waves of pain which seemed to never relent. It felt like hours, no, days of torture. Ken opened his mouth, trying to let out a scream, as if it could ease his suffering even a little.
However, nothing but a soft breath came out, leaving him to suffer in silence. Just as the pain became unbearable, it slowly began to ease like a receding tide.
By the time he came to, Ken was already soaked in sweat. His mind felt like it was packed full of cotton, making everything feel fuzzy.
All he could manage was to slowly get up off the bed and turn the fan on before collapsing back on the bed. In a matter of moments, he was already asleep.
The next morning, Ken woke up in the same place that he fell asleep. He was drowsy for a few moments before a sudden clarity hit him.
He quickly opened up the system, seeing a flashing notification, begging for him to open it.
[Congratulations, Mental grade has increased by 3!]
USER STATS:
>Physical Fitness: SS
>Pitching: SSS+
>Fielding: A+
>Game Intelligence: A
>Mental: EX-
>Skills: 21
>Traits: 2
PHYSICAL FITNESS: (Avg. SS)
Balance and Coordination: SS+
Agility: SS-
Strength: SS
Stamina: SS+
Ken breathed out a sigh of relief, feeling that the pain had somewhat been worth it. Funnily enough, his first stat apart from his potential to reach the EX grade was his mental, something that was his lowest stat to begin with.
"Ken, your friend is here." Yuki called out, grabbing his attention.
"Oh crap, what time is it?" Ken mumbled, looking for his phone.
He quickly got dressed, grabbing his bag from the ground and heading out the door. Thankfully he had already packed his bag the night before, a habit he had picked up along the way.
The moment he walked out, he saw Steve's pick up truck out the front with him waving from the drivers seat.
Ken said goodbye to his parents and quickly headed out the door. If it were any other scenario he would have invited Steve in for breakfast, however they had quite a ways to travel this morning for the tournament.
"Mornin' sunshine." Steve said, wearing his usual grin. He seemed to be in a good mood, despite the 2 hour drive ahead of them so early in the morning.
"Morning." Ken jumped in the truck and got comfortable, placing his bag onto the back seat.
"We got a bit of a drive ahead of us, you want McDonald's on the way?"
"Sure, why not."
While Ken didn't often eat fast food, he could really use something greasy after what had happened last night.
"Ah, before I forget." Ken said, pulling out his wallet and taking out a $20 note. He opened the center console and placed it inside.
"What are you doing?"
"Gas money."
"…"
"Wasn't our agreement for the loan that you wouldn't be paying for gas money?" Steve said incredulously.
Ken shook his head. "That was only for local training. You think I'd let you pay for a 4 hour round trip by yourself?" He chuckled darkly, "You must not think of me as a good friend."
Steve's eyes widened in surprise, but he shook his head in the next moment. "Alright, I yield." He said, holding his laugh. However, inwardly he was thankful at the kind gesture.
He drove off, leaving the quiet street behind quickly.
"Ya know, you kind of remind me of my Grandpa." He said off-handedly.
"Huh?"
"Yeah, he hands me money under the table and threatens to beat me up if I don't take it. He won't even let my mom find out."
"…"
"Hahaha!" Ken broke out into laughter, feeling his cheeks begin to cramp up right away.
The scene reminded him of his own Grandfather who completely bypassed his father to give him the money from one of his investment properties. Sure it was for a good reason, but the concept was the same.
"He sounds like a good guy." Ken stated, still amused.
"Mmm, he's the best."
The two picked up some breakfast on the way and made their way to San Antonio for the Perfect Game tournament.
Steve seemed to know his way around the roads, which meant that he had probably been to San Antonio before. Ken was thankful that he didn't have to drive, not that he could just yet anyway.
He had gotten his learners permit before joining school, but had yet to even drive.
After just under 2 hours, the duo arrived at Missions Baseball Academy. The first thing Ken noticed was the sheer amount of cars already present in the carpark.
Thankfully, they eventually found a park and alighted from the truck.
"You been here before?" Ken asked Steve, his eyes focused on the fields.
"Yeah, we generally come here in Spring and Fall." Steve replied, his gaze turning to Ken.
"You ready?"
"Of course…" Ken stated, his whole body oozing confidence.