The next week went quickly for the two boys who had kept up with their training religiously. There was an additional fire in their bellies as they spurned each other on to improve at a rapid rate.
Soon enough, the day of the game arrived.
After barely squeaking by Joto middle school, they were up against Itakura Junior High. While this team had limited success during their baseball tournaments, Ken knew something that the others did not.
If he remembered correctly, a first year by the name of Hayato Yagi would have joined the squad this year. He was a clean up batter who would eventually turn pro, joining the ranks of the Yokohama Warriors in his 2nd year of university.
Thankfully, Ken saw Hayato's name as one of the reserves in their line up. Either he had not impressed the coach enough yet, or his skills had yet to manifest. Out of curiosity, Ken activated his Identify function while they were lining up.
TO USE IDENTIFY ON THIS TARGET WILL COST 20 MAJOR POINTS DUE TO THE DISPARITY IN ABILITIES. WOULD YOU LIKE TO CONTINUE?
[YES/NO]
Ken stealthily chose the yes button and managed to get a look at his status.
NAME: Hayato Yagi
AGE: 13
TALENT ASSESSMENT: C+
POTENTIAL: SS
USER STATS:
>Physical Fitness: B
>Pitching: C
>Fielding: B
>Game Intelligence: B
>Mental: B-
HAYATO YAGI'S DATA HAS BEEN ADDED TO THE COMPENDIUM.
'Another genius… His stats were way better than mine, and he's only 13.' Ken commented inwardly.
'Looks like the coach made a real blunder by keeping this guy on the bench. Kind of reminds me of another coach…' He complained inwardly, turning his gaze to Coach Yoshida who was shaking hands with the oppositions coach.
Perhaps he felt Ken's eyes drilling into the side of his face, because he soon turned around and sent a small smile in his direction.
The coin toss went to Seiko who decided to field first.
In the dugout, Ken was putting on his glove and baseball cap when suddenly he heard the sound of a notification.
*DING*
SYSTEM HAS DETECTED THAT USER WILL BE PLAYING IN THE KANTO TOURNAMENT - NEW MISSION AVAILABLE.
#NEW MISSION: Kanto Tournament
*Task 1: Get on base 20 times
*Task 2: Hit 3 home runs
*Task 3: Make the finals of the Kanto Tournament
*Task 4: Win the Tournament
*Task 5: Win player of the Tournament
REWARDS:
>Task 1 rewards - B-grade Agility Exlir
>Task 2 rewards - Silver Lottery Ticket + 300 Major points
>Task 3 rewards - Silver Lottery Ticket + 500 Major points
>Task 4 rewards - Gold Lottery Ticket + 500 Major points
>Task 5 rewards - A-grade Mental Elixir + 300 Major points
Ken almost exclaimed aloud at the mission tasks and rewards. If he felt motivated before, he now felt as if he was burning all over. It seemed that the system would reward him the more he played in organized baseball.
'We have to win…' He commented inwardly.
He ascended the stairs from the dugout onto the field. The moment he stepped onto the field, he felt an influx of emotions stir within his heart, causing him to stop in place.
Daichi slapped him in the middle of the back on his way past and smiled.
"Let's go win." He said simply.
The slap seemed to knock all of Ken's emotions back into place, bringing him back to the present. Embracing the stinging sensation in the middle of his back, he flashed a grin before jogging over to first base.
"Play ball!"
The umpires called out, sending the first batter up to the box. Kouichi on the mound was the picture of confidence as he performed his wind up, sending the ball roaring into the strike zone.
"Strike"
The batter swung on the first pitch, not expecting the movement from the ball at the last second. Ken smiled, it seemed that Kouichi had truly integrated the two-seam fastball into his arsenal.
"Strike out!"
"Strike out!"
"3 outs, change!"
Ken blinked a few times before following the others back into the dugout. He gave Kouichi a nudge and notified him that he could let the batters hit if he wanted.
"Haha, nope. Just because you've made the starting line up, doesn't mean you'll get any action." Kouichi said, poking out his tongue in response.
Keisuke happened to be close by and couldn't help but bursting out into laughter at Kouichi's response. Ken could only shake his head in exasperation.
'Kids these days.' He thought inwardly.
It was now Seiko's turn to bat against Itakura Junior High. The Coach gave Keisuke the signal to do as he pleased while in the batters box, receiving a nod in response.
The first pitch was sent flying towards the outfield by Keisuke who had already begun his dash towards the first base. Unfortunately, the ball was easily caught by the right outfielder.
"Out!"
Keisuke clicked his tongue and headed back to the dugout, yet no one seemed worried as it was only the first at-bat. Most players took time to adjust to the pitchers throws, finally gaining success in their second or third at-bat.
Ken's turn was next. He walked up to the batters box with confidence and determination practically oozing from his body. He had been waiting for this moment ever since the first game of the Kanagawa Tournament almost 2 months ago.
Even Coach Yoshida raised an eyebrow in surprise of how Ken was carrying himself. As he looked at his back from the dugout, he did not see a nervous teenager. This was someone that looked like a professional.
The first pitch came at him at just over 100km/h but Ken did not take a swipe at it. He lifted his leg and performed a checked swing, stopping before it went over home plate.
This was something that he had been doing in the image training realm, using it to get the timing down before he chose which ball to swing at.
As long as his bat was not swung through the strike zone, it wouldn't be considered a strike.
"Ball."
Thankfully the umpire was sharp today and called the pitch correctly. Thus Ken focused once again and prepared for the next pitch.
"Ball."
Once again, Ken performed a check swing before nodding. All he needed was two balls in order to get the timing right, now he was confident in being able to match the speed of the ball.
The pitcher seemed calm and collected, however he could hear a grumble behind him from the catcher.
"Are you gonna swing or what?" He mumbled under his breath.
It seemed his checked swings were starting to annoy the catcher, causing a small smile to form on his face.
"Don't worry, I'll swing when you give me a good pitch." Ken replied, letting out a chuckle.
The catcher seethed inwardly after hearing the reply. He stood up and placed his glove close to Ken's body, practically telling the pitcher to throw the ball at him.
The pitchers face looked a little shocked, however he did as he was told. Winding up and throwing a blitzing ball towards the open glove situated behind Ken.
'What the hell!?' Ken could instantly see the balls trajectory and made a split decision to duck, only for the ball to whoosh past his head in the last moment.
"Ball."
The umpire called the ball, but he was not impressed. He placed his hand on the catchers shoulder and warned him sternly before pointing at the pitcher and doing the same.
Ken managed to keep his cool, likely because his mind was more mature than the other teenagers. However, he didn't let such a thing go.
He clicked his tongue a few times and muttered under his breath.
"Tsk Tsk, I'm surprised you got this far with a battery like this. Too bad this will be your last game."
This seemed to incense the catcher even more, but he could not try the same thing again because of already receiving a warning. If he were to repeat the same action again it was possible that he and the pitcher would be ejected from the game.
'Alright Nobu, let's beat this guy fair and square with your pitching.' He said inwardly, positioning his glove outside and low.
Nobu the pitcher nodded and performed his wind up, firing the ball with great control exactly to where the outstretched glove of the catcher was.
'Yes! Perfect pitch!' the catcher shouted out inwardly.
However, Ken was also thinking the same thing. Ken performed a textbook swing that closely resembled Daichi's form, both of which they had learned from their father. Time seemed to slow down as the ball was struck with tremendous force and flew towards the right outfield.
The moment he hit the ball, Ken knew that it was a home run. The sound of the bat paired with the feeling of hitting the middle, instantly told him all he needed to know.
A foreign feeling entered his body as he threw the bat down and jogged around the bases. It was only at this moment that he realized that this was his first home run between both of his lives.
As he crossed the first base he heard the cheers of his teammates in the dugout, causing him to look over. Daichi was the loudest out of the bunch, his face filled to the brim with happiness.
He was a little far away, but Ken thought that he might have seen tears welling up in the teenagers eyes.
'It's not that big of a deal right? It's only 1 run… right?' He thought inwardly.
Yet Ken felt a lump begin to form in his throat before his eyes began to mist up. Before he knew it, tears began to fall as his pent up emotions came rising to the surface. This was the feeling he had been yearning for all these years. This sense of accomplishment.
As he rounded third base, he saw Daichi waiting for him at home plate, despite not being up to bat next. He was grinning ear to ear and cheering him on loudly.
While everyone else was happy about the home run, perhaps no one other than Daichi knew how much this meant to Ken. All those months of preparation and sacrifice were now worth it as he stormed towards home plate.
As soon as Ken's foot touched down at home, Daichi picked up his brother effortlessly and embraced him tightly.
In that moment, Ken felt the happiest he had been in both of his lives, despite making it to Koshien before in his High School career.
It only took him a while to realize that it was because of Daichi. His best friend and now his brother had cheered him on throughout both his lives, even when he had continued to push him away.
Ken felt all of his remaining guilt and self loathing from his previous life disappear, filling him with a sense of freedom.
It wasn't till now that he finally recognized that despite being given another chance, he still carried those burdens over.
Ken had finally taken a step forward in his new life, together with his best friend and brother Daichi.