"Game!"
The Seiko dugout stormed onto the field, shouting and hollering in celebration at the victory. The crowd also raised their voices and applauded, cheering for the winners of the Kanto Tournament.
The first place that Ken ran was straight to Daichi with his hands in the air, joy evident in his features. Daichi too felt a rush of excitement as he ran towards his big brother to celebrate.
They embraced each other on the field, needing no words to express their current feelings of accomplishment.
Yuki and Chris who were in the stands stood up and cheered loudly. Yuki saw their two boys embracing on the field a wave of emotions overcome her, causing tears to well up in her eyes.
Chris on the other hand felt bittersweet. He was happy for what his boys had accomplished, however it was marred by the knowledge that things were bound to change in the near future.
His protective instincts wished that this moment would never end, yet on the other hand he didn't want to get in the way of their lives. If Chris were to dictate his kids lives, it may protect them in the short term, however they would come to resent him.
He stopped himself from sighing, shaking his head to remove the negative thoughts threatening to overcome him. Now was not the time to dwell on such depressing things, it was a time of celebration.
Chris and Yuki eventually made their way down to the field and greeted their kids, as did the other parents who were in the audience. Of course this was after the presentation of the Kanto Tournament flag and the ceremonies were over.
***
Ken finally laid down on his bed after an exhausting day. The team went and celebrated by going to a buffet pizza joint not far from the stadium and stuffing their faces. Remembering the antics of his teammates brought a smile to his face as he stared at the ceiling of his room.
'I hope Daichi and I did enough to get the attention of some scouts.' He thought inwardly.
While winning the Kanto Tournament was a great achievement in itself, Ken's main priority was to get entry into a High School with a prestigious baseball program like Osaka Toin.
Once he stepped into High School, he would be able to test himself against the best players in the country at nationals. But he had to be on a team that would allow him to make it to the nationals in the first place.
In his previous life he had only gone once in his first year which had ended rather quickly. Remembering the despair he felt on the mound that day filled him with a burning desire to redeem himself.
"I will make it back to that stage" He murmured, gripping his fist tightly.
He was filled with confidence, no matter where he went to school he would fight his way back to Koshien with his new skills.
The reason for his confidence was currently displayed in front of his face, the Major League System.
CONGRATULATIONS
You have completed mission "Kanto Tournament
->Mission Summary
*Task 1: Get on base 20 times (24/20 bases; A+ Grade)
*Task 2: Hit 3 home runs (3/3 bases; A Grade)
*Task 3: Make the finals of the Kanto Tournament (Completed; A Grade)
*Task 4: Win the Tournament (Completed; A Grade)
*Task 5: Win player of the Tournament (Incomplete; B Grade)
Overall mission rating: A
Bonus rewards: 200 Major points
REWARDS:
>Task 1 rewards - B-grade Agility Exlir [Claim Reward]
>Task 2 rewards - Silver Lottery Ticket + 300 Major points [Claim Reward]
>Task 3 rewards - Silver Lottery Ticket + 500 Major points [Claim Reward]
>Task 4 rewards - Gold Lottery Ticket + 500 Major points [Claim Reward]
>Task 5 rewards - A-grade Mental Elixir + 300 Major points [Incomplete]
Ken's eyes shined as he read the mission summary, trying his best not to scream out in joy. It was a little unfortunate about the final task, however Daichi had been way more deserving of the accolade than him.
Now that the semester was finished, it was currently summer break, yet Ken could not wait for baseball training camp. Even now despite being tired, he couldn't wait a single day before retrieving his rewards.
It seemed that now he had regressed, he turned into an even bigger baseball idiot than before.
[Congratulations, you have received:
1300 Major points
1 x B-Grade Agility Elixir
2 x Silver Lottery Tickets
1 x Gold Lottery Ticket]
Like someone who had a serious gambling problem, Ken jumped straight into the lottery wheels and stared at the small Golden wheel with passionate eyes.
The last time that he had used a Golden Lottery Ticket he had been given the Identify function, allowing him to peer at the abilities and potential of other players. If everything on the wheel was as good as this ability then he would have hit the jackpot.
"Here goes nothing." He murmured, pressing the spin button without hesitation.
The sweet sound of the wheel spinning entered his ears, filling him with expectation.
Finally, the wheel began to decrease in speed until it finally stopped in place.
[Congratulations, user has acquired the skill "Fine Motor Control"]
[Fine Motor Control: Grants you the ability to intricately and effortlessly control your body, improving all aspects of your game.]
At first Ken had been deeply disappointed, however after reading the skill description he suddenly had a change of heart. While it may not sound very helpful, body control was directly tied to his balance and coordination.
It could help him control his throwing form better, which could increase his speed, control and even prevent him from getting injuries in the future. He could also make minor adjustments to his batting form and improve his power and accuracy by leaps and bounds.
As Ken's mind was wandering, another notification suddenly appeared in front of him, snapping him out of his reverie.
[With the addition of the new skill, Balance and Coordination grade has been adjusted accordingly.]
[Congratulations, user has acquired his first S grading and has been awarded 1 x A-grade Mental Elixir]
"Huh? What!?"
Ken quickly went to his status windows and investigated.
MAJOR LEAGUE SYSTEM
SYSTEM LEVEL: 3 (1580/10000 Major points to level up)
NAME: Ken Takagi
AGE: 15
TALENT ASSESSMENT: B+
POTENTIAL: D (S+)
MAJOR POINTS: 1580
USER STATS:
>Physical Fitness: A-
>Pitching: F (B)
>Fielding: C+
>Game Intelligence: C+
>Mental: B+
>Skills: 9
PHYSICAL FITNESS: (Avg. A-)
Balance and Coordination: S
Agility: B-
Strength: A-
Stamina: B+
"Holy crap, it really is S grade…" Ken mumbled, staring at the blue screen with awe.
Originally he had thought that he would have to wait a long time in order to ascend to the S Grade in any of his attributes. However, it turned out that skills could also have an effect on his attributes, at least those picked up in the Golden Lottery.
There was also the additional reward of the A-grade Mental Elixir which he had coincidentally missed out on thanks to not winning the player of the tournament accolade.
If Ken's mood could be summed up in one word right now, it would be blissful.
A big dumb grin was currently painted on his face, showcasing how truly happy he was right now.
"I can't wait to get on the field and try it out…"
However, he still had a few rewards left to use and then it was time for bed. He brought up the silver wheel and used up his two lottery tickets.
[Congratulations, user has acquired the skill "Clutch Player"]
[System has deemed that the skills Clutch Player and Focus are similar, would you like to combine the two? It will cost 100 Major Points to complete.]
[Yes/No]
"Combine?" Ken was a little confused, however the system would probably not have mentioned it if doing so was not beneficial. So after a moment of hesitation, he clicked the yes button.
[100 Major Points have been deducted. New skill Crunch Time has been created.]
[Crunch Time: Increase all grades by 2 during moments that have significant impacts on the game.]
"Oh. My. Goodness." Ken's jaw opened wide, suddenly feeling giddy.
It was almost human nature to crumble under enormous pressure, with only a select few being able to perform above and beyond their abilities in such situations. With this Crunch Time skill, he would be one of those players, an indispensable team mate who could pull his team from the fire.
Ken's heart could almost not handle all of the dopamine that was currently rushing through his body at this moment. Winning the Kanto Tournament first, now being granted these incredible skills.
He felt as if he had somehow won the lottery. Well, that might actually be the case.
There was still one Silver Lottery ticket left so he clicked the spin button and stared strangely at the wheel. No matter what skill he received, it would not change his current mood.
[Congratulations, user has acquired the "Forkball" skill.]
"Ah…"
It seemed as if his luck had finally run out after all of these months. However, he wasn't too disappointed despite not being able to use the skill just yet. In only 7 months he would be able to return to the mound.
Just thinking about being able to pitch again filled Ken with a burning desire. Originally he was completely against the idea of taking a break from pitching, however he was already a much better player than he was in his previous life.
With his batting skills, he would no longer be a liability to any team that he was on. Ironically, his current weakness was his throwing abilities, pigeon-holing him to play only first base.
Ken let out a big yawn, feeling the effects of the dopamine wear off and revealing his fatigue. It had been a long day full of stressful moments within the game, then there was also the celebrations afterwards.
It was time to get some sleep. But first, he decided to take the Agility Elixir. He didn't exactly feel like taking the Mental Elixir at this moment, preferring not to experience an excruciating headache right now.
[Are you sure you wish to consume: B-grade Agility Elixir?]
[Yes/No]
"Yes."
As soon as he selected the yes option, Ken felt the familiar pins and needles in his legs. He grit his teeth knowing what was about to happen next.
As he expected, his leg muscles began to cramp and squirm causing him short but immense bursts of pain. No matter how many times he went through this situation, it never got easier.
Only after around 5 minutes of torture did Ken finally feel some sort of relief. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he turned over and greeted sleep like it was a long lost friend.