***
While they had lost the All-star game, Ken and Daichi didn't really seem affected.
"Were you pissed when the coach took you out?" Daichi asked, placing his chopsticks down.
Ken shrugged, "I didn't really care. We might have been there for a lot longer if I stayed on the mound though." He laughed.
"Yeah, probably for the best. You only pitched 32 balls tonight, you should be able to pitch tomorrow." Daichi stated.
"We'll see, you know how Grandpa is with resting my arm." Ken said with a wry smile.
The two finished their dinner and Ken video called his wife. He had made it a habit to call every night when he was away from home, no matter what.
Ai appeared on the phone, in bed.
"How's my babies?" Ken asked, smiling.
"I think they're throwing a party in there." Ai giggled, moving to the camera to her fluttering belly. Hands and feet were flying, as if the twins were fighting inside.
"Did you just have some sugar?"
"Just a donut…" She replied suspiciously.
"How many?"
"Listen here, I'm pregnant okay. I can eat 5 donuts if I want." Ai huffed.
Ken laughed out loud and the two spoke for a while. Ai was now 22 weeks pregnant, a little over half way done.
"I'll be back home on Friday night, love you."
"Travel safe, love you too."
Once the call was ended, Ken got off his hotel bed and stretched before heading to the shower. It had been a long couple of months. One thing he didn't realize was how long the season was.
It was one thing for pitchers who only pitched every week, but another thing entirely for him who was also a hitter. Most of the games he would play Designated Hitter.
After showering, Ken got into bed and went straight into his Image Training.
Once more, he appeared in Koshien stadium with two menus in front of him.
#PITCHING MISSIONS:
> Pitch 100,000 strikes [100%] - 5,000,000 Major points + Skill: Striker [Complete]
> Pitch 100,000 breaking balls [55%] - 5,000,000 Major points + Skill: Breaker of Balls
> Throw pick-offs 100,000 times [0%] - 5,000,000 Major points + Skill: Pick-off Practitioner
> Pitch 100mph 100,000 times [100%] - 7,500,000 Major points + Skill: Over the Speed limit [Complete]
> Strike-out AI (upgradeable) - 10,000,000 Major points + Diamond Lottery ticket
#BATTING MISSIONS:
> Hit 100,000 bunts successfully - 3,500,000 Major points + Skill: Bunt Aficionado
> Hit 100,000 balls into outfield - 3,500,000 Major points + Skill: Double Trouble
> Hit 50,000 foul balls - 1,500,000 Major points + Skil: Foul Demon
> Hit 100,000 sliders - 4,500,000 Major points + Skill: Slider Demon
> Hit 100,000 curve balls - 4,500,000 Major points + Skil: Curve Demon
> Hit 100,000 fastballs - 4,500,000 Major points + Skil: Fastball Demon
> Hit 50,000 home runs - 10,000,000 Major points + Diamond Lottery ticket + Skill: Home Run King
For the past 5 months, Ken had been working on his pitching missions, forgetting the batting ones for now. With only a couple of months left in the season, there were really only two that he had a chance of getting.
The breaking balls and the AI strikeout.
Every night he would try to strike out Daichi at the plate, and every night he would fail. For some reason, even his best pitches were seen through, as if he knew what was coming every time.
"Let's try again…" Ken muttered, selecting the AI.
The space in the batters box shifted and a figure soon appeared at the plate. Daichi, wearing his Detroit Ligers uniform was standing there in that familiar form.
Ken let out a deep breath and got into position.
The first ball was a fastball to the outside, clocking in at 103mph.
WHACK
The ball sailed into the foul zone, shooting into the empty seats with speed. The statistics appeared in front of Ken, showing the details of the hit.
Exit velo: 100mph
Trajectory: 24 degrees
Distance: 405 feet
Ken frowned. Even with not the best contact, the AI had sent the ball packing into the stands. If he were to hit it infield, it would be all over.
The next pitch he threw was a curveball, but the batter left it.
The count was now 1-1.
Ken let out a grunt as he threw a slider, intending on escaping the upcoming swing.
WHOOOOSH
WHACK
The AI chased the ball, fully extending his arms as he got a hold of it.
Exit velo: 95mph
Trajectory: 10 degrees
Distance: 50 feet
Result: Out (ground ball)
Daichi's figure blurred and disappeared. With this level of difficulty, Ken was only allowed to pitch against the AI once per day.
Seeing this, Ken let out a sigh.
This was his experience with the AI in a nutshell. Even the hardest pitches, the AI would somehow hit it into the infield and ruin his shot of striking him out.
Shaking his head, Ken moved onto the breaking balls.
'I should be able to pitch over a thousand today…'
At this rate, it would take him around 45 days to complete the task. Once he did, not only would he have the 20 million major points required for the unknown function, but he'd also get another signature skill.
'Still, that skill name sounds weird. If it's a signature skill does that mean I am known to break balls?' he mused, chuckling to himself.
Ken shook his head, getting into position before going through his routine.
200 sliders.
200 curveballs.
200 changeups.
200 forkballs.
And 200 cutters, a pitch he'd been working on with Tom House in secret for a while now. It was faster and broke later, staying higher within the strike zone thanks to its velocity.
With another pitch added to his repertoire, Ken believed that he could throw a perfect game at some point during the season.
4 hours later, Ken's consciousness appeared back in the hotel bed, accompanied by a small headache. He slowly got off the bed and grabbed a drink of water, hydrating before it was time to sleep.
Setting his alarm, Ken rolled back into bed and drifted off to sleep some time later.