Chapter 20: Training Commences (2)

"Oh!" Ken exclaimed, seeing that his Stamina had increased by 2 grades from D all the way to C-. It seemed that the system was in tune with his body, meaning that he could see tangible results just by looking at his stats. This in itself was a huge advantage over regular athletes who could only go by feel. Ken's mood was great as he got ready and headed back downstairs to wait for Daichi. A few minutes later, his friend arrived and they all ate together. Daichi was a little shy at first but quickly opened up after seeing how warm and caring Ken's mother was. "Daichi dear, you are welcome to come for breakfast every morning. Especially since you'll be accompanying Kenny for morning training from now on." Yuki said with a smile. "Ah." Daichi felt a little embarrassed, turning his head to Ken, only to see him smiling widely and nodding . "T-Thank you Mrs. Takagi" he said, fearing that he would offend her if he declined. Not long after finishing breakfast the two took the train to school. It was another boring day of classes, yet the two still enjoyed each others company, talking about everything under the sun. After school, Ken decided to head to the batting cages along with Daichi. One of his goals during these few weeks was to improve his batting tremendously, otherwise he would have no chance at becoming the 1st baseman. SWISH SWISH SWISH The sound of the ball shuttling past his swinging bat rang out over and over, filling him with growing frustration after each swing. 12 pitches, 12 misses… His face reddened, feeling shame and embarrassment from his abysmal performance. It was as if the metal bat and the ball were polar opposites, never to make contact while he was in the batters box. However, he merely smiled plainly and handed the bat and helmet to Daichi. "I would love to give you pointers, but as you can see, I suck at batting." He chuckled, trying to put his nervous friend at ease. Daichi looked pale as he put on his helmet and stepped into the cage. The pitching machine was set to 100km per hour, which was rather common for middle school. "You can do it Daichi! Just hit the damn thing." Ken called out some words of encouragement before putting the coins in the machine. After a few tense moments, the pitching machine spat out a fastball right down the middle. Surprisingly, Daichi's eyes widened as the ball approached and he swung with all his might. DONG The sound of the metal bat making direct contact entered everyone's ears as the ball was sent sky-high for a sac-fly. Ken's jaw dropped after seeing his friend hit the ball so easily. Something he had failed to do in all 12 of his attempts in the cage. Yet before he could speak, the next ball came flying out of the pitching machine, only to be smashed yet again by Daichi. This time the sound was even more exaggerated as it hit the center of the bat this time. DONG DONG DONG Ken could only watch in horror as Daichi continued to strike the balls with precision, only missing 2 out of his total 12 pitches. He had never expected that without any training, his friends raw talent and intuition would allow him to do this much. Despite hitting them accurately, Ken could already tell that Dachi's batting form was terrible. The form was sloppy and lacked the power and destructiveness that Daichi in his previous life had attained. It was pure talent and timing that had allowed Daichi to hit 10 out of 12 pitches, despite his batting form being atrocious. "Wow! Looks like you're a natural." Ken exclaimed. He saw Daichi walk out of the batters cage with a small smile on his face, clearly proud of what he was able to accomplish. "But, your form is terrible. My father comes back from a work trip tomorrow, I'll ask him to help us correct our forms." Ken said with an expectant smile. "Your father?" Daichi tilted his head in question. "Yeah, he's a baseball scout for the Yokohama Warriors. But he used to be a trainer back in the day." Ken said with a smile. The two had a few more turns at the batting cages where the results were solidified even further. Thankfully Ken had managed to get bat on ball a few times during his last turn, otherwise he would have been too embarrassed to show his face back here. Daichi on the other hand, continued to make contact with nearly every pitch. When they returned home later, Ken made Daichi complete the remaining sit-ups and push-ups alongside him. If they were going to train together, then he may as well do the whole routine as well. Daichi left around 6:30pm after Yuki had insisted he stay for dinner. Afterwards, Ken walked up to his room with a smile on his face. He had heard the notification from the system once completing the final daily task. It was time to check out the rewards.