The team finished the defensive training and moved on to the pitching machines for batting practice. Shun continued with his routine of practicing air swings while waiting for his turn. The young player stepped into the batter's box and prepared to hit. The first pitch came.
WOOSH
DING
A foul ball.
The second pitch came.
WOOSH
DING
Another foul ball.
The third pitch came.
WOOSH
DING
Yet another foul ball.
By the end of the 10 pitches, he made contact with all of them, sending 9 into foul territory and only 1 into the infield. It might seem like the boy was improving since he managed to hit a ball into the infield this time. But there was a big problem: every time Shun swung, he aimed to hit a ball down the foul line to left field. This meant he hit 0 out of 10 times at his target, the only reason he could make contact with these balls was his skill.
[Contact (A+)
Gives the user a high chance of making contact with the ball.]
"If I can't hit better in the game, I'll be in trouble. I need to find a way to be effective in the lineup. Otherwise, no matter how good I am on defense, the coach won't put someone useless at bat in the starting lineup." - Shun thought. But unless the system decided to give him some kind of skill that guaranteed home runs with every swing, it was impossible for him to improve so quickly.
Hitting a baseball is said to be the hardest thing in the world of sports, and that's no exaggeration. In less than a second, the batter has to identify the ball's trajectory and time their swing to make good contact. Shun knew it was impossible to improve so quickly, in fact, without his skills, he probably wouldn't have made contact with any of the 10 pitches, so he couldn't complain.
Shun then continued training until he heard the system's notification.
[DING]
[500 daily swings complete.]
He sighed in relief as he put away his bat and headed to the bullpen for his daily pitching.
"Shun Senpai!" - Shun heard the enthusiastic voice of first-year student Jiro Fukuoka.
"Hey Jiro!" - Shun smiled at the young boy. He really had no idea why the kid idolized him so much, but he kind of liked the feeling of having a fan.
"Senpai, I talked to the coach like you said. He gave me a workout plan to strengthen the muscles I use for pitching, and he said my fastball speed will improve over time! Also, I've been researching a lot about knuckleballs online. I still can't pitch properly with the grip, but I'll definitely master this pitch!" - Jiro said excitedly, with a determined look on his face.
"Hm, I believe in you! Keep working hard." - Shun was happy to see the boy's dedication. That young, nerdy-looking kid was a disguised genius, but Shun was the only one who knew it. Shun was glad this genius was so polite, although it felt a bit strange that someone as talented as Jiro admired him so much.
PAH
"Good pitch, Sora," - Captain Kazuki said as he threw the ball back to the first-year pitcher.
"Hmph! Don't worry, Senpai, with me on the team, you won't have to put a useless pitcher on the mound again." - The young Sora Okamoto said, clearly wanting to be heard by a certain someone.
The captain was about to intervene and scold Sora, but he saw Shun signaling that it wasn't necessary.
Shun simply ignored the boy's comment and started setting up the net for pitching. He just didn't want to waste energy arguing with a first-year.
"I really don't get it. Both are first-year pitchers, one hates me for no reason, and the other idolizes me for no reason. Besides, why does it feel like everyone's trying to provoke me today?" - Shun sighed as he began his pitching practice.
[DING]
[100 daily pitches complete.]
The young boy felt excited to hear the system's notification, he was closer to finishing everything. Shun quickly opened the mission menu to check his progress.
[Main Missions:
#1 Greatest of All Time (Part 1)
Win the Koshien
Rewards: Unknown
#2 Two-way Player (Part 1)
Complete 500 swings every day for 60 days (10/60)
Throw 100 pitches every day for 60 days (10/60)
Rewards: 500 coins and a silver mystery box.
WARNING: The user is prohibited from playing as a pitcher until the special mission Perfect Form is completed!
WARNING: The user will not be able to throw any other pitches until the legendary pitch in their inventory is fully mastered. All other pitches will be locked!
WARNING: The mission will be considered a failure if the user ignores these warnings!
Failure Penalty: Loss of the system.]
[Special Missions:
#1 Perfect Form
Master the perfect pitching form for the user.
Requirements to complete the mission: Throw using the form without any errors 500 times. (0/500)
Rewards: Qualification to learn the legendary pitch and quirk Injury-free.
#2 Full Integration
Achieve full integration of the new shoulder with the user's body.
Requirements for integration:
10% - 10,000 pitches
25% - 25,000 pitches
50% - 50,000 pitches
75% - 75,000 pitches
100% - 100,000 pitches
Pitch count: 1,000
Rewards: Quirk Bringing the Heat]
"I still haven't managed to throw a single perfect pitch with the correct form. It seems that old man was right." - Shun sighed.
[Of course I was right, you brat!]
"Shut up, old man!" - Shun didn't want to waste energy arguing, but he wasn't willing to listen to that old man boasting either. The boy left the bullpen and returned to the field to do the updated exercise list.