Chapter 51: Coach Yoshida's Deal (1)

The Yokosuka team was outmatched from the start, failing to secure a run throughout the whole game. Seiko had continued to attack, relying on the likes of Daichi and Kenta to send the runners home. The game was so out of hand that it ended in the 5th inning, thanks to the mercy rule, with a score of Seiko 13 - Yokosuka 0. Following this game, the Takagi family celebrated with Katsudon, a meal generally eaten when wishing for or celebrating victory. The panko-fried pork paired with the fragrant rice and joyous atmosphere made the victory taste even sweeter. Of course, it was only the first game of the summer tournament, but they never knew when their last game would be. "Your mom says that you guys won your first game. Congratulations!" Chris's voice sounded on the loudspeaker of Yuki's phone. Unfortunately, he was away for work once again, so he would miss out on such a delicious dinner. "It's only the first round, but it ended in the 5th inning," Ken said simply, stuffing his face with rice. "Oh, mercy rule? Damn, nice work." He replied with enthusiasm. "Thanks. Daichi hit a home run and 3 doubles, whereas I got a double and 2 singles." "Great work, kids." Chris sounded proud, yet he wished he could have witnessed it. Unfortunately, he was not going to be home for another week thanks to a joint NPB and Majors venture. "How was your pitching today? Did you give up any runs?" Daichi's eyes widened, and he looked at Ken with confusion and disbelief. Had he not told his parents about his shoulder injury? Why not? Ken saw his friend's reaction and felt guilty. A part of him had forgotten that he never informed his parents about his situation; he never felt that there was a right time to break this information to them. "Ah, about that. I've decided not to pitch this year because I want to focus on the other aspects of my game." Ken said after a brief pause, hoping that there wouldn't be too much backlash. Yuki tilted her head in confusion, leading to a brief, awkward silence before Chris finally responded. "Great! That's a fantastic idea. I always thought that you relied on your pitching too much. If you want to become a professional player, you need to have a complete game." "See, Yuki, I told you our boy has grown up. HAHAHA" Ken's mother rolled her eyes at the rambunctious laughter that came through the phone's speaker before quickly hanging up. Her attention honed in on Ken, which made him feel a little nervous. "Is that truly the reason, Kenny?" She asked with a look of concern on her face. Ken shrank back, moving some food around in his bowl with his chopsticks. He couldn't lie straight to his mother's face, so he was trying to work up the courage to tell the truth. The problem was that he had never seen a doctor in his life, so it may not be believable. There was also the worst-case scenario that his parents would forbid him from playing if they learned that he was injured. Yuki let out a sigh, "It's okay, you don't have to tell me. As long as you're happy and healthy, that's all that matters to me." She said with a small smile. In her mind she was worried that Ken was depressed for not making the cut as a pitcher and was forced to step down. That would mean that he fabricated the story of taking a break in order to save himself from embarrassment. The fact that Chris was too busy laughing and praising him for his decision to take a step back was probably only adding more embarrassment and shame to him, which was why she hung up so abruptly. However, Ken's mood seemed to improve after her words, so Yuki kept her assumptions to herself. Daichi, on the other hand, shook his head. He would be giving his Big bro a talking-to at some point in the future about his actions. "Well, I'm really tired now, Mom, so I'm going to head to bed." Ken said abruptly, feeling Daichi's stare drill into the side of his face. Then, without waiting for a reply, he put his dishes in the sink and ran up the stairs and into his room, leaving the two at the dining table. In reality, he wanted to leave the awkward atmosphere and jump into some image training. Having participated in the game today, he could finally realize just how beneficial the image training had been to him overall. Plus, he had yet to claim any of the rewards for the missions he had completed, wanting to get a baseline for his skill level before the upgrades. #NOTICE: IT IS ADVISED THAT THE USER ENTER THE IMAGE TRAINING WHEN HE WILL NOT BE DISTURBED. DOES THE USER WISH TO ENTER IMAGE TRAINING? [YES/NO] "Yes." Ken was once again transported to the empty Koshien field. Due to coming here every night for the past 2 months, he was no longer in awe and quickly chose the batting practice. #BATTING MISSIONS: > Hit 500 bunts successfully - 100 Major points + Bronze Lottery ticket [COMPLETE] *Claim rewards* > Hit 500 balls into outfield - 100 Major points + B-grade Balance and Coordination Elixir [COMPLETE] *Claim rewards* > Hit 1000 foul balls - 100 Major points + Silver Lottery ticket [COMPLETE] *Claim rewards* > Don't swing on 1000 balls - 100 Major points [COMPLETE] *Claim rewards* > Hit 500 Home Runs - 1000 Major points + B-grade Strength Elixir + Gold Lottery ticket (192/500) Ken's eyes shone as he saw the shimmering claim rewards option. He had been patiently waiting for this day for months now. Without hesitation, he accepted the rewards and watched his screen fill with notifications. [Congratulations, you have been awarded 100 Major points and 1x Bronze Lottery Ticket.] [Congratulations, you have been awarded 100 Major points and 1x B-grade Balance and Coordination Elixir.] [Congratulations, you have been awarded 100 Major points and 1x Silver Lottery ticket.] [Congratulations, you have been awarded 100 Major points.] [Are you sure you want to leave the Image Training?] [Yes/No]