Chapter 55: Mentoring (1)

Ken was filled with shock and excitement upon receiving the new ability. He had only moments before been wondering what Daichi's stats were, and here the system had delivered. He was also meant to be tutoring Kouichi tomorrow, which meant he would be able to use this to understand where he was lacking. Ken pulled up the system and noticed that he already had enough Major points to level up once again. #SYSTEM ALERT >The user has chosen to upgrade the system. >1000 Major points will be deducted to upgrade the system. >System will shut down for 24 hours, during which all functions will be unavailable until the upgrade has been completed. [Would you like to commence the upgrade now?] [YES/NO] "24 hours? Wasn't it only 8 hours last time?" Ken mused, feeling a little disappointed. If he wanted to use the new Identify ability on Kouichi tomorrow, then he would have to wait and upgrade his system at another time. However, it didn't matter too much, he decided to take the B-grade Strength Elixir and get some sleep. [Are you sure you wish to consume: B-grade Strength Elixir?] [Yes/No] "Yes." What followed was some of the worst cramps he had ever experienced as his muscles felt like they were tearing and repairing themselves over and over. He had expected some level of pain, but the system seemed to be extra rough today. After almost 5 minutes of this torture, Ken finally felt the pain recede from his body, bringing with it a welcome sense of relief. Covered in sweat and panting, Ken looked as if he had just come back from running a marathon. Thankfully, the ceiling fan worked its magic and sent cool air down to alleviate some of his discomfort before Ken lost consciousness from exhaustion. [You have consumed: B-grade Strength Elixir.] [Strength grade has been increased by 3!] USER STATS: >Physical Fitness: B- >Pitching: F (B) >Fielding: C+ >Game Intelligence: C+ >Mental: B+ >Skills: 6 PHYSICAL FITNESS: (Avg. B-) Balance and Coordination: B+ Agility: B- Strength: A- Stamina: C Ken woke up the next morning to a wonderful message flashing on the system window. All drowsiness left his body as he stared at the notification with sparkling eyes. "My first A grade attribute…" He murmured with pride. Knock Knock He must have been staring at the window for a long time because Daichi had come knocking on his door to wake him up for their morning run. Ken quickly got out of bed and got ready, his heart filled with anticipation. The two greeted their parents as usual and headed out the door to start the run. However, Ken activated his system to try out the new feature. MAJOR LEAGUE SYSTEM SYSTEM LEVEL: 2 (1400/1000 Major points to level up) NAME: Ken Takagi AGE: 15 TALENT ASSESSMENT: B- POTENTIAL: D (S+) MAJOR POINTS: 1400 USER MENU: -STATS -MISSIONS -SYSTEM SHOP (Locked) -LOTTERY (Locked) -IMAGE TRAINING -IDENTIFY He clicked on the Identify option, and a wall of text appeared. TO USE IDENTIFY ON THIS TARGET WILL COST 50 MAJOR POINTS DUE TO THE DISPARITY IN ABILITIES. WOULD YOU LIKE TO CONTINUE? [YES/NO] 'Disparity in abilities?' Ken balked, feeling a little insulted by such a statement. However, he still chose to accept. NAME: Daichi Takagi AGE: 15 TALENT ASSESSMENT: A- POTENTIAL: SSS USER STATS: >Physical Fitness: A- >Pitching: C >Fielding: A >Game Intelligence: C >Mental: A+ DAICHI TAKAGI'S DATA HAS BEEN ADDED TO THE COMPENDIUM. Ken felt his world crumble around him as Daichi's stats were revealed. He was so shocked that he stood in place with his jaw wide open, staring at the freak genius running beside him. "What's wrong?" Daichi stopped after noticing that Ken was no longer running beside him, yet all he received were mumblings in response before he continued on the run. 'How can he be so overwhelmingly talented?' Ken complained inwardly. But he soon fixed his attitude. He should be happy that his brother was talented, especially since they had made a pact to become professionals and even make it to the Majors one day. Ken was confident that he would be able to bridge the gap between them with his Major League system. But until then, Daichi would prove to be a goal, or perhaps even a rival, on his path towards becoming a professional baseball player. Daichi shrugged off the weird atmosphere and continued the run. Ken had been a little odd lately, but it was not enough to cause concern, not yet at least. The two completed their morning training and headed back home to eat and get ready. Chris drove them to the school field, and they met up with Kouichi, who had come alone. He was a little nervous when he saw the unfamiliar tall man who came along with Ken and Daichi, but after hearing an explanation and seeing the uncanny resemblance to Ken, he eventually calmed down. "Kouichi, what pitches can you do?" Chris asked after the introductions. "At the moment, I can pitch a fastball and a forkball." He replied. Chris's face showed visible shock when the word forkball was mentioned. His expression changed a few times before a look of understanding crept onto his face. "Go warm up your arm with Daichi, I want to see your pitch." He said after a moment before stepping back and bringing Ken with him. "How often does Kouichi use his forkball?" Chris asked in English, not wanting the other two to understand their conversation. Ken raised an eyebrow in question, however, he also responded in English. "I'd say he throws it at least 5-10 times per inning on average." "Hmm. Not good." Chris shook his head, feeling a headache coming on. "Let's first see how he pitches it." Once Kouichi's shoulder was warm, Chris asked him to throw a few fastballs before finally finishing on the forkball. The ball flew towards Daichi's open glove before dipping right before it entered the zone. "Okay, I've seen enough." "Huh?" Kouichi was a little confused, he had only thrown around 5 pitches so far. Was that enough to get an idea of what he was doing wrong?