After the fielding practice, Shun, Sora, Jiro, and Daigo headed to the bullpen. Since they only had one catcher, Sora went to pitch first while Shun and Jiro warmed up their shoulders.
Shun watched Sora's practice closely. The young pitcher had progressed significantly this year. In addition to improving his pitch control, he added more speed to his fastball, making his curveball even more effective. Moreover, the boy had added another pitch to his arsenal, thanks to the old man's instructions.
[He has improved a lot. As long as he continues his training, he will get even better.] – The old man's voice echoed in Shun's head.
"Hm" - Shun agreed silently. He couldn't deny the help the old man provided over the past months. Although his attitude hadn't changed, he not only helped Shun improve in the Training Center but also provided instructions for Shun's teammates to get better.
Thanks to these instructions that Shun passed on to his friends, along with the tough training routine they completed daily, everyone improved a lot. Sora was an example of that.
PAH
"Good pitch, Sora! You're starting to control the break better!" – Daigo said as he returned the ball to Sora. The young catcher was struggling to get used to this unique pitch, a curveball that breaks toward the pitcher's arm side, a Screwball.
"You're doing well, Sora. Try to get used to that feeling, but don't force it!" – Shun instructed the boy with a smile. Since the old man couldn't go around talking to others, it was Shun who passed on his tips. At first, his friends found it strange, but after seeing that everything Shun said made sense, they stopped doubting his words.
"Understood, thanks, senpai!" – Sora sincerely thanked him. Much of his change in attitude toward Shun was due to the advices Shun gave him.
Shun was a student just like him, not only that, but he also trained both as a fielder and a pitcher. Still, he didn't mind spending time helping Sora improve. This made Sora respect and admire Shun a lot. Uncover more tales at m,vl em pyr
Shun just smiled at the boy's reaction, he had gotten used to this change in attitude. He then asked the system to show Sora's stats.
[Sora Okamoto
Overall: C
PITCHING: B
BATTING: C
FIELDING: C-
RUNNING: D+
GAME IQ: D+
Overall Potential: S-]
Thanks to the old man's tips, Sora had greatly improved his stats, especially his pitching. However, what really caught Shun's attention was the change in the boy's potential.
"Hey, old man, how do you increase a player's potential?" – Shun asked in his head, curious.
Overall: C
PITCHING: C+
BATTING: C-
FIELDING: C+
RUNNING: D
GAME IQ: B-
Overall Potential: A+]
"Looks like I'll need to ask the old man's help to improve his catching skills..." – Shun sighed, thinking he would have to hear the annoying voice of the old man bragging in his head again.
Not wanting to think too much about it at the moment, he looked at Jiro and asked the system to show his stats.
[Jiro Fukuoka
Overall: B
PITCHING: A-
BATTING: B-
FIELDING: B
RUNNING: B-
GAME IQ: C
Overall Potential: SSS+]
"What a monster..." – Shun muttered in shock. The only pitcher around Jiro's age he had seen with a pitching grade of A- or higher was the left-hander who destroyed them in last year's Tokyo tournament, Kohei Sasaki, the ace of Hokuto Junior High School.
"Well, I guess it's my turn now, right?" – Shun said with a smile when he saw Jiro stepping off the mound. He quickly put on his glove and walked toward the mound, observed by his three kouhais present.
"Damn, he's not going to give me any rest." – Daigo grumbled while crouching again and putting on his mask. As hard as it was to catch Jiro's knuckleballs, the pitch he struggled with the most was his senpai's on the mound.
"Hehe, let's go!" – Shun grinned as he began his windup.