The Old Baseball Player System

"Hahaha, you've grown, kid!" - Jack said, surprised. Not only had Shun's height increased, but his body had also gotten stronger. In fact, his body had become much stronger, making Jack wonder what the hell his grandson had been taking.

"Hehe, I've been training a lot, Grandpa." - Shun said with a smile as he flexed a double bicep pose in front of his grandpa. Over the past year, Shun's body had changed significantly thanks to the system's grueling training, but since the boy rarely went shirtless, he hardly noticed how ripped he had become.

"Hahaha, what's this, kid? Are you training to become a Mr. Olympia or something?" - Jack laughed when he saw his grandson posing like a bodybuilder, but inside, he was genuinely impressed. Shun seemed to be in excellent shape for his age.

"Pft! Shun has been working hard at his training, Dad. If you don't hurry and recruit him for Takenodai, you'll probably end up competing with a bunch of schools for him by the end of summer." - Aiko said with a smile, leaving Shun surprised. He hadn't expected his mother to campaign for his grandfather to recruit him to Takenodai.

Shun knew his mother always wanted him to play for his grandpa's school, and while he appreciated the promotion, he believed it wasn't necessary. He was determined to make sure not only Takenodai High School but all of Tokyo's schools would hear about him by the end of the summer.

"Oh, is that so, Shun?" - Jack looked curiously at his grandson. As much as he loved the idea of Shun being part of his team, if the boy wasn't good enough, it didn't make sense to recruit him for Takenodai. After all, it wouldn't be good for either of them, since Jack would have to choose between his grandson and other players who deserved it more.

Shun would likely end up being a benchwarmer throughout his high school career.

Of course, Jack only thought that because it had been a long time since he last saw Shun play. The simple fact that the boy wasn't talented enough to be in a senior league team already spoke volumes.

"Why don't you watch his game this Friday, Dad?" - Aiko said with a smile. She knew her father's school had lost the summer championship, and he was feeling down. Inviting him to watch his grandson play would definitely cheer him up.

"Oh, you should come, Grandpa! I'm going to be the pitcher in the next game!" - Shun also got excited about the idea and spoke with a smile.

"Oh, you seem confident, kid. You'd better not disappoint me..." - Jack said with a grin. It wouldn't be bad spending time with his family while watching his grandson play baseball.

"Hehe, don't worry about that..." - Shun said confidently. It seemed like he had just gained a bit more motivation to give his all in the game against Aoba Junior High School.

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PAH

[I've already told you, you're pushing too hard, kid! Don't try to control the pitch, just throw it into the glove and let the pitch move on its own!] - The old man said irritably as he watched Shun on the mound. His ghostly silhouette was a sign they were in the arena's Training Center.

"It's easier said than done, old man! I've already explained to you that I can't give up walks to my next opponent!" - Shun huffed in frustration. He'd been listening to the old man complain for hours, but no matter how hard he tried to follow the advice, he couldn't get it right.

Shun had asked the old man for help to improve his pitch control for the next game, but unlike the helpful tips the old man gave to Sora and Jiro, he just kept saying the same thing to Shun, ignoring Shun's actual request.

The old man glared at Shun in frustration, really wanting to scold this stupid boy, but suddenly, a certain memory flashed through his mind. He remembered when he was Shun's age, and how similar he was to the boy, wanting to do everything to control his pitches.

But the memory quickly vanished from the old man's mind, and he once again forgot everything about his past life. Still, one feeling remained, the feeling of understanding what Shun was going through.

The old man's expression softened slightly as he calmed down. He stayed silent for a while, thinking before he spoke again.

[Kid, I understand you're worried about giving up walks, but at the moment, there's nothing you can do about that, not even with the help of the system.] - The old man spoke calmly.

"Huh?" - Shun looked at him, confused, not understanding why the man's attitude had changed so suddenly. But before he could say anything, the old man continued.

[Pitchers spend their whole lives training to control their pitches, but even so, none of them come close to perfection. Control is something that takes time to improve and moments to worsen. That's the essence of being a pitcher, kid.] - Shun was surprised by the old man's words, but he didn't care and kept talking.

[You need to throw, throw, and throw again to improve, but a single poorly cut nail can make all your effort go to waste. Do you understand now, kid? There's no point in crying because you can't paint the corners of the zone on every pitch. All you can do during the game is throw the best pitch you have.] - The old man paused as he looked at Shun before continuing:

[If you give up a walk, focus on getting the next batter out! If you give up a run, focus on getting the next batter out! Throw the best pitch possible for you at that moment, and leave the crying, complaining, or cursing for later. That's baseball, kid! That's what it means to be a pitcher!] - Shun felt chills run down his spine as he listened to the old man's speech.

He didn't understand why, but he could feel a great aura of wisdom and experience coming from him. Your next read awaits at m v|l-e'-NovelBin.net

Shun didn't say anything as he grabbed a ball and positioned himself on the mound. Without worrying about anything else, he raised his leg while locking his eyes on the catcher's glove behind home plate. He stepped down hard while twisting his arm like a whip and threw the ball.

PAH

[Hehe, nice pitch!] - For the first time in the training session, the old man smiled as he praised Shun's pitch. This was the slider that could take down the batters from Aoba, the only weapon Shun had for the third round of the Tokyo tournament.