Chapter 21: The Generation of Geniuses

During Hirota's testing, President Ota quickly flipped to the page containing his profile. He first took a look at the data, then exclaimed in disbelief.

"How is this possible?"

Upon hearing his exclamation, Kataoka immediately turned his questioning gaze towards him.

President Ota still wore a look of incredulity but dutifully handed the information over to Kataoka.

Once Kataoka received it, he quickly spotted Hirota's hitting statistics and the scouting team evaluation.

Special Hit, Number 2!

This indicated that he was one of the most promising talents among all the freshmen, ranking second in batting strength.

The top rank was, of course, held by Yuuki Masashi.

Setting Yuuki aside, could it be that Hirota's batting strength actually ranked first among the remaining freshmen?

Even surpassing previously showcased players like Yui and Okumura?

This was truly remarkable.

Even Coach Kataoka was intrigued by Hirota's data.

"No way!"

When he saw Hirota's hitting statistics for himself, he became visibly unsettled.

"Hit success rate of 63%, on-base percentage of 86%, and 15 home runs throughout middle school."

Looking at this data alone, Hirota was undoubtedly the top hitter among the freshmen.

At the bottom of the report, there was a reasonable explanation for why he ranked second instead of first.

The first factor was the competitive zone he was in.

Nagano Prefecture was not a battleground, and its average level of competition was limited. Therefore, the impressive statistics he achieved there did not hold much value.

The second factor was the type of game he played.

Throughout middle school, he had only played with softballs and had no experience with hardballs.

Considering these two aspects, his data needed to be discounted.

But even after accounting for these factors, his statistics still placed him second among the freshmen.

'It seems we were big-headed!'

Thinking back to Hirota's swing just moments ago, Kataoka murmured.

While Nagano Prefecture's overall strength might be limited, Akagi Middle School has reached its peak twice.

'In his first year, Hirota became a key player in the team's rotation, and by his second year, he had become a vital contributor.'

'This meant the players he faced were not just from Nagano Prefecture!'

This included strong opponents from all over the country.

The young man's hitting ability might be stronger than they had expected.

As Sawamura's fame grew, the Softball League gained more attention.

The outstanding players within it were gaining more recognition.

"Let's wait and see!"

After hitting a home run off a 125 km/h fastball, it was soon time for a 130 km/h pitch.

The speed increased by five kilometers, and the rhythm quickened.

Facing this challenge, Hirota was completely at ease.

PANG!

He swung the bat with no hesitation, sending the ball flying.

"Home run!!"

After hitting a home run off the 125 km/h ball, he followed it up with another home run at 130 km/h.

Two home runs in a row!

Hirota's performance left the players around him dumbfounded.

This young man's power was somewhat terrifying.

And it wasn't over yet.

Next up was the 135 km/h pitch.

Sawamura encouraged him to focus and imagine hitting a home run.

At first, Hirota didn't quite understand what that meant.

But gradually, he grasped the concept.

For true hitters, the goal they pursue is really just this feeling.

Sawamura was directly helping him break through all obstacles and focus on the core of the problem.

Here it comes!

With a feeling of pressure building inside, Hirota was eager to unleash his swing.

He was extremely confident about the outcome of his hit.

PANG!!

The white ball made contact, drawing a perfect arc as it soared toward the home run fence.

"Three in a row!"

"Three consecutive home runs."

Facing the increasing speed of the pitches, Hirota hit the ball as effortlessly as breathing.

At that moment, he was unstoppable—like a bison crushing all in his path.

"Wow, that's incredible!"

"Three!"

"If I remember correctly, he seems to be the only one to hit three home runs?"

"Unbelievable!"

"He's outshining Yui and Okumura!"

The players around him buzzed with excitement.

Yui looked at Hirota in astonishment, finally allowing a smile to emerge.

This was remarkable!

Indeed, the country was vast, filled with all kinds of geniuses.

'Hirota Hikaru!'

Thanks to Sawamura's influence, Hirota and Matsumoto gained some recognition nationwide.

However, people had always thought these two were just lucky to be on Sawamura's team.

Thus, they assumed Hirota and his peers were merely fortunate, and their true strength couldn't be that formidable.

And the previous tests seemed to confirm this notion.

Who would have thought that Hirota would deliver such a surprise now?

But it didn't end there.

In the next three pitches, Hirota didn't miss a single one, sending them all soaring into the outfield.

Two of those balls nearly cleared the fence for home runs.

His total score reached a staggering 15 points.

A true showcase of skill dominating the competition!

Masashi felt an unknown energy surging within him as he watched Hirota with fiery eyes.

He had undoubtedly found a worthy rival.

"This guy should be noted as a potential candidate!"

Coach Kataoka wore a conflicted expression.

He had reserved two spots for these outstanding freshmen.

The main purpose of these spots was to give new students a chance.

But now it seemed that two spots wouldn't be enough.

He had already noted at least seven or eight names.

After returning, he would need to discuss with Coach Ochiai how to narrow down the list to just two.

While Coach Kataoka wrestled with both joy and pain, the last two rookies finally took their turn.

They were the top two from the previous round of testing.

Unconsciously, they found themselves lingering in the corner, waiting to step up to the plate.

"Next, Nishiyama Kibo!"

The first to bat was Nishiyama.

His physique was outstanding, clearly a boy who played sports.

Standing in the batter's box, he exuded confidence.

Few could maintain their composure after witnessing Hirota's performance.

But Nishiyama was one of them.

At this moment, Sawamura stood up and walked over to Lee-Hyun with keen interest.

"Kohai-kun, how long have you been playing baseball?"

Sawamura had his own reasons for asking Lee-Hyun this question.

Lee-Hyun, facing the amiable Sawamura, replied honestly.

"About a year!"

"So long?"

Sawamura was quite surprised by this response.

If it had been a year of exposure to baseball, it would definitely show in his movements; at least he shouldn't appear completely inexperienced.

For example, Furuya, while having played baseball for a long time, had only been officially involved in the sport for about a year.

But when he stepped onto the field, it was hard to see any signs of his novice status.

Lee-Hyun, however, was different; it was hard for Sawamura to believe he had been playing for over three months.

"It hasn't actually been that long. I only came into contact with baseball during a previous program I was in. After that, I went home! It wasn't until the exchange program started that I was transferred to Cheongsin Middle School. I played baseball there for two weeks, and after graduation, I began learning the Japanese language under the program's arrangement."

Lee-Hyun stumbled over his words, using gestures to help convey his meaning.

Of course, during this process, Sawamura had to make some guesses.

But he finally understood.

In other words, this guy had only played baseball for a total of two weeks, right?

"Didn't you play while learning the language?"

At Sawamura's question, Lee-Hyun's face turned a bit red.

He really liked baseball, but after leaving Cheongsin Middle School, it had been tough for him to find a place to play.

Team sports require numbers; without a group to play with, practicing becomes impossible.

'But how can I explain that to Sawamura-sunbae?'

Not wanting to put Lee-Hyun on the spot, Sawamura reflected on the situation himself. He had a friend from South Korea before his regression, so he had some understanding of the baseball environment there.

While baseball is popular in Korea, it is not as popular as football.

And less attention means less participation, which also means less support.

Under these circumstances, it was naturally difficult for Lee-Hyun to find a place to play baseball, unless he was in a specific region where baseball culture was widespread.

"Perform well when it's your turn! If you really can't hit the ball forward, try just making contact."

After giving this thoughtful advice, Sawamura returned to his seat.

He began to look forward to Lee-Hyun's performance.

At that moment, Nishiyama had already finished his turn.

He had two home runs, two outfield hits, and two infield hits.

Although he wasn't very accustomed to the pitching machine, he still scored a shocking 12 points.

This tied him for third place with Yui.

Here's how the batting rankings looked:

1. Hirota Hikaru, Sawamura's direct disciple, achieved an impressive 15 points (only counting the pitching machine pitches).

2. Yuuki Masashi came in second with 14 points.

The hitting strength of these two was clearly superior to the others.

Closely following them, tied for third, were Yui and Nishiyama.

Both had represented Japan in the World Series and achieved good results.

Both scored 12 points, but the only difference was that Yui performed normally, while Nishiyama appeared somewhat awkward.

He struggled to adapt to the sudden increase in pitch speed and rhythm.

Fourth and fifth were Kagami and Okumura, both scoring an impressive 11 points.

Though only one point behind the others, the real gap in skill was significant.

From the perspective of hitting the pitching machine alone, their performance was clearly below that of the top players.

However, the true ability would only be revealed in actual games.

A significant number of players scored nine points.

Counting them, there were quite a few.

The most notable among them were Takuma and Matsumoto.

They both had good performances, with Takuma scoring eight points!

Originally, he was also on the list of players to watch closely.

But after witnessing his swings, Coach Kataoka decisively crossed him off the list.

"He's still too immature!"

In this setting, middle school achievements mean nothing. Only strength shown in training is recognized.

Only in this context would middle school accomplishments be presented to Coach Kataoka as an important reference.

One of the most surprising was Asada Hirofumi!

It was clear that he rarely engaged in such hitting exercises.

He scored a mere seven points.

While nine points and seven points may seem like only a two-point difference, the significance is vastly different.

It's far too easy to score a point when no one is guarding.

As long as you can touch the ball and hit it into the field, that counts as a point!

At this level, to gain an extra point, you must hit the ball into the outfield.

This is where the real test of a player's ability lies.

The hits that are truly recognized by Superintendent Kataoka are those after deducting infield hits.

If you can't even hit the ball out into the field against such straightforward and easy pitches, what qualifications do you have to represent Seidou High School in competition?

'Even with great training potential, it wouldn't translate into team strength for the time being.'

"Next, Han Lee-Hyun."

The players specifically mentioned all performed well in the previous test.

Lee-Hyun naturally fell into this category.

After all, he was the standout from the first round of testing for freshmen.

"Let's start!"

With a word from the assistant coach, Lee-Hyun stepped into the Batting Cage.

He looked nervous, his expression tense.

…