Chapter 22: No place for you

"STRIKE!"

"STRIKE!"

Two consecutive Strikes completely captured everyone's attention on Lee-Hyun.

The scene before them was truly remarkable. Previously, everyone at least managed to hit the ball into the field.

Yet here was Lee-Hyun, swinging repeatedly without touching a single ball.

Unbelievable.

People couldn't imagine that someone like this had actually become a member of the Seidou baseball club.

"How embarrassing!"

"He probably hasn't even learned baseball!"

"Truly astonishing."

"But his talent is really good. With just a bit of training, he should be able to contribute."

The other players didn't underestimate Lee-Hyun because of this.

In fact, any novice standing in the batter's box—regardless of age—would find it difficult to make contact with the ball.

Lee-Hyun's continuous misses were entirely expected.

"It's really hard to hit the ball!"

Ignoring the chatter around him, Lee-Hyun focused intently on the pitching machine.

This wasn't his first time batting; during practice at Cheongsin, someone had always thrown for him to hit.

Back then, he had performed well.

However, with the pitching machine, there was no way to predict the pitch; he could only react once he saw the ball.

Even if he managed to see the ball, swinging too hard could easily lead to a miss.

"What's going wrong?"

Lee-Hyun was puzzled.

He didn't understand, but many around him did.

"Unsteady base!"

"Unstable batting form!"

"Considering he's a newcomer, that's only natural."

Why do players practice their swings so often? Besides improving their swing speed and strength, the most important thing is to stabilize their batting stance.

To put it plainly, it's about coordination.

Otherwise, how can the various body parts involved in batting—wrists, arms, shoulders, waist, legs, hips, feet—work together effectively?

There are no shortcuts to this; only relentless practice.

Of course, if you have a natural talent for hitting, that's a different story.

Lee-Hyun clearly wasn't one of those with an innate sense for the ball.

Otherwise, he would have made contact even by chance.

A pitch speed of 125 km/h is hardly fast for high school students.

Faced with this predicament, Lee-Hyun recalled what Sawamura had advised him earlier.

-"If you really can't hit the ball, try to at least touch it to get it into the field."-

'Does this mean I just need to make contact with the ball?'

Without thinking too much, Lee-Hyun instinctively adopted a bunting stance.

Seeing this, the assistant coach felt like he was losing his mind.

Was there a problem with his instructions? Wasn't this supposed to be hitting practice?

Just as the assistant coach tried to intervene, Kataoka shook his head at him.

He observed Lee-Hyun thoughtfully before turning to ask Sawamura.

"Has he ever learned to bunt?"

Sawamura shook his head vigorously.

That was impossible.

How could a rookie who had only studied baseball for two weeks have encountered bunting?

"In other words, this is his own idea…"

Uh—

At that moment, Sawamura wanted to say something but ultimately said nothing.

Perhaps this was fate's arrangement, and maybe heaven was giving Lee-Hyun a chance.

As for whether he could seize this opportunity?

That depended entirely on him.

In the end, Sawamura chose to stay silent, saying not a word.

Ping!

The small white ball was touched and rolled into the field.

Its position wasn't ideal; under normal circumstances, this ball would have a 90% chance of being caught.

But with no defense, as long as it entered the infield…

He would score a point!

And indeed, Lee-Hyun got his first point.

"This guy's bunt isn't bad!"

"He looks completely unafraid of the ball."

"Strange things happen every year, but this year is especially full of surprises."

The players couldn't help but whisper, and their discussions inevitably returned to Lee-Hyun.

Most people have a little understanding of bunting skills; it can't be said to be completely unhelpful to the team, but its impact isn't that significant either.

If one hoped to impress with just this skill, that would be a pipe dream.

'However, when it comes to Lee-Hyun, the effect was drastically different.'

'Considering his extraordinary speed combined with his bunting…'

For most players, this ball would likely get them Out.

But for Lee-Hyun, he just might be able to reach base.

"It's much easier this way!"

Lee-Hyun wasn't afraid of the ball!

He had a natural daring nature, even if he seemed mild-mannered and didn't like to draw attention.

But Lee-Hyun had always been the bold one in the village! For a kid who dared to sail the seas with his fisher father before starting elementary school, what was this scene to him?

Not to mention he could clearly see the ball's trajectory now.

If all else fails, he was confident he could dodge it.

Ping!

Relying on his rather unreliable instincts, Lee-Hyun managed to score five points.

Even a 145 km/h pitch was sent into the field by him.

Though the ball bounced high and would likely get caught, five points were safely in Lee-Hyun's pocket.

In this test, only Lee-Hyun scored five points.

He was undoubtedly at the bottom of the ranking.

After all, among the dozen or so who came, all had performed well in the previous tests, usually scoring seven or eight points.

Six points were already rare.

Let alone five!

Just looking at this, Lee-Hyun's test score could be described as dismal.

But when combined with his previous records, Lee-Hyun was still among the top performers.

Even during defense practice, he performed well too.

This guy was in the outfield; everyone expected him to make a huge blunder.

To their surprise, he demonstrated considerable skill when catching high-fly balls.

He seemed to predict where the ball would land, running to the spot and making solid catches.

Out of six balls, he caught three and saved one.

He made two mistakes, placing him in the middle among newcomers.

"In future training, we need to test this guy's stealing speed and hitting speed, and send someone to teach him bunting."

It was rare for Coach Kataoka to give special instructions to Lee-Hyun.

Even Nishiyama, who had performed well, hadn't received special treatment from Kataoka.

"Yes!"

With all the tests for the newcomers now complete, Coach Kataoka began officially preparing for their spring competition.

After handing the freshmen over to Coach Ochiai, he started actively preparing his team for the spring tournament.

Their first-round opponent had also been announced.

In the second match of the third round of the Tokyo Spring Tournament, Seidou High School would face Eigen High School.

It was about to begin.

***

For all the freshmen of the Seidou High School baseball team, April 9th of this year is undoubtedly a magical day.

It marks their first official group activity as members of the Seidou High School baseball team.

Three full buses lined up and arrived at Hachioji Stadium.

Eighteen first-string players, led by Superintendent Kataoka and Coach Ochiai, headed to the locker room to prepare, while the second-string, third-string, and new students went to the stands to cheer for their teammates.

As they stepped onto the stands, they were astonished by the scene before them.

Thousands of seats were completely filled.

If they hadn't reserved seats in advance, they probably wouldn't have found a place to sit!

"I knew Seidou matches were highly anticipated, but I didn't expect such momentum for the first game!" Takuma exclaimed in disbelief.

"Don't be foolish! Tokyo is the headquarters of the Demon King's Guards. At least half of them are here to cheer for Sawamura-senpai!" Mogami muttered enviously.

As a Tokyo resident, he understands just how popular Sawamura is in the city.

Sawamura's Kohais, Hirota, and Matsumoto, were equally amazed.

"Incredible!"

As expected of their Shisho, the number of supporters has seemingly increased without anyone realizing it.

"Seidou!"

"Sawamura!!!"

"Miyuki!"

Even before the players took the field, the crowd in the stands was already in a frenzy.

Eigen High School is also a renowned powerhouse in East Tokyo, but compared to Seidou High School's cheer squad, they were immediately left in the dust.

"Damn! The game hasn't even started, and these guys act like they've already won!"

The Ace pitcher of Eigen High School, Yasuji Koji, is quite burly.

With a pitch speed nearing 140 km/h and a powerful curveball, he's one of the tougher pitchers and is well-known in Tokyo.

As a third-year student, he worked hard during the offseason, hoping to make a spectacular mark in his final year.

For third-year players, this last year is their final opportunity.

"Unfortunate!"

As the groups just arrived, a heavy atmosphere loomed over the entire Eigen baseball team.

In Tokyo, where elite schools abound, reaching a certain ranking without facing a giant is nearly impossible.

Even among elite schools, there are differences in strength, and Seidou High School stands at the top of all.

For the players of Seidou High School, this first round of competition is significant.

But Eigen High School, found themselves facing a major opponent right from the start.

"Don't be intimidated by their momentum. They made it to the end in Koshien, and they should not be back in shape this quickly. Maybe they've already burned out on the Koshien field!" the Eigen's Superintendent passionately encouraged his students.

To say they could defeat Seidou High School is something even Eigen's Superintendent wouldn't believe. Although they're also a well-known strong school in East Tokyo.

But it depends on who you're comparing against.

Compared to Seidou High School, even the kings of East Tokyo, Teito High School, would have it hard, let alone Eigen.

Knowing the outcome is one thing; putting in the effort is another. Regardless of how slim the hope may seem, as long as they fight, there's always a glimmer of victory. But if the players give up resistance, then it's truly over.

"Well, since we're already in this situation, why not give it our all?"

The Eigen Superintendent encouraged his players with this mentality.

Under his strong lead, some fighting spirit ignited within the Eigen players.

After all, in high school baseball, there's no turning back. If they want to rise, they will eventually have to face Seidou.

With a mindset of breaking the jar, their determination wasn't low.

On the other hand, Seidou High School was more relaxed.

Their experience of winning the Koshien championship in the spring made the players very confident, and they had a clear sense of their own abilities.

At the current level of Seidou High School, not every team can pose a threat to them. Even in Tokyo, the fiercest battleground in the country, many teams could threaten Seidou.

But if you count them, you could do so on one hand.

And that hand doesn't include Eigen High School.

Easy, easy~

Before stepping onto the field, the players were still joking with each other.

Miyuki, the captain, frowned when he noticed this.

While he didn't think their opponents could pull any surprises, the mentality of his teammates was perilously dangerous.

Overconfident leads to defeat.

Even if they won today's game, if they remained caught up in the rhythm of their spring victory without adjusting, then the day they suffer would be just around the corner.

"Look at those eager Kohais in the stands, their eyes glimmering with ambition. What do you think we should do?"

Before they went onto the field, Miyuki gathered all the players together and teased them.

The surrounding teammates fell silent, especially those whose positions were not fixed, their expressions growing complex.

"At this moment, should we politely bow to the Kohais and willingly give up our positions?" Miyuki smiled wickedly.

"No matter what you think, I'm not willing to do that. As Senpai, I want to deliver a powerful blow and tell them, 'Stay still in the second and third strings. There's no place for you in the first string!'"

Miyuki, playing the villain, was simply being true to himself.

Though reluctant to admit it, most players in the first string shared this attitude.

It's time to show those eager juniors just how far they are from the first string.

"Hyaa-ha-haa, well said!"

"Is this what a Captain should say?"

"You're really something else!"

Although the surrounding teammates kept teasing, their eyes changed unmistakably.

It was as if a bloodthirsty demon had suddenly awakened.

"Eh? What happened?"

"The Senpais' aura is so strong!"

"Just now, they seemed so indifferent; how did they change so quickly?"

The younger players, still confused, might not yet understand what was happening in front of them.

However, this did not prevent them from being amazed and admiring.

As expected of Senpais who stood at the top, once the official competition started, the entire momentum shifted.

At this moment, their faces bore no traces of smiles—only cold gazes and bloodthirsty eyes!

…

T/N: As always, Thank you all for reading!!

And I hope you all have a nice day!

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