<97> Akagi's Current State

Chapter 97: Akagi's Current State

"Ping!"

The batter's hit quickly pierced through the infield defense.

"Nice hit!"

"Now it's two outs with runners on first and third!"

The attacking team was Akagi Junior High, with runners Kondou and Takada (who was notably slow), while the batter was the sixth hitter, Omura.

"When we get back, we really need to push him to lose weight. If he were lighter, he could have made it to third base!" Sendo muttered from the sidelines.

"Clap!"

"Strike!"

"Still sticking to the original plan? That's bold, Sen-chan!" Omura, who had just swung and missed, noticed there were no instructions from the bench. He focused all his energy on the next pitch.

"Clap!"

"Ball!"

"Forget about breaking balls altogether!" Omura recalled Sendo's earlier instructions.

"Focus on the fastball to get a favorable count!"

"Ping!"

"Amazing! What a beautiful arc!"

But—

"Clap!"

"Out! The game is over!"

"4-3! Tokumei Junior High wins!"

...

"We lost, but that was a great game!" Sawamura said to the opposing players during post-game exchanges.

"I thought we'd improved a lot, but you guys haven't been slacking either! Haha!"

Meanwhile—

"Coach Yashiro, thank you for the guidance!"

"Sendo-kun, to be honest, you really surprised me! I didn't expect your team's batting to improve so much in just half a month. You got quite a few hits today!"

"Thank you! Last time, all our runs came from errors and getting on base through luck. But today, we managed to get some real hits. That said, Tokumei's players have made huge progress too!"

"No, Sendo-kun. It's just that we already know your team's style, so we adjusted our defense accordingly. Even then, we couldn't stop your perfectly executed plays. Your team is incredibly synchronized."

"By the way, I've heard your recent practice game results are impressive!"

"Not bad! Including today's game, we've had 10 wins out of 11 matches. But we haven't faced any really strong teams yet."

"That's still a great record!"

"Well then, we'll head back for now!" Sendo said, wrapping things up.

"See you on the field this summer!"

"Yes!"

As Sendo mentioned, ever since the team started grasping the basics of their new batting stance, they had engaged in a series of practice games to refine their skills in real matches.

Due to facing weaker opponents, Akagi used the opportunity to work on their defense.

Even so, their number of hits and runs increased steadily.

In truth, the credit for their improvement went to nearly a year's worth of grueling, repetitive running and foundational training.

Batters could now produce solid hits without relying solely on being "in the zone."

Sawamura's pitching also became more consistent, with fewer wild throws.

Previously, even a regular inside pitch without unpredictable movement might have hit the batter.

The similar scorelines compared to their autumn matches were no accident.

Back then, Tokumei was also a newly-formed team with poor defensive coordination and numerous errors, allowing Akagi to capitalize.

Real hits were scarce during that period.

In the autumn tournament, Tokumei narrowly missed the semifinals, finishing in the top eight.

While rankings like this held little significance in Nagano, they reflected Tokumei's potential.

After their match against Akagi and Sakura Girls's University in the autumn, Tokumei worked even harder, becoming significantly stronger.

Likewise, they were surprised by Akagi's transformation.

Thus, this rematch was a stark contrast to their autumn encounter.

Back then, it was a clash between a newly-formed, error-prone Tokumei and an "on-fire" Akagi relying on grounders and luck.

Now, it was a battle between two teams beginning to resemble serious contenders.

...

"That was such a fun game! It's a shame we were just a step away from tying, or even a comeback!" Sawamura said on the way back, his face flushed with excitement.

"And Tokumei has gotten so much stronger! They're amazing!"

"That's why autumn is just the time for teams to refine their new lineups. Summer is the real deal! Everyone did great today," Sendo remarked, unusually refraining from dampening the mood.

"Haha, not that great!" Sawamura said, scratching the back of his head with his left hand, looking smug.

"You worked hard too!"

"What? What did you just say?" Sawamura's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at Sendo.

Truth be told, he had been feeling a bit smug, but he was fully prepared for the usual cold water Sendo would throw on his excitement.

However, Sendo's sudden compliment left him momentarily stunned.

"Ah! Woohoo!" Sawamura was about to shout something in excitement, but someone nearby quickly covered his mouth.

"Haha! But don't get too carried away! There are still five more games ahead. The real challenges will be against Sakura Girls's and Tokugawa Junior High. Coach Mitani isn't going to face your pitching unprepared, especially considering you won't be able to pitch at full strength."

"Just wait—you'll be spectacularly outmatched in that game! But hey, it should help everyone with their infield defense, since the hits likely won't result in many extra-base hits."

"As for Tokugawa, while they're far less formidable than Sakura Girls, they use metal bats. For us, their batting lineup is just as strong as Sakura's!"

"And you're always going on about 'Nationals, Nationals.' It's annoying. But if you don't defeat Tokugawa, there's no way you're getting to Nationals."

For a moment, everyone fell silent.

"Ha! Don't worry too much, everyone. If we don't make it this year, there's always next year! After this summer, their teams will have to rebuild with new players, while we'll only grow stronger." Seeing the somber atmosphere, Sendo tried to lighten the mood.

However, his comment didn't sit well with Sawamura.

"We will win! I—mmmph!" Sawamura's mouth was covered again before he could finish.

Deep down, Sendo knew that even the current Akagi wasn't a match for Tokugawa, who had been a newly formed team back in autumn.

Now, the gap between the two teams was still significant.

While victory wasn't completely out of the question, it would rely more on luck than anything else.

Sendo was the type to exclude luck from his calculations entirely.

Luck could only be seen as a pleasant surprise, not something to factor into strategic planning.

This practice match had been requested by Tokugawa, who were curious about Sawamura and Akagi.

They had applied for the match more out of interest than considering Akagi as a serious opponent.

Likewise, Sendo wanted to see how much Tokugawa had improved since autumn.

Even though he didn't believe Akagi could win, he also thought the gap might not be insurmountable by next year.

In this way, both sides found common ground.

In the following days, Akagi played several more practice games.

The only games left were against Sakura Girls and Tokugawa, both scheduled later. After the string of matches,

Akagi finally had a chance to catch their breath.

While the consecutive games helped solidify techniques quickly, they also drained the players' energy significantly.

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