Chapter 46: Batteries

___

T/N: The Second Chapter!

___

In the Superintendent's room of the Seidou High School baseball club, President Ota rushed into Coach Kataoka's office.

"It's incredible! The freshmen are training alongside the Senpais!"

Inside the office, Coach Kataoka was discussing something with Coach Ochiai.

They had a rough list in front of them, though they weren't sure of its purpose. A few names could be faintly seen: Yui Kaoru, Okumura, Lee-Hyun...

"It's just training; what's the big deal?"

Although the Seidou High School players underwent the most rigorous training, the baseball club advocated for a balance between work and rest.

Just like now, after the first string had finished a game, even the second and third-string players would rest without special tasks.

Of course, if players wanted extra practice, that was their own business; the school and club wouldn't interfere.

"It's the freshmen with Sawamura and Miyuki!"

After hearing President Ota explain the situation, Coach Kataoka and Coach Ochiai exchanged surprised glances.

Originally, Coach Kataoka had proposed that freshmen and Senpais train together to stimulate competition. He hadn't expected Sawamura to follow through with it.

"Sawamura may seem carefree, but he was the actual Coach of the Akagi Middle School baseball team," Coach Ochiai observed thoughtfully.

Kataoka nodded slightly.

"Let them do as they please!"

This approach was beneficial.

This year's freshmen were undoubtedly a remarkable catch.

While there were advantages, there were also potential downsides.

The biggest issue with these talented freshmen was their arrogance.

In fact, how many young people with some talent don't have this problem?

The freshmen at Seidou High School were just regular kids with typical emotions and desires; it was completely normal.

Having found success at a young age, they naturally carried an air of confidence.

Kataoka now wanted to give them a harsh lesson to bring their inflated egos under control.

Superintendent Kataoka and Coach Ochiai believed that Sawamura's actions were intended to alleviate their concerns.

After all, this issue had been a persistent headache for them. They wanted to show the freshmen what they were up against, but they had to focus on the now-running Spring Tournament.

In contrast, the two freshmen excelled in their first game after joining the First String.

At this moment, Coach Ochiai even felt a bit of sympathy for Kataoka.

'Just how significant was the gap between top rookies and second-rate ones?'

'Looking at the current substitutes in their second and third years alongside the exceptional first-year freshmen made the disparity glaringly obvious.'

'The gap was vast.'

'How much effort had Superintendent Kataoka invested to turn Seidou High School into a powerhouse, maintaining its reputation for excellence?'

'It was no small feat of a miracle.'

'However, it seemed that the struggles were finally paying off. With Seidou's results improving, an increasing number of talented freshmen chose to join.'

'In the future, we won't face the same difficulties in recruitment as we had in previous years.'

Of course, that was an optimistic overestimation.

Sawamura's thinking wasn't that great; he wasn't trying to resolve their issues.

His idea of gathering all the freshmen to practice together stemmed from the thought that perhaps partnering with different catchers would spark his inspiration.

It might even lead to further development of his Level 4 and Level 5 breaking balls.

As for whether this would motivate the freshmen? That was beyond Sawamura's consideration.

Once everyone was assigned to groups, the first duo to start training was Nishiyama and Ono.

Whoosh!

The sharp white ball zipped through the air like a laser, instantly appearing in the strike zone.

Snap!

Ono effortlessly caught the ball as the catcher.

Nishiyama, the pitcher, looked somewhat surprised.

"You seem shocked. Didn't expect your fastball to be caught so easily, did you?"

Even Miyuki was astonished when he saw Nishiyama's fastball.

The freshman's fastest pitch reached 140 km/h. Although this was based on his observation and not necessarily precise, it was still impressive.

What he is pitching right now is a stark contrast to what he pitched earlier on the mound.

"Is this all you have?"

"Don't hold back! Ono here is a battle-hardened catcher."

Ignoring Nishiyama's astonishment, Miyuki turned to observe Okumura and Kawakami's battery.

Whoosh!

The white ball flew in, grazing the edge of the strike zone as it darted into the inside corner.

Snap!

The crisp sound of the ball entering Okumura's Mitt brought Kawakami great satisfaction.

'Today, he was in good form, and his pitching speed looked impressive.'

This surprised Miyuki even more.

'Just moments ago, Nori's pitching was merely average; he was far from his top condition.'

'Yet the results now suggested that Nori was performing exceptionally well now.'

'Incredible!'

'He was even able to boost the pitcher's confidence with the sound of his catches.'

'No wonder this kohai was so cocky; he had the right to be.'

'Although he lagged slightly behind some of the others in hitting, his catching skills were absolutely solid.'

Snap!

"This one is a Strike!!"

After a few pitches, Kawakami became increasingly comfortable.

Meanwhile, Okumura, the catcher, was equally amazed.

'This was incredible!'

'Not only could he throw accurately to all corners of the strike zone, but he also mixed in breaking balls.'

'His pitches were clocking in at nearly 140 km/h.'

Despite being overshadowed by Sawamura and the monster pitcher Furuya, this senpai's abilities were exceptional in their own right.

From Okumura's perspective, this Senpai could easily be an Ace on any high school team.

"This kohai is quite capable!"

"The next pitch is crucial!"

Whether it was a fastball or a variety of breaking balls, Okumura effortlessly caught everything.

This, in turn, stimulated Kawakami, who confidently prepared to unleash his signature pitch.

Whoosh!

His pitching stance widened, and the motion felt smooth.

Once the white ball was released, it zipped toward Okumura in an instant.

'Here it comes!'

Sensing it, Okumura extended his Mitt.

But the white ball playfully dropped to his feet.

'This break…'

The sudden drop caught Okumura by surprise, but he quickly reacted, snagging the ball with his Mitt.

Snap!

This time, the sound of the baseball hitting the mitt was somewhat muted, lacking the crispness of before.

However, this didn't diminish Miyuki's admiration for him one bit.

"This guy actually caught that on the first pitch!"

No one knew how sharp was Kawakami's sinking ball better than Miyuki.

The small balls danced unpredictably, making them hard for batters to connect with.

Catching them was no easy feat.

If it took training to catch such tricky pitches, that would be expected.

'But doing it on the first try?'

'This catcher's skills are simply extraordinary!'

Surprised, Miyuki glanced at Okumura, nodded in approval, and moved on to the next pair.

That would be Furuya and Matsumoto practicing together.

Earlier, Sawamura had boasted about how great Matsumoto was at catching any kind of pitch.

The young man appeared gentle but spoke with the same boldness as his Shisho.

Facing Furuya, the fastest pitcher in high school, he had no intention of asking for mercy.

"I want to see what you've got!"

On the mound, Furuya took his stance and threw the ball with all his strength.

Roaar!

The white ball shot out like a cannonball, arriving in front of Matsumoto in an instant.

'Fast!'

'So fast!!'

Almost the moment the ball left Furuya's hand, it was already zipping through the air.

The time was too short for most people to react.

"Watch out!"

A boy observing from a distance gasped.

'This pitch was incredibly fast…'

But before the warning could fully register, Furuya's ball had already arrived.

The ball surged forward with immense force as if to clear everything in its path.

Matsumoto calmly opened his Mitt, expertly catching the ball as if taming a wild beast.

Boom!

…

T/N: Best wishes for the poor Matsumoto with cruel and ruthless Furuyanator.