Chapter 38: Three Birds, One Stone

Nishiyama Kibo and Yuuki Masashi were exceptionally promoted to the First String, with Yuuki wearing No. 19 and Nishiyama wearing No. 20.

Just after training ended, Coach Kataoka asked President Ota to assign them supplementary numbers.

By the next day, their number bibs and competition uniforms were ready.

"That was too fast!"

Kuramochi expressed his displeasure at the Coach's biased actions. In fact, he wasn't alone; many at Seidou High School felt the same way.

Coach Kataoka was so efficient at this. Even Sawamura had never received such special treatment before.

It's undeniable that Yuuki and Nishiyama were excellent players. However, no matter how talented they were, they couldn't compare to Sawamura Eijun, who had just joined Seidou High School.

Sawamura came to Seidou with the halo of a superstar. There was no need to compare him with other rookies; he was undoubtedly the top rookie in the country.

Even so, he didn't get a proper chance until the Kanto Tournament.

Now, Coach Kataoka was so eager to add Nishiyama and Yuuki's names to the first-string lineup.

Even a fool could see what Coach Kataoka had in mind: he was definitely going to arrange opportunities for these two players!

Given his urgency, it seemed likely that Nishiyama or Yuuki would get a chance to play in the next match.

This made those who were already in unstable positions in the First String feel even more anxious.

Previously, Coach Kataoka would have considered the third-year players' feelings, as this was their last major competition.

If the skill levels of the third-year and first-year players were comparable, Coach Kataoka would probably opt to let the third-years be the main players, giving them a shot at Koshien.

However, during the last Spring Koshien competition, most of the capable third-year players had already played.

While the players wanted another chance, Coach Kataoka no longer felt any mental burden.

As long as the freshmen performed better than the Senpais, he would undoubtedly choose to put the freshmen on the field without hesitation.

From both the perspective of developing the team and its actual combat power, this approach was beneficial.

The players at Seidou High School knew their Coach too well; with his personality, he would definitely make such decisions.

Looking at Nishiyama and Yuuki, it seemed likely they would firmly secure their spots in the First String, making it hard for them to be dislodged.

Under the relentless pursuit of the freshmen, the Senpais became increasingly diligent.

Especially the third-year Senpais, who had been practicing swinging like madmen these past two days.

When it came to defensive skills, it wasn't that the third-year Senpais were overconfident; it was just that the two freshmen were still too inexperienced.

It would likely be challenging for them to catch up in this aspect until the Senpais retired.

The rigorous training at Seidou High School was no joke.

Compared to the two freshmen, the biggest weakness of the Senpais lay in their batting. This was likely why Coach Kataoka was so eager to promote these two to the first string.

Otherwise, from the team's perspective, the most deserving candidate for promotion should be Yui Kaoru.

The players of Seidou High School fought hard for their positions.

But time doesn't stop for anyone.

As the spring competition progressed, Seidou High School's next opponent was revealed.

They were the Akamaji Osagara High School.

In fact, the Akamaji Osagara High School had a substantial reputation. Twenty years ago, they were one of the giants in the country.

However, they entered the vicious circle of no wins no good recruits, leading to their gradual decline.

Even so, they were regulars in the top eight.

"This opponent is a bit unusual!"

The moment Miyuki saw the opponent, he immediately remarked.

Although the Akamaji Osagara High School had gradually declined over the years, no matter how much they had fallen, they were once a national powerhouse.

Their strength was certainly not to be underestimated.

In the conference room, all the players of Seidou High School's First String gathered for a strategy meeting.

Nishiyama and Yuuki, as newly promoted players, also attended the meeting.

Most of the Senpais were reluctant to engage with these two newcomers; after all, they were direct competitors.

More communication could lead to more trouble.

With only half a year until graduation, the third-year Senpais felt that building friendships was unnecessary; direct competition was better.

They didn't have time to catch up with the newcomers.

If they had that time, it would be better spent practicing their swings, as it would yield better results.

The two newcomers remained indifferent, showing no concern for the situation before them.

Watanabe was still in charge of the briefing.

He organized information about the Akamaji Osagara High School and shared it with everyone.

"The Akamaji Osagara High School has fallen to the top eight and top sixteen level. They've shown improvement since last year, and their strength has increased rapidly. I heard that their school board couldn't bear it and specifically invited retired professional players to coach."

This news clearly affected the players of Seidou High School.

In the West Tokyo area, there was a team that was in a similar situation and could compete with them.

That team was Yakushi High School.

Originally, Yakushi High School was also a team at the top sixteen and top eight level.

They weren't weak, but they weren't particularly strong either.

It wasn't until they hired retired professional player Todoroki Raizou that their team underwent a transformation.

While many now think of Yakushi High School primarily for its powerful hitters and Ace pitcher Sanada Shunpei, those in the know understand that their resurgence is largely due to Todoroki Raizou.

His presence led to a dramatic change for Yakushi High School.

Now, realizing that their opponent is a team with similar strength to Yakushi High School, the mood among the Seidou High School players tightened.

This sounds like trouble!

Though they hadn't officially faced their opponents yet, the information alone was already alarming.

"Not every retired professional player is suited to be a Coach. Many choose this path after retirement, but only a few truly succeed. The environments of professional baseball and High School baseball are vastly different!" Coach Ochiai said, stroking his goatee.

If anyone else had said this, the Seidou players might not have believed it. But coming from a veteran like Coach Ochiai, the credibility was significantly higher.

Coach Kataoka had only been coaching for seven years so far.

In contrast, Coach Ochiai had been in the game for twenty years since graduating.

His words carried weight.

Sawamura also agreed with Ochiai's perspective.

If one were to count, Sawamura was actually someone who returned to coaching after his time in professional baseball.

While he had done well Coaching his middle school friends, he had relied on his personal prowess to lead them in a rather straightforward manner.

The team quickly formed into a competitive force.

Against those copied professional tactics, opponents were often caught off guard.

This was how the Akagi Middle School baseball team dominated at that time.

However, upon entering High School, Sawamura gradually felt out of his depth.

He could still guide his middle school friends, but with a powerhouse like Seidou High School, he found himself at a loss.

Though he wouldn't say he was completely clueless, he struggled to identify the core points to work with.

The pursuits of professional baseball and High School baseball were fundamentally different.

Thus, Sawamura recognized certain facts.

While he couldn't articulate them as well as Coach Ochiai, he knew he was onto something.

It was an experience-based feeling.

Coach Kataoka offered a similar assessment.

The opponent was likely different from Todoroki Raizou.

While Todoroki's success was certainly tied to his experience, it stemmed even more from his deep understanding of baseball.

The Akamaji Osagara High School's Coach had taken over the team for quite some time.

If they truly had the potential for explosive combat power, it would have already emerged long ago; they wouldn't have waited until now.

"Of course, we can't be careless; after all, the opponent is a top-eight contender. We must exercise caution in the game…"

Being confident is one thing, but being careless is a disaster.

At the end of the meeting, Coach Kataoka specifically mentioned Nishiyama and Yuuki.

"If the opportunity arises during the game, I will send you two in. Prepare well."

"Oh!!"

"Wow!!!"

With such star-like treatment, even the Senpais at Seidou High School couldn't help but feel envious.

After all, just getting a chance to play in a game was not easy for them.

They never expected these two newcomers, having just joined the team, to already receive such a rare opportunity.

No matter how unfair they felt, the situation wouldn't change.

Now that Coach Kataoka had made his intentions clear, as long as the opportunity arose, it was a foregone conclusion that Nishiyama and Yuuki would play.

"Your aim in doing this is not just to give the newcomers a chance, but also to stimulate the older players, right?"

Coach Ochiai stroked his mustache, pondering aloud.

"No, it's more than that. It's also meant to motivate the other freshmen…"

'Incredible, this is the legendary 'Three Birds, One Stone.''

In response, Ochiai could only write a big "respect" in his heart.

…

T/N: The Bad Boys are now on the frontline!

Well, That's it for now.

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