Chapter 13: I’m Waiting At The Top

When Han Lee-Hyun's results were announced, everyone at the scene was stunned.

"10.70 seconds!"

At that moment, Takuma confirmed that Han Lee-Hyun's speed surpassed his own.

When the results were officially revealed, disbelief washed over him.

Even though he suspected his speed might not match Han Lee-Hyun's, he never imagined the difference would be so vast—almost a full second.

In Takuma's mind, even if Han Lee-Hyun was slightly faster, it shouldn't pose a serious threat to him.

After all, it was obvious that Han Lee-Hyun was just a beginner.

Relying solely on talent wouldn't cut it on the field.

Skills were essential.

For example, the techniques of batting, bunting, fielding, and stealing bases.

Only by honing these skills could one maximize the impact of speed.

Certainly, Han Lee-Hyun had the speed to outpace him, but in terms of baseball knowledge, Takuma believed he had the upper hand.

Initially, he was brimming with confidence.

However, with Han Lee-Hyun's data out in the open, that confidence quickly evaporated.

When the speed gap widened to a certain degree, it became quite terrifying. Over a distance of 100 meters, the difference between them was nearly one second.

Translating that to the distances between bases on a baseball field, the gap was 0.3 seconds.

That was deadly!

On a baseball field, a mere 0.1-second difference can determine success or failure. When the gap reached 0.3 seconds, Takuma couldn't predict what kind of results might be triggered.

He stared at Han Lee-Hyun, whose expression remained neutral, and his gaze grew serious.

His friend's words rang true: a formidable rival had indeed appeared.

Han Lee-Hyun!

While the specifics of his defensive position were still unknown, their attributes already overlapped significantly.

He needed to secure his position...

"What are you thinking about?"

Noticing Takuma lost in thought, Okumura rarely took the time to check on him.

After hearing Takuma's concerns, Okumura's usually apathetic look cracked just a little.

"Isn't it too early to be thinking about this? Your top priority right now should be figuring out how to make it onto the main team first."

'That was absolutely right!'

Once Okumura pointed it out, Takuma's focus shifted instantly.

He wasn't someone who enjoyed overthinking anyway.

Compared to Han Lee-Hyun, his true rivals were the current main players.

The competition results were quickly announced, and of course, Han Lee-Hyun claimed the top spot.

Although his pitching performance wasn't particularly outstanding, his overall rating was just above average.

But that didn't matter when his running performance was exceptional!

Han Lee-Hyun had made a striking debut, almost sweeping all newcomers off their feet with his remarkable entrance.

Naturally, the other newcomers were far from accepting it lying down. If this were a track and field event, there would be no question.

But when it came to baseball...

Although everyone had yet to practice passing and receiving, it was easy to tell from Han Lee-Hyun's performance that he was a complete novice.

A novice who was clueless beyond the basics!

No matter how talented he might be, those of them with years of baseball experience weren't going to back down.

A competitive fire was lit under all the freshmen.

Thus, the first round of the Seidou High School skill test concluded.

"In the coming days, take some time to get familiar with the dormitory and school environment. On the 5th, we will conduct the second round of testing."

After the 5th, Kataoka, the Superintendent of Seidou High School, would return.

The decisions that Sawamura and Takashima could make were limited to official members and observers.

In other words, they are weeding out the unneeded.

Usually what happens after is that most of the observers drop out of the team, and the rest follow them.

As for who could be assigned to the first team, who to the second, and who to the third? These decisions were still to be made by Superintendent Kataoka.

Unless there were exceptional circumstances or a genius like Sawamura, under normal circumstances, he wouldn't choose to let freshmen join the team at this stage.

After all, Seidou High School was currently deep into the spring competition.

They were in the third round, but the third round wouldn't commence until April 9th.

That was just over a week away.

In such a short time, how could the newcomers coordinate with the veterans?

It was simply impossible.

Once all tests were complete, Sawamura was ready to hand back the notebook and return to the team.

Just as he was about to leave, he was suddenly grabbed by Takashima Rei.

"Did you really think you were here to help?"

Looking at Takashima's angry face, Sawamura felt speechless.

'Wasn't I here to help?'

Pretending to be clueless, Sawamura realized Takashima wasn't about to let him off the hook so easily.

"Don't kid yourself; I didn't bring you here, the living emblem of Seidou High School, just to test them. We have enough staff; we don't need your subpar assistance as a coach."

Her words were devoid of any tact.

Sawamura smiled helplessly; he knew this task wouldn't be easy.

As the star player of Seidou High School, many of the newcomers before him were drawn to the school because of Sawamura's name.

To say they were his fans might be an exaggeration, but they certainly aspired to be like him.

In other words, even if Sawamura wasn't their idol, he was undoubtedly their role model.

And the power of example is limitless.

The reason Takashima had pulled Sawamura over was to let the star player motivate the newcomers.

Of course, Sawamura understood this.

It's just that he preferred to avoid such situations.

And…

'I guessed right! It was your idea all along!!!'

Now, faced with 130 pairs of eager eyes, he had no choice.

With a resigned expression, he stepped forward.

"Hello everyone, I'm glad to see you all here, and I look forward to becoming partners and playing alongside you."

Sawamura's opening remarks were solid.

Takashima nodded in approval.

No wonder he had led the team to national glory in middle school—Sawamura had matured significantly.

Before the relieved smile on Takashima's face could fade, he heard Sawamura change his tone.

"Did you think I'd say something like that? Sorry, you have misunderstood!"

"You've already experienced how harsh today's test was.

This is just the first round of elimination to join the Seidou baseball team. In the days to come, you will face this kind of elimination several more times.

Becoming a member is just the first step; the second step is to stand out among the members and move to the second team.

The third step is to become a key player on the second team, participate in practice games, and make your mark.

Finally, in the second team, the goal is to replace the main force on the first team!

There are only 18 spots in Koshien; the absolute majority of you will be eliminated. Even if you make it to your third year here, only a handful will truly reach that stage."

Sawamura's words left everyone pale-faced.

For the first time, they realized just how brutal the challenge they were undertaking was.

"After knowing all this, if you still wish to embrace the challenge, then step up! I'll be waiting for you on the first string!"

After delivering his final line, Sawamura turned and left.

Little did he know, after he departed, he left behind pairs of determined eyes filled with ambition.

None of these young talents thought Sawamura's words were meant for anyone else.

They were aimed at themselves.

Okumura looked around in disbelief at his eager companions.

'Were these guys all idiots?'

Well, the problem was his competitive aura was turning him into a Super Saiyan.

If anyone heard his thoughts, they would tell him to say that to himself first.

As The boy was clearly on fire like all of them.

...

T/N: That's it for Today.

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