Chapter 4: More Than Basics

After the lottery ceremony and receiving the group table, the three of them couldn't wait to leave and immediately returned to their school. Even the reporters, typically relentless, were understanding and did not pursue them.

Seidou's luck was terrible! In fact, it was even worse for Teito, Seidou's opponent, who looked even more distressed and almost defeated.

In the first round of the Fall Tournament, the kings of West Tokyo and East Tokyo were set to face off. Both teams had famous Ace players and capable main catchers! Simply put, they are the top seeds of this Fall Tournament.

And in the first round, these two teams will clash.

For the organizers, who are used to creating chaos, this draw was unusually fair. However, when the results were revealed, even the organizers looked puzzled. They probably didn't anticipate that the result of their laissez-faire approach would turn out this way. They might even be crying in the inside right now.

In the autumn competition, Tokyo has only one and a half spots for Koshien. Originally, even a second-place finish had a good chance if they could win the last ticket. But now, with two of the top three seeds set to be eliminated before the quarter-finals, it's a self-made disaster.

When the three returned to school, Kuramochi handed the group table to Sawamura and then dragged Miyuki to wash his hands.

"Why do I need to wash my hands?" Miyuki complained.

"With those hands of disaster, you'd better clean them properly, or who knows what misfortune will follow?" Kuramochi said. (It is a common superstition that unclean hands bring bad luck.)

Seeing them leave, Sawamura smiled wryly and took the group table to the baseball club's meeting room as instructed by Coach Kataoka.

In the meeting room, the baseball team's members had been waiting.

"The group table is out!" they exclaimed, scrambling to grab it and examine the results.

Many others had gathered, clearly concerned about the draw's outcome. In a competitive area like Tokyo, the grouping can significantly impact a team's survival.

"The first match is against Teito?!" Maezono's voice was filled with frustration.

Teito, like Seidou, was a traditional powerhouse, one of the top schools in the country for decades.

This was indeed terrible luck!

Facing such an opponent in the first round was extremely unlucky.

"Even if we advance, we'll face Inashiro in the third round. This is clearly the 'group of death!'"

"You're right, this is definitely the group of death."

Three of the four Giants of Tokyo were grouped together, and all three teams still had their key players. The organizers even labeled them as the top three seeds of the competition.

"This is simply outrageous!" Ochiai, an outsider, was unable to tolerate it. What's wrong with the Tokyo organizers? Isn't this sabotaging themselves? Even if they had poor judgment, why drag Seidou into this?

If Inashiro and Teito had been separated and Seidou wasn't involved, Ochiai wouldn't have minded and might even have enjoyed watching from the sidelines. However, experiencing such unfair treatment firsthand made him feel differently.

"Who the opponent is doesn't matter; our goal has always been the same." Coach Kataoka's words were spot on, but his furrowed brow showed his displeasure.

Sawamura, however, was unfazed. For him, facing tougher competition was better than facing weaker teams. Although single-elimination tournaments are usually easier when starting with weaker opponents, starting with tough ones also has its advantages.

"I asked Takashima-sensei to collect information on Teito. Although we've played a few practice games against them before, there is no data on their new team," Coach Kataoka said, summarizing Teito's history for everyone.

"Teito has reached Koshien over twenty times, winning the national championship twice. They are a regular team at Koshien with a lot of experience."

As Coach Kataoka was updating everyone on Teito, Miyuki, and Kuramochi returned from washing their hands.

"Who drew the lottery?" Coach Kataoka asked, frowning. He wasn't being overly suspicious; he genuinely had doubts. Miyuki stepped back to reveal Kuramochi.

"You're not ashamed- betraying your friends, are you?"

"A good man handles things himself!" Miyuki said stubbornly.

Seeing Coach Kataoka's increasingly serious expression, Kuramochi was about to explain the truth when Kataoka nodded vigorously.

"Well done!"

Kuramochi was surprised by the praise.

"Finding such a strong opponent early on is no easy task," Kataoka said, his teeth gritted slightly.

He wasn't going to blame Kuramochi now, as it would affect morale. However, he planned to not get him anywhere near a draw.

Kuramochi sensed something was off but couldn't pinpoint it.

Meanwhile, Miyuki sat next to Sawamura, who gave him an approving look.

Miyuki had accurately grasped the coach's and Kuramochi's thoughts. Sawamura was pleased to see Kuramochi being bullied, and being under the coach's close supervision could be both good and bad.

As the two exchanged glances, Takashima Rei arrived with information. "Teito, like us, didn't participate in the preliminaries. Therefore, there are no official games for their new team, only a few practice games. I found information from practice games against Teito."

With the game footage playing, Takashima Rei began analyzing it with the team.

"After Teito High School formed their new team, their core consists of two key players. The first is Catcher Kengo Inui, who is undoubtedly the core of Teito."

The first player to appear on the big screen is Catcher Kengo.

Kuramochi was taken aback.

He didn't expect this uncle to be a big shot.

"Additionally, there is Mukai Taiyou, a freshman who served as a substitute Ace at Koshien. He also had a very impressive reputation in middle school, and like Hongou, he is one of the Twelve Rising Talents."

At this point, Takashima Rei glanced at Sawamura with a smile.

Despite the prominence of the Twelve Rising Talents, the great Sawamura ultimately overshadowed them.

Once the Great Demon King appeared, the Twelve Rising Talents quickly became a thing of the past. Barely anyone mentions the Twelve Rising Talents anymore.

At least, if someone told Narumiya Mei this, he would be furious.

To say he's one of the Twelve Rising Talents implies he's significantly inferior to that brat Sawamura. How could he tolerate that?

But these stories don't change one fact.

The Twelve Rising Talents are indeed exceptionally skilled players.

"Mukai Taiyou is a left-handed pitcher with a unique pitching form. His fastball is relatively average, just over 130 km/h (81 mph), but his winning shot is a screwball."

"The screwball's movement is quite distinctive, it might be tough to hit," Maezono said with a grimace.

Maezono prefers straight balls and isn't fond of breaking balls.

"Indeed, the screwball's movement is sharp. Moreover, Mukai is quite remarkable. Originally, their Ace during the East Tokyo Tournament was a third year. But at Koshien, Mukai took over as the main pitcher even without the number 1. This means that Teito's top-eight accomplishment at Koshien is largely due to him. Besides Sawamura, he is the second first-year Ace pitcher I've seen."

Takashima Rei crossed her arms and said thoughtfully.

'This new generation is indeed intimidating.'

Besides Sawamura, having a pitcher like Mukai is truly astonishing.

"Besides Ace Mukai, they also have a second-year pitcher who throws at 140 km/h(87 mph)."

When this additional information came out, everyone at Seidou had to stop themselves from rolling their eyes.

For Seidou's pitching team, a 140 km/h fastball is standard, isn't it?

The fastest pitcher in high school, Furuya, is not even mentioned. Both Sawamura and Kawakami's fastballs are over 140 km/h.

What's there to discuss?

"Against us, that pitcher definitely won't get a chance to play." Kuramochi was confident.

If Teito's substitute pitcher gets to play, it means Mukai is out of the game.

"For left-handed pitchers, the ball appears to come from behind for left-handed batters, making it significantly harder to hit," Asou said, looking at Sawamura.

Among Seidou's Strong Batters, Sawamura is the only left-handed hitter.

He is also one of Seidou High School's most reliable batters.

"Don't worry. It's not that left-handed pitching will always counter left-handed hitters. Ultimately, it depends on the skill levels of both." Sawamura was unconcerned.

As someone who's made it to the big leagues, if he can't handle this simple situation, then how can you stay there?

However, Mukai's pitching isn't limited to just being a left-handed pitcher.

Sawamura recalled his past memories and still felt a bit uneasy.

'Not all talented players chose to join professional baseball.'

Mukai Taiyou is one of the few who did not join professional baseball as a career.

Despite that, he still makes Sawamura feel wary.

After analyzing the data, Coach Kataoka issued the final instructions for the game against Teito.

"Dealing with Mukai's tricky pitches is expected. Pay attention to his low-angle screwball. If his pitches are hittable, don't hesitate to hit them hard."

Although Mukai's pitches are tricky with excellent control and sharp movement, his fastball isn't that fast. For Seidou's batters, even if the contact isn't in the ideal spot, it's possible to hit the ball far.

As long as they use their skills effectively, it's manageable.

"This approach is simple, but if executed thoroughly, it should be effective."

"And if the opportunity arises, use a hit-and-run tactics to disrupt them. Shake them up with speed."

"Of course, the opponent will look for our weaknesses, especially ways to attack Sawamura. But don't worry about that. Sawamura is not easy to conquer. Our goal is to stick to our own offensive strategy and defeat them."

"Don't be under pressure. Enjoy the challenge of playing against top-level players and give it your all to win. Don't let the previous Champions' title restrict you."

"Yes!!!"

Hearing Coach Kataoka's final instructions, the Seidou High School team stood up in unison and responded enthusiastically.

Coach Ochiai, is still livid and stroking his goatee.

'Facing a tough opponent like Teito in the first round meant Sawamura had to play early and give it his all.'

'The information leaks will be inevitable, and continuous physical strain was also exhausting.'

"This damn draw!"

Muttering under his breath, Ochiai left the conference room and took a walk under the lights alone.

He was thinking of a way to lessen the damage they will take, from playing a hard game this early in the Tournament.

At Seidou, players were seen practicing intensively everywhere.

Boom!

Boom!!

From a distance, the rhythmic sounds continued.

Ochiai widened his eyes in surprise and looked over.

Under the lights, Furuya was focused on pitching practice with Miyuki.

For regular training, Miyuki primarily practiced with Sawamura.

So, to practice with Furuya or Kawakami, Miyuki had to put in extra training outside regular hours.

During Sawamura's extra practice, he either worked on his swing or practiced throwing Straight balls with Ono and Kariba, trying not to take up Miyuki's time.

Miyuki needed to be familiar with all three pitchers' styles to ensure he could choose the right one in future games.

The main reason Miyuki worked so hard was that after their growth in Koshien, Sawamura, Furuya, and Kawakami had become outstanding. No one other than himself could guarantee 100% accuracy in catching their pitching.

Ono, the newly promoted backup catcher, was still getting used to receiving pitches from them.

The second-string catcher, Kariba, was still lacking in skills.

There was no successor!

As the team's captain, Miyuki sometimes felt anxious.

Seidou's catching position was in trouble…

'If a talented catcher didn't come up next year, it could be a major problem. Relying on Kariba's skills, he might struggle to catch even Furuya's pitches, let alone Sawamura's super breaking balls.'

'That's not something to worry about now. Let the younger generation handle their issues. As a senpai, I can only focus on what's in front of me.'

With this thought, he paid closer attention to guiding Furuya.

"Very good, let's do another one!"

Seeing the two practicing together, Ochiai suddenly smiled.

'This could work! Also, it is about time to add more than the basics.'

A bold idea flashed in his mind.

With that thought, he stepped out and asked Furuya.

"Has the match against the third-year players helped you notice your own issues?"

…