Chapter 10: Sawamura’s Treasure

Since he decided to upgrade his record in the 50-meter dash, Sawamura naturally had to devise some plans. Just like his friend in his time in the Major League used to say:

"When faced with a problem, the first thing to think about is not that it's impossible, but rather how to solve it."

To get a higher record, relying solely on his current speed wouldn't cut it. So, Sawamura had to focus on two main aspects: his starting and his acceleration.

Once everyone started running, Sawamura's speed wasn't inferior to even Kuramochi's. Where he truly lagged behind was in the starting and the initial acceleration...

To get a faster record, he needed to put effort into his starting technique and the early acceleration phase, ensuring he wouldn't fall too far behind at least, if not surpass Kuramochi.

The remaining advantage Sawamura had was his top speed; it wasn't necessarily worse than Kuramochi's. With the right approach, he might even close the gap over a certain distance.

Considering all this, Eijun wasn't without means to get ahead. Of course, if both were in their prime condition, Eijun's chances of winning would still be slim.

While others were following the test in a methodical manner, Sawamura secretly planned to outrun everyone, even Kuramochi. Even if others knew, they wouldn't take it seriously because it was impossible for Sawamura to outrun Kuramochi at his current level.

Currently, only Coach Ochiai seems to pay attention to Sawamura's running results. He subconsciously rechecked the records of Sawamura and Shiratsu.

Upon checking, he was startled.

While both Sawamura and Shiratsu were indeed quite far behind Kuramochi in terms of speed, it didn't mean their speeds were slow. On the contrary, both were quite fast.

Among the 60-plus members of Seidou High School, their speeds could rank within the top five.

Kuramochi ranked first with a time of 6.21 seconds.

Second was Toujou with 6.82 seconds.

Third was Miyuki with 6.84 seconds.

Fourth was Shiratsu, closely behind Miyuki with 6.85 seconds.

Sawamura's time placed him fifth with 6.88 seconds.

Kuramochi's speed was unquestionable; stealing bases was effortless for him. For the others, while they could steal bases, they didn't have Kuramochi's casual ability. They needed to choose the right moment to have a chance at successful base stealing.

This tactical arrangement was very useful for Seidou High School.

Players like Asou could also be arranged for base stealing as long as the opportunity was right.

However, those who couldn't run under 7.1 seconds shouldn't be considered for base stealing. Attempting to steal bases might not only fail to score but also result in Outs for the team.

It simply wasn't worth it.

Even though they had previously mastered the base running and base stealing data of each player, that data was too mixed with other elements such as situations in the field and opportunities.

"It seems that besides boosting the players' mentality, this test also serves other purposes," Coach Ochiai pondered.

Previously, they wouldn't have been confident in letting Toujou, Sawamura, and others steal bases.

Now, it seemed both of them had potential in this aspect.

Of course, before implementing such tactics, they needed further training.

Especially Sawamura, who ran in an irregular manner.

"Your leg's power storage method is incorrect. The back leg should forcefully push your body forward, not just lift it. And after starting, don't you know how to run on your toes? Try this to reduce the friction area between your heel and the ground as much as possible, and increase the rebound force. This way, your top speed should improve," Coach Ochiai advised Sawamura.

Sawamura had heard these principles during his time in the MLB, but these techniques felt very awkward. After trying them, he unconsciously gave up on them. Or him being a speed runner altogether.

Now, with Coach Ochiai pointing them out again, Sawamura suddenly realized.

He was currently striving to improve his speed; why not give these techniques a try?

The second round of testing began. Everyone maintained their formation, charging forward in groups of three.

The results were comparable to their previous attempts.

Occasionally, there were exceptional performances or slight downturns, but overall, there wasn't a significant fluctuation in results.

For an athlete to achieve a substantial improvement in speed in a short time was difficult. It was only possible for someone like Sawamura, who had no formal training and was exceptionally talented, to make such rapid progress.

Then it was time for Sawamura, Kuramochi, and Shiratsu to run again.

This time, Sawamura made noticeable adjustments to his starting position.

While Coach Ochiai simply instructed him to push off with his back foot, Sawamura unconsciously employed techniques his expert friend had taught him in the Major League.

The angle of his body, the angle of his heel to the ground, the angle of his leg to the ground, the angle of his knee to the ground...

He strictly adhered to all these details without realizing it.

Ordinary people wouldn't notice these nuances, but the Coaches are not among them, keenly observing the difference in Sawamura's preparatory stance compared to before.

If Sawamura was a novice before, now he had at least achieved a semi-professional level.

"This guy!"

A gleam flashed in Coach Kataoka's eyes.

The longer he spent with Sawamura, the more flashes of brilliance he discovered in him.

Unexpectedly, besides being exceptionally talented in pitching and batting, Sawamura seemed to have a knack for running as well.

Almost instinctively, he shifted his attention from Kuramochi to Sawamura.

"On your marks, get set..."

Tweet!

With Coach Kataoka's signal, the three of them, like unleashed beasts, charged forward from their positions.

Sawamura's trailing foot forcefully pushed against the ground, propelling his body forward.

Although he still didn't catch up to Kuramochi from the start, he maintained pace with Shiratsu.

In other words, Sawamura didn't allow Shiratsu to create a distance between them from the start.

Sawamura adjusted his breathing, unconsciously rising on the tips of his toes, forming an arc with his legs.

Then, he unleashed all his strength and sprinted with all his might.

In the blink of an eye, he pulled ahead of Shiratsu by a body length. Even Kuramochi, who had seemed unreachable before, now appeared within reach.

'There was hope!'

A sense of joy surged in Sawamura's heart. His feet felt spring-loaded, ready to chase forward.

Then, his left foot hit the back of his right foot, and he lost his balance...

"Goaagh!!!"

Splutter!

He fell flat on his face.

"Hyaa-ha-haa, you rushed too hard at the start; not good..."

Kuramochi, who had returned after finishing first, pulled Sawamura up and chuckled.

Surrounding teammates also joined in with friendly laughter when they saw Sawamura's embarrassed face.

Only Sawamura was red as a tomato from embarrassment.

'Damn it, that was embarrassing!'

This time, no matter what, he had to regain his pride. He wouldn't settle for anything less than beating Kuramochi.

Before his regression, Sawamura didn't become a legend in baseball. So even if he was somewhat successful, he still had regrets.

But in the eyes of others, Sawamura was already a very famous baseball star at that time. So his life was very successful.

The prerequisite for forging Sawamura's successful life was his indomitable spirit to move forward.

And it was always his biggest boon and treasure.

...