Chapter 2: Homecoming

After the exchange games, representatives from each team also returned to their respective schools.

As soon as Kengo Inui got back to Teito High School, the assistant coach dragged him straight to the hospital.

When they received a call from coach Kunitomo, everyone at Teito High School had been terrified.

Although their luck had been good, and the competition in East Tokyo was not as fierce as in West Tokyo, this was still Tokyo, regarded as the nation's strongest battleground.

Even in East Tokyo, there were many strong teams.

If the main catcher at Teito got injured at this point…

Thinking about it, the assistant coach at Teito High School broke into a cold sweat.

He couldn't bear to imagine the consequences.

Fortunately, after the doctor checked, the coach was reassured.

"The organizers of the exchange competition have already arranged for him to see a doctor, and all necessary checks have been done. Don't worry, everything is fine."

At that point, the assistant coach finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Then, he began to ask about the exchange competition's results.

"One win, one loss, the players performed really well, especially from West Tokyo."

The assistant coach of Teito was not averse to hearing gossip about West Tokyo.

But since those matters had nothing to do with them, it was just gossip, after all.

What he was more interested in was how the East Tokyo players performed.

East Tokyo's players!

This made Kengo Inui think of Umemiya.

Compared to Sawamura, Narumiya Mei, and Yoh Shunshin, Umemiya's ability was undoubtedly weaker.

But there was something about him as if he had the drive to punch a hole in the sky.

Especially when working with Miyuki Kazuya, even the American players, united in their efforts to regain their pride, were struggling against him.

He didn't lose more than two points, and his performance was exceptional.

If they met Umemiya in the upcoming Summer Tournament…

Kengo Inui wouldn't dare to guarantee that his team would win.

Whether it's Umemiya, the Ace pitcher, or the impressive team Ugumori, they left a deep impression on him.

The exchange competition had a profound impact on Kengo Inui.

It was the first time he opened his eyes to the national and even global stage.

It felt as though his brain had been struck by lightning, repeatedly refreshing his worldview.

"If we want to make it to Koshien, or even achieve a good ranking nationally, we must work harder."

At this thought, a surge of fighting spirit rose within Kengo Inui.

This surprised the assistant coach of Teito High School.

"There's no opponent here. Who are you showing off for?"

On the other side, the Yakushi High School team had faced more misfortunes than good fortune.

While the Seidou High School baseball team had been sailing smoothly, Yakushi High had suffered several setbacks.

They had lost three practice matches, despite winning most of the many others.

The three losses were all to the country's top teams.

During this period, some of their new players had shown unstable performances, but they also demonstrated good potential.

Especially the new pitcher, Igarashi Sora.

He truly deserved the title of the "Great Samurai" star player.

In the practice games, he won every match he pitched and performed excellently.

Another newcomer, Tomobe, although not as strong as Igarashi, still performed well in the practice matches.

Everything was moving in the right direction.

If this were any other team with no results, they might have been satisfied with such performance.

But for Yakushi High's coach and players, none of them were satisfied.

After all, they were in the most competitive division of all—West Tokyo.

If they were in another division, their strength would likely be enough to reach Koshien.

But in West Tokyo, they had no chance, even with the great samurai pitcher Igarashi performing so well.

Sometimes, it wasn't about how hard you worked, but how you compared to others.

West Tokyo was home to powerhouse teams like Seidou High and Inashiro Industrial.

Compared to those two teams, the current Yakushi High baseball team was nothing.

Even if they were unhappy, it didn't change the fact—this was reality…

If they wanted a chance for a comeback, another player had to rise to the occasion.

That player was Sanada Shunpei.

Perhaps it was because he burned himself out during the Spring Koshien, but after the tournament, his injuries flared up.

Injuries flaring up!

For any athlete, this was a disastrous phrase.

It indicated a recurring injury.

Unfortunately, this disaster befell Yakushi's Sanada Shunpei.

Thankfully, they had a successor now, or Yakushi High would be sinking into a pit of despair.

"How did the exchange competition go?" Sanada, who was undergoing recovery training, asked his returning teammate with a bright smile.

"The results of the exchange competition don't matter. How's your injury?"

Yakushi High's baseball team, they were already stretched thin and couldn't care about anything else…

"It's the same as before, nothing to say. But tell me more about those guys from the exchange competition."

Hirahata then recounted all the details of the exchange competition to Sanada.

Sanada listened, feeling his blood boiling.

Sure enough, he was still eager to see for himself.

Before meeting the father-son duo, Sanada had also loved baseball.

But it was just a simple love, never the sense of mission he felt now.

Now, his feelings for baseball had surpassed mere affection.

"You?" Hirahata wanted to comfort him but didn't know where to start.

"Don't worry, I'll be fully recovered before the Summer Tournament," Sanada reassured him.

The doctor had also said not to worry too much.

His injuries weren't the result of recurring problems, but rather from over-exertion during Koshien, where his previous injuries hadn't healed completely.

With proper recovery training, there was still a good chance he could participate in the Summer Tournament.

Sanada was determined to make it.

Although Yakushi had moved past the days when it had only a small team of ten players with limited options, thanks to new recruits, they now had four pitchers.

Two of the new recruits were quite talented.

While they might not compare to the elite teams like Seidou High, within a team like Yakushi High, these two could already contribute significantly.

However, this still couldn't replace Sanada's role.

Umemiya...

Hoshida...

Shunshin...

Nagata...

Every player had their own path. When they returned to their teams, they each had their own piece of glory.

Sawamura was no different.

By the time he returned to his team, it was nearly evening.

Although both Sawamura and Miyuki were known for being training enthusiasts, they didn't push themselves to the point of cruelty.

After such an intense competition, continuing extra practice that evening was too much to ask.

After all, excess is as bad as deficiency.

Sometimes, training more doesn't necessarily lead to better results.

Training while exhausted, without proper supervision, is a quick way to get injured.

Even Chris, almost an expert, didn't escape this fate.

Let alone Miyuki and Sawamura.

Having seen Chris's example, they understood the importance of moderation.

After a brief wash-up and dinner, they returned to their dorms.

The dorm was lively.

There were four people in the dorm, and Sawamura had just returned to complete the group.

"Everyone's so upbeat tonight. Nobody's staying behind for extra practice?" Sawamura asked curiously, looking at the three others in the room.

Apart from Asada, who was still adjusting to high school baseball, the other two had big ambitions.

Kuramochi was a third-year student.

For him, it was unavoidable to work hard.

The upcoming Summer Tournament was the last summer for third-year students in high school.

Three years of effort culminated in this one summer.

Their skills would be judged, and their future would unfold.

In this situation, Kuramochi had no choice but to work hard.

Nishiyama, another player, had joined the team with a sense of pride.

Sawamura acknowledged his talent, but he knew that if Nishiyama underestimated high school baseball, he would be in for a rude awakening.

After joining Seidou, Nishiyama realized his skills weren't as formidable as he thought. There were many players just as good.

With Sawamura as a model, Nishiyama was hit hard.

But the young man didn't give up. After taking a blow, he quickly adjusted and worked hard.

During evening practice, he was already staying later than some second-year players.

Normally, these two would be doing extra practice, but now they were both in the dorm.

"Hyaa-ha, we knew you'd come back, so we waited to welcome you," Kuramochi said with a big grin.

Sawamura played along, feigning overwhelming gratitude.

Though he was genuinely moved, it wasn't to that extreme.

But with Kuramochi, Sawamura couldn't help but act like he was deeply grateful.

"Is there anything you want to ask?"

Sawamura wasn't naïve. Everyone was waiting here to ask about the exchange competition.

"Did Miyuki-senpai and Narumiya-san form a battery?"

Nishiyama's question was straightforward.

He clearly cared about this matter.

Sawamura raised his head in surprise. He didn't expect Nishiyama to be so protective.

"That was an unexpected turn. They formed a battery."

Before Sawamura could finish explaining, Kuramochi was already interested in hearing more.

"How's his pitching now? Which of us can hit his pitches?"

He directly asked the question that concerned him the most.

Just like Inashiro's players considered Seidou their primary rival, Seidou's team had their own "first target"—Inashiro Industrial.

Kuramochi Youichi was one of them.

They analyzed and concluded that the only team in Tokyo that could challenge Seidou was Inashiro.

Inashiro's ace, Narumiya, was their key target.

Just as Sawamura was about to speak, his phone in his pocket buzzed.

[You have a new message!]

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