Chapter 86: Back To Seidou!

The Seidou High School baseball team flew back to Tokyo the same day.

When they disembarked, the team bus exclusively used by Seidou High's baseball club was already waiting.

The team boarded the bus and returned to school.

"Rest up! Training resumes tomorrow morning as usual," Head Coach Kataoka instructed in his typically terse manner, offering no leeway for rest.

Although the team had managed to nap on the plane, the quality of rest was far from ideal.

After some quick freshening up, everyone settled in for a well-deserved night of sleep.

As for the online storm of gossip, the players didn't pay it any mind. They were too overwhelmed by the recent experiences they had just endured.

Early the next morning, before the sun fully rose, Sawamura was rudely awakened by a kick from Kuramochi.

"AHHHHHH!!!"

Sawamura shot up with a yell.

"You idiot! How can you still be sleeping when training is about to start?" Kuramochi scolded with a face full of frustration.

On the plane, Kuramochi had been too excited and spent most of the flight admiring the blue sky and white clouds through the window.

To be fair, it was an exhilarating experience.

Sitting on the plane, gazing out at the scenery, he had felt as if he had turned into a bird completely unburdened.

However, after returning to the dorm, Kuramochi hadn't been able to get proper rest due to the time difference. He was in poor spirits but had still managed to wake up early.

In contrast, both Nishiyama and Sawamura had adjusted seamlessly to the jet lag and slept like logs.

Kuramochi, mindful of Nishiyama being a new junior refrained from venting his frustrations on him.

Thus, he went straight for Sawamura.

"It's already 5 AM!"

When Sawamura groggily opened his eyes, the sky was faintly lit with a pale glow.

The sun hadn't risen yet, but a faint dawn was already breaking through.

Yawning, Sawamura appeared remarkably refreshed.

Kuramochi had guessed correctly—Sawamura had become highly accustomed to this sort of travel and had no trouble adjusting to the time difference.

After getting ready, the four members of Dorm 5 headed to the training grounds together.

By the time they arrived, most of the team had already assembled.

Having just returned from their American tour, most of the first-string players looked bleary-eyed.

It was clear their quality of sleep had been subpar.

This was to be expected. It's almost impossible to rest well on a plane, and back at the dorms, many players struggled to fall asleep after returning from America.

The time difference played a part, but so did the many revelations brought on by their trip.

By the time they finally drifted off, it was already morning, and they were promptly dragged out of bed for training. It was no wonder they looked so worn out.

Head Coach Kataoka, Coach Ochiai, Club President Ota, and Vice-President Takashima showed up just as everyone finished their morning run.

"While we were away, I want to thank President Ota for his hard work," Kataoka began.

"I heard from him that you all worked diligently and won every practice game. Well done! Remember, no one's efforts are in vain. If you work hard, there will always be rewards. As for those who participated in the American trip, you performed admirably. We'll go over a detailed summary of the matches after today's training session."

As the team's leader, Kataoka first acknowledged everyone's efforts.

He then shared his suggestions and perfectly fulfilled his role as Coach.

Kataoka called the first-string players together.

Fixing them with a serious look, he said:

"I know the trip was exhausting, and your performance truly exceeded my expectations. I'm proud of the results you achieved."

It was rare for the typically stern Kataoka to openly praise the players, leaving everyone beaming with pride.

The team members wore grins, eagerly awaiting more praise.

After all, they knew they had done well.

Competing in a foreign land and going undefeated on American soil was no small feat.

The match against the American Dream Team especially stood out.

Even now, just thinking about it sent chills down their spines.

'They were unbelievably strong.'

Even now, recalling the Dream Team's players and their overwhelming abilities felt surreal.

Their skill level had far surpassed the high school stage. Some players even believed that the Dream Team could hold their own against professional teams.

Yet they had managed to draw against them.

Of course, much of the credit belonged to Sawamura.

But the "Demon King" Sawamura Eijun was also a member of Seidou High's baseball team.

They were one united team!

The end result was that Seidou High had drawn with the American Dream Team.

As the players basked in their achievements, Kataoka's tone suddenly changed.

"I know you've worked hard, and I recognize your growth. But there's no time to rest on your laurels. The summer tournament is right around the corner. We don't have the luxury of letting you waste time or adjust to jet lag! That's why Coach Ochiai, President Ota, and I have decided to begin intensive training camp tomorrow. It'll last one week!"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"Huh?"

"Aye yo what the..."

"Come on!"

"I knew it!"

"That is why he was praising us!"

Upon hearing the words "Training Camp," the expressions of all the senior members of the Seidou High School baseball team became quite complicated.

If we were to describe this complicated expression with a fitting adjective,

It would probably be constipation.

The more tangled they were, the more uncomfortable they seemed.

This left the new members quite surprised.

"The training for the second and third teams is temporarily suspended, and they will all assist with first-team training! Over the next few days, even the day students will need to stay in the dormitory."

After briefly explaining the rules of the special training, the management of Seidou High School's baseball team left.

The new members finished their training and quickly washed up before heading for breakfast.

According to the rules of previous years, special training would usually begin only after the final list of 20 players was determined.

But this time, Coach Kataoka was acting unusually.

Instead of waiting for the final roster, he immediately had the current, somewhat bloated first team of over 20 players join the special training.

"So, does that mean it's still undecided who will stay on the first team?"

Kuramochi scratched his head and mumbled.

"Most of the undecided players are first-year freshmen or second-year players. Having them join the special training will be very beneficial for the entire team,"

Miyuki explained nonchalantly.

"This way, even if we, the third years, retire, these players can be quickly integrated into the first team,"

Shiratsu added.

However, as soon as he finished speaking, the expressions of the third-year players turned grim.

Although team transitions are natural, it still felt strange for them that Coach Kataoka was already considering what would happen after they retire.

Just thinking about leaving the place they'd fought for three years in just one or two months made them feel quite reluctant.

"Stop acting like this. Don't forget, you're the Senpais here."

In contrast, Miyuki had a much brighter attitude.

"You're just saying that because you're not in our shoes. The Pro Teams looking to sign you are probably about to break down Coach's door. How could you understand our sadness?"

Maezono grumbled.

Lately, Coach Kataoka has been frequently bringing people in suits to watch the games.

Even a fool could tell what those guys were here for.

They certainly weren't there to make friends with the Seidou High School baseball team.

Their only purpose was to scout suitable players.

Currently, the hottest prospect was Miyuki, while Sawamura was still far from graduation.

And every time these suited people came, Maezono acted especially eager.

He desperately hoped to be directly scouted into the pro league.

"Don't complain like that. Everyone is just as confused as you. Many others can't see the road ahead either,"

Kuramochi interrupted.

"But what's the use of being confused? If you want something, you still have to use your own bat to fight for it," he continued.

"Yeah..."

Maezono knew he'd inadvertently vented his frustrations. He realized it wasn't right, but the pressure lately had been too much. On one hand, there was competition within the team, and on the other, he was lost about his future.

Fortunately, his attitude was good. As soon as he realized his mistake, he immediately apologized to Miyuki.

"Sorry!"

"It's fine. I haven't been thinking about that stuff. My only wish right now is to continue dominating the country with everyone,"

Miyuki replied.

As the team captain, Miyuki showed this determination.

The other members were still quite happy.

The topic then shifted to the special training.

But as soon as it was brought up, everyone's face immediately turned dark.

Nishiyama, sitting next to Sawamura during breakfast, looked around at the suddenly silent Senpais, completely puzzled.

"Is the special training really that scary?"

In Nishiyama's eyes, the players on the Seidou High School baseball team were all like iron men.

Their demeanor gave off an aura of being fearless of anything.

Nishiyama couldn't imagine anything that could scare these guys. Why did everyone's expression look so strange when Coach Kataoka mentioned the special training?

'How should this question be answered?'

"Well, it's not much. It's just a little more intense than usual training,"

Sawamura explained with a smile.

He wasn't lying to his Kohai on purpose, but there was no point in scaring him. Even if he told him now, it wouldn't make any difference. The next day, he'd still have to train as usual.

So there was no reason to make him worry all night.

It was better to let him sleep well and find out for himself the next day what this so-called Training Camp was all about.

Sawamura's Kohais weren't just Nishiyama.

Hirota, Matsumoto, even Lee-Hyun...

At this time, they all acted like freshmen, eagerly approaching Sawamura to ask about the so-called hellish training.

"Don't worry. By tomorrow morning, you'll know everything. What's the worst that can happen?"

By the end, Sawamura was getting tired of answering, so he shooed everyone away!

When he returned to class, Sawamura was welcomed like a hero returning from war by his classmates.

Although he had already been quite famous in both the baseball world and at school, his fame now had clearly reached new heights.

Before, Sawamura was just a household name in Japan.

But now, he was on his way to becoming a global superstar.

Getting recognition from renowned American coaches made all the difference.

Faced with such warm enthusiasm from his classmates, Sawamura could only accept it.

Sometimes, he actually envied someone like Hongou.

With his unapproachable face, even people in their class didn't dare to bother him.

Unlike Sawamura, who had a natural charm that made everyone flock around him.

Nothing else happened that night, and by the next morning, the hellish training of Seidou High School's baseball team began!

…