Chapter 88: Are They Even Human?

Being able to stay on the first team and continue training alongside them is, for all the new recruits, a dream come true.

Not to mention, the official roster hasn't been confirmed yet, so anyone still on the first team means they still have a chance to participate in the summer tournament.

They absolutely have to stay!

This belief is what supports and encourages them.

Even when practicing alongside the Senpais, they dare not slack off for a second.

Even if they can't perform better than the Senpais, they will not allow themselves to fall behind.

Reality is harsh.

They know very well that if they fall behind here, it could mean their elimination.

This is the one thing they can't accept.

That's how they got through the morning training.

In the afternoon, following the usual routine of the Seidou High School Baseball Team, training begins at either 4:00 or 4:30 PM.

This fluctuation mainly depends on the teacher's schedule.

Although afternoon classes aren't too important, some can't be avoided.

The most important task for a student is still studying.

Even someone like Sawamura, who has already decided to join professional baseball right after graduating from high school, still has studying as his top priority.

This time, the school made a huge adjustment for the team.

All major courses were moved to the morning. For those that couldn't be moved, they were adjusted to finish before 3:20 PM.

After 3:20 PM, it's time for the baseball team's training.

When they saw the time, the legs of the new recruits started shaking.

Although it wasn't yet the peak of summer, it still got dark around 7 PM.

From 3:20 to 7:00, that's three and a half hours, plus an extra ten minutes!!

This amount of training was something they had never experienced before.

It truly gave them a taste of what "hell" was.

Defense drills, base running drills!

Both fields A and B were completely cleared, with over 20 players from the first team split into two groups, each standing on a different field.

The second and third string players became complete helpers.

They didn't mind, however.

After all, the first team is the core of the Seidou High School Baseball Team, and spending a week assisting them in improving was a way of contributing from another angle.

Now, they had all transformed into assistant coaches.

The demands on the players were extremely strict.

If any player on the first team made a mistake or showed signs of fatigue during training, they would be mercilessly mocked.

"Can you even do it?"

"Want me to switch with you?"

"Don't be so pathetic, Seidou doesn't have weak players."

"If you can't do it, let me take your place!!!"

These words hit the players on the first team like a whip, hard and heavy.

Their stamina was already a problem, so it was inevitable that they would make mistakes in such fast-paced training.

Whether it was batting practice or defense drills, mistakes became a daily occurrence.

Okumura, Yuuki, Nishiyama, and Yui.

These four were all child prodigies, famous in middle school.

But back then, they had never been exhausted like this.

Now, they had experienced all the exhaustion they had never known before.

The pride they once had was completely shattered.

Sometimes they even questioned themselves.

Did they really deserve to stay on the first team?

On the other hand, Lee-Hyun, Matsumoto, and Hirota.

These three had never received much attention or recognition like the others.

Their understanding of baseball came primarily from the baptism of the Seidou High School Baseball Team.

So, when they received indirect 'encouragement' from the Senpais, they were much less resistant than the others.

Even if someone mocked them, they would just listen quietly and continue working hard.

These three were very clear about one thing: they were still very green.

The main reason they were promoted to the first team and allowed to train alongside them was because of their potential and because they were first-years.

If it came to actual skill, they probably didn't have the qualifications to stay here.

With this understanding, they naturally didn't demand too much from themselves.

They only needed to follow the training step by step.

Being able to keep up with the pace was already a victory.

Matsumoto and Hirota both thought this way, so they could enjoy the training wholeheartedly...

Lee-Hyun's thoughts were a bit more complicated.

After all, he was the first among the freshmen to be promoted to the first team.

While Hirota and Matsumoto also trained with the first team, their chances of staying on the team were rather slim.

But Lee-Hyun was different.

Before, he had been the weakest link on the first team of the Seidou High School Baseball Team.

Despite his position not changing, Lee-Hyun's strength had grown immensely compared to when he first joined the team.

Before, whenever Lee-Hyun played, he was a liability. Unless it was a special circumstance, he was just trying not to cause trouble, as he couldn't contribute to the team in any way.

But now, although Lee-Hyun still had many areas to improve, he had become a usable asset.

Perhaps he was still a little immature compared to others, but with his unique characteristics, Lee-Hyun was qualified to fight for a position.

When he had no skills, it was his unparalleled specialty that made Coach Kataoka and Coach Ochiai promote him.

Now that Lee-Hyun was growing so fast, neither Coaches had any reason to abandon him.

Out of all the freshmen, although Lee-Hyun wasn't the most likely to stay on the first team, he was definitely one of the most promising.

Even Lee-Hyun himself thought that Coach Kataoka and Coach Ochiai had no reason to cut him now.

Otherwise, their prior training would have been for nothing.

To stay on the first team, to represent the team in the summer tournament. Even if it was just sitting on the bench, this was something Lee-Hyun had always dreamed of.

Having this opportunity made him very satisfied.

To repay the trust and training from the Coaches, and to honor the guidance from Kuramochi-senpai and Sawamura-senpai...

Lee-Hyun felt that he still needed to push himself harder.

He didn't want people to say he was promoted just because of his talent.

Although that was true, he wasn't willing to accept or acknowledge it.

So, he needed to refine all his skills.

Even if he couldn't make an impact on the field, at least he wouldn't be a burden to the team.

Otherwise, when his time came to finally play, would he bring fortune or disaster to Seidou?

The attitude you have determines the pressure you feel.

Originally, Lee-Hyun, who didn't have bad stamina, was the first to collapse from exhaustion.

During defense practice, he repeatedly made mistakes...

Seeing this, Coach Kataoka immediately gave the order to substitute Lee-Hyun.

His sharp eyes seemed to see through everything.

This wasn't surprising, since Kataoka had been playing baseball for many years and had been coaching for six or seven years.

As long as the player's mindset wasn't too complicated, he could usually guess it pretty accurately.

Lee-Hyun wasn't particularly complex.

Kataoka could tell that he wanted to take on more responsibility, like a thirsty sponge desperately absorbing knowledge.

'For a beginner, this attitude towards learning was undeniably excellent.'

Coach Kataoka appreciated it.

But he couldn't let him keep pushing himself like this. Lee-Hyun was completely new to baseball.

The other players had been training for years and already had a foundation. Intensive training wouldn't destroy their roots.

But Lee-Hyun was different. Before joining the Seidou High School Baseball Team, he hadn't received professional training and his usual practice wasn't thorough.

Letting him keep forcing himself might cause irreversible damage to his body.

This was something Coach Kataoka didn't want to see.

So, Lee-Hyun's training plan was different from everyone else's.

Others only began real training once their stamina reached its limit.

But Lee-Hyun couldn't reach that limit.

'His real training was still ahead of him...'

These thoughts flashed through Coach Kataoka's mind in a split second.

Not just Lee-Hyun, but actually, all the first-year players were struggling.

Although Coach Kataoka had been pushing them to build up their stamina since they entered high school, to help them quickly adjust to the pace of high school-level competition,

Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither is stamina accumulated overnight.

Compared to the Senpais who had been training at Seidou High School for one or two years, the freshmen clearly couldn't keep up with their physical demands.

After finishing the defensive drills, each of them felt like they were falling apart.

When the pause was finally called, everyone thought they'd get a short break.

However, to their surprise, everyone was immediately gathered again.

"20 laps of base running practice!"

The loudspeaker sounded like a demon's summon.

It made all the freshmen collapse mentally.

Seven freshmen participated, and Coach Kataoka, being somewhat considerate, didn't make them train alongside the Senpais.

This couldn't be helped.

Given their state, nearly falling apart, there was no way they could keep up with the Senpais' intensity.

Then a strange scene unfolded.

The seven freshmen occupied one field, while the rest of the Senpais took over the other field.

They did base running drills together!

The number of Senpais was nearly three times that of the freshmen.

But by the time all the Senpais finished their drills, the seven freshmen still hadn't completed their 20 laps.

They were completely exhausted!

By the time the base running drills ended, Sawamura's two Kohais had collapsed on the ground, unable to move.

"Were they even still conscious?"

It was unclear for him.

On the other hand, Lee-Hyun, in the midst of the fast-paced drills, had not only avoided exhaustion but appeared to have recovered significantly.

This amazed the Senpais.

This guy's recovery speed was better than they had expected.

However, Coach Kataoka walked straight over to him, coldly staring at Lee-Hyun.

"Did you really give your best during that base running?"

…

T/N: The Summer Camp Starts!

This Volume will continue until the Summer Tournament begins.

Anyway, Thank you all for reading!!

Have a good day people!

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