Chapter 89: Towering Titans

Coach Kataoka walked straight to Lee-Hyun, his sunglasses were reflecting the cold light of the baseball rookie.

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

Lee-Hyun looked like he had committed some terrible sin, caught red-handed.

He was filled with shame.

At that moment, if there had been a crack in the field, he probably would have crawled into it.

"If you develop a habit like this during practice, how can you give your all in a game? If you keep this up in the next practice, you'll be sent to the third team."

Coach Kataoka looked very stern.

But those familiar with him knew the truth.

This was actually Kataoka showing mercy.

If it were in the past, or if it were someone else,

Coach Kataoka might have directly kicked them off the first team directly.

The reason he hadn't done that was, on one hand, because there was no explicit rule during practice, and on the other, for the sake of Lee-Hyun himself and the team as a whole.

He now has a strong spirit of responsibility, eagerness to achieve, and a strong desire to not disappoint. If Kataoka punished Lee-Hyun directly, it would crush this spirit.

Moreover, even though Lee-Hyun was holding back his full strength, his average time for reaching base in 100 laps was still far better than the other freshmen.

Even when compared to the Senpais, he was only second to Kuramochi.

When Coaches Ochiai and Kataoka saw this, they were truly stunned.

Just how terrifying was this guy's speed to reach such a level?

They had to keep him, no matter what.

He was a gem!

When the summer tournament came around, Seidou High School's baseball team, reigning champions of Koshien, would undoubtedly become the target of every other team.

Even though Seidou's strength was superior, they wouldn't necessarily breeze through without facing numerous challenges.

In such challenges, every extra card up their sleeve would make their hopes of continued dominance even greater.

Sawamura's new breaking balls, Kuramochi's batting, Miyuki's new strategies, and Lee-Hyun's base stealing…

These were all trump cards for the Seidou High School baseball team.

On the surface, it seemed like a lot.

But when you really count them, they could fit on one hand.

Did the other teams not have any trump cards?

Coach Kataoka and Coach Ochiai didn't think so.

So, the more trump cards they had, the better.

But the truth was, the number of genuine trump cards was very limited.

This was exactly why Lee-Hyun had narrowly escaped a dire fate.

After the base running training, the managers brought out the beautifully made rice balls they had prepared by hand.

"No time even for a proper meal, huh?"

Yui Kaoru, exhausted, slumped to the ground, holding the beautiful rice ball that looked very appetizing.

He couldn't resist devouring it quickly.

The consumption had been so great that if he didn't replenish himself, he was afraid he wouldn't be able to carry on.

Even so, Yui Kaoru thought he'd need a second meal tonight.

He was in his growth period, and poor nutrition was simply not an option.

Height was his weakness.

Okumura, usually in the cafeteria slowpoke squad, found three large bowls of rice to be a challenge for him.

But now, he felt confident that he could finish them.

He was just so hungry!

Yuuki and Nishiyama were in similar situations.

Unlike the three completely exhausted freshmen, their physical foundations were much better than the others.

Though the first-team training was extremely tough, they still managed to keep up.

By now, they felt they could take on anything.

A man's physical strength is often linked to his appetite.

The more capable someone is, the more they can eat.

"You guys have a big appetite." Kanemaru-san, the nice Senpai, said to his Kohai.

"Eat more if you want." Haruichi's smile was as angelic as ever.

"Don't hold back, the managers made a lot." Toujou, the nice guy, was encouraging his teammates.

Furuya was enthusiastic about being a 'Good Senpai' and silently kept pushing plates in his Kohais' direction.

The second-year players, especially the ever 'helpful' Kanemaru-san and Sawamura-kun, were even feeding the first year diligently.

The Senpais around observed with smug eyes, chewing slowly. Even though their stomachs were completely empty, they didn't dare eat any more than necessary.

"These Devils!"

Miyuki muttered under his breath.

"As Senpais, isn't it wrong for us to just watch like this?"

Somewhat guilty, Maezono wanted to help, but none of his teammates rushed in, so he felt he couldn't act alone.

Kuramochi: "Heh, didn't we go through this too? Now it's their turn to feel it…"

This comment resonated with all the players.

Yeah, the tables had turned. It was time for the little guys to experience this feeling.

"They will absolutely throw up."

Shiratsu shook his head.

"Couldn't be me."

Kuramochi smiled.

"No, No you totally were, you were so pathetic back then." Miyuki teased with a smirk.

"Shut up you jerk!"

He had been tricked by Senpais before, which was why he had eaten so much.

But now, these freshmen didn't need Senpais tricking them; they were doing it all on their own.

They were digging their own graves. Who could they blame if the?

After the meal, everyone's spirits had recovered a bit.

Then they began the next round of training.

The remaining drills were all stamina-based, with no technical elements involved.

At first, the pace was slower, just simple batting practice.

This was partly to help everyone digest the food they had eaten.

It was also a warm-up.

After the enjoyable batting practice ended, they immediately entered hell.

First was the stairs frog jumps, single-leg hops, and crawling on all fours…

Then came the Summer Camp specialty!

Base Running From Hell!

100 rounds of base running and a very abnormal rhythm to squeeze every drop of stamina from the players.

They trained until 7 PM, and by then, the sky was completely dark.

Only then did this entire menu of training come to an end.

One had to admire these freshmen. Despite almost fainting many times, they stubbornly persevered, and throughout the process, no one fell behind.

It was truly unbelievable…

Even Sawamura and Miyuki had to give their new first-year Kohais a second look.

"They really are impressive!"

They had no choice but to admit this. It was the truth.

Even though the freshmen were in terrible shape, with probably not many left who were still fully conscious, they still held on.

This persistence was stronger than Furuya and Kominato when they were freshmen.

"Today's training is over!"

Coach Kataoka's voice sounded like an angel's.

The team let out a huge sigh of relief.

Especially the freshmen, whose bodies were on the verge of collapsing.

"Miyuki, take the rest and run ten last laps."

When Coach Kataoka finished that last sentence, three of the freshmen immediately collapsed.

Lee-Hyun, Hirota, and Matsumoto.

The gap between these three, with their weaker foundations, and the four others with stronger ones, became apparent in an instant.

It was unavoidable.

As Coach Kataoka had once said, sweat doesn't lie.

Yuuki, Nishiyama, Yui, and Okumura.

The main reason they could still keep going was because they had trained thoroughly in middle school.

In other words, their foundations were solid.

In contrast, Lee-Hyun, who had come from an unconventional background, and Hirota and Matsumoto, who had only received basic guidance from Sawamura,

Were clearly lacking by a significant margin.

The final ten laps were bound to be much harder for them.

When everyone finished running,

Kanemaru wiped the sweat off his forehead and asked Sawamura beside him,

"Shower first, or eat something?"

When the team manager brought the rice balls, they had just eaten a little.

It wasn't enough to practice on an empty stomach.

"Let's shower first, then eat, and then a few night swings."

Upon hearing the conversation between the two, Toujou, Haruichi, and Furuya also approached.

"Heh, how could I miss out!"

"Let's go!"

Clearly, these three were planning to join them.

"Zono, are planning to swing extra today," Kuramochi asked Maezono.

"Only 200 for today, as my body was still adjusting."

"Then let's go after the meal, I want to use the pitching machine," Miyuki added from the side.

"Count me in, I want to try the highest velocity with the new machine!" Shiratsu was also interested.

"Oh, you want to try the 160+ speed!"

"I too want to try that!"

The third-year Senpais were also chatting and laughing even planning to train after, while the four freshmen who had just finished running completely collapsed.

Okumura, who had once appeared as an RPG game Protagonist, was now the street beggar.

Among the four freshmen with solid foundations, his was the weakest.

The other three were practically monsters, looking nothing like freshmen.

If it weren't for the Senpai players from the Seidou High School baseball team setting the standard, it would be hard for anyone to believe that those three were freshmen.

They had barely managed to keep up with the pace.

But after reaching the finish line, they had completely collapsed and couldn't get back up.

Okumura, the handsome young man, dropped straight to the ground.

His stomach churned violently, and before long, he vomited again.

At that moment, hearing the laughter nearby,

he glanced over with the corner of his eye.

Sawamura, Miyuki, and the other Senpais, illuminated by the field light, appeared to shine.

At that moment, they looked incredibly tall.

They seemed to tower over everyone.

Before this, Okumura had sworn more than once to pull Miyuki, the starting catcher, down from his position.

But now, looking at the man who was laughing and talking,

Okumura realized for the first time just how naive and unrealistic his thoughts were.

The person standing before him was like an inviolable titan.

How could he possibly defeat him?

In the shadows, three other disheveled figures were slowly moving forward, at a pace that was hardly faster than a snail's.

Although Coach Kataoka had never explicitly stated the order, the Seidou High School baseball team had a strict rule:

Players who couldn't complete all the training in hellish training would not be eligible to participate in the summer tournament.

…