Chapter 93: The Threshold

Extreme training is like a touchstone.

Those with true talent quickly start to stand out.

On the fifth day, when everyone was doing defense practice together, the new players who were already exhausted experienced a rebirth.

They gradually began to adapt to their physical condition and slowly started catching some balls.

Of course, expecting them to perform spectacularly was out of the question.

The main reason they felt revived was that Coach Kataoka and the coaching staff had relaxed the pressure on them.

If the previous exertion was at 100%, leaving the players with no energy at all, now the pressure was at 90%. There was still enough left to let them catch a breath.

And these new players did not disappoint Coach Kataoka's expectations.

They were given a little bit of sunshine, and they immediately began to shine.

When everyone started to shine, the gap in their abilities became apparent.

Sawamura's two Kohais had been quite eye-catching in earlier performances, but during this training, their weak fundamentals completely showed.

Their bodies were stiff, and their limbs were not agile...

Among all the new players, they ranked last and second to last in terms of performance.

Matsumoto, as a catcher, also did some catching practice. The final result wasn't ideal, and he looked quite awkward...

On the other hand, there was Okumura.

When the pressure on him was just slightly relaxed, his catching performance immediately improved by a large margin.

Yui Kaoru, Nishiyama, and Yuuki...

These three also began to show their strength.

Snap!

Nishiyama slid forward and steadily caught the ball that his Senpai had hit into his mitt.

Then he passed it to first base, where Yuuki was.

"Good!"

"As expected of a world runner-up!"

In the Seidou baseball team, the veteran players who were helping with the training were generous with their praise.

When the players performed poorly, their words could make them want to pull their hair out…

But when you did well, they truly praised you.

Perhaps some might find it hard to get used to, but once you get used to the environment here, Seidou High School's baseball team becomes the perfect paradise for anyone who loves baseball.

Through these repeated exercises, the freshmen gradually regained their confidence and feeling.

This training system was not invented by Coach Kataoka.

Nor was it proposed by any of the current coaching staff at Seidou High School's baseball team.

It was a tradition that existed in the team before, and Coach Kataoka inherited it and expanded upon it.

After undergoing this kind of baptism, the players could re-evaluate themselves and look at themselves from another perspective and dimension.

If nothing unexpected happens, players generally perform better after this training.

It's a transformation and growth!

While the freshmen are getting training, it also serves as motivation for the upperclassmen.

Take Kawakami, for example.

He watched as Nishiyama jumped ahead of him and caught the ball.

His eyes narrowed tightly.

'These guys!!'

Sometimes you have to admit that life is unfair. Like the new freshmen at Seidou High School this year, their talent and strength are simply enviable!

And the more this happens, the more Kawakami and the other third-year Senpais feel they can't lose.

They absolutely don't want to lose to these younger players who are two grades below them.

With this belief in mind, the third-year Senpais' performances became more and more impressive.

Those whose positions were not particularly secure had to fight for a spot in the 20-player main roster.

Those who were secure had to fight for a starting position.

As third-year Senpais, they absolutely did not want to give up these positions to the newcomers.

Thus, they competed fiercely, neither giving an inch.

Their performances kept improving...

Especially Nishiyama and Yui, the two players who had participated in world competitions. Their defense performance in this round truly impressed everyone.

At first, it seemed like other freshmen had gradually caught up with them, but after this round of comparison, the gap was clear.

A person's vision and past experiences are closely related.

Nishiyama Kibo, Yui Kaoru!

The Youth they experienced was clearly much more exciting than the others.

While some performed admirably, there were others whose performances fell short.

Under pressure from the freshmen, Takatsu showed signs of impatience.

Although his overall performance improved after the Coach relaxed the pressure on him, compared to the newcomers, he had no advantage, and his weaknesses became even more apparent…

"What a pity!"

Coach Ochiai saw everything and understood Takatsu's mentality.

Sawamura, Furuya, Kominato, Kanemaru, Toujou.

Although not many from this batch could be selected for the first team, every single one was essentially an important player or at least a regular starter.

They held very important positions in the entire first team.

Takatsu, who had once been on par with these players, had sunk into the second team and had yet to be promoted.

Anyone encountering such a situation wouldn't be able to avoid some feelings.

Takatsu desperately wanted to stay in the first team and hoped to show his abilities.

Perhaps it was because he was too anxious that he failed to perform well...

At the end of the day, his mentality wasn't as strong as those first-year players.

Even if his abilities were slightly better than theirs, at this point, it didn't give him any advantage.

"Lee-Hyun!"

While Coach Ochiai was lost in thought, a loud shout suddenly came from the field.

Following the sound, Coach Ochiai looked over.

Someone had hit the ball toward the shortstop position.

Kuramochi was too far from the spot and couldn't get there in time.

So, he loudly called out to his Kohai.

During this practice, the task assigned to Lee-Hyun was to play shortstop.

From this arrangement, it could be seen that Coach Kataoka and the coaching staff had high expectations for him.

They truly hoped that Lee-Hyun would take over Kuramochi's role and become the main shortstop for the next team!

This arrangement had already become quite obvious in the Seidou High School baseball team.

Okumura, Yui Kaoru, to cover for the catcher.

Yuuki to cover for first base.

Nishiyama to cover for Kawakami…

Such arrangements, though unspoken by the coaching staff, were things everyone could sense.

Before Kuramochi even shouted, Lee-Hyun had already started moving.

His expression was one of great pain, and every step he took consumed a tremendous amount of energy.

He looked on the verge of collapsing as if he could fall at any moment.

But even so, he still managed to pick up the ball and pass it to first base.

Snap!

The player at first base, Maezono, was left speechless.

Before this, Lee-Hyun's performance had been equated with Matsumoto and Hirota.

Compared to players like Nishiyama, Yui Kaoru, Yuuki, and Okumura, these players who had already gained fame, their fundamentals were equally weak, and their performance was inevitably less than impressive.

From Maezono's perspective, if it weren't for Lee-Hyun's unique traits, he wouldn't have had the qualifications to stay in the first team.

But now, Lee-Hyun's performance had far surpassed Matsumoto and Hirota.

Even compared to Yui Kaoru and the others, he was no less impressive.

It was almost unbelievable!

"Haha, kid, you're good!!"

Kuramochi didn't hold back his praise for his disciple.

Although he was usually a very strict mentor, seeing Lee-Hyun's performance now filled Kuramochi with pride.

In the bullpen, Coach Kataoka and Coach Ochiai also watched the scene closely.

"He learned it so quickly!"

Coach Ochiai's voice was filled with admiration.

Actually, during earlier practices, they had already noticed that Lee-Hyun had talent in this area.

But they hadn't expected him to learn it so quickly.

Even when he is this tired, his body moves before his brain!

This was also the threshold for the first team.

Coach Kataoka remained silent, his demeanor unusually aloof.

It was hard for anyone to tell what he was really thinking from his face.

…

T/N: Feel free to leave a Comment guys!

And Powerstones are much much welcomed!