Chapter 94: Surpassing Your Limits!

The newcomers began to gradually show the results of their training.

Some were pleasantly surprising, others were very surprising...

Overall, Coach Kataoka and the coaches of the Seidou High School Baseball Team were quite satisfied.

Of course, the purpose of Seidou High School's training camp couldn't just be for these newcomers.

The most important goal was still to allow the players to gain something before the summer tournament.

This was crucial for both the individual players and the Seidou High School Baseball Team as a collective.

This was extremely important.

However, there was still one issue that had not been resolved.

This was also the biggest mental block for the current players of the Seidou High School Baseball Team.

This mental block mainly stemmed from the previous year's Senpais.

For the second- and third-year players on the Seidou High School Baseball Team, they didn't lack confidence.

Whether it was the spring Koshien or the game against the Manhattan Dream Team,

They had showcased their top-tier abilities and strength.

This made the teammates of the Seidou High School Baseball Team very confident.

But from the beginning to the end, very few had that true king's mentality.

"I Am Strong! Seidou Is Strong!"

Apart from Sawamura, Miyuki, and Kuramochi, none of the other key players had such confidence.

Why was that?

Actually, it was quite simple. Because in those players' hearts, there was always one mental knot.

That was, no matter how hard they worked, they felt they could never surpass those previous third-year Senpais.

Yuuki Tetsuya!

Isashiki Jun!

Kominato Ryosuke!

Masuko Toru!

Takigawa Chris!

As soon as these names and figures appeared before their eyes, they couldn't help but feel inferior.

How could they compare to those great Senpais?

Especially during last year's training camp, when they stood until the end, their figures left an incredibly deep impression on everyone's mind.

If they couldn't surpass those third-year Senpais, did they truly have the qualification to represent the invincible Seidou High School Baseball Team?

This question troubled all the players of the Seidou High School Baseball Team.

They could never find the answer they were looking for in their hearts…

As the training camp neared its end, this feeling became more pronounced.

The Sixth Day of Training, Noon

The members of the Seidou High School Baseball Team gathered in the team's dedicated cafeteria for lunch.

Sawamura, Toujou, Kanemaru, Furuya, and Kominato.

These same-grade teammates gathered once again.

Apart from Sawamura and Furuya, the other three looked particularly heavy-hearted.

Or perhaps it should be said that they were uneasy.

In the afternoon, they would face the final test of the grueling special training. They didn't know if they would be able to survive it.

They felt that compared to the Senpais like Yuuki Tetsuya, there was still a huge gap.

Originally, Sawamura was enjoying his meal, but seeing his teammates unable to eat, his own food didn't seem as appetizing either.

As a friend, he felt he had the responsibility to help his teammates.

"You can't even eat your meal?"

Upon hearing Sawamura speak, everyone turned their eyes to him.

Even though they often bicker, they still sincerely trust Sawamura.

"Seidou has a tradition, and we can see some clues from our dorm arrangements. It's not just you who feel confused. In the past, all the Senpais in Seidou High School Baseball Team had the same confusion. The Senpais we now see as unattainable peaks were once considered worthless by the Senpais who came before them when they first joined the team. But after Seidou's training and development, their final strength was incredibly strong, wasn't it?"

"Our talent is even greater than those Senpais, and your training is even more intense than theirs…"

Sawamura seriously observed his teammates around him.

His eyes seemed to shine, looking dazzling as always.

"Believe in yourselves more guy. Right now, your strength absolutely isn't worse than those Senpais from before."

If these words were spoken by someone else, his teammates might not believe them.

They were more inclined to trust their own feelings than what others said.

But coming from Sawamura, the credibility of these words increased significantly.

Partly because his teammates had an extraordinary trust in Sawamura.

And partly because Sawamura himself had been a main member of the previous year's team.

'That's right, after entering the team, we have all walked step by step.'

'We didn't sweat less than anyone else, nor shed fewer tears.'

'There's no reason not to be confident!'

Sawamura's words gave a strong boost to his teammates.

It immediately filled them with motivation.

Yes, why shouldn't they be confident?

By the time afternoon practice started, these guys were full of energy, with determined eyes.

The results and effects of their practice were much better than the previous days.

In the Dudout

Watching this scene, Coach Kataoka and Coach Ochiai exchanged a look, their eyes filled with satisfaction.

It seemed the special training had achieved its purpose.

First, they pushed the players to their limits, making them feel worthless.

Then they had let up slightly, allowing everyone to gradually perform better.

Every minute and every second they could see their own progress.

The improvement in the players' abilities was secondary. The most important thing was that after such a trial, the players' mindset would undergo a radical transformation.

Sure enough...

The Seidou High School Baseball Team players had transformed in a way that surprised both the Coach and the coaching staff.

Not just this time, but this method has been used many times before.

Sometimes the results were a little worse, sometimes a little better.

But overall, everyone had definitely improved.

After a series of physical training, they began the final defensive drills.

This session was longer than any previous one.

After completing their drills, Sawamura and Furuya were forbidden from joining the final defense drill.

Especially Sawamura, the Coach talked to him personally.

"Your teammates need to instinctively know that they are strong even without you. So in the final drill, I want you to watch from the side and judge if they are strong enough to have your back!"

What the Coach didn't say at that time was he wanted Sawamura to be more relaxed when he trust his teammates, it would lower the burden on his shoulders and make his performance better.

So Sawamura and Furuya could only watch from the side for this one.

Not just them, but all the players from the second-year class had gathered.

They all knew that the next practice would be the conclusion of the whole training camp.

Last year, five Senpais had endured until the end.

They wondered how many people this year would make it to the end.

Three batters continuously hit baseballs into the field!

The players responsible for defense caught each one.

The three batters had already been replaced twice.

But the defenders in the field didn't have a single replacement.

"Bring it on!"

"Hit the ball over!"

"Out of strength? If you're out of strength, just switch out."

By the end, the defenders even began to directly taunt the batters.

The three tired batters were truly being tested.

In fact, this wasn't surprising...

This year, far more players than before were participating in Seidou's combined practice.

They were all practicing on the same field, and it seemed like there were people everywhere.

Because of this, their defensive tasks were made easier.

And those who had originally helped with training had to control where the balls they hit went...

Naturally, the batters were at a disadvantage.

Of course, everything here was relative.

While the batters were exhausted, the first-year defenders were even more tired.

Just as they had just regained their strength, this practice had drained them completely.

They were now struggling to take even a few steps.

Never mind defending.

'When will this end?'

At this moment, there was only one thought in their minds.

The little bit of strength they had just regained had already been completely exhausted in this practice.

"If you're feeling unwell, you can step down. No one will blame you."

A catching error caused Lee-Hyun to fall to the ground. He took a long time to get up.

Kuramochi's eyes flashed with a hint of care as he gently persuaded him.

This practice wasn't specifically targeted at the newcomers.

For Lee-Hyun to last until now was already very impressive.

When Lee-Hyun finally got up again, he didn't listen as obediently as before.

He resolutely shook his head and repositioned himself.

'How stubborn!'

Kuramochi silently sighed.

There were others in the same situation as Lee-Hyun, including Nishiyama, Yui, and Yuuki.

Matsumoto and Hirota were also stubborn, but at this point, they could no longer move.

These third-year Senpais directly carried them off the field.

When they were taken off, they weren't met with any reprimands; instead, the first-year players applauded.

At this moment, the other first-year players finally understood.

Why Coach Kataoka had selected them to participate in the combined training with the first team, rather than others…

There was a reason for everything.

As Hirota and Matsumoto were carried off, Sawamura's eyes flashed with regret.

Although their fighting spirit was strong and their spirit was commendable,

That still didn't change anything.

Those who could remain in the first team, earning their spot, would never be carried off the field...

In this final test, both of his Kohais hadn't passed Coach Kataoka and the coaching staff's assessment.

Although the practice games hadn't been played yet, their performance in the last three practice games was still unknown...

But in reality, they had already been eliminated from the competition for a spot on the first team.

At least they needed to wait until Coach Kataoka stood up.

Fifteen minutes after Matsumoto and the others were carried off, Coach Kataoka stepped forward.

"All First-year players, leave the field!"

Coach Kataoka personally gave the first order after he arrived: to send the first-year players, whose stamina had completely run out, off the field.

The Coach's command was not to be disobeyed.

Even if Lee-Hyun and the others didn't want to leave, there was nothing they could do.

And in reality, they had already completely exhausted themselves.

Staying on the field by force was completely meaningless.

Thus, all the first-year players left the field.

The remaining players were all second- and third-year players.

Ping!

"What's Wrong?! Your Defense Is Full Of Holes!!"

"WILL YOU DO THE SAME IN GAMES TOO?!!"

Ping!

"Move This Body!!"

Ping!

"Pump Those Legs More!!"

"It is time! I want more people near the left field!" On the side, Coach Ochiai was arranging the second and third-string players to help maintain the field and get the training running.

"Kariba, let's go!"

"Alright!"

Seeing the training started, Sawamura stood still and moved to the weight room with Kariba.

After Sawamura returned from America, he asked Coach Ochiai if there was a way to improve his physical strength without affecting his characteristics.

He felt his strength was not enough when he saw Allen pitching, so Sawamura was looking for a way to improve on this point.

Hearing his request, Ochiai, to Sawamura's surprise, had a solution.

"You are still young, so your body will naturally be flexible. Let's make use of that and use the normal specific menu for pitchers and make adjustments for it to suit you." 

The menu required him to do specific weight training but not completely as he would need the help of someone.

For example, he will lift the weights up and his helper will carry it down for him, his helper will pull the weight equipment for him and he will return it. This is to ensure he only develops certain muscles and keeps his joints free and flexible, preserving his characteristics.

"For now this should be enough to improve your strength. However, the moment you feel it is affecting your pitching we will pull the plug on it immediately. You will have another sup menu for stretching and flexibility training too."

He also told him that this would only be foundational, and if he wanted to improve further in the Pro Leagues, he would have to hire an expert trainer for this.

Sawamura was very grateful that he found a clue on this point, he couldn't slack off now when his friends were doing their best!

Two hours later!

The sky had already darkened, but the competition on the field continued.

After three and a half hours of defensive practice, the remaining players were on the field.

Still hadn't given up!

Although their stamina had long passed the limit, and their bodies were constantly groaning in pain,

Not one of them chose to back down.

"This practice will continue. Turn on the lights…"

President Ota asked the managers to turn on the field lights.

The lights of the night practice were turned on.

The whole field was illuminated as brightly as day.

The practice continued, and whenever someone couldn't keep going, Ochiai would immediately have someone step in to help them off the field.

By the end, only a few remained on the field.

These were the first baseman, Maezono!

Second baseman, Kominato Haruichi!!

Third baseman, Kanemaru, Higasa.

Left fielder, Asou!

Center fielder, Toujou!

And right fielder, Shiratsu.

These eight players, aside from Shiratsu and Kuramochi, were somewhat unexpected.

In their impression, even last year, it didn't seem like so many players stayed on the field.

And, it seemed that no second-year players stayed.

But this year, there was someone left in each position.

"Wow!" The freshmen who were watching this had their mouths wide agape, they couldn't believe what they were seeing.

"Are they even humans at this point?!"

"How long will they keep going?!"

"Do they even need to go this far?"

"It had been hours already!!"

"Is the Coach still from this planet at this point?"

"He has been hitting the entire time!"

They were like a strong barrier, firmly protecting the Seidou High School Baseball Team's back.

"RAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!"

Kuramochi let out a long, passionate cry!

At this moment, he was the core of Seidou's defense.

Not only Kanemaru and the others had felt confused, but Kuramochi had once been uncertain as well.

Could they really surpass the Senpais from before?

Now, everything had an answer.

Even though everyone was in a sorry state, none of them were lying on the ground unable to get up.

Before Coach Kataoka could speak, Kanemaru shouted out himself.

"One more ball!!"

"I can still go on!!"

At this moment, last year's scenes appeared continuously in all the players' minds.

One by one, they stood up and took their defensive stances.

"One more ball!!"

"Bring it on!!!!!!"

We are strong!

We have inherited Seidou's Will!

At this moment, the hearts of all the Seidou High School Baseball Team players were tightly connected.

"Alright! The last one!!"

Coach Kataoka, as expected, hit the last pitch.

Ping!

Kuramochi staggered forward a few steps but managed to catch the ball.

"Good, training is now over!"

"Bow!"

"THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!!!"

This scene was deeply engraved in the minds of every player present, and they would never forget it.

It was at this moment that the freshmen understood the meaning of Seidou's slogan.

They trained more than anyone, they persisted more than anyone.

And one day they will have to do the same too!

At this moment, they were glad they had come to Seidou!

Even Coach Ochiai was deeply moved.

After seeing the training end, he felt goosebumps all over his body, trembling with excitement.

At this moment, he was incredibly glad that he could come to Seidou High School.

It was really great!

Sawamura who had finished his final run a while ago smiled slightly and was the first to turn and leave.

I have to say, his teammates really surprised him.

Even compared to the Senpais from last year, these teammates didn't fall short at all…

With such reliable teammates behind him, what did he have to worry about?

...

T/N: Well, That's it for now!

As always, Thank you all for reading!!

Have a good day people!

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