Chapter 77: Halo

"That first-year kid, can he really do it?"

"Since Coach Kataoka dared to put him in at this critical moment, he must have some skill, right?"

"But in such a big scene, with such a critical situation..."

When Coach Kataoka substituted Lee-Hyun into the game, not just the general public but even the die-hard supporters of the Seidou High School baseball team couldn't understand it at all.

Although they could guess that Lee-Hyun was fast, they also knew that in such a situation, relying solely on speed was not enough to steal a base and score.

Moreover, the players from Inajitsu High School were not fools. Although they might not have had any information about Lee-Hyun before, it was obvious from the fact that Coach Kataoka substituted Miyuki for Lee-Hyun that Lee-Hyun's speed must be remarkable.

"Inajitsu's baseball team will surely do everything they can to stop Lee-Hyun from stealing a base!"

"Not to mention, how long has that kid even been playing baseball? His stealing technique—how good could it really be...?"

These concerns came from the most loyal supporters of Seidou High School baseball. If possible, they would try to think positively and defend Coach Kataoka a little.

After all, Coach Kataoka had coached Seidou High School's baseball team for so many years, leading them to dominate Koshien twice. His prestige in the Seidou baseball team was very high.

He was the true leader of the Seidou baseball team.

Even if his decision couldn't be understood right away, his supporters wouldn't hold it against him.

That's the kind of prestige Coach Kataoka had earned.

But the crowd at Jingu Stadium wasn't just made up of Seidou High School baseball team supporters. There were also many neutral fans and loyal supporters of Inashiro.

Even some private fans of Sawamura were highly skeptical of Coach Kataoka's decision.

Lee-Hyun had shown no performance in previous matches. When he was first promoted, many people thought he had used backdoor channels to get there.

Even though they trusted Coach Kataoka's integrity, the Seidou fans could only think that the promotion of Lee-Hyun was part of their plan to develop new talent.

But as for his skill? Not good enough, for sure!

Even though Lee-Hyun might have some potential, he was absolutely not someone the team could trust with their victory.

This couldn't be described as bold; it was reckless.

Recklessly blind, with no regard for the consequences.

"Has Coach Kataoka lost it?"

"Maybe they've already given up on the game and are using it to train new players?"

"Isn't it too early to give up? The score difference is only one point, and Seidou isn't out of the game yet."

"Maybe he wants to pull off an unexpected win! This substitution is definitely unexpected for the Inashiro team."

"Not just for Inashiro, I bet nobody expected this in the entire stadium, right?"

When people speak cynically, they never show mercy.

After Coach Kataoka made that decision, the Seidou High School baseball team, which had been so confident, was immediately met with ridicule.

No longer did they think Seidou was simply unlucky—some even said that the team brought it on themselves.

Not only the amateurs but also the scouts and veteran journalists from the Baseball Kingdom, including Fujio, were confused.

When they saw Coach Kataoka make the substitution, their first thought wasn't that he had gone mad, but why he made that choice.

Experience told them that, though his style was different, Coach Kataoka was a very capable Coach and wouldn't make reckless decisions.

He would never give up on winning!

When looking at someone, you can't just judge how they perform when things are going well. The key is how they act when things are tough.

Coach Kataoka had been guiding the Seidou baseball team for many years now—nearly eight years.

Apart from the last couple of years, which were highly successful, the previous six years had not been smooth sailing.

They had missed several opportunities to make it to Koshien.

But honestly, Coach Kataoka's ability to coach players was unquestionable.

Every year, the Seidou baseball team was strong, competitive, and could hold their own against any powerhouse team.

They just lacked a little luck and hadn't found their true ace, so Seidou hadn't been able to shine in the highly competitive environment of Western Tokyo.

Even under such tough circumstances, with many strong competitors stealing away players, Coach Kataoka stuck to his style and turned the Seidou baseball team into a powerhouse.

'Now that Seidou was on the rise, how could Coach Kataoka simply give up on winning?'

Since he wasn't giving up, the only other possibility for putting Lee-Hyun in was to win in an unexpected way!

This unknown first-year player, at least in Coach Kataoka's eyes, was qualified to be a secret weapon!

This made Fujio and many coaches and scouts from professional teams begin to take Lee-Hyun seriously.

"Han Lee-Hyun."

Just hearing his name, it was clear he wasn't Japanese.

"This was very interesting—if he could perform well in the game, it would make big news."

There were another two people whose eyes were particularly focused on the situation.

Their names were Ji-Hoon and Hyo-Lin, they were Lee-Hyun's friends and his fellow members of the exchange program in Seidou.

When they heard that Lee-Hyun actually became a member of Seidou's baseball team this fast, they were completely surprised. And since then, they watched every game of Seidou to cheer for the team and maybe see their friend play.

But Ji-Hoon and Hyo-Lin knew that was a far cry, especially Ji-Hoon who is familiar with baseball and knew that Seidou's team won't put a complete rookie in a game.

However, this is exactly what happened!

The Coach of Seidou has replaced the Captain of the team with this rookie and in such a dangerous game.

'Wil-Will he be alright?" Hyo-Lin couldn't help but ask her heart feeling completely anxious, how could Lee-Hyun play in front of all of these people made her mind blank.

"He will be fine, I think…" Ji-Hoon didn't know what to say, he was too shocked to know what to think.

So for now, he could only wish luck for his friend and watch.

Ji-Hoon felt that when Lee-Hyun stood on first base, he seemed to have an aura around him that attracted the attention of everyone in the stadium.

He silently marveled, wondering why he hadn't noticed before that Lee-Hyun had such charm.

This wasn't just his illusion; at this moment, Lee-Hyun truly was drawing the gaze of everyone in the stadium.

Standing on first base, he had clearly become the center of attention.

At this moment, he had been substituted for the original player, the captain of the Seidou High School baseball team, Miyuki.

The weight of Seidou High School's win or loss in the game rested almost entirely on Lee-Hyun's shoulders, so how could he not be the center of attention?

For a moment, the entire stadium became quiet.

Everyone focused their attention on Lee-Hyun, waiting to see how he would perform.

At that moment, Lee-Hyun, standing on first base, wasn't paying attention to all of this.

He was incredibly nervous, feeling as if his heart was lodged in his throat, ready to leap out at any moment.

He couldn't even remember what it felt like to breathe, and it seemed like he was struggling for air.

Before the game, Kuramochi had repeatedly reminded him by tapping his head.

"Take a deep breath first, don't get nervous, and act the moment you see the opportunity!!"

Kuramochi truly cared for Lee-Hyun, and seeing him so nervous made him more anxious than if he were the one on the field.

Lee-Hyun was extremely grateful for this, but it also put even more pressure on him.

The entire team's victory depended on him, and he was so nervous that he didn't even know what he should be thinking at that moment.

He just kept staring at the pitcher, Narumiya, with his mind completely blank.

He couldn't think of anything, couldn't remember anything, and was just foolishly staring.

On the pitcher's mound, Narumiya had noticed Lee-Hyun's behavior as well.

Seidou High School had made this substitution, and it was Kazuya who had been replaced.

The Inashiro players couldn't ignore Lee-Hyun.

Narumiya had glared at Lee-Hyun several times, clearly understanding that if Coach Kataoka had substituted him now, it meant one thing:

'This guy's speed—or rather, his base-stealing skills—had definitely given Coach Kataoka a lot of confidence.'

If that wasn't the case, Narumiya couldn't think of any other reason why Seidou High School would make such a substitution at this point.

Having analyzed this information, Narumiya had no choice but to keep a close eye on Lee-Hyun.

However, every time Narumiya tried to observe him, Lee-Hyun remained obedient and still.

Although he had left the base, he hadn't strayed more than three meters from it.

At this distance, even if Narumiya attempted a pick-off move, it would have no effect.

So, before pitching, Narumiya tried to tempt Lee-Hyun to steal the base.

But Lee-Hyun stood there, like a fool, motionless.

He didn't even look like he was about to steal.

Narumiya was getting a headache!

'What was the purpose of Seidou's substitution?'

'Wasn't it to make him steal the base and create an opportunity for the team?'

'But this guy was acting like a fool.'

Narumiya had given him the chance, yet he did nothing.

He didn't even look like he was trying to steal.

That kind of behavior was so frustrating!

Finally, Narumiya had no choice but to ignore him and focus on dealing with the batter.

The batter was Maezono!

This opponent looked intimidating, like a furious demon from hell.

But in terms of skill, he wasn't outstanding compared to the many excellent batters in Seidou High School's lineup.

Narumiya was confident he could deal with him.

Narumiya got ready to pitch.

At that moment, Lee-Hyun, who had been standing motionless on first base, suddenly became alert as Narumiya lifted his foot.

His dormant instincts came alive!

When a person is unconscious, they often act based on past habits.

For the past few months, Lee-Hyun had trained a lot on base stealing. And because of his speed, Seidou had trained him in simple and direct drills.

There was no need to start running early or look for the right moment.

He just needed to run the moment the pitcher started his windup.

"But what if the pitcher throws a pick-off?"

Lee-Hyun had raised the question himself. If he started running and the pitcher suddenly threw a pick-off, wouldn't he be done for?

"Once the pitcher takes a step to throw the ball, he can't throw a pick-off anymore! If he does, it's a pitcher error and you can advance to the next base."

Being a complete beginner was tough, but there were moments of fun in it.

For example, he would ask the kind of questions that only beginners would ask.

A pitcher's performance can be influenced by their current condition.

The batter's performance can also be affected by their condition.

And these influences can be very significant.

Even the most skilled baseball players can't avoid this.

But there's one thing that is usually not influenced by condition, and that is speed!

Even if speed is affected, the impact is very small.

Even when unconscious, Lee-Hyun was able to unleash his speed.

Although this wasn't his peak speed, it was still unstoppable.

Like a streak of blue light, he instantly left first base!

He bolted toward second base!

The catcher, Tadano, wasn't surprised by Lee-Hyun's action at all.

In fact, he would have been more surprised if Lee-Hyun hadn't attempted to steal.

From the moment Coach Kataoka substituted Lee-Hyun, the Inashiro players had already anticipated this would happen.

So, they remained calm.

Tadano was ready to throw the ball to second base.

The shortstop, Shirakawa, was already prepared and waiting.

Inashiro had made all the preparations, just waiting for Lee-Hyun to attempt the steal.

If he didn't make a move, it was fine, but the moment he did, Inashiro planned to tag him out at second base.

No matter what Seidou's players had been planning, as soon as Lee-Hyun was Out, all their strategies would be useless.

'Eh...!!'

Although he now understood what to do, Lee-Hyun's speed still left Tadano speechless.

Inashiro had a speed monster like Carlos, whose speed was top-tier not just in Tokyo but nationwide.

A true speedster!

But compared to Lee-Hyun, even Carlos wouldn't need a stopwatch.

Tadano could feel that Lee-Hyun's speed surpassed even Carlos.

Narumiya's pitch hadn't even been thrown yet, and Lee-Hyun had already covered half the distance!

SNAP!

By the time Narumiya's ball was caught by Tadano, and Tadano got ready to throw to second base, he saw that Lee-Hyun had already reached second base!

Before the ball had even left Tadano's hand, Lee-Hyun's foot was already on second base.

The entire stadium fell silent!

Everyone was immersed in Lee-Hyun's speed.

Just as Ji-Hoon had thought earlier, at that moment, Lee-Hyun seemed to be glowing with an aura around him.

And this aura was so dazzling, it was blinding.

After a full half-second, the umpire at second base finally called out.

"SAFE!!"

Lee-Hyun successfully reached second base!

The stadium, which had been silent, erupted into a sea of joy after a few seconds.

"WOOOOOAAAAAAHHHH!!!"

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