"Has everyone finished testing? Let's move on to the next!"
The supervising coach immediately inquired among those present.
Although he called names one by one, the sheer number of participants made it easy for someone to slip through the cracks.
"M-Me!"
From the back of the crowd, a hand shot up.
"I haven't been tested!"
This person had been hidden among the throng and was barely noticeable.
As he stepped forward, everyone turned around, revealing a rather good-looking young man.
He stood at just over 1.7 meters, and while not heavily built, he was more slender compared to most baseball players.
With a youthful face and a hint of shyness.
The moment he saw him, he caught Sawamura's full attention.
"What is your name?"
"Han Lee-Hyun!"
As soon as he spoke, a commotion erupted.
Previously, when they said there was a foreign exchange student joining Seidou's team, everyone was interested. There are not many foreigners in Japan, and foreign students in high school baseball clubs are even rarer. So everyone expected they would see and recognize the guy when they saw him.
But it seemed that was not the case.
This young man had hidden behind the crowd and had no presence at all.
Everyone seemed to have overlooked him.
It was no wonder the players were careless; there were over 130 participants in the tests.
In such a crowd, it's hard to focus on just one person.
Not to mention that among these 130 people, there were a dozen who were already well-known.
Compared to them, Han Lee-Hyun's presence was even weaker.
The young man stepped forward, his face filled with embarrassment. He looked uncomfortable under the gazes of so many.
"Let's begin!"
Sawamura held a pen in one hand and a notebook in the other, making sure to look calm.
Han Lee-Hyun's Japanese was evidently not fluent. After pondering for a moment, he finally understood Sawamura's intention.
Nodding at Sawamura, he walked directly to the testing area.
As he stepped forward, murmurs arose in the crowd.
"He didn't use honorifics!"
"He just learned; he probably doesn't know yet."
"That's hard to say. I heard people from South Korea..."
Sawamura ignored the gossip around him.
However, he held no ill feelings toward Han Lee-Hyun.
Every country and region has its customs. The practice of bowing and being overly polite isn't universal.
Having spent nearly ten years in the Major League before his regression, Sawamura had met all kinds of people.
In that light, Han Lee-Hyun's nod was quite respectful.
Some of his friends from his past life might have even hugged him regardless of the situation or status.
All of that made Sawamura remember some of the friends he knew before his regression.
Lost in his thoughts, Sawamura didn't pay much attention to Han Lee-Hyun's performance.
But when Lee-Hyun finished, a gasp of astonishment echoed around them.
'Hm? Was he also talented in that area?'
Sawamura looked up in surprise.
Given Nishiyama's performance earlier, it was hard to believe Lee-Hyun could attract such attention.
Just how far did this Lee-Hyun throw?
Sawamura squinted at the boundary more than 100 meters away, and it seemed there was no small white ball in sight.
Huh?
He focused his gaze, trying to get a clearer view.
No sign of it at 90 meters!
No sign of it at 80 meters!!!
No sign of it at 70 meters!!!
Sawamura's expression grew increasingly strange. Could this kid have thrown the ball into outer space?
His pupils widened and then narrowed into a line as he processed the results.
The ball landed at 18 meters!
'Life is indeed full of surprises.'
Sawamura looked at Han Lee-Hyun in disbelief. Even the previous worst performer had thrown three times farther!
Lee-Hyun's face was flushed bright red.
In broken Japanese, he stammered, "My hand slipped!"
Sawamura nodded, understanding, and said, "Let's try again!"
After all, everyone makes mistakes; it's possible to have an off day.
Under the expectant gazes of the crowd, Han Lee-Hyun began his second performance.
This time was definitely better than the first, but the result was still lackluster.
"57 meters!"
While this result wasn't the worst, he was certainly among the bottom three.
It was hard to believe such a player had been specially recruited.
Takashima Rei felt utterly embarrassed!
'What a mistake!!'
Even at the risk of clashing with the board of directors, she absolutely wouldn't allow Han Lee-Hyun to become a member.
Otherwise, it would be unfair to the other failed recruits.
"I can't believe a player like this got specially recruited?"
In the freshman team, Takuma exclaimed in disbelief.
After watching the performances of other players, he thought this year's freshmen were impressive. He never expected someone like Han Lee-Hyun to show up, especially after traveling all the way to Japan to play baseball. (He didn't, it is what the freshmen think.)
"You can't say that. Maybe he's just curious about joining the baseball team," replied a freshman next to him.
"This isn't entirely untrue."
Usually, international students join different school clubs out of curiosity.
If it were an ordinary school, this behavior might not raise eyebrows, but at a Famous Team, it becomes a bit problematic.
In an average school, since the overall strength isn't very strong, simply gathering enough participants suffices, and they might still find some opportunities.
However, elite teams are different. Prestigious Schools are often seen as the talent hub for professional baseball.
Most players here are aiming for a shot at the pros. They learn baseball and hone their skills, and if they excel, they'll naturally move on to professional leagues.
Even if they don't make it to the top, they can still mention their dedication in their high school graduation comments.
Whether they succeed or not, there's no harm done. But in terms of determination, most players who are serious about coming here to face the challenge possess a certain level of skill.
International students like Han Lee-Hyun usually find themselves eliminated from the team within just a few days.
It's not that the team actively cuts them, but they simply can't adapt to the training pace of high school baseball.
Especially in this entertainment-rich 21st century, everyone has plenty of distractions.
You could be playing games, watching movies, or reading Manga—who has the mind to sweat it out in practice just for fun?
Isn't that a bit insane?
The player next to Takuma assumed Han Lee-Hyun was just another curious newcomer.
"No."
Okumura pondered for a moment before speaking up.
"Did you notice something?"
Takuma looked at his friend curiously.
"His throwing form is wrong!"
"This guy's throwing form?"
Masashi also noticed the issue.
Nishiyama frowned as well.
'Too strange!'
Of course, not everyone observed this as closely. Most people on site, including second and third-year students helping out, didn't care that much.
"Hey, I told you to pitch seriously!"
Sawamura, diligently taking notes, looked at Lee-Hyun, who seemed confused.
"I'm pitching seriously!"
Han Lee-Hyun replied, bewildered.
"You were being serious?"
"Yes."
Looking at Lee-Hyun's serious expression, Sawamura almost thought he misunderstood.
"Try again!"
Without further ado, he picked up the pen and notebook and asked Lee-Hyun to pitch again.
This time, Han Lee-Hyun was more careful. He raised his leg high and then brought it down forcefully. After shifting his weight, he threw the baseball with all his might.
Whoosh!
The momentum was impressive, but the distance of the pitch wasn't very far.
"66 meters!"
This result wasn't much different from his previous attempt.
"Who taught you to pitch like that?"
Sawamura scratched his head, puzzled.
"No one taught me!"
Lee-Hyun answered honestly.
"Then why did you take such big steps just now?"
"I saw them doing that."
Hearing this answer, Sawamura couldn't help but laugh.
'He really didn't get any systematic training by that time? Then, maybe he started around this time?'
"You probably haven't learned baseball systematically, right?"
Han Lee-Hyun shook his head earnestly.
Sawamura set down his paper and pen and stood up.
"Let me teach you hands-on."
"First, you need to understand why they take big strides."
Raising his leg high, Sawamura demonstrated while explaining.
"The reason they take big strides is to increase the time the ball is in their hands. Theoretically, the farther they step out, the longer they hold the ball and the more power it has. Naturally, this helps the ball travel farther. But your situation is very different. You're a beginner. Keeping control is important, but your big strides don't serve a purpose!"
Sawamura rambled on.
Han Lee-Hyun looked disheartened.
Sawamura spoke so quickly that he couldn't understand anything.
Sawamura shrugged helplessly.
"Since you came from afar, I'll demonstrate for you. Watch closely!"
He pointed to his feet and then gestured with his hands indicating that Lee-Hyun should pay attention to the coordination between his feet and hands.
Now Han Lee-Hyun understood and nodded quickly.
After Sawamura nodded back, he opened his stance and pitched.
With Sawamura's demonstration, Lee-Hyun quickly noticed how his actions differed from Sawamura's.
'It was all about synchronization!'
The moment Sawamura stepped, his hand moved too. As he landed, the baseball in his hand was also thrown.
These two movements were fluid and fast.
Han Lee-Hyun's actions, on the other hand, were completely opposite. He waited until his stride was complete before swinging his arm.
At first glance, the difference seemed small, but upon closer inspection, it was significant.
'In other words, these guys knew what they were doing!'
Turning to the hundred people behind him, Han Lee-Hyun suddenly felt a chill.
He finally grasped a bit of what a prestigious high school team truly meant!
"Try again!"
Seeing that Han Lee-Hyun seemed to understand, Sawamura Eijun nodded at him, signaling him to try again.
This time, Han Lee-Hyun made significant progress.
Whoosh!
As the white ball flew out, it shot forward like a white arrow, soaring over 80 meters before coming to a stop.
"83 meters!"
"Range: 1.5 meters!!!"
Aside from the specially recruited players, Lee-Hyun's score was definitely among the best.
Sawamura nodded and recorded it in his notebook.
"Sawamura-senpai!"
"I've heard for a long time that Sawamura-senpai has a great personality. Seeing it firsthand is indeed true."
"It's said he trained the Akagi Middle School baseball team himself."
These high praises left Sawamura's two former students in disbelief.
'Is the Captain really that nice?'
'You must be joking!'
Sawamura is known for avoiding troublesome things. He doesn't have the leisure to train players.
Unless the responsibility is thrust upon him, he usually tries to steer clear of such things.
'These guys are being deceived!!'
"Let's move on to the next task!"
"Running!"
In baseball, speed is also essential.
When batting, it can be used to steal bases; when fielding, being fast expands your defensive range.
Techniques can be honed, but some attributes are innate.
Like height and speed.
While these attributes can improve through training, reaching peak levels without sufficient talent is nearly impossible.
"Five people will form a group for a 100-meter test. The fastest 20 will proceed to an additional test."
The 30-meter or 50-meter run is usually chosen for professional base running tests.
The 30-meter run tests a base stealing speed.
The 50-meter run tests speed for consecutive stolen bases.
Formal 100-meter runs are rarely used.
But preliminary tests aren't that precise; they mainly assess overall quality and potential.
Next, detailed fielding tests, batting tests, strength tests, and vision tests will follow in the second round...
The process of selecting regular members is very strict.
After his earlier blunder, Han Lee-Hyun kept his head down.
He wished a crack would open up in the ground so he could slip in.
First impressions are important, and his first impression was plain embarrassing.
Actually, the newcomers who had been overshadowed by the special recruits were grateful to Lee-Hyun in their hearts.
If it weren't for him, wouldn't they feel quite embarrassed?
In this situation, no one anticipated that the young man named Han Lee-Hyun would make a surprising impact in the upcoming tests.
…
T/N: As always, Thank you all for reading and supporting!!
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