"Wow, the newcomers are starting to appeal again!"
The actions of the newcomers quickly caught the attention of the older players. In fact, they couldn't ignore them even if they wanted to.
The two newcomers who just made it to the first team have both been performing exceptionally well, almost ensuring their place in the team.
In this situation, neither the coaching staff nor the Superintendent would ignore the remaining newcomers.
Identifying good prospects is something that can easily become addictive for anyone involved.
Who knows, there might be players among the newcomers who could prove useful.
This thought will undoubtedly tempt the Superintendent and the coaching staff to continue promoting from among the newcomers.
"These guys!"
The older students felt their eyes redden.
They recalled the hardships and exhaustion they endured at Seidou, the sweat and tears they had shed.
With two spots already taken by the freshmen, they would not allow such a thing to happen again, no matter what.
"Currently, there isn't a single spot in the first team reserved for freshmen."
Through the previous match against Kasugaichi, even the bench players had developed a strong sense of confidence. They believed more in their abilities and felt ready to face the challenges of the newcomers.
Of course, if all the newcomers were like Nishiyama.
Even if they lost, they wouldn't have any complaints.
But having just one monster like that is already exceptional.
No pies fall from the sky, and Seidou couldn't be that lucky.
The older students weren't sure if they were comforting themselves or reinforcing their confidence.
In any case, their gazes toward the newcomers were quite unfriendly.
Kominato and Furuya looked at the newcomers with nostalgia.
If they remember correctly, they also had such a period, especially Furuya.
When they first entered school, the great demon Sawamura Eijun was already a nationally recognized player, and in terms of fame, he was among the best in high school.
As a fellow pitcher, everyone looked at Furuya with sympathy, being on the same team as such a monster.
Because he spent all three years of high school mostly sitting in the bullpen.
Especially as Sawamura showcased his outstanding skills in various areas, it left everyone else in complete awe...
The only one who wouldn't back down and challenged Sawamura Eijun was Furuya Satoru.
At that time, Kominato didn't aim at those two; he just simply refused to fall behind.
To challenge his older brother, to play ball with his brother.
Kominato gritted his teeth and persevered.
At the time, their actions seemed quite foolish to the other newcomers. Yet, unexpectedly, those three ended up joining the first team.
Now looking back, who would dare to underestimate Furuya Satoru?
Even though he is just a backup pitcher now, with his current status and reputation, no one would dare to take him lightly.
The fastest pitcher in high school, a super monster.
On par with the top pitcher of Hokkaido.
"If this is a challenge, I accept it!"
After finishing his batting, Sawamura placed his hands on his hips and watched the newcomers practice.
Seeing a few stubborn ones chasing after each other, he laughed and shouted.
With Sawamura's encouragement, the few newcomers chased even harder.
What had started as a plain jog turned into a race when Lee-Hyun realized someone was tailing him. He found himself unknowingly at the front of the pack.
'Wow!' He startled himself.
Just a moment ago, while thinking about what Kuramochi had taught him, his mind had wandered off.
He hadn't even noticed the situation in the group around him, inadvertently running to the front.
Now, looking at the people around him, one by one they were passing him.
Lee-Hyun instinctively slowed down.
To be honest, he had already made quite a splash with his earlier test. He didn't want to stick out like a sore thumb now.
Of course, to the others, it appeared that Lee-Hyun was being overtaken because he couldn't keep up physically.
"Oi! Don't embarrass me!"
Seeing his promising Deshi losing to others in running, Kuramochi's face changed immediately.
Furious, he yelled at Han Lee-Hyun.
Originally not intending to stand out, Lee-Hyun glanced at his upperclassman, who was clearly upset.
He couldn't help but start to wonder.
'Did I disappoint Kuramochi-sunbae?'
'No, that wouldn't do.'
If it were just for himself, Lee-Hyun wouldn't want to stand out at this moment.
The right time to show his worth wasn't now.
He was someone who knew very well when to showcase his abilities.
For example, in the initial team entry test, Lee-Hyun had already demonstrated his potential.
He understood that only by showing his value at that moment would he gain more training opportunities.
For someone like him, who knew almost nothing about baseball, such resources were incredibly helpful.
Otherwise, relying solely on his own efforts, it would be difficult for him to integrate into the team over the next three years.
Right now, he didn't think much of this routine practice.
He was very aware that neither Superintendent Kataoka nor the team coaches selected players based on this standard.
The three who had previously been promoted didn't do so because they were the first to run out during the jogging.
Instead, it was because they showcased their strength during the batting test.
But seeing Kuramochi's angry face, Lee-Hyun hesitated.
He truly didn't want to see that disappointed expression on Kuramochi's face.
To disappoint someone who treated him well felt like a sin to Lee-Hyun.
He couldn't accept it.
'Well, I have no choice!'
Seemingly resolved, Lee-Hyun started to push forward.
The people who had previously overtaken him began to be caught up by him.
Naturally, the first to be overtaken was Matsumoto, who had been the last to catch up to him.
'He is here!'
Matsumoto, still striving to move forward, saw Lee-Hyun catching up and was unwilling to give in.
With gritted teeth, he put all his effort into running faster.
Matsumoto ran desperately, pushing himself hard, and before he knew it, he had lost all sound behind him.
'Did he give up?'
Gasping heavily, Matsumoto glanced back.
'Where was Lee-Hyun? '
'Had he fallen behind the main group?'
Matsumoto let out a huge sigh of relief, ready to adjust his pace.
The previous speed was too fast; if he didn't catch his breath, he wouldn't be able to keep going.
But when he turned back, he suddenly noticed an additional figure in front of him.
Okumura, Takuma, Kuki, and Kagami.
Originally, four people should have been in front of him, but why did it look like there were five figures now?
Of course, he was Lee-Hyun!
'How did he get there?'
Matsumoto's eyes widened in terror as if he had seen a ghost in broad daylight.
He didn't know when Lee-Hyun had caught up and passed him.
At this moment, Lee-Hyun was like a ghost, floating behind Kagami.
Before Kagami could react, Lee-Hyun sped past him.
It was as if it was only natural; Kagami didn't even have time to speed up before Lee-Hyun had already surpassed him.
Like an electric rail close to the ground, silent but terrifyingly fast.
After surpassing Kagami, Kuki tried to accelerate.
But his speed didn't increase at all, and he was overtaken by Lee-Hyun from the other side.
He had caught up with Okumura and Takuma again!
In no time, the three were side by side.
Gradually, Okumura started to lag behind, getting left behind by the two.
Takuma was also fired up, competing with Lee-Hyun for first place.
Their speeds escalated as they approached the final stretch, nearly equivalent to a 100-meter sprint.
The main group had just crossed the final lap's boundary when the two sprinted ahead.
Behind them, Okumura had already fallen several meters behind.
Next came Kuki and Kagami.
Matsumoto, having disturbed his own rhythm competing with Lee-Hyun, had dropped back to the main group.
The two frontiers accelerated again, nearing the 100-meter mark to the finish line.
Then, something incredible happened.
Almost visibly, the distance between the two began to widen.
By the time they reached the finish line, Takuma was trailing Lee-Hyun by about seven or eight meters.
After crossing the finish line, even Lee-Hyun was gasping for breath.
Takuma collapsed entirely onto the ground.
"You, your speed is too unfair!"
Looking at Lee-Hyun, who wasn't even sweating much, Takuma was genuinely impressed.
Despite knowing almost nothing about baseball, in terms of speed, he was definitely top-notch at Seidou.
In fact, it wasn't just Seidou; Takuma suspected that among players of their year, Lee-Hyun was probably the fastest.
"Hyaa-ha-haa! Well done!"
Among the older students, Kuramochi looked pleased.
Sawamura looked at him strangely, frowned and asked, "Are you familiar with that newcomer?"
Kuramochi froze for a moment, then shook his head like a rattle.
"No, I don't know."
Sawamura couldn't help but roll his eyes.
'This typical fool.'
Lee-Hyun will change his original intention because of Kuramochi's words, and Kuramochi will be so excited because of Lee-Hyun's performance.
To say that they don't know each other, Sawamura obviously did not believe it.
'However, this guy's speed might really come in handy in future games.'
Sawamura looked at him with a smile.
They had anticipated Lee-Hyun's performance.
But what they didn't expect was Lee-Hyun's ultimate ability to display this kind of competitiveness.
Sawamura exclaimed in surprise, "Wahaha! Good run you hatchlings!"
His voice echoed clearly throughout the training ground.
And the competitive aura of the freshmen flared high again!
…
T/N: He did it on purpose! Looks like Okumura's wild imagination had some truth in it! XD