Chapter 230: Joyful Moments Before the Match
Upon hearing that it was time for batting practice, Sendo grabbed a bat and put on his helmet—though he initially held it in his hand with a reluctant look, as if anything he had to carry was just another hassle.
When Seidou's main players arrived at Field B, they were surprised to see the third-year players working on the field. More specifically, they were adding dirt to the pitcher's mound—completely covering it.
It was unclear where they had gotten all that dirt from, but it was clearly no small task.
"Piling up dirt on the mound?" Kuramochi blinked in confusion at the sight.
"Are they adjusting the mound height to match Maki's height?" Miyuki speculated.
"This was their idea last night. They spent nearly the entire night raising the mound," the coach explained.
"You guys…" Isashiki was visibly moved.
"We wanted to contribute to the team too!" one of the third-years responded.
By now, the mound was just about ready.
"Pop!"
The crisp sound of a ball hitting a glove interrupted their conversation.
"Well then! Who's up first?" the coach asked.
"W-wait… Coach, are you going to pitch?" Kuramochi asked, startled.
"Who else? You want Tanba to pitch instead?" the coach replied.
"No way!"
"This is gonna be fun! We rarely get a chance to hit against the coach's pitching!"
Before anyone could react, Miyuki had already stepped forward.
"Oi! Kuramochi! Miyuki! Batting order matters!" Isashiki pointed at Miyuki.
"Excited much?" Kuramochi turned to look at Isashiki-senpai.
"A former Koshien runner-up pitcher! If Coach is pitching, it'll make this practice feel even more like a real game!" Miyuki reasoned.
But Miyuki didn't bother responding to Isashiki's complaint about the batting order. Instead, he turned toward the batter's box.
"Hurry up, sunglasses old man!"
Miyuki shot a glance at Isashiki, as if to say, Now do you get it? Batting order? By the time we sort it out, the game will already be over!
"Oi! Kuramochi! Sendo! When did you even get up there?" Isashiki suddenly realized that Sendo had already positioned himself in the batter's box, fully prepared.
"Weren't you just saying you were still thinking about yesterday's at-bats?"
"I gave up on that. Instead of overthinking it, facing off against sunglasses old man a few times is way better," Sendo replied. His stance made it clear—he wasn't stepping aside for anyone.
"We're allowed to go all out, right?" Miyuki asked.
He had already moved behind the batter's box, claiming a favorable position, making it clear that he was next in line.
"As long as you can hit it! I'm not going easy on you," the coach replied, before turning to Sendo and adding, "That goes for you too."
"Hey, Coach, don't go crying if you get rocked! It's been how many years since you last pitched?" Sendo grinned, his tone completely teasing.
"Oi! Sendo!" Isashiki was startled by Sendo's audacity.
"If you think you can, then go ahead and try," Coach Kataoka replied with a rare smirk.
"Sendo!"
"Crush it!"
"Don't hold back, just blast it out of here!" The substitutes cheered from the sidelines, heating up the atmosphere even more.
Things were getting interesting—this was peak entertainment.
"This is nuts! Way too fun! That Sendo guy really knows how to take advantage of the moment!" Isashiki was already getting fired up.
"Uggaaah!"
"No way…" Kuramochi muttered in disbelief.
Anyone paying close attention would notice—Kuramochi, who usually spoke politely and showed genuine respect for the coach, suddenly seemed a bit hesitant about actually facing him in practice.
"Heh heh! The batter's scared!" Sawamura chimed in, grinning mischievously.
"Huh?!! Eijun-kun!" Haruichi jumped in surprise at Sawamura's bold remark.
"Hahaha! Got it!!!" Sendo laughed in response, clearly amused by the provocation.
"Sendo-kun!" Haruichi looked utterly resigned. Were all the first-years in this team just a bunch of troublemakers?!
As a former Koshien runner-up pitcher and the head coach of Seidou, Kataoka might not train as intensely as the players, but his lower-body strength was far beyond that of any high schooler.
His velocity, pitch control, and power were on a completely different level. No one even knew how many types of breaking balls he could throw, but today, he planned to replicate Maki's pitching—only using fastballs and curveballs, with his fastball being an enhanced version.
For Seidou's players, this was an incredibly rare and valuable live-practice opportunity.
Catching for the coach was Ono, a second-string second-year catcher. He was set to be Miyuki's backup once the third-years graduated.
Unfortunately, he was part of the same generation as Miyuki, meaning he never had the talent to rival him—a rather tragic reality.
The coach was calling the pitches himself, and there was no way he would take it easy—especially for Sendo, who was at a critical turning point.
Kataoka hoped that through this experience, Sendo could gain some clarity on the doubts lingering in his mind.
Sendo had an obvious technical weakness, but aside from experience, he was already top-tier in every other aspect.
Even that technical flaw was on the verge of becoming a thing of the past. Rei had already been convinced by Sendo's argument, and with Kataoka's approval, they had started searching for a new coach to help refine his skills.
Thanks to Seidou's consistently strong performance over the years, the school administration had begun considering a successor in case Kataoka failed to lead the team to Koshien.
And that successor? There was only one obvious candidate—Ochiai.
In fact, the school had already initiated contact with him. But this time, it was Rei who personally reached out to secure the deal.
Would Ochiai accept a demotion from kantoku to coach?
Well, if Rei, with her alluring figure and undeniable charisma, playfully waved a checkbook in front of him, how could he possibly say no?
While Kataoka had his shortcomings, building an exceptionally strong coaching team around him could cover for those weaknesses. A school as wealthy as Seidou had no issue offering high salaries to top-tier coaches.
In high school baseball, coaches mattered even more than players. While star players could bring fame to a school, attracting more talented recruits, it was ultimately the coaching staff that shaped them into champions.
Just look at Sendo's popularity from his days with the Wild Cats. Imagine how many young fans would follow in his footsteps once he retired!
Or take Inashiro and Coach Kunitomo—how many elite prospects, like Narumiya Mei, had proactively joined their ranks just to be under his guidance?
Once Seidou fixed Kataoka's tactical shortcomings, they were bound to soar even higher.
Even without Sendo, the trio of Sawamura, Furuya, and the promising young wolf, Yui, would eventually make a name for themselves. With a powerhouse coaching team and legendary players returning as role models, Seidou would attract wave after wave of talented recruits.
But, of course, all of this hinged on Seidou reaching Koshien first. Otherwise, Ochiai might just swoop in and claim the kantoku position.
With all that in mind, the duel between Sendo and Kataoka was finally about to start.
For Sendo, this was a rare opportunity. Facing such a formidable opponent had his adrenaline surging.
"I'm throwing now!" Kataoka called out.
"Hoo… Bring it on!" Sendo exhaled, steadying himself.
His mind quickly analyzed the situation.
First, engage the brain to think. Then, entrust judgment to pure instinct!
Carefully observe how my body reacts—what I see, how I feel, every little detail of my movement. Absorb everything!
Given the coach's personality, the first pitch is probably an inside fastball, right?
And he'll likely use my shaky understanding of the strike zone to mess with me!
No way I'm letting this opportunity go to waste—I'm swinging!
Having made his decision, Sendo braced himself.
Kataoka's pitching motion was full of power.
"Whoosh!"
Just as I thought—inside fastball!
"Ping!"
The bat connected solidly, sending the ball flying far… but just outside the foul line.
Damn! Heavy! …So this is the power of a top-tier pitcher after they've matured?
Coach Kataoka watched the ball soar through the air. No matter how much time passed or how experienced he became, at his core, he was still a pitcher. Every time his pitch got hit, even for a split second, his heart clenched.
Although the ball went foul, if it had stayed fair, Sendo could have easily sprinted to second base. Whether he could reach third would depend on the fielders' positioning.
"Ouch!" Sendo looked at his hands, which were still trembling from the impact.
He clenched his fists and rubbed them together to ease the sting.
Since this was a practice session meant to familiarize them with different pitches, it wasn't based on at-bats but on pitch counts. Even if someone made solid contact, they had to continue hitting.
"How's it feel? Did you find the same sensation from yesterday's last at-bat?" Miyuki and the others were eager to see Sendo's progress.
"Not at all! It feels completely different!"
"Is that so? Then you'll just have to take it slow. Are you ready for what's next?"
"Ready? Your pitches feel amazing! The electric tingling sensation is just too addicting! Bring it on!"
The matchup was so entertaining that when it was time to switch batters, Sendo refused to step down. In the end, Miyuki and Isashiki had to drag him away by force.
"Come on! We haven't even had our turn yet! And you're still hogging the spotlight?!"
Still, the live pitches from Coach Kataoka gave Sendo valuable insight into nearly all of Maki's pitching repertoire.
This would be a huge advantage in figuring out his tendencies. Otherwise, both lineups might struggle to adjust to Maki's extreme pitch angles.
The shorter a batter was, the harder it was to adapt, since the ball came at a steeper trajectory.
For Sendo, however, the angle was much less drastic, though that didn't mean hitting Maki's pitches would be easy.
After all, Maki had a short stride, a high overhand release, and an absurdly elevated release point—his standing reach alone was ridiculous.
His fastball had a natural late movement that made it resemble Sanada's cutter—more like a fastball variation than a pure straight pitch. That alone made him a nightmare to face.
Fortunately, his only breaking ball was a curve. Plus, Sendo, Miyuki, and Kuramochi (who could bat switch-handed) had an advantage as left-handed batters.
(Shirasu: "What about me?! I'm a pure left-handed hitter too!")
For the entire day, Sawamura never shut up.
He kept throwing out lines like:
"The pitcher's scared!"
"Pitchers aren't anything special!"
"Coach is about to collapse!"
Each time, Kataoka's eye twitched in irritation.
If it had been Isashiki, Kuramochi, Miyauchi, or even Sendo, they would have beaten Sawamura up on the spot.
"Why can't you just cheer for the batters instead of poking the scariest person on the field?!"
But Sawamura, the master of self-destruction, had no sense of self-preservation. Kataoka couldn't exactly grab a bat and chase him down, so he could only try to intimidate him with sheer presence.
Unfortunately, the moment Sawamura stepped onto the mound, he became completely immune to Kataoka's aura and pressure.
"Unbelievable! This brat is infuriating!"
Sendo, on the other hand, was absolutely loving it. Watching Sawamura dig his own grave was one of his favorite pastimes.
Especially since Kataoka's face was twitching, his veins were bulging, and yet, there was nothing he could do about it.
Sendo wisely chose to keep quiet. He enjoyed the show but wasn't about to join in.
...
"UGAAHH!!!"
"WOOF WOOF WOOF!"
"Who the hell is wailing like a ghost?! Maybe I should start wearing earplugs…" Sendo groaned, rudely woken from his deep sleep.
Rubbing his eyes, he listened carefully. Only the sound of dogs barking could be heard outside.
Checking the time, he groaned again before rolling over and going back to sleep.
Sendo had a habit of waking up at the last possible moment. Since he trained all day, he didn't need extra time to fix his appearance. He also ate quickly.
During tournaments, there wasn't morning practice before breakfast, so while everyone else was already eating, he was often still making his way to the cafeteria.
But since he was up earlier than usual today, he decided to join the upperclassmen for some morning stretches before breakfast.
This surprised his seniors, who immediately started roasting him.
"Whoa! It's been ages since we've seen Sendo up this early!"
...
"Ughhh! So tired! Coach's fastball was at least 140 km/h yesterday, right?" Isashiki yawned, stretching.
"No, it was even faster," Ryousuke replied.
"And he threw nearly 200 pitches by himself! And after all that, he had the audacity to say: 'What's wrong? That's all you've got?'"
"This guy is a monster!"
"Still, that was a hell of a valuable practice."
"But we still got scolded in the end! Hahaha!" Isashiki couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"[If you want to show gratitude, do it with your performance!]" Miyuki chuckled. "That's exactly what his pitching was saying."
"What are you even talking about? We were all seriously trying to hit! Especially Sendo, that bastard!"
"You hit the most pitches out of everyone! In the end, Coach didn't even want to pitch to you anymore!"
"He's the one who said, [If you still want to hit, step up to the plate!]"
"But there's gotta be a limit! Were you trying to tire Coach out completely?!"
Before long, the second-years started trickling onto the field. Sendo wasn't sure what they were discussing, but it seemed lively.
...
"senpai!!!"
Sawamura called out, strapped into his weighted tire. Next to him was Furuya, rolling his own tire along sleepily, looking half-awake.
"Hm?"
"Let's work hard together today!"
"Oh… Oh!!!"
"It's too early for this crap! You guys are so damn loud!" Kuramochi snapped at them.
"I'll make sure to hand things over to you in the best possible condition!" Sawamura declared with way too much enthusiasm.
Cue another round of Kuramochi's relentless roasting.
"Well then, I'll go for a run to wake myself up!"
"I'm coming too!" Furuya muttered quietly, like a shy bride following along.
"Oi, Kura-kura! Drop the tire! And you, sleepyhead over there, too!"
Kuramochi, ever the team mom, sighed in exasperation.
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