Chapter 757 - 757: Akikawa Academy

"West Tokyo Sweet Sixteen, hot off the press!"

"Little Koshien is underway, and all the powerhouse teams have advanced."

"The only dark horse, Akikawa Academy, will face Seido High School next!"

News about the West Tokyo Tournament was rampant in newspapers and online.

Sometimes, you have to admire these reporters. As their next opponent, the Seido High School Baseball Team sent their best players to scout the game.

Not only did they send players who usually record games, but they also sent Coach Ochiai and Assistant Coach Takashima Rei.

This lineup was second only to the entire team going.

Akikawa Academy had had better results in the past two years, but this was their first time reaching the Round of Sixteen.

To say that the Seido High School Baseball Team didn't care at all about such an opponent would certainly be a lie. But to say that the Seido High School Baseball Team's teammates were overly concerned, that statement would probably be an exaggeration.

Sending such a lineup for scouting was already a cautious choice for the Seido High School Baseball Team.

They couldn't possibly make the entire team go watch, could they?

Wasting an entire afternoon for the whole team to watch such a game?

In the eyes of Coach Kataoka and the coaching staff, this was clearly a losing proposition, so they didn't do it.

Because the entire team didn't watch, the teammates learned of Akikawa's victory from the internet.

"Akikawa won!"

"This pitcher named You Shunshin seems to be quite good."

The teammates browsing the news on their phones discussed in low voices.

They thought their voices were very low, but they still attracted the attention of others.

The two first-year rookie pitchers, at this moment, had their ears perked up like elves, keenly catching the words that interested them.

The pitcher for the next game seemed very strong.

"You Shunshin? That name is really strange."

Sawamura stretched his neck, looking at the picture on the phone.

You Shunshin, wearing glasses, had an ordinary appearance.

At least compared to Han-san, his appearance was not outstanding.

"What's so strange? He's a foreigner, just like Han-san."

Someone who knew immediately explained to Sawamura.

As soon as the person explaining finished speaking, the surroundings immediately became silent enough to hear a pin drop.

Just like Zhang Han?

The amount of information conveyed by this sentence was simply too great. So much so that many teammates had very bad associations in their minds.

If it was really the same, then wouldn't tomorrow's game be?

If it was really the same, why didn't Coach Kataoka let them go watch the game today?

"I didn't mean that!"

The player who explained quickly raised both hands, shaking them constantly.

The misunderstanding here was simply too great.

The player who explained this problem spent a lot of effort to dispel the teammates' concerns.

The calmed-down teammates were both annoyed and amused by their embarrassing performance just now.

Did their brains cramp, or what?

How could they associate it with that?

If this guy named You Shunshin really had the same strength as Zhang Han, even if his own team wasn't very good, by now he would probably already be famous.

How could it be like this now?

Most of the teammates of the Seido High School Baseball Team had never even heard of this name.

"You scared me to death!"

"If you can be scared to death by such a joke, you'd better check your IQ, it's quite touching."

The teammates joked and teased.

Seeing the teammates' reactions, Chris walked up to them and looked at them seriously, saying,

"Don't take it too lightly. Although his style is different from Zhang Han's, this player named You Shunshin is probably stronger than Zhang Han in some aspects."

Given the previous lesson, when Chris came out and said this, everyone just let it go in one ear and out the other.

Stronger in some aspects?

You can say anything like that.

For example, I am taller than you, you can also say you are shorter than me.

The criteria for judgment are different, and it's hard to say who is better.

Although Zhang Han possesses powerful pitch ability, the variety of his pitch itself is still a bit ordinary compared to top level pitchers.

From the perspective of the Seido High School Baseball Team's teammates, it was perfectly normal for You Shunshin to surpass Zhang Han in certain aspects.

Even many of the Seido High School Baseball Team's own pitchers performed better than Zhang Han in some respects.

For example, Tanba's high breaking ball: Zhang Han didn't have a breaking ball that could rival it.

For example, Kawakami's breaking ball control on the corners. Pitching original balls into the strike zone, and original strikes out of the strike zone.

Zhang Han also couldn't do this.

The two first-year rookie pitchers also had their own characteristics.

Furuya Satoru's pitching momentum, Sawamura's quirk ball...

They all had areas where they surpassed Zhang Han.

But so what? The Ace Pitcher of the Seido High School Baseball Team was still Zhang Han, not anyone else.

Pitchers compete on overall strength, not just one aspect.

Zhang Han only needed to surpass the opponent in overall strength; there was no need to surpass the opponent in all aspects.

Because of this mindset, although the teammates listened to Chris's words, they didn't take them much to heart.

So much so that in the Round of Sixteen Sixteen to Elite Eight game, they suffered a lot...

Chris came out to speak not just to praise You Shunshin in one aspect, but because he truly felt that this pitcher was very skilled.

Perhaps in terms of overall pitch strength, he could really compete with Zhang Han.

It's just a pity that the teammates didn't listen.

"The internet nowadays is really scary."

Coach Ochiai and the others, who had finished watching the game, were still on their way back in the car, but the teammates had already learned the results of the game and some general information in advance.

"Is the opponent human or ghost? We'll know when we get the game footage."

After training, the teammates lined up to shower and eat.

Next, they would wholeheartedly study the information on Akikawa Academy.

Only after thoroughly understanding this information could they formulate their game strategy.

Although the teammates of the Seido High School Baseball Team didn't believe in their hearts that Akikawa Academy could defeat them, in the Summer Tournament, various unexpected events constantly emerged, so the teammates didn't dare to be truly careless.

For the third-year players, the Summer Tournament was their final game.

Once they lost, their high school baseball career would be over.

Therefore, every time the Summer Tournament came around, almost all the third-year players would fight especially hard.

Facing such a situation, the teammates of the Seido High School Baseball Team also had to be extra careful.

If they were upset by a weaker team, there would be no taking it back in this world.

Especially for the few third-year players, while other teammates were joking, there was almost no smile on their faces.

For them, every opponent needed to be dealt with with full effort.

"Coach Ochiai and the others are back!"

A black car drove into the campus, and a sharp-eyed teammate saw it and immediately shouted.

The car stopped, and Coach Ochiai and Takashima Rei got out of the front and back seats, respectively.

"What's the result?"

Coach Kataoka came out to greet them.

This was something the teammates hadn't expected before.

Coach Ochiai and Takashima Rei probably hadn't expected it either, looking a bit overwhelmed. Who would have thought that their Coach could do such a thing?

Upon closer thought, this might also have a lot to do with their opponent in the next game.

Thinking of this, Coach Ochiai and Takashima Rei almost simultaneously lowered their heads.

A few observant players noticed this and exchanged glances.

They understood in their hearts that next Saturday's game might not be so smooth.

Their opponent for the third game might be very troublesome.

"The total score was 4:0, and Akikawa Academy secured the victory."

This score was still normal.

When the teammates heard it, they secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Looking at Coach Ochiai's expression just now, they thought something big had happened?

It turned out it wasn't as serious as they imagined.

But that's also normal...

If something truly unexpected or remarkable had happened during the game, those editors and reporters would definitely have given a detailed account, and they wouldn't just mention it briefly and move on.

From this perspective, Akikawa Academy seems to be...

"The offensive power is quite average, what about the defense?"

In the West Tokyo Sweet Thirty-Two to Sweet Sixteen game, being able to shut out the opponent meant that Akikawa Academy's defensive ability was definitely very good.

But the concept of a shutout is too vague.

Did the opponent strongly resolve all opponents with their own pitch ability? Or did they barely hold the score with the help of their teammates?

The difference between these is immense.

"You Shunshin gave up a total of three hits. He looks strong, but he's not without weaknesses to attack."

Three hits, certainly not many, but having these three also means the opponent is not invincible.

The team that played against Akikawa couldn't overcome it, but that doesn't mean the teammates of the Seido High School Baseball Team can't overcome it either?

You know, the words "nation's strongest lineup" are not a joke.

The team's several bigwigs walked and talked.

At first, the teammates could vaguely hear some information. Later, they couldn't hear a single word.

Even though they were extremely curious, they couldn't secretly follow the bigwigs back to Coach Kataoka's office.

The last word they heard was, "However."

The teammates felt like their curiosity was gnawing at them.

Driven by curiosity, some daring guys already wanted to eavesdrop.

"Are you crazy?"

Zhang Han grabbed Kuramochi and Sawamura, who were trying to sneak away.

"We'll hide outside the door, they definitely won't find us."

Sawamura said confidently.

Zhang Han couldn't help but roll his eyes dramatically.

"Are all the people in your Dormitory 5 muddle-headed? The Coach and the others are just organizing materials. They'll show the video and formulate tactics after dinner. Is it really worth risking being discovered and punished by the Coach just for this one hour ahead of time?"

Kuramochi, who was originally impatient, rolled his eyes and immediately calmed down.

It really didn't seem necessary to know an hour in advance.

If Coach Kataoka found out, he would really be in deep trouble.

Sawamura was still a bit unwilling. He really wanted to know what came after "However."

Even if there was a meeting later, he probably wouldn't hear Takashima Rei's exact words.

In Coach Kataoka's office.

"You just said 'however,' however what?"

Because of going up the stairs, Takashima Rei's "however" had just come out when she was interrupted.

It wasn't until they entered the office that they had a chance to bring up the topic again.

"However, I feel something isn't right."

"Tell me in detail."

Coach Kataoka said.

Takashima Rei frowned slightly, trying to recall the details of the game. The entire game seemed very smooth, without a single discordant element.

But precisely because it was too harmonious, she always held a mystery in her heart.

"I suspect that You Shunshin might be hiding his strength. Or rather, Akikawa Academy is hiding its strength."

"Is there any evidence?"

Coach Ochiai watched the entire game.

Why didn't he see any problems at all?

After hearing Takashima Rei's words, Coach Ochiai couldn't help but raise his question.

If she were asked for evidence, she wouldn't be able to provide any.

As for why she felt the game was discordant? It seemed it could only be attributed to a woman's sixth sense.

If Takashima Rei said that, the Coach and the other coaches might listen.

But Takashima Rei couldn't bring herself to say such a thing. As a professional, attributing observed information to a sixth sense, wasn't that crazy?

No matter what others did, Takashima Rei couldn't do such a thing.

At the entrance of Akikawa Academy, the baseball team's Coach Ozaka was waiting there early.

An interview car slowly stopped at their school gate, and two reporters from Baseball Kingdom Magazine, Fujio and his partner Owada Akiko, got out of the car.

Seeing Coach Ozaka waiting at the entrance, both of them were quite flattered.

"Why did you come in person? This is really..."

Fujio, wearing a baseball cap, was the first to extend his hand.

Coach Ozaka, with a smile on his face, also extended his hand.

"I also didn't expect our small team to have reporters specially interviewing us. It should be our honor..."

Owada Akiko looked at the portly, smiling man in front of her and felt inexplicably uncomfortable.

This Coach was simply too different from the Coaches she usually met.

Those Coaches, more or less, had a certain aura, the kind that belonged to a leader.

But on this Coach in front of her, she couldn't feel any of that at all.

Coach Ozaka didn't have that kind of aura; all he had was peace and politeness.

Owada Akiko couldn't believe that such a Coach could actually lead a team into the West Tokyo Sweet Sixteen.

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