A freshman who had enrolled less than a month ago had just scored the first run in a game against the second string.
As a second-year player on the senior team, Zhang Han felt the awkwardness of it keenly.
Isashiki Jun, over on the other side, let loose with spittle flying.
"Are you all pigs? You let these little guys score first? If you don't win this game by two hundred points, see how I deal with you!"
"Jun-san, two hundred points is impossible no matter what."
Kuramochi grabbed the roaring Isashiki Jun and kept him from charging onto the field in his rage.
The exchange landed on Zhang Han like a series of slaps. He was on the senior team too, and a mess like this reflected on him as well.
"Coach, can we substitute players now?"
Zhang Han's voice carried clearly across the dugout.
Too rash.
Chris frowned and looked at him, a question forming in his mind. In his experience, Zhang Han wasn't this kind of person. Why today of all days?
But then he noticed that Zhang Han hadn't made any move toward the field. He hadn't even warmed up.
Chris understood immediately.
Zhang Han had no intention of actually playing right now. He was using himself as a provocation to fire up the second string players on the field.
"I also request to play."
Chris stepped forward, unwilling to be left out of it.
The players in the dugout stood up too. They were all second string players. Watching two first string players push to take their spots was not something they could sit with quietly.
How much effort had they put in? How much sweat? Getting this chance to prove themselves to Coach Kataoka in a proper game had not been easy.
Yes, their opponents were first-year juniors. But the first string players in the dugout were not their allies either. There was competition on both sides.
Coach Kataoka had made that clear before the game.
"If you don't have the determination to challenge first string players, even if you perform well here, I will not give you a uniform number."
So they didn't just need to beat the freshmen. They needed to prove they were absolutely no worse than the first string players standing behind them. Even if one of those players was Zhang Han, who was nearly impossible to beat, they were not willing to give up.
The reaction from the dugout hit the players on the field hard.
"Stay where you are. We won't give you a chance."
"Get the last out. Finish them."
"Let them hit it. I'll stop the ball."
The fire that had already been burning in them burned hotter. After Zhang Han and Chris's provocation, they were ready to swallow those first-year players whole.
"My goodness, those two are ruthless."
Kuramochi watched with barely concealed delight.
He was looking forward to seeing the freshmen get a proper lesson. That was a very different feeling from what he had experienced as a first-year player last year. His personality hadn't changed. His position had.
Who had told last year's freshmen they were now second-year seniors?
The senior team of Seido High School Baseball Team surged with fighting spirit.
Everyone turned to Coach Kataoka, fully expecting him to reject Zhang Han's request. The players on the field had been carefully selected during this period. The coaching staff would always give them a fair chance to perform. Pulling them this quickly made no sense.
Coach Kataoka turned and looked at Zhang Han and Chris. He understood exactly what they were doing.
What he hadn't expected was that Zhang Han, of all people, would pull something like this. In his experience, Zhang Han was strict with himself but kept his distance from others' affairs. He was not the type to call out teammates' shortcomings directly. That was the biggest difference between him and Miyuki.
But today, Zhang Han had used provocation to motivate the team.
Perhaps in everyday life Zhang Han kept a gentle manner, but once on the baseball field, he was purely a baseball player who wanted to win. The reason no one had seen this side of him before was probably that the first string players had almost always performed well. They had never given him a reason to show it.
"Warm up and get ready to play."
Coach Kataoka's words stunned everyone in the dugout.
Nobody had missed what Zhang Han was doing. He was just trying to fire up his teammates. He hadn't even warmed up yet.
And Coach Kataoka had agreed.
Not just to Zhang Han. To Chris as well.
That completely upended things for the players currently on the field. They had made it through selection and onto the field specifically for this chance. They had been hoping to make their mark and earn a promotion to the first string.
Now Coach Kataoka had pulled that possibility out from under them without hesitation. Zhang Han would be on the field as soon as he was ready. Chris would follow. How many innings did that leave them? One? Two?
"Is this going to cause internal collapse?"
Coach Ochiai, watching from the freshmen's side, found Coach Kataoka's decision genuinely strange. Those players were still out on the field. What did it do to a player's head to hear they were about to be replaced mid-game? Wouldn't their performance fall apart? In their position, some of them might even refuse to cooperate entirely.
It seemed completely unfair.
But to Ochiai's surprise, the second and third-year players of Seido did not fall into disarray.
When they realized their window to perform was even smaller than they had imagined, something changed in their eyes.
Anyone who had survived Seido's internal selection process understood the value of opportunity. They had eliminated countless competitors to stand where they stood. They were not about to give up now.
Even with only a sliver of a chance remaining, they were going to perform and compete for every last second of it.
The next batter to step up was Kanemaru, batting fifth.
The freshman team's hitting lineup was genuinely not weak. The first five batters were all players who had achieved something in middle school. Each of them was strong, and together their combined presence was considerable.
It was just that Kanemaru's luck wasn't with him today. He had walked into the dugout right at the moment the seniors were about to go wild.