The Old Baseball Player System

Daigo and Sora did their part perfectly, reaching base most of the time, while the first-year prodigy, Ryosuke, performed even better, hitting for the cycle with a home run, a single, a double, and a triple.

Even the bottom of the order improved after seeing the ace from Ootori pitch a few times and managed to get some hits, bringing the score to a total of 33 runs. However, despite Shun earning many stars on offense, he didn\'t get a single opportunity to earn any stars on defense.

Sora was spectacular. Ootori\'s batters simply couldn\'t adjust to his screwballs, and with Daigo\'s excellent pitch-calling behind the plate, Sora pitched five innings without giving up a single run, allowing only one walk and one lucky infield hit.

Shun and the rest of the Shoto players stood up from the dugout to greet the other team. They all bowed toward the Ootori dugout, and the Ootori players returned the gesture.

Shun noticed the tears in the eyes of Ootori\'s players, which stirred up memories within him. Last year, it was his team crying, and he didn\'t want to witness that scene again.

As tough as it was to see his opponents cry, it was better them than you, this was the mindset required to succeed in the harsh world of Japanese school baseball. Shun wasn\'t going to go easy on anyone. For those who stepped onto the baseball field as his opponents, he would give his all. That was the only way to reach the Kanto tournament.

The team began packing their things as they left the dugout since many more games in the Tokyo Tournament were scheduled for the day. Coach Yamada gathered everyone inside the stadium for a brief speech, congratulating the players but reminding them that many more games lay ahead.

"Shun-senpai! Are you staying to watch our next opponent\'s game?" - Jiro asked excitedly after the coach finished his speech.

"Hm. Do you want to stay too?" - Shun nodded and asked with a smile.

"Yes!" - Jiro responded enthusiastically, but before he could say more, two eager voices chimed in simultaneously.

"Can I stay too?" - Sora and Daigo asked at the same time, making Shun chuckle.

"Hehe, I didn\'t expect you guys to be this excited." - The beautiful Mio Shimizu smiled.

"Ehh, are you staying too, Shimizu-senpai?" - Daigo asked nervously, not used to talking to pretty girls.

"Hm, Kenta and I were going to celebrate the team\'s win with a date, but Shun insisted we watch the game..." - Shimizu said, wrapping her arm around Kenta\'s and casting a sharp glance at Shun, clearly wanting to have her boyfriend to herself.

\'I only asked Kenta to come...\' - Shun grumbled internally. He never invited her to watch the game, but of course, he wasn\'t foolish enough to say that out loud.

"Hey, Ryosuke! Want to stay and watch the game with us?" - Shun asked the first-year with a smile. He genuinely wanted the boy to improve his attitude since Ryosuke was simply too talented to sit on the bench.

"Oh, sorry, Senpai! I have a date with a girl today. Maybe next time, hehe..." - Ryosuke replied with a grin, scratching the back of his head as he quickly walked toward the bus without waiting for Shun\'s response.

"That brat—" - The young samurai Ren was about to teach the arrogant boy a lesson, though he was more upset that Ryosuke had a date while he didn\'t. But Shun quickly grabbed Ren\'s collar from behind, stopping him.

"Let him be..." - Shun sighed. Ryosuke\'s attitude reminded him a bit of his own last year, except for the dating part, as Shun was more like Ren in that regard.

Besides, Ryosuke had played an exceptional game. Shun had no reason to criticize him. All he could do was hope that this attitude wouldn\'t become a problem for the team one day.

With Coach Yamada returning to the bus with the rest of the team, Shun, Ren, Kenta, Shimizu, Daigo, Jiro, and Sora headed to the stands to watch the rest of the day\'s games.

"When\'s our next opponent\'s game?" - Kenta asked.

"I think there\'s one game before theirs." - Shun replied as he climbed the steps of the stands, glancing at the scoreboard. The team names had already been updated, and the captains were talking with the umpire to start the game.

"Huh? Seishin?" - Shun murmured in surprise, staring at the name Seishin Junior High School displayed on the scoreboard. This was the elite middle school that served as a feeder team for the powerhouse dominating Tokyo high school baseball, and the same school that lost to Hokuto last year.

"I had no idea those guys were playing today..." - Kenta muttered as he looked at the Seishin players.

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"Isn\'t the stadium kind of empty? Last year, it was packed for their game..." - Ren remarked, remembering the crowded stadium for the Hokuto vs. Seishin match. Back then, Hokuto was just an unknown team, and the fans had come to watch the Seishin powerhouse.

"As far as I know, Seishin is still a powerhouse in high school. So why on earth is nobody watching their middle school games?" - Shun wondered in disbelief. It didn\'t seem possible that just one loss had turned their middle school team from a powerhouse into an ordinary one.

Shun and his friends sat down, eagerly watching the field. After all, last year, Seishin was the best middle school team, even boasting the prodigious pitcher Shohei Kaneda. But now, the Seishin team didn\'t carry the confident aura of a powerhouse. In fact, Shun sensed a more dangerous aura coming from them.

An aura of revenge and regret. It seemed that Shoto Junior High weren\'t the only ones with unfinished business with the current Kanto tournament champions, Hokuto.