When Coach Kataoka and Coach Sakaki were talking, both of them were smiling.
Looking at this scene alone, it's hard to imagine how intense the battle their respective teams had just gone through.
Owada Akiko raised the camera in front of her and took a photo of this scene.
Her professional instinct told her that this moment was very valuable.
Many others with the same professional intuition as hers also captured this moment, and it became the focus of the media's next report.
Master vs. Apprentice!
During the match, the reigning champions, the Seidou High School baseball team, were as dominant as ever. Both the process and the final outcome of the game did not tarnish their school's prestigious name.
But that wasn't what was most impressive about the game.
What really amazed everyone was the performance of Seidou's opponents, the Yura Sougou High School team.
Anyone with a discerning eye could see that there was a huge skill gap between the two teams.
Under these circumstances, the Yura Sougou players managed to drag the Seidou High School baseball team into the seventh inning.
With this in mind, looking back at the performance of Yura Sougou…
For a team with such a lineup to compete against Seidou High and still produce this result, the coaching skills of Coach Sakaki were truly profound!
With such a coach in West Tokyo, the landscape of the region is bound to change.
This is not without precedent.
Before Coach Kunitomo joined, Inashiro Industrial High School was already one of the three major teams in West Tokyo.
But their strength was nowhere near as formidable as it is now.
At that time, they definitely couldn't compete with Seidou High or Sankou High School in terms of strength.
However, after Coach Kunitomo joined, the situation changed drastically.
In just over a decade, they had participated in Koshien's Spring and Summer tournaments multiple times, becoming the strongest team in West Tokyo and even all of Tokyo!
In terms of momentum, they surpassed the other two giants.
This is the impact of an excellent Coach!
If this example wasn't clear enough, the next one is even more obvious: Yakushi High School.
What was Yakushi High like before Coach Todoroki joined?
They were a team at the 16th place in West Tokyo, barely ranking in all of Tokyo.
Such a mediocre team, compared to ordinary teams, might have some pride.
But against the three major giants of West Tokyo, they were nowhere near.
In the current tournament, the three major giants easily ended their games against teams like the 16th-ranked teams with large margins, showing the obvious gap in strength.
But after Coach Todoroki joined, looking back at Yakushi High, it was like switching from a toy gun to a real cannon. They were completely different.
They had twice knocked out one of the three major giants, Sankou High, and were no longer falling behind when competing against teams like Seidou High and Inashiro Industrial.
This result speaks for itself!
A good coach has such a huge impact on a team.
And unlike players, who, no matter how good they are, can only help the team for a maximum of two and a half years, a coach can stay for many years.
If Coach Sakaki really settles in Yura Sougou, then the Seidou High baseball team will face not only the other two giants and Yakushi High, but they'll also have to reckon with Yura Sougou.
The next day, Baseball Kingdom Magazine published this article, with a photo of Coach Kataoka and Coach Sakaki shaking hands as the illustration.
In the background, there were also portraits of the coaches of Inashiro Industrial, Sankou High, and Yakushi High.
The title was especially eye-catching:
"The Sengoku Era of West Tokyo!!!"
A small region with so many powerful teams and such fierce battles—it's no less than Koshien!
Other media outlets published similar articles, but their titles and illustrations were nowhere near as good as Fujio's.
As a result, their click-through rates and sales couldn't match the Baseball Kingdom.
From this, one could see that in every industry, excellence stands out.
To make achievements in your own field, you have to carve out a new path while keeping the big picture in mind.
Fujio, the old pro, excelled in this.
Coach Kataoka and Coach Sakaki talked for a long time.
Apart from congratulating Coach Kataoka, they also discussed Seidou High's legacy and future development.
Although Coach Sakaki was the opposing coach, he was still very open and sincere when talking about these matters without holding back.
In response, Coach Kataoka could only express sincere thanks.
Although Coach Sakaki was currently the enemy's coach, he might also be Seidou High's biggest rival in the future, his feelings for Seidou High's baseball team were deeper than anyone currently on the team.
Not to mention anything else, just this fact alone...
The Seidou players had to treat him with great respect.
Suggestions could be ignored, but the attitude had to be respectful.
Coach Kataoka did this very well. After all, he was no longer the passionate teenager he once was. Inevitably, he had developed some adult habits.
After exchanging greetings, the players from both teams shook hands and said goodbye.
When Higashiyama held Sawamura's hand, he didn't let go immediately. Instead, he said seriously:
"Since you promised us, don't lose in the upcoming matches!"
When he said this, Higashiyama's eyes were already wet. Although no tears fell, his emotions were clear.
"Don't worry, we won't lose!"
Sawamura replied solemnly.
Elimination rounds are this cruel; the defeated teams feel sad.
The victorious team must carry the hopes of those defeated teams and continue to move forward.
After the game, as long as someone asked Sawamura this question, he would give a firm and affirmative reply.
Unknowingly, Sawamura had been part of Seidou High's baseball team for a year and a half, and his remaining time was growing shorter.
As it got closer to his departure, people's feelings couldn't be helped.
Sawamura had already made up his mind to leave with no regrets.
So, for the upcoming games, he would treat every match seriously.
"West Tokyo Quarterfinals, the game between the Seidou High School baseball team and the Yura Sougou High School baseball team, the victorious team is the reigning Seidou High School baseball team!!"
"The score was 11:2. If you just look at the score, it might be hard to imagine how exciting this game was. I can't even describe this thrilling match with words. All I can say is, any fans who missed this game are really unfortunate."
"Coach Sakaki used just half a year to lead a previously mediocre team to the top eight. From this match, it's clear that Yura Sougou's strength is already quite formidable. If they get more time to mature, I'm looking forward to their performance in the Fall Tournament and next year!"
The commentator passionately described the match as the audience stood and began leaving the stands.
This signified the end of the match.
Although the opponents performed admirably, Seidou High's baseball team faced many difficulties during their progression.
However, the result was unaffected.
The reigning Seidou High School baseball team won and advanced to the semifinals.
They became the first team from West Tokyo to reach the top four.
After the game, Sawamura and the rest headed straight to the outer gates of the stadium.
As expected, he saw Chris there.
"Shisho!!"
Sawamura excitedly shouted, running toward him.
Right behind him, the other members of the Seidou High School baseball team also arrived.
Many of the third year were greeted excitedly, even with Chris's quiet and calm nature.
However, the most surprising one was none other than Furuya.
He moved forward and took the initiative to greet Chris and even bowed in respect for this great master.
After a few words of praise from Chris, the flaming baseball boy was over the moon, practically beaming with happiness.
Chris then took the initiative to greet Coach Kataoka.
"I have been following your news in the Minor Leagues. Don't worry, take it steady. I believe you will shine."
Coach Kataoka sincerely said.
Chris' journey into the minor leagues hadn't been smooth, and he had only recently started playing games.
High school baseball and professional baseball are two completely different things. Just because someone excels in high school baseball doesn't mean they'll automatically succeed in professional leagues.
"I will!"
Chris responded calmly, not ashamed or anxious about his earlier struggles.
Coach Kataoka nodded in satisfaction.
Among all the players from Chris' batch, Coach Kataoka was most satisfied with Tatsuya.
Tatsuya hadn't let him down and was now a core player in a professional team.
The second most satisfactory was Chris.
Chris's talent wasn't just the best in his batch. Even if you considered players from all the previous years at Seidou High, Chris would still rank in the top five.
Unfortunately, fate was cruel. He had been injured.
Otherwise, Chris' achievements would have certainly been greater.
Fortunately, his injuries had healed, and he was still active on the field. Although his initial transition to the minor leagues had a small dip, he had overcome it.
Coach Kataoka wasn't just being polite; he genuinely believed Chris would only continue to improve.
Without experiencing the storms, one can't become strong. Only those who survive through trials and tribulations can bloom brightly.
Having suffered a serious injury, Chris, standing up again, said it all.
His future was boundless.
"If nothing's wrong, why don't you join us on the bus back to school?"
Coach Kataoka invited, and Chris gladly accepted.
So, everyone got on the bus, heading back to Seidou High.
On the way, they briefly caught up and talked about what they had been doing recently.
Once they arrived at the school, Sawamura took Chris to tour Seidou once again.
Although it had only been half a year since Chris left, coming back to Seidou still gave him the feeling that things had changed.
"It's inevitable. After all, all the players from your batch have retired," Sawamura said directly, without any pretensions.
Chris smiled.
He had to admit that what Sawamura said was right.
Although he still knew most of the players in the school, especially the first-string players, his batch was already retired and belonged to the past.
The current era was completely unrelated to them.
"To get to the point, I came here to talk to you about your future plans," Chris said seriously.
They often communicated through text messages, so there wasn't much new to talk about.
Naturally, the conversation soon turned to an important topic.
Sawamura listened attentively.
There was no issue with just catching up, but since Chris was finally back in Tokyo and their bond was stronger than just friends, it made sense to have a heart-to-heart.
But after the conversation, when Chris pulled him aside to talk, the purpose was different.
Even though Sawamura wasn't particularly emotionally intelligent, he had been in this circle for over ten years.
He could easily guess that Chris wasn't simply looking to catch up.
"What are your plans after graduation?" Chris asked directly without hesitation.
"I haven't thought it through yet. If nothing unexpected happens, I'll probably enter the draft," Sawamura didn't hide anything.
He wasn't some naive rookie and had already planned for his future.
However, Chris clearly wasn't satisfied with this answer.
"After going to America, it really impacted me. But considering your career prospects, I believe high school baseball is just a burden for you now and won't help you at all. I'm also skeptical about whether the pro league environment in Japan will benefit you..."
"Your talent is outstanding! You're already wasting it in high school. Honestly, you've probably already run out of worthy opponents here, right?"
"This situation isn't critical yet, but after Miyuki and the rest of the current batch retire, this so-called 'golden age' will come to an end. At that point, which team will still have the strength to challenge Seidou High School?"
Chris's words were something Sawamura understood all too well.
But he couldn't just drop out of high school and head to the pro leagues, could he?
Even though he felt it was fine, his grandfather and parents would never agree.
Wasting a year might be a shame, but wouldn't it be more regretful to go against his family's wishes and upset them?
Moreover, Seidou held a special significance to Sawamura, and there are still many things he could do in high school, he can still train here and try so many other things that he won't be able to do in the Pro Leagues.
After entering the Pro Leagues, he won't be able to try many other things or develop his other skills like he wanted, and he wants to get the most out of what he can from it.
This is the opportunity of the Youth.
He wasn't willing to leave early.
If possible, he even wanted to stay another year.
But this feeling was nothing compared to the strong desire to challenge the Major Leagues.
"Shisho, don't worry, I'll definitely go to the Major Leagues, but not now!"
...
T/N: All right, this game is completed!
The next game will be against Inashiro!
As always, Thank you all for reading!!
Have a nice day!
You also can check my Patre0n for extra Chapters.
https://www.patre0n.com/ColdColt
There are +180 Chapters there.