The Old Baseball Player System

Shun, Kenta, Ren, and Shimizu arrived at the baseball field. While Shimizu went to arrange a few things for the team's practice, the three boys headed to the clubroom to put on their uniforms. A few minutes later, all the players from Shoto Junior High were gathered on the field, standing in front of Coach Yamada.

"Let's start with a light run to warm up and then move on to batting practice." - Coach Yamada instructed calmly, looking over his players.

"Yes, Coach!" - All the players responded loudly as Kenta took the lead in starting the run. The team spent a little over 20 minutes jogging around the field before beginning their batting practice.

Since this was the day before the Kanto Tournament, the practice was focused on the starting players, while the reserves had lighter training sessions and focused on assisting the starters. The batting practice lasted about two hours before Coach Yamada called everyone to take their positions on the field for fielding practice.

For the next two hours, Coach Yamada hit balls to his players, helping them hone their fielding skills. Contrary to what one might expect from a practice session on the eve of a tournament, the training was incredibly intense, especially from the third-year players and Coach Yamada himself, who seemed to be communicating silently through the practice.

Shun continued practicing both in center field and right field, as it was still uncertain whether Coach Yamada would use Ryosuke during the Kanto Tournament. Regardless, Shun didn't hesitate to give his all during his final practice session.

On the pitchers' side, Sora and Jiro mainly focused on light batting practice and stretching. Shun and Coach Yamada had decided that Sora would start pitching the first game, Jiro would be ready for a potential second game, and Shun would step in if necessary.

Jiro and Sora accepted the orders without complaint, while Daigo had to work as hard as Shun during the last week to prepare for the tournament. Although the young catcher had the skill to lead Shoto's three different pitchers, this would be Daigo's first time handling a doubleheader as well as consecutive games. This posed a significant challenge for him, not only physically but also mentally.

Fielding practice came to an end as Coach Yamada called everyone together for one last meeting before the tournament.

"Tomorrow, we're playing early in the morning. Even though you've been excused from classes, I want all of you here at 7 a.m. sharp so we can get to the stadium and warm up in time. Eat well and get plenty of rest tonight. You're dismissed." - Coach Yamada's speech was brief and to the point.

"Yes, Coach!" - All the players responded loudly, bowing toward Coach Yamada. Shun joined his teammates in the gesture, but he couldn't help finding his coach's speech a little unusual.

Typically, Coach Yamada gave long, motivational speeches during important moments. Considering this was the last practice for the third-year players on the team, Shun had been expecting an emotional speech from the man. However, since Yamada chose not to, Shun assumed the coach didn't want to create a farewell atmosphere right before the tournament.

After speaking to his players, Coach Yamada returned to his office, while the team members began to leave. Shun watched the younger players leave one by one until only he, Kenta, and Ren remained on the field. Shimizu observed the three friends sitting silently on the field before quietly leaving without saying a word.

Shun didn't know how many minutes passed as he sat silently on the field beside his two friends, memories of the countless moments he had built in this place flooding his mind.

Ren was the first to stand. Without saying a word, the young samurai walked away. A few minutes later, Kenta did the same, leaving quietly and leaving Shun alone on the large dirt field. Shun lay down on his back, gazing at the sky and reflecting on everything he had gone through to reach this moment.

From being expelled from the Tokyo Nakano team to almost giving up on baseball, receiving the system, and training with his friends, this field had been an incredibly important place in Shun's life. When the boy finally stood up, a determination to give this chapter of his life the perfect ending burned in his eyes. He would give his all in the Kanto Tournament!

Shun then began his list of intense exercises, taking full advantage of his last moments during his final practice as a middle school team player. Unbeknownst to Shun, Coach Yamada stood nearby, silently watching the young man train with a smile.

This wasn't the first time he had seen Shun doing his extra practice. In fact, he was well aware that the boy trained like this every day, even before games. Initially, Yamada had considered telling Shun to stop, but after observing how the boy's performance and physical condition only improved, and seeing no signs of fatigue or injury, the coach found no reason to intervene.

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At Hokuto Junior High School's baseball field, a similar scene was unfolding.

The four third-year players on the team, Kohei Sasaki, Yoshinori Sugawara, Toru Okada, and Isamu Endo, were sitting on the field with determined expressions. Unlike most middle school teams, they had already been champions of the Kanto Tournament, but that didn't diminish their desire to win again.

In fact, they were probably hungrier for victory than any other team, as they hadn't participated in any official tournaments over the summer and had to settle for friendly matches against weaker teams. Because of this, Hokuto's team was coming into this tournament stronger than ever.

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Similar scenes played out at all 16 schools qualified for the Kanto Tournament. All the third-year players savored their last practice sessions as middle school athletes, an unwavering determination evident in their eyes.

All 16 teams were champions. All 16 teams were dangerous. And all 16 teams were aiming for victory. The Kanto Tournament, the largest middle school baseball tournament in Japan, was about to begin!