A week later, on Sunday, Zhang Han arrived at the baseball field of Ichidai Third High School, one of West Tokyo's powerhouses.
A powerhouse truly lives up to its name; the training facilities and grounds here left Zhang Han in awe. If he could continue to learn baseball here, it would definitely be a very happy thing. But getting in wouldn't be easy.
Simply through Supervisor Ono Binchi's recommendation and his fame, at most it would be a special admission without examination—a spot highly sought after by those with average academics who wanted a prestigious school. For Zhang Han, however, it was of little value. He had good academic results; the key issue was that he didn't have money.
His purpose in coming here was for Ichidai Third High School's private tryouts. According to Supervisor Ono Binchi, players who stood out from this selection process would not only be exempt from all tuition and accommodation fees but would also receive corresponding rewards. Even with Zhang Han's special circumstances, there was still room for negotiation. Supervisor Ono Binchi was confident he could persuade the Head Coach and the teacher in charge of new recruits.
Upon entering, Zhang Han received his number, 36, from a team manager—a very lucky number.
Those participating in the selection were from schools and junior baseball teams that had cooperative relationships with Ichidai Third High School. The school initially established this selection system because their special admissions had quota limits, and they had too many cooperative teams.
As a superior school, Ichidai Third High School was in a difficult position. Ultimately, some genius at the school thought of the tryout system. They would offer a few spots and let all registered players compete for them. This way, Ichidai Third High School could obtain excellent players to the greatest extent possible, and the lower-level teams could also get sufficient opportunities. As a nationally renowned powerhouse, Ichidai Third High School did not want any useless players.
Zhang Han lined up with the other players, waiting for the school's arrangements. Supervisor Ono Binchi had already sent his position and various information to the school in advance.
Originally, Zhang Han thought he would have to undergo basic tests and had prepared for a long time. But Ichidai Third High School's Head Coach Tahara directly shattered his illusion.
"Boys, you are all elites and geniuses from your respective schools. I believe there is no point in conducting basic tests on you again. The materials submitted by your teams contain your detailed information. We will look at this ourselves, and this information will also serve as one of our selection criteria."
These words made everyone present feel excited.
Those who could come here were all core figures in their own teams. Now, they had to compete for just a few spots. Mentally they understood, but emotionally, the cold reception they received upon entering the school had left them full of suppressed anger.
After listening to Coach Tahara, they immediately felt much better. After all, they were all geniuses. Hadn't the Coach just acknowledged their strength?
Zhang Han hid in the crowd, looking at his somewhat complacent companions, feeling quite speechless. This Head Coach was truly a master at stirring up emotions.
Everyone who came here had some anger simmering inside. These star players, usually so prominent, seemed to have suddenly lost their star aura, and people were indifferent to them. How could these guys, used to smooth sailing, adapt? Some of the more arrogant ones had probably already considered leaving in a huff.
Now, after Coach Tahara's guidance, about sixty to seventy percent of that anger was gone. Even the remaining anger had changed direction. Originally, they thought of leaving; now, they thought of performing well. One reason was to live up to Coach Tahara's high regard, and the other was to show those arrogant Ichidai Third High School members what a true genius player was!
"No more nonsense, form a team, and let's play a game directly!" Coach Tahara said decisively.
The expressions of those players who were originally very confident suddenly changed. Asking them to challenge Ichidai Third High School's main players one-on-one, wasn't that suicidal? Even if they were confident, they weren't arrogant. The main players of powerhouse high schools were originally players of their level who had advanced. After three years of tempering, those already excellent players had been completely transformed. Their strength was certainly not something the tryout players could compare to.
"Don't worry, you won't be playing against them. You'll be playing against our first-year players. They've only been in high school for half a year, so their strength is relatively close to yours."
Everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief. Although there were several very outstanding players among the current first-years, their strength was not so despair-inducing compared to the main seniors. If they were lucky, they might even win.
When it came to other things, these players might not be outstanding. But when it came to playing baseball, each of them was very confident. They often beat adult teams, leaving them disoriented. Not to mention, these were just a group of high school students one year older than them.
Zhang Han looked at his optimistic companions, but he secretly felt bitter. It would probably be difficult for him to perform well in today's game.
Ichidai Third High School's first-years were promoted from middle school and junior baseball teams. Several of them were old acquaintances of Zhang Han. Even a year ago, it wasn't easy to defeat these guys, let alone now, a year later.
Moreover, several of their companions on their side were problem children. Although they were strong, it would probably be difficult to coordinate them.
No matter what Zhang Han thought, this showdown still arrived as scheduled. Zhang Han was in the third group to play.