"Damn it! How could the Slider be so sharp?"
Everyone on site widened their eyes, their gazes filled with disbelief.
Middle schoolers who can master high-level Sliders are already few and far between. It's not just middle schoolers; even high schoolers who can skillfully master high-level Sliders are not that numerous. But just now, they personally witnessed a Slider that was at least S-tier. The magnitude of its variation was enough to make people gasp in astonishment.
"My genius boy, he's here!"
Coach Tahara's eyes sparkled like 40-watt light bulbs.
He was already content to have taken in Manaka Kaname, such a promising pitcher. But it seemed fate favored him especially, not only sending Manaka but now also another pitcher who appeared to have even greater talent.
Despite only seeing one pitch, Coach Tahara's inner excitement was already uncontrollable. Even if such a talented player hadn't fully developed his strength yet, he was still extremely valuable for cultivation.
"Go and tell them. After the game, keep this kid here. You must keep him!"
Ichidai Third High School's Assistant Coach was somewhat incredulous when he received the order. He had been with Coach Tahara for several years, and it was the first time he had seen the Coach so agitated. This clearly showed that the kid's potential had truly reached an astonishing level. Otherwise, Coach Tahara would never have lost his composure like that.
As a renowned Director of a prestigious school, Coach Tahara, though a bit eccentric, still possessed the necessary demeanor. And now he was so flustered!
The Assistant Coach also turned his gaze to Amahisa. Is this young man's talent really that terrifying?
Facts speak for themselves.
Amahisa fully demonstrated this in his subsequent pitching. He first seized the initiative with a Slider. This was immediately followed by an incredibly swift Fastball.
"Whoosh!"
The white little ball, like a bullet, instantly pierced through layers of obstruction and appeared in the catcher's mitt.
"Thwack!"
"Strike!"
Ichidai Third High School's ninth batter was completely stunned.
So fast!
In an instant, the ball flew past, and he didn't even have time to react. Although he wasn't promoted to the First-string like some of the other first-years, he was still a relatively strong rookie player in the second team. He was already representing the school and playing practice games against other high schools. But even so, he still didn't have time to react to Amahisa's Fastball.
"Two strikes so quickly!"
"The middle schoolers participating in the tryouts this year really seem extraordinary."
"Yeah, I wonder where they popped up from?"
"You wouldn't know this, but that guy is famous. The Ace of Ishikawa Little League, have you heard of him?"
"You mean the pitcher with the 'noise' in his body? No way?"
Some old fans of Ichidai Third High School had gathered outside the field at some point, watching with great interest.
Actually, every year around this time, there are always some guys who try to show off. But usually, these guys are just clowning around. Their draft hype is huge, but in reality, not many truly top-tier players are selected.
This is not difficult to understand. For instance, first-year Omae and Manaka, and Hoshida and Miyakawa who are about to join the team. These truly capable, outstanding players would have received invitations from Ichidai Third High School long ago and wouldn't participate in any tryouts.
With top stars not participating, and other prestigious schools vying for talent, those who come to Ichidai Third High School for tryouts are basically well-known players who are neither top-tier nor low-tier. These players certainly have some skill, but whether they are truly powerful is another matter.
Unexpectedly, a dark horse emerged this year.
Amahisa Kousei!
"Go get the speed gun and see how fast this kid's Fastball is!"
"Whoosh!"
The first pitch was a high-level Slider, the second was a clean Fastball, and the third was a Fastball right down the middle. Three consecutive pitches, not one missed. The batter didn't even have time to swing his bat; the showdown was already over.
"No swing, strikeout!"
After Amahisa took the mound, he really brought a good start for the middle schoolers.
"Nice pitching!"
"Let them hit, we'll stop them."
"One out, one out!"
Amahisa's excellent performance also boosted the atmosphere on the field. Cheers and support began to emerge from the middle schoolers' defensive lineup.
"138km!"
When Amahisa's pitching speed was measured, Ichidai Third High School's Assistant Coach was somewhat surprised.
It wasn't that Amahisa's pitching speed was incredibly fast; he just felt that this speed was a bit strange. From what he saw with his eyes, the pitching speed should clearly be faster. He felt it should be at least 140 kilometers.
"This pitching is interesting!"
Coach Tahara's eyes became even more satisfied. A genius, this is a true genius. As long as he is properly refined, this guy's future is bound to be limitless.
However, this very guy, who seemed to have limitless talent, immediately suffered a setback.
"Ping!"
His pitch was caught by Ichidai Third High School's First Batter, Manaka.
After the white little ball was hit, it flew directly behind the shortstop. Manaka Kaname took the opportunity to run to First Base.
"Safe!"
One out, runner on First Base.
"Good hit, Manaka!"
"Just a young punk, what's he so proud of?"
The Ichidai Third High School players puffed out their chests.
Even Zhang Han, as an opponent, gave Manaka a thumbs up.
"Amazing, Senior Manaka! How did you know that guy would throw an inside Fastball?"
"Don't forget, I'm a pitcher too!"
Manaka was all smiles. He was clearly excited to have guessed Amahisa's pitching path.
"But I didn't expect you to come to Ichidai Third High School too. Weren't you always shouting that choice is more important than effort? I thought you'd go to Teito or Inashiro?"
In recent years, the teams that have advanced to Koshien the most in the Tokyo area are Teito and Inashiro.
"Don't look down on Ichidai Third High School. Ichidai San is also a very good team."
"I didn't say Ichidai San was bad."
"You clearly did. Don't be shy, Senior."
"You're still as unlikable as ever, you guy."
"Well, thank you for the compliment then."
Zhang Han had been a rotating pitcher for Matsukata Little League since his first year and had played against Manaka for two years. He knew Manaka and his substitute Tanba. However, Tanba was introverted, so they didn't communicate much. Manaka's personality, on the other hand, was like an enthusiastic Little Sun, making him easier to deal with.