Seido High School Baseball Team - Strategy Meeting Room
While the Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team was busily researching Seido, the Seido High School Baseball Team was far from idle. At this very moment, their players were gathered in the lounge, quietly and seriously studying the opponent they were about to face—Inashiro Industrial.
Unlike their previous strategy meeting before the match against Ichidai Third High School, the atmosphere this time was noticeably calmer.
Back then, the agitation and tension had stemmed largely from a lack of confidence. After suffering defeat after defeat in the past, the question looming over everyone's head was simple yet cruel: Could they really reclaim their pride this time?
At that moment, the Seido players had almost no confidence at all.
They had only one option—go all out and gamble everything.
But facing Inashiro now was a completely different story.
They had just defeated Ichidai Third High School, and that victory hadn't come through luck or coincidence. It was a win achieved through genuine, undeniable strength.
That battle gave every player a clear understanding of their current level.
Without even realizing it themselves, their strength had already grown to a formidable degree.
Now, as they turned their attention toward analyzing the Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team, a strange realization dawned on them.
Compared to Ichidai Third High School…
Inashiro actually seemed easier to deal with.
First came the Ace pitcher.
Nishimonji was certainly a capable pitcher, but compared to Kameshima, there was a clear gap.
Calling it a gap was already being polite.
Based on the intelligence and footage they had reviewed so far, the two weren't even on the same level. Nishimonji's strength was only slightly better than Hidezawa's before his evolution.
When compared to the current Hidezawa, he probably couldn't even measure up.
Next was Inashiro's fourth batter and catcher, Fujita Goro.
In the Tokyo area, Fujita was considered a well-known batter, someone with a solid reputation.
However, when placed next to monsters like Azuma Kiyokuni and Kameshima, his sharpness was lacking—not by a small margin, either.
In fact, even second-year Yuuki Tetsuya had a better overall record than Fujita.
Of course—
As the uncrowned king of West Tokyo, Inashiro Industrial was by no means weak.
They still possessed undeniable strengths, and in certain aspects, they even held clear advantages.
Two of those stood out the most.
The first was their average strength.
Inashiro didn't have batters of Azuma Kiyokuni or Yuuki Tetsuya's caliber, but they were overflowing with players at the level of Tanaka, Hidezawa, and Yamada.
As a top-tier powerhouse, almost every player on their roster had reached this standard, and some even exceeded it.
From top to bottom, their entire batting lineup posed a real threat.
Their only shortcoming was the lack of truly decisive power hitters.
But that flaw was almost unavoidable.
The training volume of a powerhouse like Inashiro was unquestionable. Still, batters like Azuma Kiyokuni, Kameshima, and Yuuki weren't forged through diligence alone.
Compared to hard work, talent sometimes mattered more.
Take Hoshida and Zhang Han, for example.
When they first entered high school, their hitting abilities were already close to top-tier. Could their training volume possibly match that of players who had worked relentlessly for three full years?
A two-year gap wasn't something that could be bridged so easily.
Their current strength relied heavily on talent.
The second major characteristic of Inashiro Industrial was unity.
They placed extreme importance on coordination and cooperation, whether on offense or defense. Their players moved like parts of a well-oiled machine, each understanding their role perfectly.
"Coach Kunitomo's leadership really pushed Inashiro to this level," Zhang Han thought to himself, unable to help but sigh inwardly. "There's definitely a reason for it."
Coach Kataoka's coaching ability had improved rapidly in recent years. Among all the coaches in Tokyo, he could now be considered top five without question.
But compared to Kunitomo—widely acknowledged as number one—there was still a noticeable gap.
Tomorrow's game would likely involve some tactical and strategic disadvantages for Seido.
And if they wanted to win, those disadvantages had to be taken into account.
After reviewing the footage and analyzing all the available intelligence, Seido High School Baseball Team reached a clear conclusion.
In terms of pure strength, Seido was actually stronger.
However, defeating Inashiro would not be easy.
Inashiro Industrial was an exceptionally tough opponent, and the contest between the two sides would be comprehensive—strength, tactics, endurance, and mentality would all come into play.
"Based on our previous analysis," Takashima Rei said seriously, one hand resting on her hip, "if we had faced Inashiro before playing Ichidai, our chances of winning would've been around sixty percent. But after such an intense battle, our physical condition may be an issue, and much of our intelligence has already been exposed."
She paused briefly before delivering her conclusion.
"At this point, the win rate for both sides is probably around fifty-fifty."
Her words echoed in the room.
The players' hearts pounded with excitement.
According to the vice-director's analysis, weren't they now the most qualified team to represent West Tokyo at Koshien?
It certainly felt that way.
As for the other semifinal match, both Seido and Inashiro chose to ignore it—at least for now.
As long as they could defeat their respective opponents, they would essentially secure their ticket to Koshien.
For Inashiro Industrial, this wasn't anything new. They had appeared at Koshien almost every year, whether in spring or summer.
But Seido was different.
This was an opportunity they had waited for years to obtain—one they had finally grasped after countless setbacks.
They absolutely could not let it slip away.
They had to make it.
"We've more or less grasped the opponent's overall strength," someone said. "So next, we should focus on whether they have any hidden cards."
Seido was extremely familiar with most of Inashiro Industrial's players. Judging from their performances in previous games, their strength hadn't suddenly skyrocketed.
That meant the key lay elsewhere.
In the new additions.
Number 19—Kamiya Carlos.
Number 20—Narumiya Mei.
Both were first-year players who had recently been promoted. This was a common practice among the three great powerhouses.
If a first-year had sufficient strength, they could even become a First-string regular immediately. If not, they would stay on the bench, gaining experience.
The purpose was simple: cultivate new talent so that when older players retired, replacements could step in seamlessly.
From all appearances, Inashiro seemed to fall into the latter category.
So far, neither Narumiya Mei nor Carlos had appeared in any official matches.
Unlike Seido and Ichidai Third High School.
Miyuki Kazuya had been promoted due to urgent necessity.
Zhang Han had forcibly seized a starting jersey with overwhelming strength.
Hoshida of Ichidai Third High School had secured the number three jersey, while Miyakawa, though not a starter, had already made multiple substitute appearances.
They had all become indispensable assets to their teams.
Inashiro, however, remained unclear.
If the team truly needed Narumiya Mei and Carlos, they should have given them opportunities on the field. But they hadn't.
From this, one conclusion could be drawn. Inashiro likely promoted them purely for future development.
"Still, better safe than sorry," Takashima Rei said, turning toward two familiar figures. "Kazuya, Zhang-kun—you've both faced them before."
Her gaze sharpened.
"What do you think? Is it possible those two are Inashiro's hidden cards?"
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