"Really?" Kataoka asked curiously, but his eyes narrowed.
Takashima Rei nodded, her face serious. "The Second Stringers spotted them first. They were using phones and little cameras, zeroing in on Yamamoto-san."
"Who were they?" Kataoka snapped, his expression hardening.
Someone had to have seen something.
"Just your run-of-the-mill Ichidaisan and Inashiro guys," Ōta Kazuyoshi stated nonchalantly, like it was no big deal
They hadn't made it to Koshien in ages, but those two were always lurking.
Seidō made a move, and they were all over it, like cats on a tuna.
Deep down, they saw them as the team to beat.
The kind they needed to keep a close eye on.
"Don't forget Seikō Academy," Takashima chimed in, thoughtfully.
Seikō?
"Our next opponent!" She stated, like it was obvious.
Kataoka and Ōta exchanged surprised looks.
As club president and coach, they knew West Tokyo baseball inside and out.
Seikō Academy was always a tough team, and their coach was well-known.
They knew Seikō well.
In their minds, Seikō was all about the power hitters.
Basically, all muscle, no finesse—
Which was a reflection of their coach.
He was obsessed with brute force.
That's why their starters were all built like tanks.
Some people called Seikō the "Gorilla Brigade."
And it wasn't far from the truth.
Those guys really did look like gorillas.
It was hard to imagine them stooping to spying.
That kind of play was usually for the big leagues.
"Never thought Coach Kumakiri would—" Ōta scratched his chin, puzzled.
"Alright, let's call a team meeting!" Kataoka announced, decisively.
If the other team was already making moves, they needed to react.
"But you just made them run thirty laps," Takashima pointed out, a wry smile on her face.
Kataoka nodded. "Right, we'll hold off until they've cooled down," Kataoka conceded, a hint of amusement in his voice.
Thirty laps was over ten thousand meters.
Even they were beat after that.
But before they could catch their breath, they were told to head back.
Back to the meeting room.
"Our next opponent is Seikō Academy. They've played three games, scores of 15-2, 13-1, and 11-2," Kataoka stated matter-of-factly.
Seikō let up some runs each game.
But compared to what they scored, it was nothing.
And like Seidō, all their games were cut short.
"Here's the lowdown on their key players!" Takashima announced, passing out printouts.
No fancy presentation, just printouts.
"Take a good look, everyone—" She added encouragingly.
"96 kilograms?" One player blurted out, eyes wide.
"89 kilograms!" Another echoed, just as surprised.
"103 kilograms?" A third whispered, barely audible.
The first thing that jumped out was the weight of Seikō's players.
Baseball players are strong, so they're not exactly lightweights.
But your average high schooler tips the scales at fifty to sixty-five kilograms.
Even their own players averaged around seventy kilograms.
Azuma Kiyokuni, their cleanup hitter, was the biggest guy on their team.
And he was only 91 kilograms.
He wouldn't even crack the top three compared to Seikō's lineup.
"What are these guys eating, steroids?" One player asked, completely baffled.
The team had a tradition of starting with three bowls of rice.
But that wasn't going to get you anywhere near Seikō's weight class.
"This team is all about power hitting. Pitchers, study this data. You'll all see some action," Kataoka advised seriously.
Ever since Takumi showed what he could do on the mound, Kataoka had changed his tune.
He wasn't going to hold him back anymore.
"Yoshida, Tanba—" Kataoka called out.
He looked at the two pitchers. "You're up first," He stated simply.
"Yes, Coach!" Yoshida replied, pumped, while Tanba was a bit slower on the uptake.
These two had different weaknesses when it came to power hitters.
Yoshida was shaky at the start, but once he found his rhythm, he was top-tier.
Tanba's problem was he choked when someone got on base.
No wonder the players already thought Takumi was their ace.
These two just didn't inspire confidence.
Why were Inashiro and Ichidaisan so cocky when they played them?
This was why.
They knew their pitchers would crumble eventually.
Their own ace wasn't perfect, either.
But compared to Seidō, they were a lot more solid.
"Study the data and plan how to handle them," Kataoka instructed seriously.
Faced with such an aggressive team, Kataoka didn't send out Takumi—their most reliable pitcher.
Instead, he chose Yoshida and Tanba.
Some players looked confused, unsure of the strategy.
Others, however, quickly guessed what he was aiming for.
'Is he trying to have Yoshida and Tanba work through their weaknesses before facing Inashiro and Ichidaisan?' Takigawa observed quietly, watching Kataoka leave, deep in thought about the upcoming game.
With the coach's plan, it was bound to be a slugfest.
It was a challenge not only for the pitchers but for the team as a whole, wasn't it?
Two days later, the sky was clear and bright, promising another sunny morning.
They arrived early at Akita Stadium.
This was where they would face Seikō in the quarter-finals, a team renowned for its formidable power at the plate.
Since it was Saturday, the stands were packed with more fans than usual.
High school students, alumni, and even more reporters filled the seats, eager to see the showdown.