The Old Baseball Player System

Shun explained in detail how Seiryu's ace was tipping his pitches. He even used Shimizu's video to show his teammates the difference in Kaito's glove movements when he was about to throw a fastball compared to one of his secondary pitches. Everyone listened attentively while watching the video, as they would need to use this tell in just a few hours.

"This is really useful, but how are we going to use it? If they figure it out, they might fix it or even pull Kaito out of the game." - Kenta asked Shun. Even though the tell Shun had found was incredibly valuable, Kenta knew that if they made it obvious that Kaito was tipping his pitches, an elite team like Seiryu would quickly come up with a solution.

"Hehe, don't worry. Let's just focus on scoring as many runs as we can until they figure it out. Try to observe a few pitches first. If we keep hitting the very first pitch every time, it'll be too obvious something's wrong with Kaito." - Shun said with a relaxed smile. Shun understood perfectly that no matter what they did, a school as elite as Seiryu would eventually realize something was off with Kaito if he started getting hit hard. That's why Shun decided their best option was to capitalize on this tell and build as big a lead as possible.

"Alright." - Kenta nodded in agreement. He had no reason to argue against Shun's plan. Still, he couldn't help but glance at Shun with a hint of suspicion. The entire Shoto team had watched Seiryu's game, but only Shun had managed to spot Kaito's tell. On top of that, Shun had even found time to take a nap on the bus.

With that, everyone settled back into the stands. While some continued reviewing the Seiryu video to better understand the tell Shun had explained, others simply relaxed and watched the ongoing game on the field. After a while, the game ended, and with it, the first round of the Kanto Tournament concluded, or at least the matches in this bracket. Shun had no idea what was happening at the other stadium.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

With the first round finished, the quarterfinal matchups were set. Shun didn't pay much attention to Hokuto's opponent. For some reason, he felt it didn't matter who faced the white-haired maniac and the left-handed pitcher with brown hair, Hokuto was sure to win and advance to the semifinals.

Shun had to hold back his excitement. Ever since Shoto had been eliminated in last year's Tokyo Tournament, he'd been eagerly awaiting the chance to face Hokuto in an official game and settle the score. As Shun thought about this, Shimizu began opening a large bag, and a delicious aroma wafted toward the Shoto players.

"No chaos! I brought food for everyone!" - Shimizu said firmly as she noticed the Shoto boys rising from their seats, ready to pounce on the bag of food she had opened. Her warning was enough to make everyone sit back down politely, earning a bright smile from Shimizu.

The girl began taking out several food containers from the bag, handing one to each Shoto player. Even Coach Yamada received one. When Shun got his container, he opened it eagerly, ready to satisfy his hunger. But as soon as he saw the neatly arranged homemade food, prepared so that everyone could pick what they liked and avoid what they didn't, Shun looked at Shimizu with admiration.

The girl had clearly gone to great lengths to prepare lunch for the entire team, organizing the food in a way that catered to everyone's preferences. Shun wasn't the only one who noticed this, every Shoto player realized how much effort Shimizu had put in, and simultaneously, they all stood and bowed toward her.

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"Thank you!" - The players said in unison before quickly sitting back down and starting to eat. Shimizu stood there, blushing slightly as she watched the players thank her. She often felt like she wasn't very helpful to the team, given her limited baseball knowledge. But seeing everyone appreciate her hard work brought a beautiful smile to her face.

"Aren't you going to eat?" - Kenta asked the girl, who was still standing with a radiant smile.

"Oh, yes!" - Shimizu snapped out of her thoughts at Kenta's question. She grabbed her food container from the bag and quickly sat down next to her boyfriend.

"The food is delicious!" - Kenta said as he ate, making Shimizu's smile grow even brighter. And so, the entire Shoto Junior High School team enjoyed lunch together in the stadium stands, preparing themselves for their quarterfinal game in the Kanto Tournament.

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After everyone finished lunch, Coach Yamada led the team back to the bus in the stadium parking lot. Since their game wouldn't start for another two hours, he wanted his players to rest comfortably until then. Considering that the sun was only getting stronger and the stands would soon fill with fans, the bus was the best place for the team to relax.

Shun sat next to Daigo and Jiro on the bus. As they would be the starting battery for the game, Shun began reviewing the game plan with them, discussing Seiryu's batters and how to face them. After all, Shun hadn't only observed the hologram of Kaito in the training center, he had studied the entire Seiryu team.

"How are you feeling, Jiro?" - Shun looked at the glasses-wearing youth and asked.

"I'm good. Your tips really helped me feel more at ease, Senpai!" - Jiro replied honestly. When he first saw how powerful Seiryu's team was, he couldn't help but feel a bit nervous about the game. But after Shun arrived in the stands and shared the tell about Seiryu's ace, along with detailed explanations of the strengths and weaknesses of each Seiryu batter, Jiro felt much more prepared and calm about pitching.

"That's good. Just pitch like you normally do, and even Seiryu won't be able to beat you." - Shun smiled as he saw Jiro's relaxed expression and gave him a light punch on the chest. Shun knew very well how good Jiro was and that if he was having a good day, his pitches were practically untouchable.

"Yes, Senpai!" - Jiro replied confidently, unable to hide his happiness at seeing the faith Shun had in him.