Tokyo: The story begins with a confession.

Page 41

What?! A crisp sound rang in his ears. The baseball, which was flying at high speed, was now swung out with great force, crashing hard into the wire mesh and spinning rapidly, making a sound that made one's teeth ache.

That force!

He astutely judged that if it weren't for the barbed wire fence, it would have been a home run!

"Looks like I was underestimated." Uesugi Kenichi said calmly, maintaining his swinging stance and not even glancing at the baseball he had knocked away.

Chapter 85 Psychological Game (Please Subscribe)

This kid!

Takeda Koichi looked at Uesugi Kenichi with an incredulous expression, only to meet Uesugi Kenichi's sharp, tiger-like gaze. He trembled inwardly and immediately suppressed his contempt.

This kid is definitely not ordinary. You can't use the common sense of a normal high school student to judge him. Even if you know it's a straight shot, you can't guarantee he can hit it with a bang.

He knew Uchida's pitch; it had a very strong aftereffect, and if he wasn't careful, it could easily become a short-hit. Forget about a home run, the chances of even a hit were slim.

"Show us your true skills."

"Tch, you really dare to say that," Takeda Koichi said sheepishly as he returned to his seat, taking a deep breath to calm himself down.

He shifted his glove slightly to the outside, aiming for a bad ball on the right side. Uchida nodded, tossed the baseball a few times, raised his left leg, concealed the ball with his right hand, and then threw it with lightning speed—a perfectly executed side-step pitch. "557!"

The moment the ball came out, Uesugi Kenichi's pupils dilated slightly. He saw the ball very clearly. It wasn't as fast as the previous ball, but the angle was very tricky, and it was quite far from his batting area. Without thinking too much, he adjusted the position of his bat and swung it hard.

With a snap, the baseball hit the ball's sleet.

"nice shot!"

Koichi Takeda shouted triumphantly. He had deliberately swung this pitch to deceive the opponent; once he swung, the bad pitch would naturally become a good pitch.

Kenichi Uesugi stared at the baseball that Koichi Takeda held firmly in his glove, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

This must be a scam, right? A smile appeared on his face. Interesting, I've learned something new.

"Come again!"

Koichi Takeda was now taking the practice very seriously. Although he was pleased with himself, he did not let his guard down at all. That powerful blow had completely shattered his pride. He put his glove on the outside corner and attached a slider.

"Kid, let me teach you a lesson. Baseball isn't so easy to play." His gaze towards Uesugi Kenichi had completely changed. Like an old hunter eyeing his prey, it was full of calculation, yet also tinged with deep admiration.

Come on, come on, let me see how much potential you still have!

Koichi Takeda was completely excited. Although a powerful fighter was a headache, he was also very excited!

Rikuto Uchida saw the excitement in his friend's eyes through the thick helmet and smiled back.

Kenichi Uesugi gripped the baseball bat tightly with both hands, his sharp, eagle-like eyes fixed on Rikuto Uchida's every move.

coming!

He stared intently at the baseball as it flew out, his expression somewhat serious. The baseball's trajectory was the same as when he caught it, drawing a curve on the left as it flew over.

Or is it a bad ball?

He was unsure whether this was another bad shot designed to trick him into swinging, and a moment of hesitation crossed his mind, so he simply stood still.

He watched the baseball fly towards him, thinking it was a bad ball, and was just about to breathe a sigh of relief when the ball suddenly veered off course and flew back into the strike zone.

"Good shot!" Koichi Takeda shouted.

Kenichi Uesugi narrowed his eyes, glanced at the somewhat smug Koichi Takeda, then at Rikuto Uchida, and a smile of excitement appeared on his face.

Baseball is definitely not as simple as I thought. The difficulty lies not only in hitting the ball, but also in various psychological battles.

However, that last shot was indeed a bit tricky. He thought it was a bad shot, but then the ball strangely veered into the good shot zone.

Even though these two balls weren't as fast as the straight shots he'd hit before, he still managed to miss them twice in a row.

Kato Megumi watched anxiously from the sidelines. With two strikes and zero losses, one more strike would result in a strikeout. She could see that Uesugi Kenichi was clearly at a disadvantage due to his lack of experience.

"Well, buddy, baseball isn't that simple, is it? Sometimes you have to respect the older folks. How about I give you some pointers? I'll let you in on a secret: you'll be in the same spot later, so want to hit it?" Koichi Takeda teased.

On one hand, he was genuinely happy; on the other hand, he wanted to discourage Uesugi Kenichi and shake his resolve.

Uesugi Kenichi ignored him, took a deep breath, and pressed down the brim of his hat. The hair on his body stood on end, every muscle in his body tensed up, and his dark eyes stared at Uchida Rikuto with a predatory gaze.

Rikuto Uchida felt a chill run down his spine when he noticed Kenichi Uesugi's gaze fixed on him. It felt as if he were being stared at by a serial killer, and that what the killer was holding in his hand wasn't a baseball bat but a knife that was about to pounce on him and slash him. It took him a while to recover and avoid that terrifying gaze.

Koichi Takeda, who was closer to Kenichi Uesugi, felt the change in Kenichi Uesugi's aura more clearly. His smile immediately disappeared, and just looking at his back, he felt a heavy pressure, like a mountain, pressing down on him, making it hard for him to breathe.

This kid is unpredictable, but he's a really good prospect. With a little more training, he could be used directly in professional baseball. If he develops steadily, his future achievements will definitely surpass his and Uchida's by a large margin.

We've already got two good pitches, what's the next step?

A straight ball was absolutely out of the question, and an outside corner didn't seem safe either. After thinking for a while, he gave Rikuto Uchida a signal. Seeing Uchida nod, he felt relieved. Now the advantage was on his side, and he could take his time.

Upon receiving Takeda's signal, Rikuto Uchida executed a standard sidestep, raised his left leg, and swiftly threw the third ball.

The moment Uesugi Kenichi saw the baseball come out, his ears twitched slightly, but his body remained completely still, showing no intention of swinging the bat.

"Bad ball!" Kato Megumi exclaimed after a moment of surprise.

Seeing that he hadn't fooled Uesugi Kenichi, Takeda Koichi didn't care much and made another gesture.

The fourth ball was thrown quickly, and Uesugi Kenichi remained motionless. He keenly judged that this was another bad ball, and he still didn't move.

Then the fifth ball was also a bad ball.

"Ball! Two good balls and three bad balls!" Kato Megumi stepped into the box, her face showing a hint of excitement. Only one ball remained.

Wow, this kid is really good at keeping his cool.

Koichi Takeda's face showed a hint of embarrassment. He thought he had the upper hand and wanted to use a bad pitch to fake a swing and strike out the kid, but he didn't expect to hold on to three consecutive pitches.

With only one ball left, both sides are now back on equal footing.

He took a deep breath, feeling somewhat troubled, as if no matter how he tried to match the gloves, it wouldn't work. Finally, after thinking for a moment, he placed the gloves slightly below the center.

Rikuto Uchida's eyes narrowed as he noticed Takeda's gesture and the placement of his gloves, then he nodded vigorously. 1.8

He adjusted the position of the baseball in his hand, with his index and middle fingers gripping the narrowest part of the baseball's seam, and then forcefully threw it out with a flick of his wrist.

Kenichi Uesugi watched the baseball fly straight towards him, gripping the bat with eager anticipation.

Straight ball?

No, that's not right!

It's not a straight ball; although it looks like one, it tends to drop as it flies towards you.

He lowered the bat a little, then used his waist strength to swing the bat with both hands!

boom!

The baseball instantly transformed into a cannonball and shot upwards the moment it made contact with the bat.

All eyes were drawn to the baseball at that moment. With a series of clicks and scrapes, the wire mesh let out a mournful cry, and with a snap, the baseball broke through the wire mesh and flew out, disappearing into the distance in an instant.

This is really...

This is really amazing!

Koichi Takeda finished what Rikuto Uchida hadn't said.

Chapter 86 Kato Megumi's Embrace (Please Subscribe)

"That's enough for today." After watching the baseball fly off somewhere, Uesugi Kenichi put down the bat and rubbed his shoulders, which were a little sore. The wire mesh above had a hole in it, and he wondered if he would have to pay for it.

After throwing so many pitches and swinging the bat so many times, even with his superhuman physical abilities, he definitely needed a rest.

"Is that all?" Takeda Koichi asked with some regret. At this moment, he was completely aroused. He hadn't encountered such a rare pitching and batting duel since he retired.

Moreover, this kid is so young yet already has such strong skills. If we don't have a good fight with him now, he'll be completely out of the running once he joins the professional baseball league.

Yes, in his view, this boy named Uesugi Kenichi would inevitably join the professional baseball team in the future, and he would definitely shock everyone. A figure like the sun would dominate the contemporary baseball team the moment he stepped into the professional baseball team, making everyone breathless.

This young man has such potential. As long as he receives proper training, no, as long as he can maintain his current level, he will definitely have a place in the professional baseball batting lineup!

Koichi Takeda took off his catcher's cap and gloves and extended his hand to Kenichi Uesugi. "I take back my inappropriate remarks. Your hitting ability is very strong. Do you want to join professional baseball in the future? If you want, how about considering the Swallows? I can help you get in touch. Even if you can't join now, I can probably get you a contract in advance. The treatment will definitely not be bad."

After he finished speaking, he looked at Uesugi Kenichi with anticipation, wishing he could immediately hand over the contract and have him sign it.

"Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing? I discovered this genius first. If you're going to join someone, you should join the Tigers. The Tigers can offer much better benefits than your Swallows."

"Don't try to talk nonsense with me now. Even if you break the heavens, I'm not going to give him to you. When has our Swallow Team ever been stingy with our investment in talented players?"

"I don't care, I saw it first, you can't take it from me."

"Ha, what's the use of you liking me if there's no contract? That's robber logic."

"Looks like you've forgotten how powerful I, Rikuto Uchida, am if I don't fight you today."

"Come just come, whoever is afraid of whom!"

"I said, when did I ever say I wanted to participate in professional baseball?" Uesugi Kenichi said speechlessly as the two of them ignored him and started fighting.

"It seems you're quite popular, Kenichi," Kato Megumi said with a light laugh, covering her mouth.

He gave Kato Megumi a disapproving look. "Let them fight here. We're leaving first."

After hearing Uesugi Kenichi's words, Rikuto Uchida and Koichi Takeda exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise in each other's eyes.

With talent like yours, you say you don't play professional baseball!

It's a shame to waste the talent God gave you. You should apologize to those hardworking but talentless teenagers!

Seeing that Uesugi Kenichi was about to leave, the two immediately reached an agreement: regardless of who could win, they would first try to get this kid into professional baseball!

"Hey, are you really not going to consider playing professional baseball? If you have any concerns, just tell us, whether it's about school or family, you can talk about any difficulties."

"Yes, yes, with your talent you will definitely become a famous player in the future. You know, professional baseball players earn a lot of money every year. You will definitely be able to earn at least 5 billion yen a year, no, 10 billion yen, and you will also have a high social status. Don't waste your talent."

Rikuto Uchida and Koichi Takeda caught up with him and kept nagging Kenichi Uesugi, telling him how great it was to be able to participate in professional baseball and how many benefits it brought.

After listening for a while with a headache, Uesugi Kenichi couldn't hold back any longer and said, "I really don't have any thoughts about professional baseball for the time being. If I do have such thoughts in the future, I will definitely let you know as soon as possible. Is that okay?"

After exchanging a glance, Rikuto Uchida said, "Okay, then if you ever change your mind, be sure to contact me. This is my business card."

"And mine too." Takeda Koichi quickly took out his own business card and handed it over.

In order to get the two to leave as soon as possible, Uesugi Kenichi collected all their business cards, waved to them, and then quickly left.

Takeda Koichi watched Uesugi Kenichi walk away, a puzzled look on his friend's face. "Why did you let him go so easily?"

Rikuto Uchida smiled slightly. "How could that be? I've never seen such talent in this young man before. How could I just let him go?"

"Then this is?"