The next afternoon, after school.
At the baseball field of Yakushi High School, the team members had already gathered.
Groups of players chatted in twos and threes while waiting for the freshman induction ceremony to begin.
"You're Kitamura Kou, right?"
A handsome boy with a bright smile approached the trio—Kou, Nakanishi, and Akaishi.
"Yes, I'm Kitamura Kou," Kou replied politely.
"I'm Sanada Shunpei, a second-year pitcher here."
"Hello, Sanada-senpai!" the three freshmen greeted him with a quick bow.
"I heard the coach talking about you," Sanada said with interest.
"He said you once struck out Raichi."
"That was just luck," Kou replied modestly.
Sanada smiled.
"Luck or skill… I'll be watching closely."
He waved casually as he turned to leave.
"Sanada Shunpei. Second-year pitcher."
"See you later."
Nakanishi immediately elbowed Kou.
"Hey, getting noticed by a senior right after joining the team. You're lucky!"
"Shut up," Kou replied calmly.
"ASSEMBLE!"
The team quickly lined up.
"Good afternoon, Coach!"
The players shouted in unison.
Standing in front of them was the familiar sloppy-looking coach—
Raizo Todoroki.
"I am your coach, Todoroki Raizo."
"Are these all the new members?"
"Yes!!!"
"Good."
Raizo nodded lazily.
"Introduce yourselves one by one."
"I'm from Tomikawa Junior High! My name is Maruyama Shinji! I want to play first base!"
"Next."
"I'm Hirose Ryota from Miyagawa Little Senior! I want to play left field! My defense is my strongest point!"
"Next."
"I'm Matsumoto Taro from Gizan Junior High! I want to become a shortstop!"
The introductions continued smoothly.
Soon it was Kou's turn.
"I'm Kitamura Kou from Seishu Academy Junior High."
"I want to play pitcher."
"My second choice is right field."
"I'm also willing to try other positions if needed."
"Please take care of me."
His calm tone immediately caused some murmurs among the surrounding players.
A freshman who confidently declared pitcher at Yakushi High was unusual.
Raizo smirked.
"Oh? Quite confident."
"I'll be looking forward to your performance."
"Next."
"I'm Nakanishi Daiki from Seishu Academy Junior High!"
"I want to play third base!"
"Please take care of me!"
"I'm Akaishi Osamu from Seishu Academy Junior High!"
"I want to be a catcher!"
"Please take care of me!"
Once everyone finished introducing themselves, Raizo stepped forward again.
"Second-years and third-years—go start your individual training."
"First-years—today you will take ability tests for the positions you want."
"Change into your cleats and assemble on the field!"
"YES!!!"
Their voices echoed across the baseball field.
After changing into his gear, Kou walked toward the field with the other freshmen.
The positions he had chosen earlier had not been random.
In his previous life, during his third year of high school, he had pitched from the first game all the way to the Koshien final.
Ignoring the limits of his still-developing body, he forced himself to carry the team.
In the final game alone, he pitched thirteen innings.
That reckless decision had caused severe wear and tear on his elbow.
The hidden injury eventually affected his entire professional career.
Because of that experience, Kou had made a firm decision in this life.
He would never monopolize the pitcher's mound again.
And since he possessed excellent batting ability, he planned to play outfield when not pitching.
In his previous life, after his elbow injury, he had switched to the outfield for a long period.
His experience there was already quite rich.
Ability Tests Begin
The first test was throwing distance.
Kou's long throw reached 120 meters.
That distance immediately shocked many of the Yakushi players.
Next came base running.
Kou's speed ranked near the top among all freshmen.
Even when compared to players across the entire high school baseball world, his speed could easily be considered top tier.
"Next—Kitamura Kou!"
"Yes."
Kou casually spun his bat as he stepped into the batter's box.
The batting test had begun.
The pitcher assigned for this test was a third-year senior.
Standing in the right-handed batter's box, Kou quietly settled into his stance.
His gaze locked onto the pitcher.
The aura he had cultivated over years of intense competition unconsciously spread outward.
Even the senior on the mound felt a slight pressure.
"This freshman… he has quite a presence."
"But how good is his batting?"
The senior gripped the baseball tightly.
His arm whipped forward like a lash.
The ball shot toward the plate.
The moment the ball left his hand—
Kou's dynamic vision instantly analyzed the pitch.
Four-seam fastball.
135 km/h.
High and inside.
Kou swung.
CLANG!
The sound of the metal bat echoed across the field.
WHOOSH!
The ball exploded off the bat, flying even faster than the pitch itself.
A white streak shot high into the sky—
And cleared the outfield fence.
"Whoa! It's gone!"
The freshmen waiting nearby erupted in shock.
Even the pitcher on the mound froze momentarily.
The test continued.
CLANG!
Another powerful hit.
The ball once again soared out of the stadium.
Third pitch.
Fourth pitch.
Fifth pitch.
The senior threw a total of ten pitches.
The result was astonishing.
Seven home runs.
Three doubles.
None of the pitches had exceeded 140 km/h.
For Kou, who had trained for years at the Tsukishima Batting Center, this speed was nothing unusual.
The freshmen watching couldn't stop talking.
"That guy is insane!"
"That's Kitamura Kou, right?"
"I wonder who's stronger—him or Raichi!"
"Mishima, Akiba, Nakanishi, and Akaishi were impressive too!"
"If this class joins the team…"
"Maybe Yakushi can defeat the Three Great Powers of West Tokyo this year!"
"Maybe we'll even reach Koshien!"
Even some upperclassmen stopped their training to watch.
On the sidelines, Raizo Todoroki stared in disbelief.
Then he suddenly collapsed to the ground.
"Ahhh!"
"I've really found a treasure this time!"
"I already thought his pitching was incredible…"
"But I didn't expect his batting to be this strong!"
"It's not inferior to my idiot son Raichi at all!"
Raizo clutched his head dramatically.
"Heaven is truly blessing me!"
Tears streamed down his face.
Amid waves of shocked exclamations, the freshman evaluation tests finally came to an end.
But one thing had become clear to everyone on the field.
Yakushi High had just welcomed a monster-level freshman.