Holiday!
Even players who are usually very strict with themselves couldn't resist the temptation of this proposal.
They had already earned all the honors they could achieve in high school.
At this point, if they wanted to continue challenging themselves, they could only join the professional league or focus on training to refine their skills.
"Not returning home in glory is like walking through the dead of the night in your most splendid clothes."
In other words, if someone became rich and successful but never returned to their hometown, then no matter how rich or successful they became… what would it mean in the end?
What he truly wanted to express was this very idea.
However, not everyone could understand this concept.
There were still many players who decided to return to the school and train relentlessly, not wasting a single moment.
Why would they do this?
It's actually not that surprising. After all, with the retirement of the third-year players, the competition for spots in the first-string lineup and key positions was about to begin again!
The players who were already in the first-string had taken all the honors they could.
But for those in the second-string and those who had never played in the first-string, Koshien still felt very unfamiliar.
Although the team had entered Koshien multiple times, they still didn't fully understand it.
There were still many players from Seidou who had never stepped onto the Koshien field.
For these players, choosing a team was something they had to be especially careful about.
But let's get back to the holiday.
Although many teammates planned to stay on the team, most of the second- and third-year players wanted to take this opportunity to go home for a while.
In the past, it seemed like they had been playing baseball day and night without rest.
During this time, they had no personal lives at all.
Now, they could finally take a break and rest for a while.
These players were certainly hoping to have time to go home, as both their bodies and minds, injured or not, needed comfort.
It seemed that Coach Kataoka especially understood everyone's hardships.
It looked like, for the Seidou High School baseball team's Coach, reaching the peak of legend had a very special meaning.
All his wishes had been fulfilled, and his attitude had become much more relaxed.
"After we return, everyone will have a week's holiday. Our training will start a week later."
Coach Kataoka said directly.
"Hooray!"
"Hooray!!!"
The teammates cheered excitedly, their eyes glowing with excitement.
This was amazing. They were finally free.
They needed to show their gratitude to the Coach for his generosity with their actions.
The school had already prepared a lavish celebratory feast.
The reporters were all kicked out!
The principal was very accommodating, especially when Coach Kataoka brought in results. He was the happiest observer in the world.
Since Coach Kataoka and the players didn't want to be disturbed by reporters at this moment, the principal had to respect their wishes.
He personally stepped up and kept the reporters out.
The dean of the education department was really disappointed. It was such a great publicity opportunity!
These days, there are fewer and fewer students, and even private high schools have difficulty recruiting.
Even if they managed to recruit students, without good teachers, it wouldn't do much good.
It's a virtuous cycle, a world of healthy competition.
Such a great advertising opportunity was just discarded, and honestly, he was very unwilling.
But at this point, there was no need to go against the flow.
It was most important to solidify the victory.
As long as the players performed well, the rest of the issues could be resolved.
Although if they could agree to an interview with the reporters, the head of the education department would have an easier time with the next round of recruitment...
A group of teenagers, at the best time for growth, sat down to devour the food on the table.
How could they control themselves at this moment?
They were eating joyfully, not saying a word.
Afterward, they quickly freshened up. The players living close to home were ready to head back immediately, while those living farther away would rest for a day in the dormitory and leave the next evening.
Sawamura had already made plans with a few teammates and was ready to return to his dorm.
Although the distance from Tokyo to Nagano wasn't far, it certainly wasn't close either.
He couldn't return in such a short time, so Sawamura decided to rest well and head back the next day.
Not long after Eijun returned to his dorm, Kuramochi suddenly found him.
"Coach Kataoka wants to see me?"
Eijun's heart skipped a beat.
Actually, he had already known that with the retirement of the third-year Senpais, a heavy responsibility would likely fall on him.
That responsibility was to be the Team Captain!
After Captain Miyuki's retirement, Seidou High School's baseball team desperately needed a leader.
Although Eijun didn't want to shoulder this heavy burden, there was no choice.
Besides him, the players in their year either didn't have the strength or lacked the quality.
None of them were truly suitable.
To preserve Seidou High School's reputation, Sawamura had no choice but to take on the role of Captain, even though he didn't want to.
Eijun originally thought the news would be announced the next day.
But now, the decision had already been made.
Coach Kataoka's office hadn't changed much—it was still the same office.
In addition to Sawamura and Kuramochi, Miyuki was also called over.
At this point, Eijun was even more certain.
This must be about the Captain's handover.
He could see that the former Captain and vice-captain had been called here as well.
It was clear they were all being gathered together to pressure him.
Coach Kataoka was still as skilled as ever in knowing how to make someone comply.
With the three of them requesting together, even if Sawamura hadn't yet resigned to his fate, he couldn't possibly refuse them.
He couldn't say no to any of these three people.
Eijun's mind began to drift, and at this moment, he was far from the correct answer.
Coach Kataoka, however, ignored Eijun's distraction and looked seriously at the three proud students in front of him.
"I believe you all know that the National Youth Team is about to assemble. This time, only three players from Seidou High School Baseball Team have been invited. You are those three. Pack your things and get ready to report. The meeting place is in Tokyo, so it won't be a long trip for you. The competition will take place in Taiwan."
The World Youth Baseball Selection Tournament.
A total of 12 national teams would compete.
Teams from 12 countries around the world would compete to see who could stand at the top of the world.
Unlike previous lineups, this time, the National Team would choose the players based solely on capabilities.
For the first and the only time, the legendary Sawamura was invited.
…
T/N: By the way, the U-18 World Cup format will be tweaked for a bit, this is the only way, or it would take like 2-3 big Volumes to settle this arc.