Chapter 42: If a man doesn't train his legs, sooner or later he'll be impotent

Huangqian Yangyi's words made Ono Hiroshi frown slightly; he had said as much, yet the other party wouldn't take the bait?

However, the smile on Huangqian Yangyi's face was so radiant that Ono Hiroshi briefly wondered if he had been too harsh just now; everyone was a teammate, after all, and he just wanted to hit Kawakami's pitches—was he being too serious?

Without meaning to, Ono Hiroshi actually started to reflect on himself.

"Um, can we start?" Huangqian Yangyi asked in a low voice. What was up with this Ono Hiroshi? He suddenly spaced out; didn't he sleep well?

Snapping back to reality, Ono Hiroshi slapped his mask down and said, "Let's start."

Opposite him, Kawakami saw that the two seemed to have finally finished their exchange and suddenly felt nervous. For some reason, seeing Huangqian Yangyi standing in the Batter's Box, Kawakami recalled that Home Run ball of his; would his own pitch also be hit flying away?

Although nervous, Kawakami still threw the baseball according to Ono Hiroshi's pitch calling.

A Slider flew toward Home Plate, its trajectory looking smooth and graceful, not at all as violent as Huangqian Yangyi's pitches.

Even if it was a Slider, there was a feeling in Huangqian Yangyi's pitches that they were going to kill someone; this must be because everyone's style is different, causing the same pitch type to give people a completely different impression.

Observing the ball path carefully, Huangqian Yangyi did not swing, just watching the baseball fly into Home Plate and enter Ono Hiroshi's mitt.

It really was different from his own Slider. It wasn't the first time Huangqian Yangyi had stood in the Batter's Box to watch a Slider, but the purpose was different, so what he saw was also different.

Seeing that Huangqian Yangyi didn't swing, Kawakami immediately took another ball from the crate beside him to get ready.

"One more," Huangqian Yangyi said.

Ono Hiroshi gave an 'un' sound, already having a guess in his heart: Huangqian Yangyi said he wanted to hit Kawakami's pitches, but in reality, it was like he was observing something.

Kawakami's second Slider was thrown quickly, with both speed and movement being just right, taking both into account, unlike the strange Sliders or Cutters that Huangqian Yangyi threw.

After watching several balls in a row, Huangqian Yangyi didn't swing a single time. Kuramochi, off to the side, couldn't help but speak up: "Huangqian, what exactly are you doing? Are you going to hit or not?"

Just then, another ball from Kawakami flew over. This time, Huangqian Yangyi swung decisively, and with a 'bang', he hit the baseball flying away.

"Done hitting," Huangqian Yangyi curled his lips into a smile, looking to be in a very good mood.

"Oh? Did you gain something?" Ono Hiroshi asked tentatively. Just now, he had followed Huangqian Yangyi's request and kept calling Sliders, not even moving his mitt, and Huangqian Yangyi's performance of never swinging confirmed to him that the other party's goal was definitely not batting!

Huangqian Yangyi nodded, "Thought of a few things, thanks."

"As long as it helps you; after all, you are an important fighting force for our team now," Ono Hiroshi said.

After thanking Kawakami as well, Huangqian Yangyi was pulled aside by Miyuki, who asked, "So you found a way?"

If one had to say who among those present knew most clearly what Huangqian Yangyi was doing just now, it was only Miyuki, and that was why he couldn't help but ask when he saw the smile on Huangqian Yangyi's face at the end.

"Yeah, got a lead."

"Tell me about it."

"No rush, no rush. Let's talk after the game tomorrow. Right now, it's just a little idea."

This time it was Miyuki's turn to be anxious. He really couldn't stand Huangqian Yangyi being so coy, but unfortunately, looking at Huangqian Yangyi's expression, he really didn't intend to say, so he had to give up.

The two walked to the side of the field, each taking a bat to begin swinging practice.

"Kazuya, your batting..." After practicing for a while, Huangqian Yangyi suddenly spoke up.

Miyuki turned his head, "What about my batting?"

"Your batting—your pitch selection should be fine, especially when there are runners on base; you find it easier to guess the opponent's pitch calling, am I right?"

Huangqian Yangyi clearly remembered that Miyuki's batting characteristic was that when there were runners on base, he could use a Catcher's perspective to ponder the opposing Catcher's psychology well, thereby hitting a big one.

"You even saw that?" Miyuki was a bit surprised. This characteristic of his wasn't obvious, yet it was discovered by Huangqian Yangyi after just one time at bat? Was his eye for detail that terrifying?

If Huangqian Yangyi knew what Miyuki was thinking, he would definitely spray him with a mouthful of salt soda.

Not obvious? By the end, everyone knew.

"That's right, and I also discovered that when there are no runners on base, your batting performance is unsatisfactory. Is it because in that situation the Catcher's range of pitch calling is wider, making it hard to guess the pitch?" Huangqian Yangyi revealed a mysterious, unfathomable smile, looking exactly like a charlatan.

Sure enough, Miyuki had an expression like he had seen a ghost.

"No, you're being a bit of a pervert here."

"Heh, my personal suggestion is, why don't you strengthen your Batting Practice and strive to be able to perform even when there are no runners on base?" Huangqian Yangyi said.

In the original story, after Chris was injured, Miyuki took over the important position of Seido Catcher and became a core-like existence, worrying about this and that all the time, and his own training time decreased.

But now, with himself at Seido, Miyuki's pressure would be relatively much smaller. And since he is only a First Year now, urging Miyuki to strengthen his Batting Practice starting today might mean that by his Second Year, Miyuki could possess the batting level he only had in his Third Year in the original story.

Miyuki thought for a moment, "I know what you're saying, but batting is hard to improve, right? You can only keep swinging, accumulating it day after day."

"That's what they say, but there are other ways."

"Like what?" Miyuki asked curiously; he certainly wouldn't refuse a way to improve his batting strength.

"Strength training!"

"Hmm?" Miyuki didn't quite understand. They did strength training every day; the gym exclusively for their Baseball Club had all kinds of equipment, and there were even Assistant Coaches specifically guiding them on how to train strength and muscles.

"No, no, no," Huangqian Yangyi shook his head.

"Over this past half-month, I've discovered that most of the time our strength training focuses too much on the upper body, especially during self-directed training; everyone is dying to train a 'demon back'."

Miyuki thought about the big guys in the gym with their bare upper bodies, and it seemed that was indeed the case.

"Are you saying I should train my lower body?" Miyuki asked.

"Yeah, yeah."

"You should also know that whether it's batting or pitching, power actually starts from the legs. How does that saying go? The calves are a person's second heart!"

"I bet if you can train your calves and thighs to be thiiiis thick!" Huangqian Yangyi gestured with his hands, "Your batting could definitely improve by more than one level!"

Hearing this, Miyuki frowned as if thinking about the feasibility of this plan.

"Trust me! If a man doesn't train his legs, sooner or later he'll be impotent!"