Chapter 83: Imagination Training

Seeing Yuki Tetsuya say nothing, Huangqian Yangyi felt a thud in his heart; it really was like this!

No, he had to find a way to correct his mindset.

But there was no way to start correcting such subconscious things, so in the end, Huangqian Yangyi cast his gaze toward Yuki Tetsuya.

"Senior, help me out, won't you?" Huangqian Yangyi smiled.

Yuki Tetsuya silently raised his hand, extending his index and middle fingers to stack them together.

"Play chess!"

"Huh?"

Three question marks appeared over Huangqian Yangyi's head.

"Playing chess can train your mindset; let's start with your problem of being impatient and restless," Yuki Tetsuya said.

"Actually, I'm not that impatient, am I?" Huangqian Yangyi suddenly felt as if he were being swindled.

It was just like those horoscopes, which sign has what personality and so on; it felt like anyone could relate to a few points.

He felt that the mindset problem Yuki Tetsuya mentioned could be applied to anyone else to some degree.

This guy, he wouldn't be trying to trick him into playing chess, would he?

"There is!"

Yuki Tetsuya nodded decisively; the timing was about right, and he was determined to cultivate an opponent who could battle him on the chessboard.

"You don't believe me?"

"I do, I do."

"Good, come back to the dormitory with me, I'll teach you how to play chess right now!" Yuki Tetsuya stood up and said.

Uh...

For the entire morning, while others were doing independent training, Huangqian Yangyi was learning something new.

"So annoying!"

After losing 5 games in a row to Yuki Tetsuya, Huangqian Yangyi admitted that he was indeed very impatient.

The problem was, wouldn't anyone be impatient in this situation?

Seeing Huangqian Yangyi clutching his head and scratching his hair, Yuki Tetsuya smiled triumphantly, "Again."

"No more, no more, I just started learning, I can't win against you at all, Senior," Huangqian Yangyi said as he prepared to stand up.

"Look, you're impatient again."

Yuki Tetsuya put down the chess piece in his hand, "Let's go, let's go practice swinging the bat."

"Okay!" Huangqian Yangyi had long since not wanted to stay in the dormitory.

The two of them each took a bat and came to the lawn beside the path. After Yuki Tetsuya swung a few times casually, he said: "Your batting ability isn't bad; your swing speed and accuracy are both good. There isn't much I can teach you. Just follow me and practice; swing whenever I swing."

"Mm-hmm, okay."

Huangqian Yangyi stood opposite Jiecheng, and the two stared at each other face-to-face.

"Come on, first find your most comfortable stance," Yuki Tetsuya said, then raised his bat, assuming his usual batting stance.

Seeing this, Huangqian Yangyi also took his stance.

"Good, now close your eyes and imagine a Fastball flying toward the Home Plate, very slow, very slow," Jiecheng also closed his eyes and said slowly.

Ten seconds later.

"Can I hit it yet? My ball is almost at the Home Plate."

"No! Let the ball fly back, even slower."

One minute later.

"Still not hitting? It's flying over again."

"Slower!"

Five minutes later.

"Still..."

"Don't talk!"

"Oh."

Time ticked by second by second. Huangqian Yangyi felt incredibly tormented; the baseball in his imagination was getting slower and slower. It was so uncomfortable, he wanted to open his eyes so badly, he could barely take it anymore.

"Hit!"

Yuki Tetsuya's voice reached his ears, followed by a whistling sound.

After reacting, Huangqian Yangyi hurriedly followed with a swing, his momentum invisibly much weaker.

"Your focus wasn't there; you were distracted, weren't you?"

After Huangqian Yangyi swung and opened his eyes, he heard Yuki Tetsuya say this.

"This..." Huangqian Yangyi smiled awkwardly. He had indeed been distracted just now; holding the bat like that for so long, his thoughts had almost drifted all the way to Kyoto.

Yuki Tetsuya shook his head with a smile: "Actually, many people think visualization training can improve batting levels, but that's not the case. It's more about training a person's concentration."

"Oh, I see."

"Let's go again."

After saying this, Yuki Tetsuya closed his eyes again.

A full half-hour passed, and the two had only swung their bats three times in total, with each time lasting about 10 minutes. It was frighteningly precise; Huangqian Yangyi even wondered if Yuki Tetsuya was a reincarnated watch.

"From now on, practice like this. Ten minutes at a time, try to get as close to this duration as possible, and you cannot use a timer," Yuki Tetsuya said.

The time limit was naturally also to train Huangqian Yangyi's concentration; even if it only improved a little, it could play a big role in a game, as opportunities when batting are fleeting.

Huangqian Yangyi nodded: "Understood, Senior."

"Mm, and don't neglect the shogi; remember to find me."

"This... alright, Senior." Huangqian Yangyi felt helpless.

That afternoon.

After the First String's live practice simulation ended, Huangqian Yangyi took a deep breath as he looked at Yuki Tetsuya, whom he had just struck out.

Ah~ my mind is clear now.

"Kid, what are you doing?" Dong Qingguo slapped Huangqian Yangyi's back with his large hand, nearly knocking the wind out of him.

"Hey, Senior Dong, you're in great form today," Huangqian Yangyi said. During the batting practice simulation just now, Dong Qingguo had smashed one of his Inside Fastballs to Left Fielder, nearly hitting a Home Run; it was quite impressive.

Hearing this, Dong Qingguo laughed heartily, the fat on his belly trembling along with him.

"Now you know how strong your senior is, right? Next time, I'm going to blast your pitch out of the park."

"Yes, yes, yes, you're the best, Senior." Huangqian Yangyi rolled his eyes. This guy really is something; give him an inch and he takes a mile. Next time, I'll use a Changeup to finish you off!

After Dong Qingguo left, Huangqian Yangyi reviewed the pitching with Miyuki, who had been catching for him.

That evening, everyone gathered in the meeting room after dinner.

First, Chris led everyone in watching the game footage of tomorrow's opponent, then he and Manager Kataoka analyzed the detailed data of the opposing players.

Before dismissing the meeting, Manager Kataoka announced the starting lineup for tomorrow's game as follows.

First Batter: Kusunoki Fumiya (Shortstop)

Second Batter: Kominato Ryosuke (Second Baseman)

Third Batter: Yuki Tetsuya (First Baseman)

Fourth Batter: Dong Qingguo (Third Baseman)

Fifth Batter: Nanjo Taishi (Pitcher)

Sixth Batter: Isashiki Jun (Center Fielder)

Seventh Batter: Shinoki Keita (Right Fielder)

Eighth Batter: Miyuki Kazuya (Catcher)

Ninth Batter: Huangqian Yangyi (Left Fielder)

In the starting lineup, Catcher Tanaka Wataru was swapped out, and Miyuki Kazuya received the starting opportunity.

Zhitian Jiangtai was swapped out, and taking his place was the second-year Shortstop, Kusunoki Fumiya.

The starting Pitcher was changed to Nanjo Taishi, and the Left Fielder became Huangqian Yangyi.

Upon learning that he had been placed on the field in a different defensive position, Huangqian Yangyi was naturally delighted. It was hard to guess the Manager's intentions, but as long as he could get on the field, that was enough; if there was no chance to pitch, there was still batting, wasn't there?

The opponent was a public school, and their pitcher's strength was not high. Not only him, but Yuki Tetsuya and Dong Qingguo were also looking forward to tomorrow's game with the mindset of hitting a Home Run.

Especially for the third-year Dong Qingguo, racking up a higher Home Run count would also be beneficial for his future professional draft.

The next day, at 11:00 AM, Jingu No. 2 Stadium.

The game between Seido High School and Asuka Academy officially began!