When the game reached the third inning, it came to a very important turning point.
In the Seidou High School baseball team's dugout, the team members were in a heated discussion about the first-year rookie who had not allowed a single run in the first two innings. What kind of skill did this freshman have?
Now that they had figured out the opponent's trick, it wouldn't be hard to counter it. Especially after Toujou was dealt with, the Seidou players who watched how Toujou was taken care of felt even more confident.
In the dugout:
Everyone was growing more and more excited, their eyes flashing with malicious intent.
It might not be entirely appropriate to describe the baseball kids this way.
But in fact, the Seidou High School baseball team members were eagerly discussing how to destroy the rookie on the field.
"The action must be sudden. It needs to be a one-hit wonder; we can't give them any time to react," Miyuki said seriously, as the evil mastermind behind the strategy.
The others weren't unaware of the stakes and understood Miyuki's point.
The little tricks the Yakushi High School team was playing weren't just clear to Seidou's team; Yakushi's own players were well aware of them too.
Once they realized their tricks wouldn't work anymore, what would Yakushi's team do?
The answer was obvious, and from their understanding of Coach Todoroki, it was clear that Todoroki would act decisively if the situation came to that.
So, to avoid giving the other side a chance, they had to win with one swift move.
This put immense pressure on the first batter to take the field.
Asou's face was filled with frustration. For his first at-bat against an opponent, he was expected to hit the ball according to the opponent's weaknesses.
'Wasn't this a bit too much to ask?'
Seidou's team knew this was a bit unfair, considering Asou had yet to face the opponent's pitches.
"We don't need too many chances, one is enough. Asou-senpai, just bat normally when you go up. If you succeed, we'll follow the plan. If you don't, we'll leave the next opportunity for the next person. Don't make too much noise and alert the enemy, or everything might be in vain," finally, it was Sawamura who stepped forward to clarify the plan.
The others couldn't bring themselves to say this in front of Asou.
They had to let him try his best but not force anything.
It wasn't easy to speak frankly, and it wasn't something just anyone could do.
Only someone like Sawamura or Miyuki, the team's emotional anchors and recognized leaders, could bring up such a suggestion at this moment.
Asou's pride was definitely hurt. After hearing Sawamura's words, his face showed signs of embarrassment.
To say it plainly, it was doubting his ability.
Asou couldn't help but feel uncomfortable. But he also understood that Sawamura was only being pragmatic.
Given the situation, Asou wasn't confident about what he could do.
Although Sawamura's words were blunt, they helped relieve his concerns.
In the third inning, the Seidou High School baseball team was up to bat.
Asou was the first to step into the Batter's Box, and he carried a strong sense of determination.
His eyes were constantly scanning the pitcher and the other fielders on Yakushi's team.
"Senpai, step back a little."
From the pitcher's mound, the rookie pitcher, Tomobe, began giving instructions to his senior.
The senior was quite blunt in his response.
"Mind your own business, kid."
Although he said that, he did follow the instructions. Despite his words, his body was honest.
Tomobe was just a first-year student, but it was surprising how much authority he had on the Yakushi team.
To the Seidou players, it seemed like the Yakushi team's pitcher and fielders were having a quarrel.
While they didn't actually fight, their words were quite sharp.
They argued right in front of thousands of spectators in the stadium and countless more watching on TV.
In the dugout, Coach Todoroki seemed utterly disheartened.
He was probably secretly regretting how his players had embarrassed him so much.
This was Jingu Stadium, and the match was the West Tokyo finals. To have his players quarrel in front of such a crowd was utterly unprofessional.
It was truly embarrassing.
The spectators found this dramatic scene amusing. If those two could have a real-life PK on the field, they might have been even more entertained.
However, the Yakushi team had some restraint and didn't actually fight.
This left the spectators who were just looking for some excitement a bit disappointed.
The pitcher seemed to have been intimidated and stopped directing his senior, focusing back on the batter.
Whoosh!
Perhaps due to the quarrel, the pitch seemed to float a little.
The batter, Asou, was stunned for a moment.
'Was the pitcher off-target?'
This thought barely entered his mind, but without hesitation, he swung his bat.
It was a rare opportunity, and he knew that the chances of the pitcher making a mistake were extremely low. If he let it slip, he would never forgive himself.
Ping!
The baseball flew out quickly.
Asou murmured to himself "Good!" and started running to first base.
His speed was decent, but someone else's speed was faster.
Out in the outfield, a fielder was already waiting.
Although the fielder didn't catch the ball immediately, he grabbed it after the first bounce and threw it to first base.
Just as Asou was about to step onto first base...
The ball was thrown back.
Snap!
"OUT!"
Asou's face showed regret.
It was such a shame.
If his speed had been just a little faster, like that of the legendary Lee-Hyun, or even someone like Toujou or Shiratsu...
He would have safely reached base.
Unfortunately, there are no "what-ifs" in this world.
So, he could only reluctantly accept the out.
With one Out, no one was on base.
Now, the next batter was Kanemaru.
Kanemaru knew much more than Asou. While Asou had just learned about Yakushi's strategy, he still thought that the ball he hit was his own doing.
Kanemaru, however, could see through the trap. He realized that the opponents had set up a trap to bait Asou into swinging.
If he hadn't seen it for himself, Kanemaru would have had a hard time believing that a first-year could be this skilled.
They had all risen from junior high, so why was this kid so exceptional?
Kanemaru didn't understand how this freshman could be so good.
Now that he was facing the freshman in the Batter's Box, he was more focused than ever, preparing to take action based on the information he had.
Kanemaru had high hopes, but in reality, he couldn't pull it off.
Thinking it was one thing, doing it was another.
The pitcher had previously acted after causing some chaos—whether it was arguing with the fielders or pointing fingers.
But against Kanemaru, the pitcher didn't play those games. Instead, he went straight for the pitch.
Having figured out the opponent's strategy, Kanemaru was feeling quite frustrated.
'What was this supposed to mean?'
They had carefully planned for everyone else, but when it came to him, Kanemaru, there was no plan at all.
'Are they looking down on me?'
Since they looked down on him, he would make sure to hit the ball out.
When he saw the ball coming, Kanemaru didn't hold back, stepping up and swinging his bat.
Ping!
The baseball, however, didn't soar as Kanemaru expected. Instead, it bounced on the ground and rebounded into the mitt of first baseman Mishima.
Snap!
"OUT!!"
With two Outs and no one on base, Mishima was excited. He continuously waved his mitt and praised Tomobe.
It was as though the earlier argument between the two wasn't even a thing.
To Mishima, his rookie teammate, Tomobe, was extremely capable.
During practice, Tomobe had stood out from the first-years, though he still didn't have the advantage against the main players.
In the pitching position, he couldn't compare to the likes of Sanada and Igarashi.
Everyone thought this kid had some talent, but they doubted he would ever be top-tier.
They thought he wouldn't be relied on for an important game.
No one expected that, in this showdown against the mighty Seidou High School, Coach Todoroki would promote him to a starting role.
Even many of Yakushi's teammates couldn't believe it before the game.
They couldn't understand why Coach Todoroki did it.
After all, this was the most crucial game for Yakushi.
But now, no one doubted it anymore.
The kid on the mound had proven himself with his impressive abilities. He declared to everyone that he absolutely deserved to be Yakushi High School's starting pitcher.
He was worthy of competing with Sanada and Igarashi for the Ace position.
In just three innings, he only walked Sawamura Eijun.
He didn't let a single Seidou batter reach base.
Isn't that impressive enough?
Now, they just needed one more Out, and Tomobe would have completed the task Coach Todoroki assigned to him.
In this opening clash against the mighty Seidou, Yakushi was finally holding their ground.
Just one more Out!
Now, Yakushi's players were focusing on their current opponent.
Their opponent was Seidou's lead-off batter, known as the offensive engine for Seidou, Kuramochi Youichi.
Standing in the Batter's Box, he didn't look like someone ready to give up.
Even with just one more out left, Kuramochi had the look of someone ready to tear a piece of flesh from his opponents.
Despite his fierce expression, Kuramochi wasn't that excited on the inside.
They had already seen through the opponent's tricks. The reason the previous batters hadn't acted was simply because they hadn't gathered enough information and didn't feel confident in their hitting.
But now, it was Seidou's turn to take action.
'Now that the tricks have been solved, it's time to show you the true strength of Seidou.'
…