With one Out and no one on base, Kanemaru, full of confidence, stepped up to the Batter's Box but failed to secure a hit. This left the young man quite disappointed. He returned to the dugout in a foul mood, sitting silently on the bench.
As his friend, Sawamura of course, couldn't just stand by and watch Kanemaru sink further into this depression. So, he naturally stepped in to give some advice.
"You might want to see how Kuramochi-senpai, handles this."
Although Kanemaru and Kuramochi had completely different styles of hitting, they were both facing Igarashi Sora, the pitcher from Yakushi High School, for the first time. At this moment, watching how Kuramochi dealt with the pitcher could definitely be of great help to Kanemaru.
Although Kanemaru wasn't happy with Eijun's attitude, he recognized that this piece of advice was actually in his best interest. Despite his discomfort, Kanemaru didn't reject Eijun's good intentions. Instead, he focused on the field, prepared to see how Kuramochi was going to deal with the opponent.
Sawamura, seeing this, inwardly nodded. Although Kanemaru's strength and the team's situation had changed drastically compared to the past, there were some things that never changed. Kanemaru wasn't the type of person who would reject advice. As long as he thought it was useful, he would generally follow it. That's why Eijun was confident in pointing out Kanemaru's issues in front of him. If Kanemaru were a stubborn person, Sawamura wouldn't waste his time.
Now, with Kanemaru's attention back on the field, the game was progressing full speed ahead.
Facing Kuramochi, the notorious speedster of the Seidou High School team, Yakushi High School's defense had adopted a very cautious strategy. Their infielders were all moved forward, not allowing Kuramochi any opportunity for a bunt. If Kuramochi attempted a bunt, their defense was determined to stop it no matter what.
Aside from that, Yakushi High School didn't take any other special actions. Given their defensive positioning, it was clear what their goal was. They wanted to force Kuramochi to face off directly with Igarashi, the freshman pitcher.
And since they were taking such drastic measures, it showed they had full confidence in the outcome of this confrontation. They believed that if Kuramochi faced off with Igarashi, victory would certainly go to Yakushi.
Kuramochi, seeing all this, couldn't help but laugh inwardly. Igarashi, who had performed brilliantly in the previous game against Sankou, stood tall on the mound, looking imposing and untouchable.
It wasn't just his physical presence; it was his overall energy that made him a formidable opponent. He was an imposing figure, and his skills were top-notch.
Such an opponent was enough to make any batter cautious. And Kuramochi was no exception. He never underestimated Igarashi just because he was a freshman, but at the same time, he didn't overestimate him just because of his stature and presence.
Kuramochi thought, 'They really think we're facing one of the best pitchers in the country!' From his perspective, Yakushi High School's actions seemed somewhat overconfident.
Sure, Igarashi was good, but if Seidou faced him unprepared, they might struggle a bit.
However, Igarashi had just come off a tough match with Sankou, and one had to wonder how much energy he had left after that game. More importantly, the Seidou team had spent the entire night studying his pitching style, and they were ready for it.
'No way is his pitching style going to keep working!' Kuramochi thought. He wasn't overly impressed by Igarashi's style. Sure, it was good, but not extraordinary, and many pitchers nationwide had similar styles.
The fact was, the Seidou team had already faced and studied pitchers with similar styles. It wasn't going to be hard for them to figure out a strategy for countering it.
Even though Igarashi had perfected his style, the core players of Seidou would still have the ability to handle his pitches.
'I'm sorry, but I'm one of the core players of the Seidou team!'
A year ago, Kuramochi might have struggled with a pitcher like Igarashi's. But now, it wasn't going to be a problem. If he wanted to, he could definitely hit this ball.
The issue wasn't whether he could get a hit. It was whether the defense would be able to stop him. But right now, he didn't even have to worry about that.
Yakushi High School's infielders had moved up to block any bunts, but this left gaps in their defense. Kuramochi could exploit these gaps.
Whrroosh!
Snap!
"STRIKE!"
On the first pitch, Kuramochi didn't swing. He chose to let the ball go. On the second pitch, the ball missed the strike zone, obviously an attempt to bait Kuramochi into swinging for a Strike. But Kuramochi, being sharp as ever, didn't fall for the trick.
His ability to judge balls was one of the best in the country, not just on Seidou's team.
After two such pitches, the Yakushi team was starting to get impatient. Igarashi, who had been confident about facing Kuramochi, now decided to throw a more powerful pitch to try and take him down.
A fastball came hurtling toward Kuramochi. The ball was faster than he expected and packed more of a punch than he had anticipated. It came down with a sharp angle, making it even harder to hit.
But Kuramochi wasn't flustered. His brain was processing the pitch like a machine, analyzing the situation. He knew this ball would be a challenge, but he was confident it wasn't impossible to hit.
His instincts told him that if he used all his power and made solid contact, he could get past the defense.
He was right.
Ping!
After watching the previous two pitches and analyzing the pitcher's tendencies, Kuramochi was ready. Despite the ball's increased speed and sharp angle, he saw through the pattern and nailed the pitch.
The baseball rocketed through the defense, cutting through the field faster than it came in.
"It went through!"
The entire stadium erupted in excitement.
Given the strength of the Seidou team, it was no surprise that they could hit a pitch from a freshman pitcher like Igarashi. Even if the ball was hit, it wouldn't be too shocking.
But the fact that Igarashi had left such a strong impression in the previous game against Sankou made everyone unconsciously give him more credit.
Now, with Kuramochi's hit, that distorted perception was finally corrected. It turned out that Igarashi wasn't as terrifying as everyone thought. In the end, he was just a talented freshman.
This shift in perception was subtle but had a huge impact on the team's confidence. Before, when facing Igarashi, there was a sense of uncertainty and intimidation. But now, they saw him for what he truly was—a good player, but not unbeatable.
"SEIDOU!"
"SEIDOU!!!"
At first, the cheers had been faint, but after Kuramochi made it to base, the crowd's energy grew. While Seidou hadn't completely overpowered the freshman pitcher, it was clear it was just a matter of time.
In the dugout of Yakushi High School, Raizou noticed the change in momentum as well and, unlike those around him, saw things much more clearly.
Relying on Igarashi to completely suppress the powerful Seidou High School baseball team lineup.
This kind of daydream, Raizou had never entertained.
His biggest hope was simply to let Igarashi last a few more innings.
But now, even this idea of his seemed a bit unrealistic.
The Seidou High School baseball team would absolutely not give them such an opportunity.
Raizou couldn't help but furrow his brows.
The game had just entered the bottom of the fourth inning, not even halfway through the game.
At this point, substituting players would be absolutely impossible. No matter what the situation was, they would have to grit their teeth and push through.
"You're up, little Kong."
Originally, when he had gotten a pitcher from the national team, Raizou thought his team had struck gold, covering up the biggest weakness of the team.
But now, it seemed that his thoughts were still a bit naïve.
The competition nationwide is much deeper than expected.
And not just nationwide—let's talk about West Tokyo.
There are many strong teams hidden here, and they are not to be underestimated.
While Raizou was deep in thought, the situation on the field shifted again.
At first base, Kuramochi, just like when he got the first point, was practically itching to go, ready to steal the base at any time.
This made the pitcher have to pay attention.
But no matter how much attention they paid, there was nothing they could do.
When Kuramochi previously reached base, the pitcher had no answer. Now with Igarashi on the mound, the situation was still not much better.
Kuramochi wanted to steal second base, and they simply couldn't stop him.
So, it was almost the same as the previous prelude, or you could say it was a reenactment.
Whrroosh!
At the moment Igarashi released the pitch, Kuramochi darted forward like a bullet.
By the time Akiba caught the ball and was ready to throw it to second base, it was already too late.
Kuramochi smoothly arrived at the second base.
One out, runner on second base.
And this runner was none other than the "Cheetah" Kuramochi Youichi.
A golden opportunity to score had presented itself openly.
This filled the Seidou High School baseball team with excitement.
"So fast!!"
"As expected of Cheetah-sama!"
"Amazing!"
"So cool!!"
While some celebrated, others were worried.
In stark contrast to the Seidou High School team's excitement, the Yakushi High School baseball team looked downcast, their faces full of sorrow, foolishly watching what was unfolding before them.
They couldn't stop it. They simply couldn't stop it.
Although the Yakushi High School baseball team had also made some preparations,
They had tried to block Seidou High School's chances of scoring.
But all these efforts dissipated after the batter swung the bat.
PAAK!
Standing in the Batter's Box, Haruichi's eyes gleamed with a crimson glow, as if he had a Devil rising from hell.
He swung fiercely at the approaching baseball, sending it flying far into the distance.
Not only that, but Kuramochi, who was on second base, didn't remain idle.
At the moment Haruichi hit the ball, he took off running.
He had full confidence in his partner.
He believed Haruichi would hit the ball out.
Judging by the result, Haruichi obviously lived up to Kuramochi's trust.
The baseball was hit with great force, soaring far into the field and landing in a gap in the defense.
Haruichi immediately ran to first base.
At the same time, Kuramochi passed third base and successfully ran home.
"Safe!"
Just like that, Seidou High School had secured their second point.
The score was now 2:0.
The normally optimistic and bright Yakushi High School baseball team, who always faced any challenge with a positive attitude, could no longer maintain their snarky and optimistic attitude.
For these two runs are not a simple score for them, the more they look at it the more it looks like two mountains for them.
Mountains with a very scary Demon King waiting for them at the top.
…
T/N: Well, That's it for now.
Thank you all for reading!
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