Kuramochi said that luck won't be unfair forever; there will come a time when they will turn things around. However, luck seemed to ignore them again, and Seidou High School's baseball team didn't get their chance.
In the first half of the fourth inning, Sawamura Eijun used the 100% hit stance, and not in vain as he beautifully sent the ball deep into the outfield.
It was a clean, powerful hit, and as long as the baseball landed, it would allow Sawamura to reach second base and enter a scoring position.
Yet, this seemingly sure hit vanished inexplicably.
'Why on earth is the outfielder of Komadai there?'
He was standing in the outfield's deep corner, a position clearly not meant for him—especially after Sawamura adopted his 100% hitting stance.
'He should not even be here!'
Despite the incredible success rate of Sawamura's 100% hit, it wasn't without its weaknesses.
For instance, he couldn't fully utilize his hitting power, meaning the ball typically didn't travel too far.
This is one of the flaws of a 100% hit.
Surely the players of Komadai Fujimaki High School were aware of this?
'If they knew, the outfielder shouldn't have retreated so much.'
Nevertheless, he did!
Snap!
"OUT!"
Sawamura's expression soured.
In the stands, his supporters looked equally dismal.
"Man, what a luck!"
"This was just too unlucky."
They had thought Sawamura's long hit was a guaranteed success. Even if it didn't result in a home run, it should have at least been a substantial hit.
Yet, that sure hit was caught!
What a stroke of bad luck.
Many members of the Seidou High School baseball team cast suspicious glances at Kuramochi.
'Didn't you say we wouldn't be this unlucky forever? How does it look now?'
Kuramochi's face was also grim.
Seeing Sawamura hit the ball beautifully led him to believe that fate had finally smiled upon them.
Instead, fate turned around and slapped him in the face.
"That damn bastard!" Kuramochi cursed under his breath.
The game wouldn't pause just because Kuramochi was unhappy.
It continued, with both teams still fighting fiercely.
With two Outs, the batter for Seidou High School was fourth in the lineup, Miyuki Kazuya.
He was also eyeing the opportunity.
The issue was that both Renji and Hongou had just handled Sawamura, and now they were on fire.
Even Miyuki would struggle against them.
Ping!
After battling a few pitches, Miyuki barely managed to make contact.
The ball flew high and finally landed in the second baseman's Mitt.
Snap!
"OUT!"
Both Sawamura and Miyuki were shut out.
Although the two had fought hard and done their best, their Outs were clean and swift.
In just a few minutes, the core batters of Seidou High School were retired in order.
At that moment, standing on the pitcher's mound, Hongou Masamune seemed to have transformed into the most terrifying monster.
Regardless of who the opponent was, he could charge forward and suppress them all.
Just when everyone thought it would turn into a close pitching duel, another twist occurred.
In the second half of the fourth inning, Komadai Fujimaki High School's lineup began with their core third batter.
Facing this opponent, Miyuki and Furuya were extremely cautious.
Even though Furuya had regained his top pitch speed, they didn't take it lightly.
Instead, they carefully controlled their pitches against the opponent.
The ball came in, all aimed at low courses.
Hitting a ball from this angle was incredibly difficult.
"STRIKE!"
"STRIKE!!"
Even Taniguchi didn't swing easily before being pressured.
Furuya's control wasn't as precise as Sawamura's, and he occasionally slipped some hittable high pitches.
Taniguchi was waiting for such a pitch.
'It didn't rise up.'
Reality was often cruel; facing Taniguchi, Furuya's pitch had impressive momentum, and his control was decent.
The balls were almost all at low courses.
This surprised Miyuki, who was working with Furuya.
Though the ball didn't land exactly where his Mitt was, it was still a solid pitch, especially in terms of its momentum.
Roaar!
The incoming ball resembled an unknown monster, any batter facing such a pitch would certainly find it challenging.
Taniguchi was no exception.
Soon he was down two Strikes. After that, he had no choice but to swing at whatever came next.
Here it comes!
Without making Taniguchi wait too long, the ball flew over.
Facing it, Taniguchi clenched his teeth and swung his bat with all his might.
He wasn't sure if he could hit it, but under these circumstances, he had to try.
Only by swinging could he hope to connect with Furuya's pitch.
Otherwise, he might not even get the chance.
He could only watch helplessly as he was dealt with.
Just as his bat was about to make contact with the ball, it suddenly dropped.
A Forkball!
With a speed of 154 km/h, the baseball plummeted just as it reached the batter.
Even Taniguchi couldn't touch it.
He could only watch helplessly as the ball disappeared from his sight.
SNAP!
"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!"
The opponent was the formidable third batter of Komadai Fujimaki High School, Taniguchi.
And Furuya managed to make him swing and miss, resulting in a strikeout.
Even the monstrous Hongou Masamune hadn't accomplished this. While he had retired Seidou High School's core batters, he hadn't recorded a single strikeout.
"OOOHH!!"
"WOAAHH!!!"
"AWESOME!!!!'
"THIS PITCHING DUEL IS NUTS!!!"
"A MONSTER!!"
"A MONSTER HAVE APPEARED!!!"
"FURUYAA!!!!"
"FURUYAAA!!!!"
This thrilling moment sent adrenaline racing through the audience.
They shouted Furuya's name as if welcoming a superstar.
Owada Akiko covered her open mouth in astonishment, fearing she might drool.
"Amazing!"
While she couldn't shout Furuya's name as loudly as the others, it didn't diminish her admiration for him.
She genuinely felt that Furuya was impressive.
At this moment, even if they replaced the Demon King Sawamura with Furuya, he might not perform much better.
Although Akiko was a fan of Sawamura Eijun, and Furuya was his rival, she couldn't help but marvel.
Furuya was truly remarkable.
'Fujio-senpai had said before that while Furuya had the top pitching talent in the country, he was still immature and far from Sawamura's level in every aspect.'
'But now, it seemed he was doing just fine.'
"I need to take back what I said earlier." Even Fujio himself changed his mind.
"This guy's talent has surpassed mere immaturity!"
Immaturity was certainly present.
As the team's main pitcher, Furuya still had various shortcomings.
But that didn't overshadow his pitching talent.
Is a pitcher capable?
There's a simple way to verify this: just let him pitch.
If he can win, he's a good pitcher. If not, then it's another story.
Furuya had only been playing baseball for a year, so it was unsurprising that he might seem immature.
In terms of his on-field performance alone, Furuya was undoubtedly very strong.
A player who could sway the outcome of the game.
'No wonder Coach Kataoka replaced Sawamura with Furuya in such a crucial moment.'
He truly deserved Kataoka's trust.
"I knew you had it in you!"
"Nice pitch!"
"You are doing great!"
"One Out!!!"
"Furuya!!"
Even the audience was amazed by Furuya's performance, not to mention his teammates on the field.
Sawamura's absence from the pitcher's mound was a heavy blow to Seidou High School, indescribable in words.
If a single term had to be used to summarize it, it could only be one word.
Fatal!
This was enough to decide Seidou High School's fate.
In this context, Furuya's sudden emergence was just perfect.
The tension that had gripped their hearts finally eased.
In the outfield, Sawamura stood alone, as if forgotten.
'It feels surreal.'
He had experienced this feeling before his regression.
Whether it was in the dugout, in the outfield, or while playing as a substitute.
He had often felt this sense of remoteness.
Like he was irrelevant, as if he was some bystander.
It was as if he just didn't matter.
He remembered this feeling…
'…I…hate this…'
He remembered how much he hated it.
'I will never accept this…'
He remembered how much he refused it.
'Furuya!'
In just a year, he had reached this level.
Eijun's emotions were incredibly complicated. It seemed that the pressure he would face in the future wouldn't only come from outside the team.
There would also be pressure from within!
After this Koshien session, a new round of competition for the main positions would likely begin.
In his third year, Nori-senpai had only four months left in his high school baseball career.
Then there was the monstrous pitcher Furuya, who was progressing at an extraordinary speed.
And the incoming freshmen pitchers who hadn't yet joined the team and might emerge at any moment.
Suddenly, Sawamura felt like a volcano had been lit under him.
However, given his status, competing with these individuals for the Ace position felt a bit unfair.
He had thought he wouldn't be very interested in it.
'Come on, whoever it is!'
But the reality was quite the opposite.
'It is mine!!'
He was filled with fighting spirit!
'THE MOUND IS MINE!!!'
He will never let go of the Ace number to anyone!
Not anymore!
'And I know where to start!'
He looked at Hongou at the dugout with determined eyes.
~~~
T/N: One more Chapter is on the way!