Roaar!
The small white ball, accompanied by a forceful Roaar, appeared right in front of Kuramochi.
Faced with this aggressive pitch, Kuramochi's expression wasn't one of shock but rather a smirk of delight.
'The fish is hooked!'
Why was Kuramochi so happy? Well, let's rewind a bit.
This all began with the forkball thrown by Hongou Masamune earlier.
After witnessing that pitch, Kuramochi realized he wouldn't be able to hit something like that at all.
In other words, if Masamune threw another forkball under Renji's direction for the third pitch, Kuramochi would surely be struck out.
This wasn't Kuramochi underestimating himself; it was simply the harsh reality.
With two Strikes against him, Kuramochi's mind raced with ideas.
The first thing that flashed through his mind was that he absolutely must prevent the opponent from throwing a forkball.
But the decision lay with the other player; Kuramochi couldn't dictate their choice.
And with two Strikes already against him, the pressure was on.
Why wouldn't the battery from Komadai Fujimaki High School use their safest winning shot?
As Kuramochi reflected on his middle of frequent fights, a particular memory came to mind.
It involved a trick devised by one of his mischievous no-longer-friends. At the time, the sucker was brandishing a stick, while Kuramochi's no-longer-friend was taunting him.
Although his friend could hold his own in a fight, he clearly wasn't a match for someone wielding a stick.
So, what did he do in that situation?
He pretended to be terrified, trembling and curling up his body.
He was clearly preparing to take a beating!
Sure enough, seeing his frightened demeanor, the opponent lost interest in using the stick and switched to throwing punches and kicks.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Kuramochi's friend leaped forward and snatched the stick away.
Kuramochi couldn't name this tactic, but if he had studied the Art of War, he would know it as "feigning weakness."
But the principle is universal.
Even if Kuramochi couldn't name the move, it didn't diminish his liking for it.
This memory remained vivid for Kuramochi and still surfaced in his mind.
The same principle applied in this showdown.
Since he couldn't guarantee a hit against the opponent's decisive pitch, why not intentionally show a flaw to bait them?
While this tactic carried significant risks, it was the only viable option Kuramochi could think of.
If he wanted to hit Masamune's pitch, it had to be a straight ball, not a forkball.
To entice the opponent into throwing a straight ball, he needed to give them enough incentive to think they could easily handle him without using the Forkball.
Only then would the opponent consider abandoning the Forkball.
But given the situation, he had no choice but to take a gamble.
Fortunately, luck was on his side—Hongou indeed threw a straight ball.
Actually, it wasn't luck, Renji didn't want to use the winning shot unnecessarily this late in the game. Therefore, when Kuramochi feigned weakness he chose fastballs.
As Kuramochi positioned himself firmly in the strike zone, the pitch came in on the inside corner.
For his current stance, hitting this ball would be incredibly difficult.
Not to mention connecting, even swinging the bat seemed impossible.
Yet Kuramochi appeared unfazed.
If he hadn't been mentally prepared, facing Hongou's pitch would have left him helpless.
But now—
Everything was different.
He had been prepared and had even tricked Masamune into pitching to this location.
With this mental readiness, Kuramochi took a step outward.
This movement dramatically altered his stance; instead of facing his opponent directly, he now stood at a 45-degree angle to Masamune on the mound.
Kuramochi's body, which had been tightly aligned with the strike zone, became more dynamic with this step.
Now, what had once been an extreme inside pitch looked like a more manageable inside pitch from Kuramochi's perspective.
'The opportunity had arrived!'
Everything had been considered, all was waiting for this moment.
Kuramochi had expected to feel nervous at such a critical time, but the reality was quite the opposite. Faced with such a daunting challenge, he felt an unusual calm.
As if he had done this a thousand times, he swung the bat as the baseball approached.
Ping!
The small white ball was hit forcefully away.
In the strike zone, Kuramochi didn't immediately dash to first base.
'What a relief!'
It was as if something was hindering his breathing was removed.
'That exhilarating feeling!'
"RUN!!!"
"RUN YOU IDIOT!!!"
In Seidou High School's dugout, everyone's hearts raced with anticipation.
Though surprised by the hit, they knew the ball wasn't in an ideal position.
If Kuramochi didn't hurry, he might miss the chance to reach base.
Pushing aside his lingering thoughts, Kuramochi sprinted toward first base.
He was fast, and by the time the Komadai Fujimaki player retrieved the ball, Kuramochi was already standing firmly on first base.
"SAFE!"
When the umpire called out this one word, the entire Koshien stadium erupted like boiling water.
Many supporters of Seidou High School felt a twinge of unease.
In previous innings, they had managed too few hits.
With only three Outs left, Komadai Fujimaki was on the verge of reaching the finals.
It wasn't that the Seidou players weren't trying, but scoring in the final inning would be incredibly difficult.
Even the most die-hard fans of Seidou were aware of this reality.
They understood who Seidou was facing—an opponent whose presence on the mound was as formidable as Sawamura's.
Beating such an opponent in the final inning seemed impossible.
Though the game wasn't over yet, many spectators were already feeling despair.
No one could have imagined that at this moment, Kuramochi Yoichi would become the savior.
"This guy has really grown!" murmured Narumiya.
"If we ever face Seidou, we'll definitely need to watch out for him."
"KURAMOCHI!"
"CHEETAH-SAMA!!"
"KURAMOCHI!!!"
At least half of the audience in the Koshien stands were fans of Seidou High School.
Their spirits had nearly hit rock bottom, but now, at this moment, Kuramochi Yoichi was turning the tide.
He was the first to secure a hit.
The crowd felt their hearts racing with renewed hope.
'The game wasn't over yet; Seidou still had a chance. '
With Kuramochi leading off, could he reach base? This was crucial for Seidou's lineup.
It directly affected their chances of scoring in this inning.
Previously, Kuramochi had often reached base and Seidou didn't score, but they were rare.
Most of the time, the three batters behind him were strong enough to bring him home.
"I'm leaving it to you!"
From first base, Kuramochi eagerly watched the batter behind him.
Kominato Haruichi stepped into the Batter's Box, his face serious and focused.
His fighting spirit was high, giving the impression he wouldn't give up without a hit.
"He made it on base!"
Contrary to the jubilant mood of Seidou High School, the players of Komadai Fujimaki were filled with disbelief and confusion.
Renji stared at Kuramochi on first base, astonished.
'It was all part of his plan!'
As he replayed the events in his mind, Renji realized he had fallen for a trick.
He had thought that players from a team like Seidou would be straightforward and never use any scheming tricks at critical moments.
He couldn't have been more mistaken.
When it came to tricks, Seidou's players were no less cunning.
'It's my fault!'
Renji took responsibility, signaling to Masamune on the mound.
Masamune nodded.
His expression was unreadable, but his fierce fighting spirit and sharp gaze made his intentions clear.
What if someone reached base?
He still had to deal with the batter in front of him.
Roaar!
The ball zipped straight toward the plate.
The pitch was a tricky low inside angle.
So nasty!
As soon as he saw it, Kominato's expression turned steely.
Facing Kuramochi, the opponent didn't seem concerned about him stealing bases.
Was it confidence in their pitcher, or did they have another plan?
Kominato could only focus on locking in on the opponent and making contact.
"STRIKE!"
He didn't swing at the first pitch.
At that moment, Hongou had no intention of tricking the batter with Balls; he opted for a head-to-head battle.
Roaar!
The second pitch followed swiftly.
This time, Kominato was determined not to let it go.
Paak!
The ball connected and bounced off the ground.
'This will turn into a double play!'
Kominato's hit was the perfect example of a double play.
After he made contact, his face went pale.
Stepstepstep…
Even if he was Out, the ball might also result in Kuramochi being tagged Out.
If that happened, they would have two Outs.
Stepstepstep…
In that scenario, Seidou's chances would be severely diminished.
At that moment, everyone felt a profound impact, their hearts heavy with worry.
Stepstepstep…
Yet one person remained unfazed.
That was Kuramochi, originally on first base.
They didn't even realize when he had started running; now he was almost at second base.
Before the white ball reached second base, he lunged forward, touching the base with one hand.
"SAFE!!!"
Kominato wasn't as fortunate; although the ball went to second base first, he was Out.
"KURAMOCHI!!!!"
"CHEETAH!!!"
"NICE RUN YOU BASTERED!!!"
"KURAMOCHI!!"
"KURAMOCHI!!!"
The situation shifted to One out with a runner on second base.
From the earlier scene, Kominato's hit was far from ideal.
But looking at the outcome, this situation wasn't necessarily unfavorable for Seidou High School.
Kuramochi was now on second base.
The next batters were Sawamura Eijun and Miyuki Kazuya.
Seidou's chances of scoring had significantly increased.
As Sawamura stepped into the Batter's Box, the audience buzzed with excitement.
"IT IS ALL ON YOU NOW!!"
"DEMON KING!!"
"DO IT!!"
"TAKE ALL THE GLORY!!"
"SEIDOU!!!"
"KING SEIDOU!!!"
The earlier scene was unforgettable.
Kominato's hit was almost certain to lead to a double play.
And yet, Kuramochi managed to sprint to second base in such a short time.
That speed was unbelievable!
Incredible.
In the stands, players from Seihou High School had also appeared, their brows furrowed as they watched Seidou's performance.
Ichinose Raimu, Seihou's first baseman, murmured, "Just now…"
Before he could finish, Akashi Seiya nodded with a smile.
"Exactly! That guy started running before the ball even hit the ground. He didn't wait for the third baseman to catch it; he knew from the trajectory that it would be an infield grounder!"
"Isn't that impossible without extensive training a this?"
Ichinose knew this well but couldn't help but exclaim.
"That's right! The players from Seidou High School, overshadowed by Sawamura and Miyuki, may seem less prominent, but that doesn't mean they lack strength. On the contrary, those who appear weaker might possess truly frightening abilities!"
Akashi wasn't exaggerating.
In fact, besides Sawamura and Miyuki, every other player at Seidou High School had their own unique strengths.
…