The first round of the Seidou High School Spring Tournament has begun. Their opponent is Eigen High School, a strong school from East Tokyo.
The audience expects a fierce battle, even if the strength isn't entirely equal. After all, Eigen High School has been on a winning streak lately.
Seidou High School was on the offense first.
"Hyaa-ha-haa!"
In the top half of the first inning, stepping into the Batter's Box is Seidou's leadoff hitter, Kuramochi Youichi.
Kuramochi underwent an evolution during the last spring of Koshien. With his speed and skills, he has garnered quite a few fans.
As he steps into the Batter's Box, a group of fans immediately starts cheering his name.
"Kuramochi!"
"Cheetah, it's up to you!"
"Show us the strength of Seidou High School!"
This enthusiastic atmosphere makes the freshmen in the stands envious.
When will they get their chance to attract cheers like these Senpais?
"Does Kuramochi-senpai really create this much excitement, even if he's not a top star?" Hirota mused, glancing around.
"The Senpais played at Koshien longer than anybody else. Even if they weren't the star players, their fame followed," Matsumoto replied.
They have experienced this themselves with Sawamura and Akagi.
As long as they perform well on the Akagi Middle School baseball team, their names will be remembered.
This is the impact of a good publicity platform.
Today, Seidou High School is undoubtedly the best publicity platform among all high schools.
The nine main starters even include several well-known substitutes.
They rank among the top 100 high schools in terms of attention nationwide.
Of course, most of them don't possess such strength, but in terms of popularity, they shine thanks to Seidou High School.
"I can feel my blood boiling!" Takuma exclaimed, clenching his hands together in excitement.
It would be a lie to say he didn't wish to be in Kuramochi's place.
At that moment, his most genuine thought was: what if he were standing in the Batter's Box right now?
What would happen?
His style closely resembles that of Kuramochi, and they even play the same position.
As long as he could showcase his value, taking his place wouldn't be completely impossible.
Kuramochi keenly sensed this dangerous gaze from the field.
Though he couldn't pinpoint who it was, he knew someone was eyeing his position.
'I really am being underestimated!'
Kuramochi has always believed that in terms of his standing on the team, he should be second only to Sawamura and Miyuki.
He never expected someone was already coveting his position, and his intuition suggested it wasn't just one person.
'If I don't show my true skills right now, do they really think I'm easy to bully?'
Kuramochi paid little mind to the opponent in front of him; his true concern was the teammates in the stands.
If you're not at Seidou High School, you'll never understand how terrifying the competition from behind can be.
To avoid being replaced, he must deliver a better performance and achieve outstanding results.
'Here we go!'
As the opposing pitcher threw the ball, Kuramochi swung his bat with determination, hitting the ball hard.
Ping!
His performance at Koshien had left a lasting impression. Opponents were always wary of his bunts.
In this situation, even Kuramochi couldn't find a good opportunity for a bunt.
Fortunately, he wasn't limited to bunting; he was also confident in his regular hitting ability.
Once the white ball was struck, it flew away.
Kuramochi tossed his bat aside and sprinted toward first base.
He was incredibly fast.
When he ran at full speed, he became a blur, almost like a streak of blue light, instantly reaching first base.
At that moment, the descending baseball was caught.
For some reason, the second baseman had backed off significantly and made the catch!
"OUT!"
"Damn!"
Kuramochi felt a pang of dissatisfaction.
But there was nothing he could do; the opponent's defense was simply too strong.
In the Seidou High School dugout, Sawamura and Miyuki, preparing to bat next, exchanged glances and sensed each other's apprehension.
The two most powerful players at Seidou High School didn't underestimate their opponents at all.
"The opponent's defense is well-coordinated!" Miyuki noted thoughtfully.
Sawamura nodded affirmatively.
"Clearly, the opposing pitcher was trying to bait the batter into swinging."
Yasuji Koji, who seemed reckless, was quite careful when throwing.
The pitcher and defense worked seamlessly together.
But the smart ones at Seidou High School weren't limited to just Miyuki and Sawamura.
Kominato Haruichi, batting second, also recognized this strategy.
'The opponent is intentionally using fishing pitches.'
'The best way to counter this was to hit the ball hard.'
Even if the opponent's defense was prepared, they couldn't respond to a sudden deviation of the ball.
With a plan forming in his mind, Kominato raised his bat high and held it in that position.
He was preparing for a long hit!
This scene was quickly noticed by the catcher from Eigen High School.
'Have they caught on?'
Seeing Kominato's stance, the Eigen catcher instinctively flinched.
'What a quick reaction!'
'Is this the prowess of Seidou?'
In light of their strategy being exposed, the Eigen catcher had no choice but to play hard.
He called for a fastball!
'Although Kominato's striking power wasn't bad, his physical stature limited his strength.'
Paak!
The wooden bat in the hands of Haruichi struck the white ball solidly.
'So heavy!'
The moment he made contact with the baseball, Kominato's expression changed immediately.
He had previously known from the data that Koji's pitch speed was over 140 km/h and that he threw a very sharp fastball.
But in a real duel, it still felt unexpected.
The weight of the opponent's pitch far exceeded Kominato's expectations.
With such a heavy ball, it wasn't easy for him to pull and hit it, and he could only barely make contact, sending it weakly into the air.
The ball flew high and finally landed in the pitcher's mitt.
Koji caught it effortlessly and tossed it to first base.
"OUT!"
The fierce Seidou High School was quickly down two Outs.
Their offensive momentum was suddenly cut off.
"That ball is so fast!"
"It feels like Kominato has been completely blocked by the opponent's power."
"So strong!"
"Speaking of which, his performance at the spring Koshien was…"
The audience buzzed, marveling at Koji's speed and power.
Such a terrifying pitch made it difficult even for Seidou's players to hit.
On the other hand, there was concern for Kominato! His performance seemed a bit diminished.
During the Spring Koshien, Kuramochi experienced fundamental growth.
In contrast, Kominato's performance was rather average.
He could handle weak teams, but against stronger ones, he hardly shined.
"This stubborn brat!"
Coach Ochiai stroked his shin, silently watching Kominato.
It was clear that Kominato was hitting a wall, yet he showed no willingness to listen to others.
Coach Ochiai had advised him to practice with metal bats many times now.
However, Kominato was so stubborn that he had no intention of practicing, even at such a difficult juncture.
Coach Ochiai felt helpless.
With two Outs and no one on base, Seidou High School's first round of offense was about to come to an end.
At that moment, it was Sawamura's turn to bat.
Before Sawamura stepped up, Miyuki specifically ran over to him and whispered.
"It feels a bit embarrassing to end the first inning like this!"
Though the opponent was indeed strong, they weren't giants.
If Seidou High School struggled against such a team, their reputation would be ruined.
For the sake of pride and to show presence to the Kohais in the stands, they couldn't let the narrative continue like this.
"Leave it to me!"
Sawamura muttered to himself before taking the plate.
As he stepped into the Batter's Box, the atmosphere exploded with excitement.
"Demon King!"
"Demon King!!!"
Almost half the audience was screaming Eijun's nickname.
The power of their collective cheers shook the entire Hachioji Stadium.
In one corner, some rational freshmen on Seidou High School's cheerleading team noticed the change around them.
The eyes of those around them had suddenly become fervent.
They shouted hoarsely, just like the members of the Demon King's Guard.
Many second and third-year players even pulled out their megaphones.
If the cheers for Kuramochi had been an appetizer, the cheers for Sawamura were a full feast.
Standing in the Batter's Box, Sawamura seemed to be at the center of the universe.
He raised his bat high, his gaze firmly fixed on Koji on the pitcher's mound.
'How Terrifying!'
Even those observing from the sidelines felt sympathy for the Ace pitcher of Eigen High School.
This scene was intense; from the pitcher's perspective, it felt like facing the entire world.
Just imagine that feeling sent shivers down their spines.
Not to mention Koji, who now stood on the mound!
He felt his body shaking uncontrollably.
It felt like being gripped by fear.
At that moment, he had a premonition.
His pitch was going to be hit!
And it would definitely be a hit.
'This is the Demon King, Sawamura Eijun!!!'
Koji studied Sawamura as if seeing him for the first time, carefully taking him in.
Finally, he exhaled heavily.
No, he couldn't just give up.
Recalling the efforts he made during the offseason gave Koji the resolve to face any challenge.
'There's no need to hold back anymore; let's unleash everything here!'
During the offseason, he hadn't been idle; he had honed a pitch!
Originally, he planned to use this pitch as a winning shot in the second half of the game.
But now he couldn't afford to wait.
No matter what, he had to handle Sawamura here. If he could suppress him, the pressure on the team would be much lighter.
Despite the ominous feeling in his heart, Koji decided to fight to the end.
He lifted the ball, then, at the moment his center of gravity shifted, he suddenly threw it.
Whoosh!
It was like a shooting star, instantly crossing the distance from the pitcher's mound to home plate, arriving at the batter's hands.
Sawamura watched the flying baseball calmly, predicting the type of pitch coming his way.
Koji's pitching speed was astonishingly fast.
The small ball, like a white flowing shadow, reached Sawamura in an instant.
This timing was perfect for him.
Good to come!
As he saw the ball's trajectory, it matched his prediction perfectly.
Sawamura swung decisively, feeling as if he had taken a confidence booster.
Buzzz!
Though the bat made contact, the ball didn't fly into the field.
Ping!
The ball rolled out of bounds after contact.
A hint of surprise flashed in Sawamura's eyes.
'The ball, which appeared to be a straight pitch, had an unexpected break.'
This was something Sawamura hadn't anticipated.
A pitcher with good control and speeds over 140 km/h was already challenging enough.
Now, adding a tricky breaking ball made it even more difficult.
'The real strength of this unknown pitcher might be stronger than what the data shows.'
…