Chapter 85: Seihou vs Inashiro

After a hard-fought 3:2 victory over the powerful Komadai Fujimaki High School, the players of Seidou High School were particularly excited. This match was significant for them, marking Seidou's complete departure from its previous identity as they began their journey toward becoming true Champions.

To establish an Era, relying solely on the Ace, Sawamura Eijun, is not enough. While an Ace is essential, players in other positions must also perform well. Otherwise, the team will be riddled with flaws and may collapse at any moment.

In today's match, one of the best—if not the best—pitchers in high school, Sawamura Eijun, did not take the mound at all. The victory was achieved through the concerted efforts of all the players. Every single player was indispensable in this process.

Moreover, their victory over the top-tier powerhouse, Komadai Fujimaki High School, gave them immense confidence. Isn't confidence built up little by little through challenges? Winning such a tough match is truly commendable, which is why their excitement was so palpable.

After the game, their celebration continued for quite a while, and they had every reason to be happy. In contrast, the Komadai Fujimaki High School team was not as joyful. Many players had tears in their eyes.

As one of the top four teams in the nation, they had no reason to cry. However, they felt a deep sense of regret. Again, they were so close—just a little bit more—and they could have toppled the giant castle that is Seidou High School.

Missing this opportunity raised doubts about when they would get another chance like this again. In high school baseball, there's no turning back, and perhaps they would not have such an opportunity throughout their entire high school careers.

Overall, it wasn't that sad. Koshien is a magical place; even if one doesn't win it all, simply making it here and achieving decent results is enough to feel satisfied, and get more opportunities later.

This mindset allowed both teams to maintain a relatively composed attitude as they saluted each other.

"You must win the final too!" 

"As expected of Seidou, go and win the Championship!"

"Just one more match, we are rooting for you!" 

"Since you've won against us, you must go all the way!"

While shaking hands, the players from Komadai Fujimaki High School offered their blessings.

"By the way, what happened to your hand?"

Renji wasn't foolish. Seidou High School won today by sheer tenacity, a bit of gambling, and a bit of luck. The reason for this outcome was that Sawamura did not take the mound. He didn't believe Seidou was merely conserving their strength.

The only reasonable explanation was that Sawamura was injured. If it were a foot injury, he wouldn't be able to play at all. Therefore, the only likely injury could be to his hands, his fingers! This would explain the inaccuracies in his throws and his ability to keep hitting.

"It is fine, nothing major," Sawamura replied, a bitter expression on his face. Watching Furuya stand triumphantly on the Seidou mound, his feelings were incredibly complicated—mixing happiness for his friend with frustration as a rival.

Before Sawamura's regression, Furuya had performed exceptionally well in this Koshien. So good that he became famous nationwide! Fate seemed to still favor him, and his strength had genuinely improved, making his performance even more impressive.

After defeating Komadai Fujimaki High School, Furuya, who completed the game, would undoubtedly attract the attention of many professional teams.

'I hope he won't follow the same path as before. At least the results of this game are different!' Sawamura thought silently. Everyone's destiny is different now; all he could do was help when possible and silently wish him well.

The school song of Seidou High School echoed across Koshien. After the game, the players didn't leave the field. Following Coach Kataoka's instructions, they stayed to watch the next match.

The second semifinal of the Spring Koshien Invitation Tournament featured Seihou High School battling Inashiro Industrial High School. As soon as Seidou secured their spot, these two teams were like hungry wolves, fixated on Seidou High School, clearly viewing them as rivals.

However, advancing to the finals to compete with Seidou for the title wouldn't be easy. There can be only one, right? Either Inashiro or Seihou High School.

"Up to now in the competition, it seems Narumiya hasn't had a break; how pitiful!" Kuramochi said with a Gloating smile. Although he was from the same region, he had no fondness for Inajitsu as a whole or Narumiya in particular. If Inajitsu High School stumbled in the semifinals, Kuramochi would definitely celebrate.

In his mind, while the Seihou players weren't weak, especially the charismatic Akashi who looked no less than the other Top pitchers in high school, Kuramochi knew that in terms of overall strength, Seihou was likely no match for Inajitsu.

Inajitsu's lineup was simply too outrageous. If there were to be a comprehensive strength ranking, Inajitsu would likely be first in the nation. Compared to this regional rival, Seihou was definitely easier to deal with.

"Of course, the more tired the opponent the better it is for us!" Maezono said with a hum. Previously, he had blocked a very hard-to-stop hit by Renji with an awkward action. Everyone thought he might have sustained some injury, but this guy was as tough as a tank—completely fine.

Unlike Kuramochi, Maezono preferred to take revenge into his own hands. "It's hard to say. Although Mei has exhausted a lot of energy, there is still a day off in between," Miyuki murmured.

A single day off wouldn't fully restore Narumiya to his peak, but he should be able to recover around 80-90% of his strength. As long as Narumiya could stabilize Inajitsu's defense, he was more optimistic about Inajitsu High School in this match.

Seihou High School's strongest third-years had graduated, especially that monster hitter Sano and the annoying Ace Akutsu. After their graduation, although Seihou still performed well against other teams, their batting and defending strength clearly dropped by a notch. Under such circumstances, they might not be able to withstand Inajitsu's fierce offense.

None of the players recruited by Narumiya were easy to handle, especially under the guidance of Kunitomo, whose coaching had raised their strength significantly.

As the players of Seidou High School talked with each other, the match between Inajitsu and Seihou High School began.

Inajitsu was the first to attack.

Their batting lineup was the strongest in this Koshien season.

The question was whether Akashi Seiya, who has returned from injury, could handle such a well-rounded lineup.

This had always been a focal point for the media.

Under the flashing lights, this showdown unfolded amid everyone's expectations.

Ping!

Carlos, the leadoff hitter, swung decisively at the first pitch.

The small white ball connected and rolled in front of Akashi.

Calmly, he picked it up and threw it to first base.

Following him, Shirakawa and Narumiya made contact but both eliminated were shortly after.

The process appeared very straightforward, with Akashi showing no intention of backing down against Inajitsu's lineup.

He relied on his own strength, engaging head-to-head with Inajitsu and showing no signs of weakness.

As one of the top powerhouses in the country, Seihou had a considerable fanbase.

"AKASHI!!"

"AKASHI!!!"

"SEIHOUU!!!"

When they saw their Ace perform well, a wave of thunderous applause erupted.

Amid this atmosphere, Seihou's batters stepped up to the plate.

They were determined to take advantage of the weary Narumiya.

What happened next?

"STRIKE!" 

"STRIKE!!" 

"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!" 

"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!!" 

"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!!!"

Narumiya wasted no pitches, striking out three batters cleanly with his fastest pitch clocked at 151 km/h.

The Seihou batters went down in order.

'You don't stand a chance!' Narumiya used his pitching to announce his dominance.

His performance showed no signs of being affected by previous games; if anything, he seemed to be getting stronger.

This left the Seidou High School players in the stands quite astonished.

"Is this guy on steroids?" Kuramochi remarked with a grim expression.

Their Ace, Sawamura, was out due to a finger injury and could not participate in the finals.

At least, he couldn't pitch.

Although Furuya's development was promising, expecting him to fill Sawamura's shoes completely felt a bit overboard.

The Seidou players were clearly uneasy when they saw Narumiya's pitching.

Given these circumstances, if Seidou faced a fully charged Inajitsu, it would be a steep uphill battle.

On the contrary, if the opponent were Seihou High School, the game would still be tough, but Seidou can work with that.

Just like their win against Komadai Fujimaki High School today.

With a bit of luck and persistence, their chances of victory were considerable.

However, it appeared that Seihou wasn't performing as well as expected.

Though both sides had their batters go down in order, Seihou seemed slightly weaker than Inajitsu based on recent performances.

Kuramochi's concerns were validated in the fourth inning.

The first batter in the fourth inning was Carlos. Previously, Akashi had perfectly suppressed Inajitsu, not allowing any hits.

But this time, Carlos appeared to swing casually.

Yet, when the baseball came, he decisively hit it.

Ping!

The baseball rolled into a gap in the defense, allowing Carlos to sprint to second base.

What followed was quite straightforward.

Shirakawa executed a bunt, advancing Carlos to third base.

The situation shifted to one Out with a runner on third.

Now it was Narumiya's turn to bat, but he didn't resort to bunts or forced scoring tactics.

Instead, he hit cleanly!

The Seihou catcher had expected a bunt to get the run forcefully.

But that wasn't the plan at all.

The cunning Coach Kunitomo quickly signaled for a hit-and-run strategy.

As Narumiya hit the ball, Carlos used his unparalleled speed to dash home.

Snap!

The white ball landed, and Seihou's defense barely managed to stop it.

However, there was no way to relay it back home; they could only throw it to first base.

Snap!

"OUT!"

And just like that, Narumiya was Out.

But Inajitsu had taken the lead with one run.

In their previous encounters, Inajitsu had yet to secure a hit.

Seihou was in the same boat.

Their face-off with Narumiya yielded no advantages either—nine at-bats, and seven Strikeouts.

Narumiya's performance was undoubtedly at a king level.

Even comparing him to Sawamura, Narumiya's current display was certainly on par.

Everyone sensed that Seihou's hopes might be dwindling.

Despite their players showing great tenacity and solid skills, the gap in strength was not easily bridged.

Compared to Inajitsu's perfect form, Seihou appeared to fall short.

That minor difference was lethal in this game.

The audience, including everyone at Seidou High School, almost unanimously believed Inajitsu would come out on top today.

Seihou's lineup had declined significantly since graduating their third year—more so than Seidou's.

Based on their earlier performance, it was hard to envision a comeback.

As both teams exchanged blows, the game reached the sixth inning.

At this moment, a significant turning point occurred.

Carlos, the leadoff hitter, smashed a home run.

Without warning, the white ball soared out of left field.

Even Carlos showed a hint of surprise on his face.

The scales of victory seemed to tilt too quickly.

The score was now 2-0.

Inajitsu appeared to be in firm control.

Seihou faced an uphill battle to regain the lead.

In the Seihou dugout, Coach Nishidera turned to the recorder.

"So far, how many pitches has Narumiya thrown?"

"86 pitches!"

'Excellent!'

…