Chapter 64: Conquered!

If Isashiki knew how much Miyuki was underestimating him right now, he'd surely feel compelled to teach this annoying kohai a lesson.

His swing was purely instinctive and not as complicated as Miyuki imagined.

It seems his instincts were off, he expected a straight ball but got a forkball instead!

"Damn, bastard!"

The Beard-senpai didn't dwell on it. If he missed once, he'd guess again.

He remained enthusiastic.

While the Beard-senpai was carefree, Miyuki, the catcher, couldn't stop overanalyzing.

He seriously studied Isashiki, repeatedly simulating his thoughts in his mind.

He couldn't figure it out, no matter how hard he tried.

Although the Beard-senpai often seemed reckless, he wasn't mindless. If you underestimated him, you'd be the one to suffer.

'Whether in the dugout or at the plate, he thought deeply.'

'If something seemed off, there must be a catch!'

Although he couldn't figure out the Beard-senpai's plan, Miyuki believed the third-year Senpais must have a trick up their sleeves.

'Like before, they must have a strategy!'

'Therefore, every pitch had to be taken seriously!'

'Second pitch!'

Miyuki carefully signaled Sawamura Eijun for a Cutter in the inner corner.

From Sawamura's left-handed angle, this pitch would definitely be unexpected.

The most important point was that they hadn't used a Cutter in this game yet.

'It was essentially a pitch with no data.'

Even the shrewd Chris-senpai wouldn't anticipate it.

'Here it comes!'

Miyuki Kazuya's game-calling wasn't without merit. He considered the various scenarios and carefully chose the pitch.

Unfortunately, his thoughtful strategy was destined to be ineffective.

Whoosh!

The small white ball, like a laser, appeared instantly near the batter.

After entering the inner corner, the ball also had a slight shift.

'The pitch should at least result in a Foul ball, if not an Out.'

Miyuki eagerly awaited the result, but the batter remained unimpressed.

The Beard-senpai watched the white ball come toward him, his mind blank.

At that moment, all irrelevant thoughts vanished.

The only obsession was to hit the ball in front of him.

'Hit it!'

Determination drove his body.

The bat, seemingly practiced thousands of times, swung at the approaching ball.

Ping!

The white ball was hit and launched away.

'Great!'

Seeing the ball's result, Miyuki the catcher, was generally satisfied.

"Kanemaru!"

He called out loudly for the third baseman to defend.

Before he could even finish, Kanemaru had already jumped.

He raised his mitt high, trying to catch the ball.

If he were ten centimeters taller or could jump twenty centimeters higher, he might have caught it.

But height was a hard limit.

He could only watch as the ball flew over his mitt.

Pak!

The ball landed behind him, resulting in a long hit.

"Oraaaaaa!"

Isashiki, red-eyed like a bull, sprinted to second base.

With two Outs, Isashiki Jun had hit a double.

The advantage that Sawamura and Miyuki had tightly grasped slipped away.

On the sidelines, an alumnus covered his forehead in distress.

"Previously, Kominato Ryosuke's prolonged engagement kept Sawamura from showcasing his true strength."

Throwing nearly twenty pitches in a row was a significant test for any pitcher.

In such conditions, maintaining peak performance is difficult.

The alumnus believed that Sawamura's inability to handle Isashiki's hit was due to his state.

"No no, it was the fielder's error."

Others disagreed, suggesting it was a defensive issue with the third baseman.

Kanemaru Shinji's movements were fast but lacked calmness.

If he had backed up two steps and jumped, he might have caught the ball.

"Don't be foolish. The pitch wasn't slow, but it wasn't fast either. If the third baseman had done that, the timing would have been off."

Opinions varied, but no one questioned Sawamura's skill being outplayed by the Beard-senpai.

"There was nothing wrong with that pitch."

Fujio, hearing the surrounding gossip, smiled wryly.

The pitch and strategy were sound; their tactical intention had been achieved.

'But a successful tactic doesn't guarantee victory.'

As seen now, unexpected events can occur.

In baseball, while skill is crucial, luck also plays a role.

Fujio saw this as just a stroke of bad luck for the New Seidou High School team.

And this luck led to the strongest showdown.

"Fourth batter, first baseman, Yuuki!"

In an era with many great pitchers, Seidou High School faced tough battles. Whenever they were in a tough spot, Sawamura Eijun, the ace pitcher, stepped up to help the team hold the line.

But winning a game isn't just about holding the defense. You also need a fierce warrior to lead the attack and deliver the final blow. That role was filled by Yuuki.

Now, the strongest spear and the strongest shield were standing together once more, ready to clash and prove who was better.

This scene naturally drew the attention of the surrounding audience.

The beautiful reporter, Owada Akiko, took out her camera, ready to snap pictures.

"There's no need for that. Didn't you bring your phone?" Fujio said.

"If it's just for video, we could get a copy from Seidou High School later," Akiko replied, confused.

This may be difficult for others, but shouldn't it be easy for my senior? With his good relationship with Seidou High School, getting such information should be a piece of cake.

"Don't be naive. No matter how good my relationship with Seidou High School is, they won't let such footage leak before the fall tournament. They wouldn't give their opponents extra information."

A showdown between Sawamura Eijun and Yuuki Tetsuya could result in major news.

With strong opponents like Teito, Inashiro, Sankou, and Yakushi in the same district for the Fall Tournament, Seidou High School's coaching staff wouldn't risk giving away their strategies.

"Do it yourself to get the real scoop!"

To get true big news, you have to obtain it yourself; you can't rely on others.

Fujio understood this clearly.

As everyone focused on the pitching duel, the Beard-senpai at second base felt a bit envious. He had just taken second base from Sawamura with a nice play!

He was thrilled and his body was still slightly trembling. However, the audience's reaction was indifferent; they barely paid attention and moved on to the next showdown.

'Damn it!!'

Even though he got a hit, a long hit into the outfield, the Beard-senpai couldn't be happy.

In fact, some people still cared about his base hit, like the battery that had just faced him.

Miyuki frowned, puzzled over how he got on base.

No matter how much he thought about it, it didn't make sense.

'Forget it. It's useless to dwell on it now. We can review it after the game,' Miyuki thought. 'For now, we need to focus on the opponent in front of us!'

Yuuki Tetsuya!

The best batter of the former National Champions!

Miyuki's personality might be bad, but he was very straightforward during games, and never sloppy.

On the mound, Sawamura wasn't feeling great either.

Honestly, he didn't want anyone on base before facing Tetsu-san.

Tetsu required Sawamura's full focus. Any distraction would make it hard to face him wholeheartedly.

'This is really tricky!'

Even Sawamura felt uncomfortable in this situation.

After a deep breath, he looked back at the Beard-senpai, who was eager to steal the base.

'Terrible acting!'

Sawamura saw through the Beard-senpai's bluff. His purpose was merely to increase Yuuki's hitting chances.

Although the acting was poor, it was clear the guy was trying hard.

With a wry smile, Sawamura decided to face Yuuki head-on.

'It would be a fair and straightforward contest.'

At that moment, Miyuki's signal came through.

First pitch: A Straight Fastball to the inside course!

Sawamura nodded subtly and threw the baseball with force.

Whoosh!

The ball shot towards the plate like a streak of cold light.

The same cold light appeared in Tetsuya's eyes.

'Here it is!'

He has secretly been simulating this pitch in his training, from time to time.

Therefore, when he finally saw it again, Yuuki didn't hesitate or evade it. His body reacted naturally as if he had been waiting for Sawamura's pitch.

PING!

The white ball was hit and shot quickly into the field!

Time seemed to freeze.

The ball appeared behind the pitcher, shortstop, and right in the gap between the second baseman and the outfield.

Kuramochi and Haruichi could only turn around, unable to make any defensive moves.

The ball flew into the outfield!

In their final high school duel, Yuuki's spear had pierced through Sawamura's shield.

With that long hit, the Beard-senpai raced back to home plate.

The score was now 5-4!

The crowd was silent, no one cheered.

Time seemed to stand still.

After a long pause, people finally reacted.

He has been defeated!

The invincible and undefeatable Demon King…

Has been Conquered!!

…