[82] Seidou and Akikawa

Chapter 82: Seidou and Akikawa

Match One: Seidou High School vs. Akikawa High School.

Match Two: Ichidaisan High School vs. Yakushi High School.

This matchup board was displayed outside the Fuchuu Baseball Stadium, listing the names of the four schools playing today.

Standing in front of the matchup board, Eijun's gaze landed on the words "Yakushi High School," and he couldn't help but recall everything from the original work about Yakushi High School.

That absolute ace—Sanada Shunpei.

The incredibly strong freshman cleanup hitter—a monstrous talent—Raichi Todoroki.

And the team's core strategist—Coach Todoroki.

Ichidaisan High... a real father-less high school, Eijun thought to himself somewhat cynically.

"Sawamura, hurry up, it's time for the meeting," Kuramochi called out loudly from a short distance away.

"Coming," Eijun responded and quickly jogged over.

Coach Kataoka swept his calm and solemn gaze over everyone present. His eyes remained as composed and serious as ever.

"Akikawa is definitely not a team that can be easily defeated. Stick to the strategies discussed in yesterday's meeting. Never forget the signals, and always ensure you double-check them."

"Yes, sir!!!"

"The upcoming game requires everyone's collective effort to win. Those on the bench should be ready to support the players on the field at any time. The weather is very hot today, so remember to stay hydrated. Understood?"

"Yes, sir!!!"

"Sawamura, although most of Akikawa's batters are left-handed, you should pitch boldly, but make no unnecessary errors. If you make any unwarranted mistakes, I'll substitute you immediately. Understand?" Coach Kataoka's stern gaze turned to Eijun, and Eijun felt a twinge of tension within him.

His expression turned serious, and he nodded firmly in response, "Yes, Coach!!!"

"Then there's Tanba and Kawakami, be ready to step in at any moment."

"Yes, sir!" Tanba and Kawakami replied seriously as well.

Meanwhile, Furuya on the other side appeared somewhat gloomy—not because he wouldn't get a chance to play, as he was also slated to start in today's game, but he was going in as a left fielder.

This left Furuya quietly grumbling to himself.

The pure-hearted child harbors a stubborn obsession with the pitcher's mound that's impossible to change.

"Whoa, it's Seidou High School!!!"

"Sei-dou! Sei-dou! Sei-dou!"

"Let's win today smoothly too."

"Coach Kataoka!!!"

"Captain Tetsu, Isashiki, Masuko!!!"

"Miyuki, Furuya!!!"

"Sawamura!!!!"

"Kuramochi!!!"

As the Seidou High School team emerged from the player tunnel and arrived at the first base dugout, the stadium erupted with fierce cheers. This was the overwhelming support offered by their loyal fans.

Amidst the explosive cheers from the supporters, on the third base side, in the Akikawa High School dugout...

"Wow, those are some intense cheers."

"As expected from a prestigious school, huh? So many spectators and even pretty cheerleaders, darn it!!!"

"And they even have a dedicated marching band. Is that the difference?"

"A renowned school, truly impressive."

"Honestly, my family's been trying to persuade me to quit the baseball club."

"Yeah, saying there's no way we can defeat those famous schools, but this year is different."

"Exactly, this year, we've got an ace we can rely on!"

"This time, victory will definitely be ours."

Despite Akikawa High School's obvious envy and apprehension towards Seidou High, none of them showed cowardice or fear in their words or expressions.

At that moment, everyone's eyes were fixed on their ace—You Shunshin—sitting quietly in the dugout, listening to music.

As previously mentioned, the team was nurtured with care, achieving a remarkable feat of reaching the fourth round as one of the top sixteen schools out of over 120 in western Tokyo.

To his teammates, You Shunshin had already become a godlike figure.

Deep within, they firmly believed that as long as he was there, victory was within reach, even if their opponent was one of the top three powerhouse teams in West Tokyo like Seidou High School.

"So the starter is that freshman lefty, just as expected."

"Shunshin?" Coach Ozaka glanced at You Shunshin with a questioning look, asking softly.

"This was to be expected," You Shunshin replied, taking off his headphones, his eyes revealing a subtle sharpness. "Our team mainly consists of left-handed batters. In this scenario, it was easy to predict that the starter would either be that freshman or their ace. Given Seidou's current lineup, the chances were highest for that pitcher to start."

"With a moving fastball, a release point that's hard to see, and excellent control, this freshman pitcher already has a remarkably high deviation value."

You Shunshin paused, giving Eijun a very high evaluation.

"But this pitcher also has a critical vulnerability—the inside pitch. Let's focus entirely on targeting the inside pitches in this game," You Shunshin suggested. "If we can crack their inside pitches, only their ace will remain, and even against Seidou, victory isn't impossible."

"Yes!!!" His teammates showed expressions of trust, looking at You Shunshin.

"Just as Shunshin said, even though Seidou is very strong, we are not without the ability to fight back. And you all trust in Shunshin's abilities, right? Let's wholeheartedly enjoy the thrill of baseball and then, with all our might, reach for our dreams!!!"

"Yes!!!"

"Teams line up!!!!"

"Go!!!!"

As the umpire positioned himself at home plate, the boys from both teams shouted as they charged from the dugouts to the center of the field.

With high spirits, neither side showed any sign of backing down, and the atmosphere was immediately charged with intense rivalry.

"Salute!!!"

"Let's do our best!!!!"

"Go, Sawamura, attack, attack."

"Show us what you've got, Sawamura. Don't mess up, okay?"

"Take them down one by one, Sawamura. Don't rush."

In the top of the first inning, Seidou High School took the field first. This was already Eijun's third appearance as the starting pitcher for the first string (the first being a practice match against Kiryu).

"You're not nervous, right?" Standing in front of the mound, Miyuki flashed a teasing smile and said.

"No, it feels just like usual," Eijun nodded slightly, smiling back.

"That's good to hear," Miyuki remarked with a faint smile in his eyes.

"Alright, let's do this then!!!"

"Yes, Miyuki-senpai!!!"

Their gloves met—a sign of the trust between pitcher and catcher. In the fourth round of the West Tokyo Summer Championship, it's Seidou High vs. Akikawa High School.

With a place in the quarterfinals at stake, the battle was about to begin!!!!

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