Chapter 80: Seidou’s Origin (Volume Ends)

"Are you not convinced?"

"No!"

Nishiyama replied very calmly.

"Don't lie, it is all over your face!"

Sawamura shook his head with a smile.

"I'm not lying. The Coach definitely has his reasons, and as a player, what can I say?"

'If you weren't feeling unconvinced, then where did all this resentment come from?'

"Wahaha!"

Seeing the stubborn expression on Nishiyama's face, Sawamura laughed.

Usually, this guy acts far too mature, nothing like a 15-year-old. Given Sawamura's unique experiences, it wasn't surprising for him to display such maturity.

At the end of the day, Nishiyama was just a kid who was just out of middle school. Yet he acted so shrewd and mature, lacking the energy of youth.

At least in Sawamura's view, this was not a good thing.

'It was rare to see Nishiyama show his emotions like this.'

Only at this moment did he resemble a typical 15-year-old.

"Instead of chasing after those elusive scores, it's better to solidly secure the game; that's our Seidou baseball team style."

Nishiyama merely nodded at Sawamura's explanation but didn't agree.

Sawamura knew very well that Nishiyama wasn't ignorant of this principle.

It's just that he believed himself to be special, or rather, he thought he had the ability to hit that ball out.

'He was still a bit too naive.'

Even though Sawamura didn't usually want to play the teacher, Nishiyama was after all his Kohai in the same dormitory.

When he could help, Sawamura wouldn't hesitate to lend a hand.

"Hehe, In that situation just now, it would be very difficult for you to get a hit again! Don't think that just because you hit the ball twice before, it's something remarkable. The opponents underestimated you in those encounters. They didn't take you seriously, so they pitched boldly."

"But now that you've surprised them twice before, even if they're foolish, they'll know not to charge in recklessly. What do you think they'll do?"

Sawamura's question left Nishiyama momentarily stunned.

He had never thought of that before, but it wasn't hard to guess.

"They will use corner balls that are hard to judge whether it is Strike or Ball to decide the outcome with me."

Sawamura felt genuinely pleased; Nishiyama's ability to grasp baseball concepts was indeed beyond the average.

He figured it out so quickly.

The battery duo of Kasugaichi wouldn't dare clash with Nishiyama directly at this moment. They had learned enough lessons already.

They would definitely opt for a series of four balls to create a bases-loaded situation.

Then they would face off directly with Kijima and Yamaguchi.

Based on the results of their previous encounters, they still had confidence in handling Kijima and Yamaguchi.

Coach Kataoka had Nishiyama attempt a sacrifice bunt, and Kasugaichi's battery duo had no choice but to accept this compromise.

After all, if they truly found themselves in a bases-loaded situation, their outlook wouldn't be very optimistic. At that point, Seidou High School would give up a run for an out.

Kasugaichi's battery duo naturally had no reason to refuse.

Both sides had a certain understanding of this matter.

"This is called leaving a way out, so both parties will compromise and get a solution."

Nishiyama nodded.

Even though he didn't quite agree with this approach internally, he had to admit that it was the most effective method for winning.

"But if it's just that …"

Nishiyama said.

Sawamura smiled and shook his head.

"The score is already secured, and the tacit understanding is naturally gone. At the moment the opponent breathes a sigh of relief, deliver them the heaviest blow…"

"Truly insidious!"

Nishiyama was quite clever; even though Sawamura spoke ambiguously, he understood what Sawamura meant.

However, looking at Coach Kataoka's serious demeanor, it was hard to imagine he was that kind of person.

"The baseball field is like a battlefield; cunning is necessary. Unless you possess cheat-like skills, normal players won't make it to the end." Sawamura said with a wry smile.

In his time in the Major League, he had suffered greatly because of this.

Of course, it didn't mean that baseball matches had to be played with schemes and tricks, but if you didn't consider strategy, no matter how strong you were, it would be hard to last until the end.

'I'm sure the coach and players of Kasugaichi understood this.'

The previous tacit understanding had ended; the next game was essentially starting anew.

"Seidou High School substitutes a batter!"

Coach Kataoka could no longer tolerate the two teams entangling like this, so he acted decisively.

Through today's match, the main force and substitutes should have understood what they needed to learn. Surely, they would have some realizations moving forward.

'Now it was time to cleanly win this match.'

A score of 3:1 wouldn't satisfy Coach Kataoka.

Standing in the Batter's Box in place of Kijima was Kominato Haruichi.

Seidou High School had clearly started their all-out march.

The players of Kasugaichi had already mentally prepared for this. They immediately chose to compress their defense, not giving Seidou a chance to expand their lead.

After stepping into the Batter's Box, Kominato Haruichi stood calmly near the inner corner of the strike zone.

The catcher of Kasugaichi frowned secretly.

The opponent's choice clearly indicated they intended to block their inside pitches.

'Indeed, none of the main players of Seidou were easy opponents.'

'They had begun to realize our Ace's weaknesses.'

The Ace of Kasugaichi pitching was centered around inside pitches; if they really blocked those, the options available to him would dwindle down to just two or three.

Choosing one from those two or three would give them a high probability of guessing right.

'Should we abandon the inside corner?'

That thought crossed the catcher's mind but was immediately discarded without hesitation.

Giving up the inside pitch would mean abandoning their strongest weapon. Standing defenseless before the ferocious Seidou team was simply too unsettling.

'In such circumstances, we had no choice.'

'Even if we had to continuously throw Dead balls, we couldn't give up the inside corner.'

'Don't be afraid of hitting him; just throw the ball.'

Kasugaichi's Ace had already thrown caution to the wind. His control was not as precise as Kawakami's, and he couldn't guarantee the ball wouldn't hit someone.

But now he had made up his mind; even if the ball hit someone, so be it.

After all, whether he threw inside pitches or not, it was still a dead end.

In such a situation, they might as well stand and face it.

Whoosh!

The ball was accurately pitched to the inside corner, appearing ready to hit Kominato Haruichi.

"Kominato!"

Cries of alarm rose from the Seidou High School bench.

Yet Kominato Haruichi in the Batter's Box remained calm. His eyes glinted like those of a devil, glowing an eerily terrifying red.

'You really can't give up the inside pitch, can you?'

The opponent's choice was exactly what Kominato had predicted, so he appeared very composed.

Watching the ball come flying towards him, he took a step outward. That step moved him away from the plate, placing his body at a 45-degree angle to the pitcher.

As he shifted his position, the inside pitch that was about to hit him transformed into a favorable meatball right down the middle.

'There's no pitch better than this to hit!'

Even while in the dugout, Kominato Haruichi hadn't stopped analyzing his opponents.

Long before stepping onto the field, he had made his plans.

Coach Kataoka's decision to send him up to bat was exactly what he wished for.

Paak!

The ball was hit and drew a beautiful arc, landing just beyond the second baseman.

Right between the two outfielders.

'It worked!'

Haruichi made a small fist bump and then dashed toward second base.

As for Kanemaru, who had been on second, he had already returned home.

"SAFE!!"

This helped Seidou High School score their fourth run.

The overall score became 4:1.

"SEIDOU!!"

"SEIDOU!!!"

"KOMINATOU!!"

"KOMINATOU!"

"This guy is getting way better!"

"Right? I thought he would be hit by the ball just now, but it turned out he was waiting for it!"

The audience was getting excited at the sudden strong and precise attack of Seidou.

However, the offense is far far from over.

Coach Kataoka glanced at the score, weighing the current situation.

He suddenly realized that things seemed to be going even more smoothly than he had imagined.

In such a situation, if they didn't take advantage of the opportunity to kick a fallen opponent, the game would drag on to the ninth inning.

Although dragging it to the ninth inning wasn't a big deal, it was still beneficial to finish in fewer innings.

And just as Coach Ochiai said before, Seidou High School no longer had the luxury of hiding in the shadows.

They could no longer repeat the comeback of the past.

Now they needed to embark on a new path the Throne!

Using their formidable strength to crush all opponents.

Earlier, letting the substitutes take the field was also out of concern for their mental state compared to the starters. Through today's match, the players would surely make adjustments going forward.

In this situation, there seemed to be no reason to keep the substitutes on the field.

"Maezono!"

With this thought in mind, Coach Kataoka decisively began his substitution journey.

He replaced several players in quick succession.

Maezono came in for Yamaguchi.

Sawamura came in for Masashi!

Miyuki came in for Ono!

The players brought on by Coach Kataoka, who had high expectations for them, ultimately lived up to those hopes.

First up was Maezono, who beautifully secured a hit, creating a situation with one Out and runners on first and third.

Following him, Sawamura was Walked.

The situation changed to one Out and bases loaded.

Asou hit a fly ball but couldn't contribute to the team.

With two Outs and the bases loaded, the final chance was given to Miyuki.

The Captain of Seidou High School did not disappoint his Coach's expectations and cleanly knocked that ball out of the park.

He helped the team score four runs in one go.

The overall score became 8:1, and Seidou High School's lead reached seven runs.

This score would also be the final score of the match.

With Nishiyama cleanly achieving three Outs, Seidou High School effectively played seven innings.

Finally, they advanced to the Spring Tournament semifinals.

There were many things in this match worth remembering.

Among them, the most classic was Seidou's frenzied offensive at the last moment.

As Seidou's fame grew, the recognition of them also increased.

Gradually, Seidou became a nationally renowned pitching kingdom.

People seemed to have selectively forgotten the true origin of Seidou High School.

Explosive lineup!

This was the true style of Seidou High School.

In the final moments of today's match, although there was an element of luck, Seidou High School genuinely showcased its terrifying arsenal in hitting.

People were reminded that this was the real Seidou High School.

…

End Of This Volume!

…

T/N: alright this volume is completed and the next volume is up.