Chapter 25: Being An Example

"Too strong!"

"Sawamura-senpai, Miyuki-senpai!!!"

In the stands, among the members of the Seidou High School baseball team, the freshmen's eyes sparkled with excitement. They watched intently as the action unfolded on the field.

It was said that Seidou High lacked the ability to hit for power, but was that really the case? Wasn't that two consecutive home runs?

Just moments ago, the Eigen battery had dealt with Kuramochi and Kominato, and Seidou's supporters were taken aback. This opponent was incredibly stubborn, refusing to back down or give in at all.

The most important thing was that Eigen had shown impressive strength; almost like if Seidou wanted to win, they wouldn't give it easily to them.

But then, Seidou High delivered a surprise. Two back-to-back home runs—one a straight pitch, the other a newly honed pitch—were both hit out of the park without mercy.

The momentum for Seidou soared, and at that moment, they were undeniably superior to their opponents. The stark gap in strength was laid bare.

For Seidou's supporters, what could be more thrilling than the scene before them?

"Bring it on!"

"Hit it out!!"

When Shiratsu came to bat, the atmosphere in the stands shifted entirely. The mood among Seidou's fans became even more enthusiastic and exuberant.

But for the Eigen players, Seidou's supporters appeared terrifying, like demons risen from hell. They felt like pitiful humans surrounded by demons, mere lambs awaiting slaughter.

'Damn!'

A massive pressure weighed on Yasuji Koji, the Ace pitcher for Eigen High School. It was only at this moment that he truly felt the horror of his opponents—the king of Seidou and the formidable Sawamura Eijun!

Though these names had echoed in his mind before the game, nothing could compare to standing face-to-face with them on the field. That's when the reality of their terrifying power struck him.

'Is this the pinnacle of high school?'

Deep down, the Eigen players had to admit Seidou's strength. But so what? No matter how powerful the opponent, they had no room to retreat.

As third-year students, all they could do was give their all and treat every pitch as if it were their last.

Originally, Sawamura and Miyuki intended to rely on those consecutive home runs, especially the ones that struck the opponent's key pitches, to completely dismantle Eigen's pitcher. Once the opposing pitcher faltered, the rest would be easy.

Unexpectedly, under their relentless pressure, the Eigen pitchers not only held strong but seemed to improve with every challenge, almost as if they had been reborn.

Whoosh!

A sharp straight ball flew in.

Shiratsu swung decisively.

Ping!

The white ball soared high after being hit.

Shiratsu's expression soured as he realized the opposing pitcher's power was heavier than he had anticipated.

Snap!

The ball flew all the way to the outfield but landed squarely in the outfielder's mitt.

"OUT!"

After a tremendous effort, Eigen's battery finally secured three Outs.

Next up was Eigen High's chance to attack.

With encouragement from their coach, Eigen's players resolved to go all out, ready to fight fiercely and take a piece from the tough Seidou defense.

Seidou's starting pitcher, Kawakami, had grown significantly through his Koshien experience. Despite the high fighting spirit of the opponents, Kawakami systematically dealt with each batter.

Ping!

"OUT!"

"OUT!"

"OUT!!!"

In the end, Eigen's batters went down in order.

"Nice pitching!"

"That Was Beautiful!!!"

"You Are Doing Great Kawakami!!"

As Kawakami delivered a stellar performance, Seidou's players and supporters erupted in applause and cheers.

With the rising prowess of Seidou's second-year pitchers, Kawakami's presence became less noticeable, but he remained a strong player.

"The brilliance around him is so dazzling that it inadvertently dims Kawakami-kun's shine. Yet, I must admit, he is still an outstanding player." Professionals had a keen eye.

Fujio, a senior reporter for Baseball Kingdom Magazine, decided to feature Kawakami in his upcoming reports and display his unique perspective as a journalist.

After the first inning, the score stood at 2:0.

Then, the second inning began.

Seidou's offense struggled in this round. Despite efforts from Maezono and Toujou, no one could manage a hit!

Maezono's grounder was swiftly handled, leading to his Out.

Following him, Toujou was also out. He had hit the ball beautifully to the outfield, but the Eigen outfielder seemed almost clairvoyant, positioning himself perfectly to make the catch.

Next came Higasa, who made a rare appearance but also failed to deliver and was solved.

Seidou's batters went up and down in order.

"YEAAH!!!!"

After pitching, Eigen's Ace let out a triumphant shout in the center of the field.

At that moment, he released all his pent-up frustration.

In the second half of the second inning, Eigen began their attack.

Kawakami, pitching again, allowed a hit right from the start.

Ping!

Eigen's fourth batter made solid contact and smoothly reached first base.

"SAFE!"

The situation shifted to no outs with a runner on first base.

Seidou was in a precarious position.

The runner on first base was eager to advance, and the batter in the box was poised to swing! They were eager to score and turn the game in their favor.

'They weren't holding back; they wanted to score a point to turn the tide.'

But Miyuki wouldn't give them that chance.

Kawakami wound up for his pitch, while the fourth batter sprinted to steal the second base.

Seidou's catcher, Miyuki Kazuya, stayed alert, immediately springing into action as he noticed the steal.

With almost no extra movement, he threw the ball to second base as he caught it.

"Hyaa-ha-haa!"

Kuramochi was already sprinting to second base to back him up. After receiving the ball cleanly, he tagged the runner Out.

The situation shifted to one Out with no one on base.

Ping!

"OUT!"

"STRIKE!"

"FOUL!"

"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!"

***

In the second game of the third round of the Tokyo Spring Competition, Seidou High School faced Eigen High School.

The score stood at 2-0, with Seidou High temporarily in the lead.

From a purely numerical perspective, Seidou High seemed to have established a certain advantage, having scored two points in just two innings.

However, the actual situation was not so optimistic.

Eigen High displayed remarkable resilience, and the match did not unfold as a one-sided crushing.

It felt more like an evenly matched contest.

"This truly is the most powerful battleground in the country; even the teams in the third round are this strong," the freshmen of Seidou High, who were watching from the stand, all had this idea.

Most of them believed the game would continue to a stalemate.

Most, but not all—there were differing opinions.

For instance, Nishiyama, Okumura and Yui Kaoru.

"It's time to decide the winner!" Yui Kaoru murmured excitedly.

Nishiyama's comment was more direct: "Eigen is finished!"

Asada, sitting next to Nishiyama, felt clearly overwhelmed.

He understood each word Nishiyama said, but couldn't grasp their meaning when put together.

What did "Eigen is finished" even mean?

Aren't both sides still evenly matched?

Seeing Asada's confused expression, Nishiyama shrugged helplessly.

"Look at Eigen's Ace!"

The Ace of Eigen High was now on the pitcher's mound, exuding confidence.

"What's wrong?"

"Look at the sweat on his face."

Before Nishiyama could finish, he noticed Asada's eyes widening in shock.

This startled Nishiyama.

'Eh? Wa-What's wrong? Did I say something wrong?'

Asada's voice trembled slightly.

"Nishiyama-kun, you can see the sweat on his face from this far away?"

***

On the field, Kawakami was quickly solved Out.

The guy's pitching was certainly impressive, ranking among the best in Tokyo.

However, when it came to batting, there was a good chunk of freshmen who could even surpass him.

Against Eigen High's Ace, Yasuji, it was indeed challenging for him.

One Out, and no runners on base.

Now, it was Kuramochi's turn to bat for Seidou High.

'Great!'

The Eigen catcher was satisfied with the current outcome.

'So far, aside from Sawamura and Miyuki, none of Seidou's other batters had adjusted to Koji's pitching.'

This gave Eigen a chance to fight.

As long as they executed their strength well, it might not be impossible to continue fighting against Seidou High.

Though victory seemed far from reach, there was finally a chance to persist.

With this belief, he hoped to smoothly handle Kuramochi and Kominato.

If everything went well, they might see a glimmer of hope in the second half of the game.

In the Batter's Box, Kuramochi seemed to see through his opponent's thoughts and instantly guessed their intentions.

He then delivered a very pertinent two-word comment.

"Dream on!"

Eigen actually wanted to fight it out.

Theoretically, this tactic wasn't completely impossible; after all, during last spring's Koshien, Seidou had a hard, making it understandable that they couldn't return to top shape immediately.

But how could Seidou give Eigen High School such an opportunity?

'I have to be Faster!'

Kuramochi, noticing the signs, urged himself on.

'If I wanted to make an impact, it had to be now.'

Otherwise, continuing to delay would pose a huge challenge to Seidou's pride.

In this match, the opponent wasn't particularly strong, so why did Seidou High field their main players?

The reason was simple: this was Seidou's first game.

The momentum of the first game directly influenced their performance in subsequent matches.

Seidou wanted a strong start.

Under these circumstances, as the starting engine of Seidou, how could he not strive?

Ping!

Facing a tricky pitch, Kuramochi swung his bat without hesitation.

The white ball struck and rolled into the gap in the defense.

In terms of batting, it wasn't a particularly beautiful hit—just an ordinary single.

"Hyaa-ha-haa!"

Kuramochi sprinted to first base.

'Too late!'

Before the outfielder could retrieve the ball, Kuramochi was already at first base.

The Eigen outfielder realized it was too late to stop him!

'Damn! He is so fast!'

In the blink of an eye, he was on base.

'They are lagging in the retrieve!' Kuramochi and the first base coach realized this and came to the same decision at the same time.

'GO!!' The base coach signaled for Kuramochi to continue!

And Kuramochi—who had the same thought—didn't hesitate and continued to run.

Before the Eigen second baseman could comprehend what was happening, Kuramochi was already racing toward second base.

"SECOND BASE!!"

Koji on the mound shouted to his teammates.

But it was too late.

At that moment, Kuramochi was closing to the second base.

Kuramochi's speed surged as he ran from the Batter's Box to first base.

The speed was absolutely astonishing.

At least the players from Eigen High were caught off guard.

By the time the ball was back, Kuramochi had already reached the second base.

"SAFE!"

Even with a mediocre hit that just fell into the defense's gap, it would typically count as a single.

Yet Kuramochi managed to reach second base purely through his unparalleled speed.

The scene shifted to one Out, with a runner on second base.

"Kuramochi!"

"Kuramochi!!!"

The fans in the stands, originally his fans, now erupted in excitement. Other Seidou supporters joined in the cheering.

They seemed to want to send Kuramochi's name soaring into the sky.

In the stands, Okumura turned to Lee-Hyun and suddenly said,

"Look closely at how this Senpai did that! His base steal was textbook perfect."

The kindness suddenly displayed by the blond boy surprised Lee-Hyun.

He had originally thought the blond boy was colder in personality but found him to be warm-hearted instead.

"I see, thank you!"

From Kuramochi, he learned more than just speed.

There were other valuable lessons as well.

Lee-Hyun felt an enlightening spark.

He thought this kind of offensive play was quite impressive.

…

T/N: With the Kohai after their tails, Seidou players start their new spring.

As always, Thank you all for reading!!

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