Chapter 31: Sliding Fools

The duel between Mukai Taiyou and Todoroki Raichi attracted countless gazes from the audience.

Anyone following Tokyo high school baseball would find it hard to be uninterested in this matchup. Just look at the performance of the Seidou High School teammates.

Their eyes were wide like bells, completely focused on the showdown on the field.

At this moment, the anticipation swelling in their hearts is difficult for others to understand.

Members of the Seidou baseball club have faced these two guys before, and everyone is eager to see the result of this duel.

Then everyone watched as Mukai threw a pitch.

To onlookers, his pitching appeared solid—good velocity and tricky course—but that was about it; there wasn't much else to it.

However, anyone with even a slight understanding of Mukai knows that his pitching prowess cannot be judged by surface-level observations. Until you face him in a real duel, you'll never know just how terrifying he can be.

On the other side, Todoroki Raichi is the exact opposite of Mukai Taiyou.

He's the kind of batter that you can instantly gauge by the way he swings.

This storm-like swing is unforgettable after just one glance.

And it's the same now.

BUUUZZZZZZZ!!!!!!!

As he swung the bat, it felt as if the air was tearing apart, like thunder deep in the sky.

Standing as the catcher, Kengo Inui felt a moment of suffocation.

It was as if Inui's brain had been struck by lightning; that single swing had refreshed his worldview.

'There really are monsters in this world with such terrifying swings.'

PANNGGG!!!!

When the baseball was hit, it flew like a cannonball, instantly traveling a distance and landing out of bounds.

"Keha-ha-haa! Keha-ha-haa!!"

The first ball went out of bounds, but Todoroki Raichi seemed completely unfazed.

More like he is getting more delighted.

"One More Time!"

'It looked like the pitch hadn't even entered the strike zone, but actually, it had… it was definitely in…'

This kind of pitching, akin to dancing on a tightrope, was something Raichi had never seen before.

His already high fighting spirit felt like it had been supercharged at this moment.

He trembled with excitement.

'This Monster!'

The battery of Teito High School was taken aback.

Although they had expected this outcome beforehand, seeing it unfold left them with complicated feelings.

Raichi didn't let the ball go.

'It wouldn't be accurate to say he was merely not letting it go; it was more like he seemed to predict whether the ball would land in the strike zone or not?'

'What A Monster!'

With another sigh of realization, Kengo Inui had to lift his spirits and continue battling this monster.

'We can do it!'

He had complete confidence in Mukai's pitching.

They had trained tirelessly for seven months to handle monsters like Raichi.

Any team that had faced Seidou High School, any team that could take down Sawamura Eijun, must have honed a set of killer skills.

There's a saying that geniuses often gather together; it's not without reason. Genius needs genius rivals to compete!

Thanks to the presence of The Demon King Sawamura Eijun, many naturally talented players have made further strides in this short period, reaching unimaginable heights for them before.

Todoroki Raichi is one of them.

And Mukai Taiyou is another.

To tackle the Dai-Maou Sawamura, he had also thought of ways in private.

Now was the time to validate their results.

'Now go!'

Kengo Inui opened his Mitt.

On the pitcher's mound, Mukai also seemed to have made a great determination. He pulled back and threw the small ball in his hand.

Whoosh!

The ball fell straight to a low course.

"Keha-ha-haa!!!"

Their opponent, Todoroki Raichi, completely disregarded the ball's remarkable break.

Seeing the ball flying over, he swung his bat without hesitation, sending the ball flying out.

PAANNNG!!!!

After being struck, the ball soared high.

Instead of showing frustration, the faces of Kengo Inui and Mukai Taiyou became more focused.

"Outfield!"

Mukai Taiyou wasn't the kind of pitcher who could make batters miss; he was a pitcher who relied on fielding to achieve Outs.

Even his prepared trump card leaned towards this aspect.

Now he was using the peculiarity of the Screwball to force Raichi to hit the ball high.

To some extent, they had succeeded. The ball was launched into the outfield by Raichi, flying very very high.

Teito High School's outfielders were already positioned under the ball.

The drawback was that the ball's speed was too fast. There was simply no time for the outfielders to catch it.

It flew directly over the outfielder's head, like a meteor crashing to the ground, hitting the outfield wall hard.

Paak!

"Keha-ha-haa!"

Laughing wildly, Raichi threw down the bat and sprinted forward.

Because the speed of the ball was so fast, the preparation time for the outfielders was too short. By the time they picked up the ball and prepared to throw it back, Raichi was already nearing third base.

He executed a beautiful slide, touching the third base bag just right.

The precision of his action was such that even the seasoned players from Seidou felt ashamed.

It is just that… the ball still didn't return yet…

The teammates of Yakushi did not seem particularly pleased with this.

"The ball hasn't come back yet, why are you sliding you idiot?"

"Fool, that ball is at least 100 meters from home plate, why stop?"

"Damn it, what a waste…"

The players of Yakushi played baseball easily, but they were ruthless in critiquing their teammates.

Raichi on third base laughed awkwardly.

His mistake didn't ease the tension for the players of Teito High School.

Kengo Inui frowned, looking at Raichi on third base.

Honestly, he hadn't expected this guy to be so fast too!

At that distance, although the outfielder didn't stop the ball immediately, he had stepped back quite a bit, not far from the ball.

'Under such circumstances, this guy ran to third base in one breath, and even had a chance to reach home plate?'

'Incredible!'

With the speed he just displayed, he could definitely run 100 meters in 11 seconds.

Not only was his hitting power terrifying, but his speed was impressive too.

Kengo Inui had thought his physique was already quite good, but compared to this monster, the gap was wide.

The game continued on the field.

After Raichi reached third base, it was the turn of the fifth batter, Sanada Shunpei.

Teito's battery had carefully studied Sanada's hitting habits and prowess.

'Sanada excels at hitting straight balls; his power with them is almost on par with Raichi.'

In that case, they decided to throw only breaking balls.

Having made up his mind, Mukai Taiyou threw a screwball for the first pitch.

Unexpectedly, Sanada Shunpei stepped into the Batter's Box with no intention of facing him head-on. Instead, he executed a bunt and knocked the ball out.

'Bunt!'

This move shocked the players of Teito High School.

In their impression, Yakushi was a team known for its aggressive playstyle, a hallmark of their team.

They had originally thought Yakushi would stick to its own characteristics, but they suddenly changed their style now.

"As long as we can score, tactics don't matter!"

In the Yakushi dugout, Todoroki Raizou, who had been lounging on the bench, suddenly laughed.

He constantly reminded his players to enjoy baseball.

Whether through their regular swings or bunts.

As long as they were having fun…

Originally, everyone liked to stick to their own hitting style, but now, for the sake of their teammates and the team, they had gradually abandoned that individual heroism.

Like now, using a bunt to score a run.

Sanada probably thought that such a result would hit the opponents even harder.

'You guys are shockingly mature!'

Though he was complaining, the smile on his face never faded.

But he truly felt gratified.

The players having this attitude signified that they had genuinely matured.

"Safe!!"

With a strange laugh, Raichi returned directly to home plate, helping his team take the lead with a score.

The total score became 1:0.

After conceding points, Mukai Taiyou not only didn't feel discouraged but became even more focused.

He transformed the raging fire within him into the power to pitch.

He easily secured two Outs.

With three Outs, offense and defense exchange.

In the bottom of the second inning, Teito High School went on the offense.

Ping!

The first up was the fourth batter, Kengo Inui.

He aimed directly at Sanada's first pitch and hit it hard.

"It's flying! Out of the Park!!!"

He hit a home run, tying the score.

The two sides traded blows for three innings, and the score remained 1:1.

Both Sanada Shunpei and Mukai Taiyou showcased exceptional skills and fierce determination.

It was a close contest.

This tug-of-war continued until the fourth inning when a fundamental shift occurred.

Yakushi High School, the first to attack, suddenly fell silent.

Even the third batter, Mishima, and the fourth batter, Raichi, were dealt with in succession...

In the bottom of the fourth inning, it was Teito High School's turn to attack!

…