The fourth inning ended with both pitchers holding the line.Inashiro 0 – Seidou 0.
But as the fifth began, the atmosphere shifted.
Carlos swaggered into the batter's box, bat spinning in his hands. His grin was as wide as ever, but his eyes were sharp, locked on Sendo."Let's see what you've really got, kid."
Sendo wound up, breath steady, and fired. A fastball, low and inside.
Carlos swung—crack! The ball shot toward right field, but Shirasu reacted instantly, snagging it on the hop and firing to first.
"Out!"
A murmur ran through the alumni. Sendo exhaled slowly, wiping his brow. (One down.)
Next came Harada. Calm, imposing, his stance screamed veteran confidence. Miyuki's signal flashed: inside cutter. Sendo bit down and delivered.
Harada's bat sliced—foul ball. The duel stretched, pitch after pitch, until finally Harada connected. A sharp liner screamed into left, landing just past Kuramochi's glove.
"Safe at first!"
The Inashiro bench clapped lightly, voices cool and controlled."Good, Harada. That's how we start breaking him."
Maezono stepped up next, sneering toward the mound."You won't keep us down forever, rookie."
He swung hard on the second pitch, sending a towering fly to deep center. Shirasu sprinted back, glove raised—caught! Harada scrambled back to first.
Two outs.
Then came Narumiya.
The so-called Tokyo Prince strode into the box, his smirk cutting like a blade. The air grew heavier with each step.
Sendo's fingers trembled on the seams. He clenched them tighter. (No matter who he is—I'll strike him out.)
The first pitch: a fastball outside. Ball.The second: a curveball on the edge. Narumiya didn't swing. Ball two.
Miyuki narrowed his eyes. (He's testing you, Sendo. Stay calm.)
The third pitch—inside fastball. Narumiya unleashed.Crack! The ball rocketed down the line—foul!
Sendo exhaled, sweat dripping down his cheek. His arm throbbed faintly now. But he wound up again, pouring his strength into one more pitch.
Fastball, high. Narumiya chased—swing and miss!
The dugout erupted. "Strikeout!"
Sendo clenched his fist as he walked off the mound. His chest heaved, but his eyes burned. (I held them down… again!)
The bottom of the fifth.
Seidou's bats tried to crack Narumiya, but he was a wall. Kuramochi managed a foul bunt attempt, Ryousuke swung at shadows, and Miyuki was frozen by a curve that dropped like a stone.
Narumiya walked off the mound without a bead of sweat, flipping the ball lazily in his hand. His teammates laughed."That's Mei for you. Not a crack in sight."
Sawamura scowled from the bench. "That guy's insane… It's like he's getting stronger as the game goes on."
Sixth inning.
Sendo returned to the mound, his legs already heavy. His pitches still had bite, but the rhythm faltered. His fastball lost a tick of speed, his breaking ball hung a little higher.
Carlos saw it first."Hah… he's slowing down. Told you, he's not built for this yet."
This time, Carlos ripped a clean single into right. Harada followed with a grounder that forced a tough play at second—safe. Two men on, no outs.
The Seidou bench tensed. Kuramochi slammed his glove. "Oi! Stay sharp!"
Sendo's breath came harder now, sweat dripping steadily. His freshman body wasn't used to this level of sustained intensity. But still—he dug in, firing pitch after pitch.
Maezono swung, connecting deep to left—foul. He cursed, grinding his teeth."This brat… still hanging on!?"
Finally, with runners on the corners and two outs, Sendo reared back, unleashing his hardest fastball yet. The batter swung—whiff!
Strikeout! The inning ended.
The Seidou bench roared, but Miyuki's eyes narrowed as he jogged toward the dugout. (He's fighting, but… his stamina's bleeding out fast.)
The difference was stark in the bottom half.
While Sendo staggered through his inning, Narumiya was untouchable. His fastball blazed, his breaking balls danced, and every pitch carried the same force it had in the first inning.
Strikeout.Groundout.Strikeout.
The sixth closed with the scoreboard still locked at 0–0, but the contrast couldn't be clearer.
Sendo: brilliant but straining.Narumiya Mei: absolute, unshaken.
The alumni along the fence exchanged knowing glances."He's good. Really good. But that gap in stamina, in presence… it's the wall every freshman faces."
Sawamura bit his lip, fists clenched.Furuya only whispered, "Strong…" his eyes fixed on Narumiya.
And Sendo sat quietly, towel draped over his shoulders, chest heaving. His vision blurred slightly from exhaustion, but a faint fire still glowed behind his eyes.
(I can't stop here. Even if my body breaks down—I'll keep throwing.)
Across the diamond, Narumiya twirled the ball in his hand, his smirk unwavering."Nice try, rookie. But in this world, potential isn't enough."
The wall of experience stood tall—and the game moved on.