"Strike! Batter out! Game set!" The Umpire shouted.
"And that's game! Seido takes the victory 7-2 after 9 innings. It looked fairly even throughout the game until Seido made a game-changing substitute at the top of the seventh. Bringing on a rookie first-year pitcher for his debut game with bases loaded with no outs. Against all odds, he managed to get the team through the inning without any runs scored. After that, he made an impact on the mound and in the batter's box. It's safe to say that Seido has truly found a gem in their new batch of first years. I'm excited to see what the future holds for Seido and their demon rookie, Sawamura Eijun." The commentator said into his mic with a smile, watching the pitcher on the field start celebrating the end of the game.
"YOSHHAAAAAA!!" I shouted whilst pumping my fists.
*DING*
[Congratulations User, you have completed the mission: Promise to the coach]
[Tasks:
>Don't let Yokohama score any runs for the rest of the game (completed)
>Strikeout 6 batters before the end of the game (6/6)
>Make a play when in the batter's box (completed)]
[You have been given the rewards:
>1 S-Grade pitching elixir
>1 silver tier batting skill
>25 Ace points]
I couldn't help but shout when I saw the rewards, they were a testament for my hard work in the game.
I looked up at the crowd around the stadium as I stepped off the mound.
They were loudly cheering and clapping after watching a great game.
There were also guys in other school uniforms who were just silently staring onto the field.
"Seido's strong this year." One of them said.
"Yeah, they're normally strong anyway with their batting prowess but now it seems they've picked up a good pitcher." Another replied.
The crowd were also murmuring to each other at the same time.
"Wow, that first-year pitcher was really good."
"I know right? He gave me chills in the seventh inning."
"You don't see many pitchers with that kind of composure subbing into a situation like that, let alone a rookie."
"Agreed. What was his name again?"
"Sawamura, I think. Sawamura Eijun."
The Seido crowd were going wild, they were elated seeing their team win.
Kanemura had his arms around Tojo's and Haruichi's shoulders, jumping up and down and cheering.
Tojo was joining in, but Haruichi was too embarrassed, blushing bright red at their antics, although he was clapping with a smile.
In the Seido dugout, Ota walked behind Coach Kataoka.
"It was a great game. Sawamura truly made his presence known on the mound. He did well." Ota said to him.
The Coach just stared at the field as he watched Sawamura, walking off the mound with a smile, he then glanced at a couple of the team about to approach him.
"He exceeded my expectations and pulled through when we needed it. I've come to realise that it's not just his skills as a pitcher that are good, it's also the mind games he plays on the field. There were many times when Yokohama were caught off guard by his antics, especially in the batter's box and when pitching with a runner on base. He also delivered on his promise. That deserves recognition, even if he is still quite immature. He also still needs to work on his fielding." The Coach suddenly blurted out.
'It seems he was keeping a close watch and analysing Sawamura's performance throughout the game.' Ota thought with a smile.
He too was very surprised by Sawamura's performance.
***
As I stepped off the mound, suddenly someone jumped on my back and put me in a headlock.
"YAHA! Nice going, Sawamura! You did well." Kuramochi said whilst on my back.
"Kur-Kuramochi... senpai, I-can't-breath." I said whilst struggling to talk.
Then a glove came and smacked me in the head.
"Nice pitching, rookie." Kominato said as he passed by.
Kuramochi finally let go and jumped off my back.
He then gave me a swift kick on the backside and ran to the dugout.
I rubbed where I was kicked whilst smiling slightly.
Miyuki then came up to me.
"Nice pitching Sawamura, every pitch was perfectly right where I wanted it." He said.
"Of course, with you leading me, I can pitch without fear. Nice job, partner." I said whilst holding my glove out to him.
He smacked my glove back with his and chuckled.
By the time we got back to the dugout, we had to go and line up.
As we lined up, I could see that there were a lot of the Yokohama players looking in my direction as I got to the line.
'Well, this is awkward. Hopefully I don't meet any of these guys out on the street. They look like they want to beat me up' I thought with a smile.
Then both teams bowed to each other.
"Thank you for the game!" We shouted.
Then both Coach Kataoka and Yokohama's coach met each other for a handshake.
"It was a nice game." Coach Kataoka said to him.
"Yes, it was, until you brought out that demon in the seventh." Yokohama's coach replied with a bitter smile. "You're lucky to have such a player."
The coach just nodded at his response, then turned to walk back to the dugout.
After the greetings, I then followed the team back to the dugout.
I was patted on the head and praised by the team for my performance and thanked them.
It truly felt like I was one with the team now.
As I was packing my stuff away, I saw the coach looking in my direction.
I walked up to him after I finished packing.
"I apologise for being reckless with my promise. Luckily, I was able to deliver." I said to him whilst bowing slightly.
Coach Kataoka looked at me for a second and then just smirked.
"Yes, that promise was immature. But like you said, you delivered. Good job, brat."
He then turned and walked out of the dugout.
I slightly smiled as I looked at his back.
The team then followed the Coach back to the buses to head back to school.
***
The day after the game, there quite a few articles going around the high school baseball scene that all described the game.
Many of the articles were focused on 'Seido's demon rookie', as they called him, and how he managed to completely turn over the game on his first match for the team.
These articles didn't go unnoticed by the other teams and players who knew about Seido, especially the teams in the same prefecture.
At Inashiro Industrial High School, there was a group of players watching their blonde pitcher get all riled up in the bullpen.
"What's wrong with Mei?" Carlos asked.
"Do you really not know? He saw an article about Seido's game yesterday where they kept talking about a 'demon rookie' first-year pitcher at Seido, ever since then, he's been annoyed." Shirakawa replied.
"Is it that big of a deal? It's just a rookie. We can destroy any pitcher, let alone a first year." Yamaoka said.
"That's not the point, idiot." Shirakawa snapped back. "You know how much Mei likes the spotlight, now some unknown southpaw has come out of nowhere and snatched it after one game. Add to the fact that he's on the same team as Miyuki Kazuya, Mei's probably jealous."
"It doesn't matter; Mei will calm down in a few days. Some unknown rookie won't make a difference against us." Harada, Inashiro's captain, said from behind him.
He was looking at the blonde pitcher in the bullpen.
Narumiya Mei, the ace pitcher for Inashiro, with his blonde hair and blue eyes, was currently muttering to himself before each pitch.
Saying things like "demon rookie, my ass" and "I'll show them who the best southpaw is".
Unknown to the players, Inashiro's coach, Kunitomo Hiroshige was watching the whole ordeal with a natural-faced frown.
He watched as Narumiya in the bullpen without a change in his expression.
He then looked down at the tablet he was holding.
It had an article about Seido's last game, mentioning their 'demon rookie'.
As he looked at the article, he then twisted his head to the side, cracking his neck, not looking away from the article.
'Looks like Seido will be more dangerous this year.' He thought.