There were over a hundred people, including players and students, on the baseball field.
Not everyone was watching; some players had already started their own training.
But at this moment, they all seemed paused, frozen in place.
That first-year rookie had just pulled off a triple play.
He got Kusunoki, he got Kadota…and now he got Azuma.
The First String pitchers, Yoshida and Tanba, had barely kept it together.
They weren't too surprised by Kusunoki and Kadota's mistakes.
Those two didn't know Takumi, and since he was being considered for promotion, his pitching must be pretty good.
So, making a hitting error when facing him for the first time was understandable.
If they had been on the field, and their luck wasn't too bad, they likely would have gotten Matsumoto and Kadota out in the first round as well.
But Azuma was different.
For a batter of his caliber, any ball that entered his strike zone was impossible to miss.
But now, he had actually missed?
And he was struck out, his last swing not even touching the ball.
Had he gotten worse?
Certainly not.
The only reasonable explanation they could think of was that Takumi's strength was greater than they had imagined.
Yoshida especially felt that his Ace position was facing a big challenge.
"How terrifying!" one exclaimed in awe.
The other players also gradually came back to their senses.
They had all hoped that Azuma could show Takumi who's boss…
But when they saw that he could actually get Azuma out, they weren't as disappointed as they had expected; there was even a hint of excitement.
"Good! Excellent!" one cheered enthusiastically.
"This kid is really something!" another remarked, impressed.
"Keep going, you've got to keep going!" a third urged eagerly.
The team really needed good pitchers.
With their new pitcher being so strong, everyone got super excited for the upcoming summer tournament.
What kind of help would a pitcher who could get Azuma out provide their team in the upcoming summer tournament?
Just thinking about it made everyone incredibly excited, so much so that they quickly switched sides.
Originally supporting Azuma, they immediately started supporting Takumi after the match.
Azuma, standing in the batter's box, had already figured out why he had missed the hit.
"Again!" He roared, unwilling to accept it.
"Senpai, it's time for a change."
Just as Azuma roared, a clear, cold voice came from behind him.
Although the voice was clear and cold, the tone was extremely firm.
This was Takumi's fourth opponent today, and their team's sixth batter: the first base player, Yūki Tetsuya.
Head umpire Kataoka Tesshin also chimed in, "You missed because you thought the ball was a spiral ball!"
Takumi used a four-seam straight ball, but he faked a motion when pitching.
That's how he tricked Azuma.
Basically, it was because Azuma himself was arrogant
It was true that he wanted to hit the ball with all his might, but he didn't pay enough attention to Takumi.
Of course, Takigawa deserves the most credit.
If he hadn't understood Azuma so well, guiding Takumi step by step to trick Azuma, the result wouldn't have been so shocking.
After getting three outs in a row, Takumi's overdrawn Kunai Throwing Technique was finally paid off.
Now, he was debt-free and felt good.
Not only that, but he also discovered something else.
He thought the Kunai Throwing Technique would only let him learn the straight ball, and that was it.
He thought the remaining control would have to wait until the skill level went up.
Like his Sharingan, which got more functions when its level increased.
But that wasn't the case.
The Throwing Technique itself could control direction, just not as precisely.
But it should still be able to tell the difference between high, low, inside, and outside.
Therefore, his control when pitching a straight ball wasn't bad.
That's why he was able to work with Takigawa and get Azuma out.
At this time, Azuma was at the peak of his high school career; he hadn't developed the mental issues he would later have.
The match went on, and the fourth person to bat was Yūki Tetsuya.
Compared to him, Takigawa called pitches more carefully when facing him.
Takumi, on the other hand, went all out.
His opponents were getting stronger; just using the spiral ball or straight ball wouldn't be enough to get these guys out.
What he could do was trust Takigawa.
Following his instructions, he threw the ball he wanted.
Miyuki Kazuya, watching all of this, was green with envy.
He had just partnered with Takumi the day before.
When he faced him, he only threw spiral balls, so he didn't get a chance to do anything.
Now, Takumi's straight ball was getting more and more accurate.
So much so that Takigawa hardly ever called for spiral balls anymore.
They looked like they had been partners forever.
'I was here first!' Miyuki brooded resentfully.
Just yesterday, when he partnered with Takumi, he had seen his potential.
Takumi's spiral ball, if done right, would get him on the First String.
Partnering with him, Miyuki would get a chance to challenge Takigawa.
But now, look at this.
The partner he had picked was getting along great with his rival.
How could he turn this around?
Just as he was feeling sorry for himself, Takumi, after getting a strike, threw a spiral ball.
Boom!
A totally different vibe from the straight ball.
Yūki, who was usually so steady, suddenly had his pupils widen.
Now was the time.
He, like Azuma, had been waiting for the spiral ball.
Now, he finally got it.
He swung hard.
His bat made a loud whooshing sound as it cut through the air.
The team players watched eagerly.
Then they saw the bat hit the ball.
Ping!
Yūki's face suddenly paled.
He had clearly felt the immense tailing force of the spiral ball.
However, he gritted his teeth and managed to hit it.
"He hit it!" Isashiki Jun shouted excitedly.
Just as he cheered, the ball landed in front of the first base player.
The ball was moving super fast.
But the third-year senpai at first base dove and caught it, trapping the ball under him.
"Out!"
Takumi got four outs in a row.
Unstoppable…