Seidō took the field to kick off the second inning.
Leading off, it's their cleanup batter, Azuma Kiyokuni.
Nationally known batter, third-year veteran – the stands exploded as he stepped into the box.
"C'mon, Azuma-senpai!" one fan yelled enthusiastically.
"Time to bring the heat!" another hollered excitedly.
"Show him what a real swing looks like!" a third exclaimed with fervor.
The Hachiya Oji players watched from the dugout, mouths agape.
As subs, all they could do was stare as the fans around them lost their minds, totally blown away by the scene.
Just who were they up against?
Even in the professional games, this level of craziness was rare.
"Hehehe." Azuma chuckled, waving to the fans on both sides of the stands like it was no big deal.
He seemed completely unfazed by the noise.
Hachiya Oji's Ace, Natsume, felt his blood start to simmer as he watched.
This was one of the nation's top hitters, Seidō's star slugger, the guy who'd already crushed one out of the park in the first game.
Natsume's shout cut through the air: "I'm going to crush you!"
Azuma turned, a grin tugging at his lips as he saw the fire in his eyes. "Feisty, huh? Alright, hotshot, show me what you got!" He strolled to the plate, bat high, looking like he owned the place.
Seidō's crowd went wild. With Azuma up, it felt like they'd already won.
"Belt it outta here!" one fan roared with excitement.
"Give 'em hell!" another asserted boldly.
The dugout was going nuts, picturing that home run.
Then, the unexpected happened.
Natsume calls for an intentional walk, waving his catcher way outside. Like, WAY outside.
No way Azuma could reach that pitch, even if he tried.
Thwack!
And that was just the beginning.
"Ball!"
Thwack!
"Ball!"
…
"Four balls, walk to first."
Instead of facing Azuma, Natsume intentionally walked him.
Seidō's players were stunned.
"Guess you're not as tough as you look. What a waste," Azuma remarked, dripping with sarcasm.
Even though he was on first, he was clearly ticked off, grumbling as he walked to the base.
The fans were just as annoyed.
Hachiya Oji's ace had shown some serious pitching skills, but they thought he'd at least try to challenge Azuma. If they were playing it safe, an offensive intentional walk would've made sense.
But this move—the catcher just backing away, not even letting Azuma swing—felt like a total diss, especially with no one on base. How could Hachiya Oji think they could win if they didn't even have the guts to face their opponent?
It was just mind-blowing. Everyone, especially the Seidō fans, trashed the player for being such a coward. They thought the opponent's wimpy move was completely lame.
"Think you're safe now that Azuma's on base?" one fan scoffed contemptuously.
"You're underestimating Seidō's lineup!" another shot back defiantly.
Whether they were cheering for Seidō or not, the fans wanted to see Hachiya Oji get taken down a peg.
Sure, they had to admit Natsume was a good pitcher, but so what? In this situation, they all had the same thing to say:
"You suck, Hachiya Oji!"
Ignoring the jeers, Natsume now had to face Kadota Masaaki, Seidō's fifth batter.
Everyone on his team knew Kadota was a beast at the plate—he wouldn't be in that spot if he wasn't.
But right now, he was struggling to find his groove against the pitcher.
After a tough series of pitches, he barely made contact.
Ping!
The ball barely squeaked off the bat before landing in the glove of Hachiya Oji's second baseman.
Thwack!
"Out!"
Top of the second, Seidō's up.
One out, runner on first.
Seidō's sixth batter, Takigawa Chris Yū, steps up to the plate, looking totally puzzled.
Natsume had the skills to go head-to-head with Azuma, but he decided to walk him on purpose, and in such a humiliating way...
"What are you up to?" Takigawa mutters, his brow furrowed. He stares hard at the pitcher, replaying every move since he got to the plate.
But even with all his baseball smarts, the strategy just doesn't make sense.
'Just hit the ball…' he mentally steeled himself.
Right as that thought hits him, the pitch comes flying in. He swings.
Ping!
The ball bounces hard off the ground and skips towards third.
He drops the bat and takes off.
Azuma, already on first, bolts for second like a rocket.
The third baseman grabs the ball, but seeing Azuma closing in, he has to throw to first.
Thwack!
Takigawa, known for being good at everything, was also a fast runner.
But even he couldn't outrun the throw.
He was still a couple of steps away from the base when the ball smacked into the first baseman's glove.
Thwack!
"Out!"
Top of the second, two outs, runner on second.
Seidō's seventh batter steps up to the plate.
"Seventh batter, number twenty, outfielder, Yamamoto Takumi!"
The Seidō dugout and stands explode with excitement.
The amazing rookie is finally in the game.