"This is so exciting!"
"I didn't expect to see such a thrilling matchup today!"
The fans in the stands were captivated.
In fact, it wasn't just the ordinary fans. Even the Seido High School Baseball Team felt the game had been worth the trip.
They hadn't anticipated how intense it would be, nor that both teams would deliver such a spectacular showing.
"It's not just Inashiro. If we face Yakushi High School, we'll probably have a tough battle on our hands too."
Although the Seido High School Baseball Team had advanced smoothly so far, they felt a strong sense of foreboding.
The competition in West Tokyo was already brutal enough.
Three of the nation's top powerhouses, plus a host of strong teams capable of challenging them.
Sensen, Seiko.
To emerge victorious from this field, they would have to fight through several layers of opposition, and even then victory wasn't guaranteed.
Three top-tier powerhouses alone made the bracket brutal.
Now, another team capable of challenging the top powerhouses had appeared.
The Seido players felt that just as they had mentally prepared themselves, the challenge ahead had escalated by another level.
Too difficult.
Not only was Inashiro a formidable obstacle, but the entire path ahead was steep. What were they to do?
To ensure smoother games later, the Seido players had no choice but to concentrate fully and observe these two teams carefully.
At this point, the game had reached its most exhilarating moment.
Bottom of the sixth inning, no outs, runner on First Base.
The next batters to step up were Mishima and Raichi Todoroki. They were the ones who had hit the singles and the Homerun that flipped the game.
They were also the opponents Narumiya Mei absolutely had to get out. If even their Ace couldn't hold them, Inashiro Industrial might as well call it over.
"A bunch of clowns!"
Their morale was soaring, but in Narumiya Mei's eyes, they were nothing to worry about.
Dealing with these first-years was no big deal for him.
With a fluid arm swing, Narumiya Mei's entire pitching motion looked as smooth as flowing water.
In the stands, Zhang Han watched Narumiya Mei's delivery, and his eyes lit up with fighting spirit.
He pitched so well.
Zhang Han genuinely wanted to stand in the batter's box and face him, to see firsthand how much Narumiya Mei's pitching had evolved.
At the same time, he felt a pang of envy.
He himself had only recently begun grasping certain things, with a long way to go before truly mastering them.
But Narumiya Mei, his peer, had already entered a different realm after Koshien.
His current pitching moved like an ink wash painting, fluid and effortless, not a single motion wasted.
Extremely clean. Extremely efficient.
This guy had become even more formidable after Koshien.
"Whoosh..."
The white ball flashed past.
Mishima, who was at the plate, didn't even have time to react before the baseball had already passed his eyes.
What the heck?
"Thwack!"
"Strike!!"
Before stepping up to hit, Mishima had naturally run through many scenarios in his mind. None of them had prepared him for this.
The white ball was like a ghost, passing through before he could process it.
Leaving him completely bewildered.
"Thwack!"
"Strike!!"
Mishima still hadn't figured out what was happening.
Then the second pitch came.
It was even more sudden and faster than the first.
Mishima saw the baseball, but before he could swing, it had already passed his eyes.
First pitch, no time to react.
Second pitch, no time to swing.
By the third pitch, Mishima gritted his teeth and swung.
He even timed it correctly.
Harada watched from the dugout, mildly surprised.
He hadn't expected the first-year players to be this difficult. The stocky one had managed to read Mei's rhythm in just three pitches.
Still too green, though.
The white ball dropped sharply as it approached the hitting zone.
Mishima could only watch as his bat and the baseball crossed paths without connecting.
"Thwack!"
"Strike!"
"Strikeout!"
Mishima, who had been hitting so well before, was cleanly dismissed.
Struck out.
The man on the pitcher's mound seemed to radiate a kind of authority.
As long as Narumiya Mei stood there, Inashiro Industrial felt invincible.
"Quack! Quack quack!!!"
An ear-splitting sound, somewhere between a duck and a battle cry.
Walking to the plate alongside it was the first-year who had hit the Homerun earlier.
Although he had only taken one swing so far, some fans in the stands had already become his supporters.
"Hit it well, don't be afraid. We're with you."
"That swing was something else!"
"He's just the nation's number one pitcher. Nothing to fear."
"Beat him and you'll be the nation's number one."
Whether those fans were genuinely cheering or simply enjoying the spectacle, their enthusiasm at this moment was real.
"Hit it out!!"
Raichi Todoroki was a fearless newcomer.
Facing Narumiya Mei, hailed as the nation's top pitcher, he showed no hesitation and made no attempt to hide his excitement.
He seemed to be genuinely looking forward to this.
"Ignorant kid."
Narumiya Mei muttered under his breath.
He appeared to completely disregard this bold first-year.
But when he actually pitched, Narumiya Mei held nothing back.
"Whoosh!"
The white ball was faster than anything he had thrown before.
Manager Ota had brought a speed gun.
His intention was to measure Narumiya Mei's ball speed if the opportunity came.
And then the opportunity came.
The moment he read the display, Manager Ota's eyes went wide.
But before he could react, the sound of a bat swinging cut through the air.
"Boom!"
It was an astonishing swing, alarming even just to watch from the stands.
"Ping!"
The bat connected hard with the baseball, sending it flying high into the air.
Harada stood up in surprise.
He kept up with the very first pitch and made contact. How was that possible?
However, although the ball flew high, it didn't travel far.
It came down before clearing Second Base, and Hirai caught it cleanly.
"Thwack!"
"Out!"
Narumiya Mei, who had just entered the game, used only four pitches to dismiss both Mishima and Raichi Todoroki.
The situation had been stabilized.
As long as he stood on the pitcher's mound, Inashiro Industrial was invincible.
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