Two outs. No one on base.
Komochi, the Ace of Osaka Kiryuu High School, was fully displaying his strength. Seido High School Baseball Team's hitters had no easy answers against him. Even though Seido was ahead on the scoreboard, the expressions inside their dugout remained tense.
The heat that had been boiling in their blood gradually cooled as Hidezawa and Yamada were retired in succession.
"I didn't expect him to be this tough…"
No one said it loudly, but everyone felt it.
On the other side, in the Osaka Kiryuu dugout, second-year pitcher Tachi Hiromi watched like a tiger waiting for its prey. He might not be as famous as Komochi or Nakata, but being counted among the three main pitchers of the Cosmic Team was proof enough of his strength.
Seido's players could not ignore him.
If Komochi faltered, Tachi might step in immediately.
That meant they could not allow Komochi to continue dominating.
But with the state he was currently in, dealing with him was anything but simple.
Yuuki stood in the on-deck circle, bat resting on his shoulder. Zhang Han was also warming up steadily.
The situation was not optimistic.
Yet Zhang Han's thoughts did not waver.
For Seido, the priority was clear: score as many runs as possible to support Hidezawa. Everything else could wait.
There were already two outs, but the lineup was about to cycle to Azuma Kiyokuni and Yuuki Tetsuya. The probability of those two reaching base consecutively was extremely high.
That meant Zhang Han might very well get another turn this inning.
If that happened, there was nothing more to say.
He would strike.
Even Zhang Han, still in warm-up mode, carried that ambition quietly in his chest.
As for Azuma Kiyokuni, already standing in the batter's box, and Yuuki waiting behind him, the aura they emitted was far more direct. It felt as though they could slay gods and destroy Buddhas.
The combined pressure of the three of them was not a simple one plus one plus one.
Osaka Kiryuu's pitcher and catcher were keenly aware of that fact.
"I've never felt this kind of pressure before," Shibata murmured inwardly.
Osaka Kiryuu was accustomed to overwhelming opponents with momentum. Being suppressed by another team's aura was a rare experience.
Today's opponent was different.
"That's fine. Let's see whose team prevails."
Shibata believed that Seido's players were riding high on emotion. Leading by two runs against the Cosmic Team, they must be feeling invincible.
But if they underestimated Osaka Kiryuu because of that, they would regret it.
Especially in the later innings.
Two outs. No one on base.
Although it wasn't strictly necessary to challenge Azuma Kiyokuni directly, avoiding him would hurt Osaka Kiryuu's morale. If they walked him or pitched around him too obviously, Seido would assume they were afraid.
With no runners on, even if Azuma got a hit, it would likely be just a single.
As long as they handled the next batter, the damage could be limited.
But if they struck Azuma out here, the psychological impact would be enormous.
From a risk-reward perspective, confronting him head-on made sense.
Baseball strategy was like making a deal.
Take a calculated risk to gain a greater return.
Komochi and Shibata had worked together for over a year. When Komochi saw Shibata set up firmly, he understood.
The pressure from Seido's batters was real.
He hadn't felt this intensity in a long time. Osaka Kiryuu's dominance often meant their games were one-sided. In such situations, the true value of an Ace was difficult to reveal.
Now, with both teams' offenses evenly matched, the result depended heavily on the pitchers.
That excited him.
Facing Azuma Kiyokuni, hailed as the nation's number one hitter, he felt no fear.
Only anticipation.
"Whoosh!"
Komochi drove his weight forward, concentrating force through his fingers. The ball shot forward with terrifying speed.
It pierced the strike zone and slammed into Shibata's mitt.
"Pop!"
"Strike!"
Azuma Kiyokuni did not swing.
For once, the usually aggressive slugger stood still, watching the pitch pass.
In the stands, Osaka Kiryuu's supporters erupted. Faces flushed red, they waved towels and banners wildly.
If they could legitimately retire Azuma here, even while trailing, there would be nothing to fear.
In Seido's dugout, every player had risen to their feet.
They understood the importance of this confrontation.
But none of them dared to shout.
Azuma was giving everything he had to this duel. Even the slightest distraction could be costly.
Komochi wasted no time.
After receiving the ball back, he delivered his second pitch immediately.
In the Osaka Kiryuu dugout, Matsumoto Takahiro's brow twitched.
Too eager.
In the batter's box, Azuma's eyes widened.
The round-bellied slugger seemed to transform in that instant. The aura around him sharpened, like a wrathful deity descending.
Even the baseball appeared to slow slightly as it approached.
"Boom!"
The bat came around with overwhelming force.
"Ping!"
The ball, just beginning its downward break, was violently swept away.
It rocketed into the sky, carving a massive arc.
For a heartbeat, silence blanketed Koshien.
Then the ball kept rising.
And rising.
Until it cleared the stadium.
"Home… Homerun!!!"
The Commentator's voice trembled.
This was Koshien.
A ball blasted out of the stadium itself.
How far had that monster sent it?
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