"Ping!"
"Foul ball!"
"Ping!"
"Foul ball!"
The sharp metallic sound of bat meeting ball echoed again and again.
At first, people did not pay much attention. A few foul balls in a two-strike battle were common. But when Tanaka hit his seventh foul ball, the expressions of everyone present changed.
Seven foul balls.
Three balls. Two strikes.
Under the dazzling radiance of Seido's Three Musketeers, Tanaka Kakuei, whose presence had gradually faded from public discussion, suddenly shone brilliantly.
Not only the fans in the stands and the players of Osaka Kiryuu High School Baseball Team, but even Seido's own teammates had never realized that their captain possessed such an ability.
"This is incredible!"
Pitch after pitch, Tanaka forced Komochi to throw. The pitch count climbed relentlessly. Ninety pitches.
And he still had not recorded a single out in this inning.
"This is incredible!"
"Captain, from today on, I'm your fan!"
The Seido dugout erupted.
When the score difference had widened to four runs, many of them had quietly believed the game was slipping away. No matter how they calculated it, Osaka Kiryuu High School Baseball Team seemed to have victory firmly in their grasp.
Unexpectedly, Tanaka alone had changed the atmosphere.
Although Seido's Ace was off the mound, Osaka Kiryuu's Ace was not in much better shape. If Komochi were also forced off the field, Seido would still have a chance.
Both teams would then be in similar situations. It would come down to whose offense was stronger.
Even with a four-run deficit, Seido's players did not believe they were inferior.
Let's wait and see.
It was still uncertain who would have the last laugh.
Manager Ota trembled with excitement.
"Tanaka… he's too capable…"
Coach Kataoka watched Tanaka through his brown sunglasses.
He tried to recall what the boy had looked like when he first entered Seido. Among that year's recruits, Tanaka had been the most inconspicuous. He had not possessed explosive talent. He had not been a headline player in junior high school.
Baseball values talent.
Azuma Kiyokuni.
Hidezawa.
Yuuki.
Zhang Han.
Miyuki.
These players had shown flashes of brilliance long before high school. Even when their results were not spectacular, their potential had been obvious.
Frankly speaking, anyone who could become a main player at Seido High School Baseball Team possessed remarkable talent.
Hidezawa, Zhang Han, Azuma Kiyokuni. All of them were like that.
If there was an exception, it was Tanaka Kakuei.
When he first joined the team, he had been nothing more than a diligent player practicing basic swings and fundamental fielding. No spotlight. No special treatment.
Gradually, he became the leader of the third team. Then the leader of the second team. Then he was promoted to the First-string and eventually became its captain.
He was not the most gifted player on the First-string.
But Kataoka could confidently say that Tanaka had the most solid fundamentals among them all.
As Director, Kataoka had watched him build himself step by step.
That quality had influenced many others. Yuuki. Isashiki Jun. Kominato Ryosuke. They all shared that same persistence.
Sweat and effort did not lie.
Those qualities might not guarantee that someone would become the best player in the country, but they could produce outstanding high school baseball players.
And Tanaka had turned ordinary talent into extraordinary reliability.
Most people looked at Tanaka in astonishment.
Coach Kataoka looked at him and thought that he deserved every bit of this moment.
"Pop!"
"Ball!"
"Walk!"
After a grueling fifteen-pitch battle, Komochi could no longer hold the zone perfectly.
He tried to finish Tanaka with a Forkball. Tanaka did not swing. The ball bounced in the dirt in front of Home Base.
The previous two Forkballs had been fouled off. This one was meant to tempt him into chasing.
It failed.
Tanaka earned the walk.
No outs. Runner on First Base.
A thunderous roar erupted from Seido's dugout.
Their captain had demonstrated the team's unyielding fighting spirit through action.
The supporters in the stands were even more agitated.
Just moments earlier, they had nearly given up hope. Now they realized the game was far from decided.
Osaka Kiryuu might be leading, but they were not comfortable.
No one could predict the final outcome.
Seido's morale surged. They were ready to break Komochi completely.
Had Osaka Kiryuu not targeted their Ace earlier? Now it was their turn to respond.
Even while trailing, no one dared underestimate Seido's counterattack.
Just as Seido gathered momentum, the situation shifted again.
In Osaka Kiryuu's dugout, Matsumoto Takahiro suddenly made his move.
He signaled for a substitution.
One of the outfielders was removed. Komochi was moved to the outfield to cool down. Then he sent out their number eighteen.
Number eighteen. Second-year. Tachi Hiromi.
He was tall, broad-shouldered, with a rugged presence. Even before throwing a pitch, he exuded power.
"A substitution now?"
Seido's players, the fans, even neutral spectators were puzzled.
Komochi had walked Tanaka and thrown a high pitch count, but his ball speed and power had not visibly collapsed. Was it necessary to remove him?
Was Matsumoto being overly cautious?
Regardless of speculation, the substitution stood.
Matsumoto replaced his Ace without hesitation.
Even the Assistant Coach looked confused.
Matsumoto offered only a brief explanation.
"Komochi's head is too hot. Let him cool down."
The Assistant Coach still did not fully understand. The players understood even less.
"Second batter, pitcher, Koichiro Tanba."
Tanba stepped into the batter's box.
Coach Kataoka did not expect much from Tanba's hitting. He only hoped Tanba could make contact and allow Tanaka to advance.
Compared to Tanba's bat, Kataoka trusted Yamada and Azuma Kiyokuni more.
Tanba himself understood his limitations. He did not dream of a hit. If he could help Tanaka reach Second Base through a hit-and-run, that would be enough.
He looked at Tachi Hiromi's rugged face.
Then he smiled.
The smile was unsettling, almost feral.
Even players in Seido's dugout felt their hearts skip a beat.
"Whoosh!"
The pitch exploded toward the plate.
Tanba reacted instinctively and swung.
"Ping!"
The ball shot straight back toward the mound.
Tachi Hiromi fielded it cleanly without hesitation. He turned and fired to Second Base. From Second to First.
"Out!"
"Out!"
A perfect double play.
Tanba was out.
Tanaka was out.
Two outs. Bases empty.
The promising opportunity vanished in an instant.
When they looked back at Matsumoto Takahiro's substitution, it suddenly seemed profound.
The man who led the Cosmic Team was far stronger than they had imagined.
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