Chapter 210: The Finals Approach

On the field, the atmosphere was exceptionally tense; the two highly anticipated First Year Pitchers, Sawamura and Furuya, had been assigned to different teams by Coach Kataoka, which undoubtedly added more intrigue and suspense to the game.

The game had just begun when problems followed one after another. Furuya Satoru's pitching speed was extremely fast and his ball force was astonishing, but the First Year Catchers were clearly unable to fully adapt to his pitching style, leading to a succession of errors. Facing such a sudden situation, Coach Kataoka had no choice but to let a Catcher from the Second String catch for Furuya Satoru.

With a more experienced senior catching, Furuya Satoru's pitching was finally able to reach its proper level. His ball speed streaked by like lightning, leaving the First Year Batters unable to cope; almost as soon as they stepped up, they were struck out, completely unable to hit Furuya Satoru's pitches.

However, just when everyone thought the game would be so one-sided, Arima Kazusa, who was on the same team as Sawamura, stepped into the Batter's Box. He gripped his bat tightly, staring at Furuya Satoru on the Pitcher's Mound with eyes like torches.

Just then, Furuya Satoru threw a high-speed Fastball. The trajectory of the ball was a bit high, landing right in Arima Kazusa's hitting range. He swung his bat without hesitation, his movement as natural and fluid as flowing clouds and water, and the little white ball went "Bang!" as it flew high toward the Left Fielder.

"This kid is pretty good!" Huangqian Yangyi couldn't help but exclaim.

Ever since Arima Kazusa stepped into Seido, Huangqian Yangyi had been paying attention to his performance.

After observing for a period of time, Huangqian Yangyi discovered that this kid had a unique talent for batting. His sense of rhythm was exceptionally outstanding, as if it were innate; whether it was timing or his swinging motion, everything appeared so natural and elegant, as if everything were under his control.

Especially his swinging motion; it looked like a form of art. Every swing was like a carefully designed dance, fluid and completed in one go, without the slightest bit of sluggishness or hesitation. Just watching this natural feeling from the sidelines made one feel happy.

Although Arima Kazusa's own power might not belong to that of a power-hitter, he was able to cleverly utilize his fluid power-generating technique to hit the ball both far and accurately. Any ball he bit into would fly out like a cannonball, making it impossible to defend against.

Having been hit for an Extra-base Hit, Furuya Satoru glanced at Arima Kazusa with some surprise. As peers in the same grade, they knew each other and had interacted, and especially knowing that Arima Kazusa was a junior favored by Senior Huangqian, Furuya Satoru couldn't help but have a bit of a competitive consciousness toward him.

At this moment, having been hit for an Extra-base Hit, in Furuya Satoru's view, meant he had lost a step, so his mood naturally wasn't any better.

Consequently, Furuya Satoru's subsequent pitches became more forceful and brutal, and his control was almost completely off, with one bad ball after another.

"This kid has developed a bad habit," Huangqian Yangyi said.

"What bad habit?" Fujiwara Takako asked.

"Getting carried away. When Furuya Satoru's competitive spirit rises, he unconsciously uses too much force, leading to inaccurate pitching."

"Is that so?" Fujiwara Takako asked doubtfully.

She had been following the First Year training during this time, and in practice, Furuya Satoru's Fastball was still thrown quite well; she just hadn't expected such a problem to arise during the game.

"Just watch. If he can't adjust his state quickly, he will be replaced by the coach immediately," Huangqian Yangyi said.

After another walk, before Coach Kataoka could even speak, Ochiai Hiromitsu was already shaking his head and saying: "Still too young. Not being able to control one's own emotions won't do."

Hearing this, Coach Kataoka was in no hurry to replace Furuya Satoru. It was just an internal scrimmage for the First Years, and letting Furuya Satoru clearly recognize his shortcomings was a good thing.

Having struggled to defend the inning, Furuya Satoru came down from the Pitcher's Mound amidst the resentful gazes of his teammates, his whole person in a state of dejection.

Clearly the opponent couldn't hit his pitches, yet he had walked them and self-destructed. Furuya Satoru didn't understand why this happened; in his feeling, the baseball was clearly being thrown toward the Catcher's mitt, and he was completely unaware that he had subconsciously exerted too much force.

"Ya-ha-ha-ha, it's my turn, Lord Sawamura, to take the stage."

Amidst wild laughter, Sawamura Eijun stepped onto the Pitcher's Mound with a crab-walk.

With constant pitching and constant contact by the batters, the baseball scurried all over the field, and the fielders behind Sawamura didn't dare to let their guard down for a single moment.

"This is a pitcher who relies heavily on his defense," Ochiai Hiromitsu said.

"But so far, not many people have been able to get a hit off him," Takashima Rei said from the side, her tone full of pride and self-satisfaction; this child was someone she had discovered.

"A special posture that hides the release point, plus natural tailing movement; his potential for growth might even be above Furuya Satoru's," Ochiai Hiromitsu said.

Coach Kataoka nodded, feeling very satisfied with both Furuya Satoru and Sawamura Eijun in his heart. Although both still had shortcomings, one was an orthodox power pitcher and the other was a left-handed pitcher with a Seven-colored Changeup. With these two, as long as they could be cultivated well, Seido would no longer have to worry about a lack of pitchers for the next two and a half years.

Takashima Rei looked at Coach Kataoka with anticipation from the side; based on the performance just now, it shouldn't be difficult for Sawamura to be promoted to the Second String.

Just then, a short kid with pink hair stepped into the Batter's Box.

Bang!

A precise hit. After watching two pitches, Kominato Haruichi swung decisively on the third pitch, hitting the little white ball through the defense between First and Second Base.

Eijun-kun, sorry about that.

Kominato Haruichi stood on First Base and looked at the bewildered Sawamura on the Pitcher's Mound with a smile.

"Damn it."

Sawamura raised his cat-like eyes and stared at Kominato with an unconvinced expression.

Then Kominato Haruichi made a move to steal a base, drawing Sawamura's frequent attention.

"Balk!"

"Hahaha. This idiot."

"What a fool."

Hearing the laughter from the sidelines, Sawamura's old face flushed red, and he took an angry deep breath on the Pitcher's Mound in embarrassment.

Heh.

Huangqian Yangyi chuckled and closed the document in his hand.

"Not watching anymore?" Fujiwara Takako asked.

"Yeah," Huangqian Yangyi nodded, then picked up his bat and headed to the B-side Field. The Second String was training there, and everyone was working hard to train themselves, looking forward to the practice games after the Spring Metropolitan Tournament ended.

Time flew to the day of the Spring Metropolitan Tournament finals, and the game between Seido High School and Inashiro Industrial High School was about to begin.

This time, the old rivals met again in the finals.

Inside the Inashiro Industrial High School locker room, Narumiya Mei sat on a chair without a word after changing his clothes.

"Mei, are you ready?" Harada Masatoshi stood in front of Narumiya Mei.

Narumiya Mei gave a low-voiced "mm," then slowly stood up and walked toward the door.