Chapter 261: The Long-Awaited Starter

"This is too terrifying. Are we really going to play a match against a guy like that?"

"Is our luck just that bad? How did we end up running into strong enemies for two consecutive games?"

"Yeah, and the next game is against the team led by that Overlord."

"Who drew the lots back then? It would have been better if we were in the other half of the bracket."

Just then, Hong suddenly slapped the table and said loudly, "Raichi! If you can hit a Home Run off that guy in the next game, I'll treat you to all-you-can-eat yakiniku!"

"Eat as much as you want!"

Hearing this, Todoroki Raichi stood up in a flash, his eyes filled with a craving for grilled meat.

"Really? You're not lying to me?"

"I'm your dad! When have I ever lied to you?" Hong turned his head away, feeling guilty.

"Damn it!"

As soon as Todoroki Raichi saw his old man's expression, he knew he was being tricked. He immediately rushed over, grabbed Hong by the neck, and shook him vigorously.

The other members of Yakushi were already used to this scene. The father and son soon finished their scuffle. Hong straightened the collar that Todoroki Raichi had pulled askew and said sternly, "For tomorrow's training, adjust the pitching machine to its maximum speed. Even if you can't hit it, you must get your eyes accustomed to that kind of speed."

"After all, our opponent is that Huangqian Yangyi. As long as we can't defeat him, we can't beat Seido. This is a consensus!"

Hearing this, the atmosphere among all the members of Yakushi became incredibly heavy.

Seeing this, Hong had no other solutions in his heart. He said they would defeat Huangqian Yangyi, but how difficult that was—this was a problem that every powerhouse high school baseball team faced and pondered today, yet no team had ever managed to do it.

The next day, after the full day of classes ended, Huangqian Yangyi came to the training ground for a stroll, not even having changed his training uniform.

Before long, all the players except for the First String began their training.

"Huangqian, you're quite relaxed today." Isashiki Jun walked over, wearing his training uniform and carrying a bat.

"Aren't you resting today, Senior? The game is tomorrow, after all," Huangqian Yangyi said with a smile.

Isashiki Jun laughed and swung his bat heavily: "Can't do that. If I don't swing a couple of times every day, I feel like something's off."

"Haha, that just shows that baseball has already become a part of your life, Senior."

"Is that so? Haha, you kid really know how to talk." Isashiki Jun laughed loudly, seemingly very satisfied with this remark, and swung his bat with even more force.

"Mm-hmm, I'm counting on you tomorrow, Senior. You'll have to hit a Home Run then."

"Piece of cake, leave it to me, no problem." Isashiki Jun patted his chest.

Huangqian Yangyi smiled. For the third-year seniors, this was already their final summer. Perhaps that was why they cherished this opportunity even more; even though Seido was already strong enough, they didn't dare to slack off in the slightest.

After watching the training from the outside for a while, Huangqian Yangyi walked slowly to the Bullpen, only to see Furuya and Sawamura conducting pitching practice. Because they had been rejected by Miyuki and Takigawa Chris Yu, Ono Hiroshi and Miyauchi Keisuke were catching for them.

"Hey, hey, don't throw too much. Exercise some restraint; there's a game tomorrow," Huangqian Yangyi said.

Even Tanba and Kawakami were resting; these two guys really would mess around if no one paid attention.

"Ono, how long have they been throwing?"

"Sawamura, 23 pitches."

Miyauchi Keisuke: "Furuya, 31 pitches."

"Huh?! You threw more than me?!"

Bang!

A fist landed on Sawamura's head. "Is this a matter of who threw more?"

"Aniki~"

"Finish up at 40 pitches, then do your cool-down properly and stay in the dormitory."

At this moment, Furuya looked at Huangqian Yangyi with determined eyes. "I want to throw a little more."

"No. If you dare to disobey, don't bother showing up tomorrow." Huangqian Yangyi glared. Furuya was just too stubborn; if you didn't show some attitude, you really couldn't bluff him.

Sure enough, hearing that he couldn't play in the game, Furuya immediately turned into a pitiful-looking baby.

"Don't look at me like that, it's useless. Save your energy now so you can perform at your best tomorrow. Besides, the weather forecast said the high temperature tomorrow will be 36 degrees. You don't want to perform as poorly as you did in the previous game, do you?"

Furuya shook his head frantically. "What should I do? The weather."

"Just tough it out. You can't pitch many innings anyway. If you just grit your teeth and hold on, you can do it." Huangqian Yangyi gave a thumbs up and showed his front teeth.

Furuya nodded. "I understand. Even if it's just one inning, I will never let them hit my pitches."

"Heh, it's not that I'm superstitious, but maybe you shouldn't set up such a flag. Every time you say that, you end up getting hit pretty hard."

Patting Furuya on the shoulder, Huangqian Yangyi turned and left the Bullpen. He believed that with those words just now, Sawamura and Furuya would definitely not dare to throw any more.

In the evening, at the Indoor Training Ground, Takigawa Chris Yu and Miyuki were still accompanying Huangqian Yangyi for continuous pitching: four-seam, two-seam, Forkball, Slider, Circle Changeup, Palmball—five pitches for each type. No need to over-train, just maintain the state.

"Pretty good. The Palmball is gradually stabilizing now; you can use it in the game too," Takigawa Chris Yu said with a satisfied smile.

Miyuki had the same thought. After returning the ball to Huangqian Yangyi, he said, "We probably won't need the Palmball tomorrow. Just pitch like you did before."

"Gonna hide it until Koshien again? No need for that, I want to pitch it!" Huangqian Yangyi was uncharacteristically serious. With his current strength, even if others knew his information, it wouldn't be of much use. There was absolutely no need to hide it.

"Sigh, whatever makes you happy." Miyuki didn't insist. He just wanted to keep a secret weapon and be cautious, but since Huangqian Yangyi wasn't willing, he wouldn't force it.

After training ended, it was time for the meeting room again. Manager Kataoka announced the starting lineup for tomorrow's game.

First Batter, Shortstop, Kuramochi Yoichi.

Second Batter, Second Baseman, Kominato Ryosuke.

Third Batter, Center Fielder, Isashiki Jun.

Fourth Batter, First Baseman, Yuki Tetsuya.

Fifth Batter, Pitcher, Huangqian Yangyi.

Sixth Batter, Catcher, Takigawa Chris Yu.

Seventh Batter, Third Baseman, Masuko Toru.

Eighth Batter, Right Fielder, Shirasu Kenjiro.

Ninth Batter, Left Fielder, Sakai Ichiro.

Two days later, Jingu Stadium.

The Seido party arrived at the venue, and as expected, they encountered their opponent for the day, Yakushi High School, in the hallway.

As the two teams met, Huangqian Yangyi felt himself being stared at by gazes that seemed as if they wanted to kill him.

"Heh heh, you really attract a lot of hatred, don't you?" Miyuki lowered his head and covered his mouth to laugh.

"It might be because I'm too handsome. Look at the other side; except for that Sanada Shunpei, what difference is there between the others and monkeys, especially that Todoroki Raichi?"

Uh...

Although Miyuki really wanted to retort, those guys on the other side, except for Sanada Shunpei who had a smile on his face, all had serious expressions. Could it really be because of their looks?