Chapter 34: A Bold Substitution

Huangqian Yangyi did not immediately answer Coach Kataoka's words; instead, he turned to look at these seniors. As his gaze swept over them, everyone couldn't help but gulp.

"Hey."

Huangqian Yangyi suddenly spoke, and everyone was startled.

"The coach is asking you all, do you have confidence?"

"Huh??"

The Seido group didn't react for a moment.

No, man, the coach is asking you!

"You can't win a game relying only on a pitcher," Huangqian Yangyi looked toward the field. "I will work with Miyuki to suppress the opponent's batting lineup; scoring runs is up to you seniors."

Hearing this, the Seido dugout was silent for a full few seconds, and then they surrounded Huangqian Yangyi with fierce expressions.

"Huangqian brat, being so arrogant now, I won't let you off if you get crushed by Ichidai Sanko later," Dong Qingguo grabbed Huangqian Yangyi's shoulder and threatened him with wide eyes.

Huangqian Yangyi was not intimidated by the aura Dong Qingguo was putting on, his gaze calmly fixed on the other: "Then I'll have to ask Senior Dong to hit a few more home runs."

"I..." Dong Qingguo choked; if Huangqian Yangyi really got crushed, they seniors would have no choice but to fight desperately to score runs and support him.

The others also secretly made up their minds at this moment; no matter how Huangqian Yangyi performed later, they would give him the greatest support, whether in defense or batting!

Seido's fighting spirit ignited once again at this moment. Huangqian Yangyi nodded toward the seniors and turned to look at Coach Kataoka, "Let me go, Coach!"

"And me!"

Miyuki extended his fist toward Huangqian Yangyi.

He was also completely fired up now. His high school career debut, and the opponent was the powerhouse Ichidai Sanko. Miyuki had originally felt some unease in his heart, but now, he believed from the bottom of his heart that as long as he was with Huangqian Yangyi, there was no opponent they couldn't defeat.

"Together!"

The two fists bumped together. The sunlight happened to shine into the Seido dugout at this moment, and the group had a fleeting illusion that they were watching a hot-blooded novel.

"Hey, hey, hey, what about us!"

Isashiki Jun couldn't watch anymore and also extended his fist, "Don't act like you two are the protagonists."

"Just a mere First Year!"

Dong Qingguo also extended his fist.

Then, one fist after another bumped together. Huangqian Yangyi's gaze swept across everyone's face, and then he shouted: "Seido! Conquer the nation!"

"Oh!!!"

The sudden roar left the opposing Ichidai Sanko completely baffled; who shouts slogans in the middle of a game?

Soon, the fifth inning began. Coach Kataoka walked out of the dugout and signaled the umpire for a substitution.

Catcher Tanaka Wataru and Left Fielder Yoshikawa Junpei were subbed out to rest; Pitcher Nanjo Taishi moved to left field defense.

The replacements were:

First Year Catcher, number 19, Miyuki Kazuya!

First Year Pitcher, number 20, Huangqian Yangyi!

"My god! At the most intense moment of the game, Seido High School has actually sent in two First Year players at the same time! Coach Kataoka has made an extremely bold move!"

The spectators were just as shocked as the commentator, as was Ichidai Sanko. Some even suspected there had been a mistake, until Huangqian Yangyi and Miyuki Kazuya followed the team onto the field, and everyone had to accept the fact.

"Is this for real? This is Ichidai Sanko."

"Two First Years, is Seido planning to give up on the game?"

"Coach Kataoka has gone senile before getting old."

The spectators discussed it one after another. Those who didn't think much of Seido to begin with had already concluded that Seido had given up on the game. After all, it was just the Spring Metropolitan Tournament; many schools didn't actually value it, and it was common to use it to train new players.

It was just that Seido had already reached the final four, and one more step would secure a spot in the Kanto Tournament. Giving up the game at such a time still made many people feel surprised.

"Huangqian!"

"Huangqian!"

Unlike the other spectators, the Seido student group began to chant his name in unison after seeing Huangqian Yangyi take the field, with girls making up the majority.

The massive momentum instantly swept across the entire field, and the Ichidai Sanko players preparing to bat immediately felt immense pressure.

"Boys, don't be intimidated by the opponent's momentum!"

Coach Tahara spoke up to encourage his players, "Huangqian Boy has a very fast pitch speed. We don't know if he has other pitch types, so we must not hesitate when batting, otherwise we will only let the opponent easily take outs."

"Swing at the ball! Apply pressure. No matter how good Huangqian Boy is, he's still just a First Year. Trust the bats in your hands and score some runs!"

While Ichidai Sanko was cheering for themselves, the Seido group stood at their respective defensive positions.

The shouting continued, showing no signs of stopping. Just then, Huangqian Yangyi raised his right hand high, then clenched it into a fist and swung it down. The Seido student group instantly fell silent.

Miyuki looked at Huangqian Yangyi on the pitcher's mound with a smile. This guy, he wouldn't do this every time he stood on the mound from now on, would he?

As for Ichidai Sanko, standing in the batter's box was their Ninth Batter, a third-year right fielder. He looked at Huangqian Yangyi with extreme focus, not underestimating the opponent just because he was a First Year.

Before the game, they had discussed the possibility of Huangqian Yangyi appearing and how to deal with him in their pre-game meeting. It was a pity that Huangqian Yangyi had only pitched one inning in the game against Donghe High School; other than fast pitch speed and decent control, no other information could be gleaned at all.

Well, since the opponent's strength was unclear, there was no point in overthinking it. Just like the coach said, swing at the ball! It wasn't like they at Ichidai Sanko hadn't encountered 150 km/h pitches before.

Miyuki crouched at the home plate and glanced at the batter. He was full of spirit, and his desire to attack was very obvious. Throwing a ball at this time would be a good choice, but...

Miyuki looked at Huangqian Yangyi. This guy would definitely not agree to that.

Smiling to himself, Miyuki gave the signal.

Four-seam Fastball, low and outside; use this pitch first to test the batter's reaction.

Huangqian Yangyi held the ball in his glove with his right hand, his gaze fixed on Miyuki's mitt, without a hint of stage fright or hesitation. He lifted his left leg high to support his body, and his arm whipped out a blur as he threw the ball.

"Strike!"

In a brief instant, the little white ball had already been stuffed into Miyuki's mitt, and the batter swung and missed.

How could this be!

The batter looked back at Miyuki's mitt. He had clearly locked onto the outside pitch and swung early, but he still hadn't hit the ball.

Too fast!

Is this kind of pitch speed really a First Year? He must have been held back!

"Oh!!"

An astonishing roar erupted from the stands; after catching the ball thrown back by Miyuki, Huangqian Yangyi immediately prepared to throw the second pitch, and Miyuki gave the sign: still a Four-seam Fastball, low and outside.

Huangqian Yangyi made no unnecessary movements and threw the ball again; with the exact same trajectory as the first pitch, the Ichidai Sanko Batter swung and missed again.

"Strike!"

Again! Miyuki and Huangqian Yangyi communicated on the same wavelength, quickening the pace of the game and not giving the Ichidai Sanko Batter too much time to think.

Even the cheers from the spectators didn't last for more than a few seconds before Huangqian Yangyi had already thrown the third pitch shortly after receiving the return throw from Miyuki.

The Batter swung his bat, but it was far from the little white ball.

Snap! A white laser beam shot into Miyuki's glove.

Outside! It was actually outside again!

The Batter looked at Miyuki angrily; this Catcher was far too bold.