Chapter 349: Semi-finals, Seiko High School

Whoosh!

The baseball flew from Sawamura's hand and slammed heavily into the ground.

"Too much force, you idiot!" Huangqian Yangyi shouted.

Sawamura was so embarrassed his face turned bright red. "What should I do? It feels so awkward to pitch like this."

Huangqian Yangyi shook his head, walked over, and picked up a baseball, holding it in his hand. "The grip for a Circle Changeup creates an illusion that you can't exert force, making you feel like the ball won't reach home plate."

"Don't overthink it, and don't try to force it. Just like this."

As Huangqian Yangyi spoke, he demonstrated it for Sawamura.

"See? Just like that."

Sawamura nodded subconsciously, though he didn't quite understand.

However, he did learn that he shouldn't intentionally exert force; what was needed was that soft, lifeless feeling.

Soon, the enlightened Sawamura successfully threw his first Circle Changeup.

"Very good. Now, the next issue is accuracy. Practice your control well; perhaps before long, you'll be able to use your Changeup in a game."

Seeing that Sawamura had made progress, Huangqian Yangyi and Miyuki also began their own training.

After the day's training ended, the members of the Seido Baseball Club gathered in the conference room for a meeting.

Their next opponent was a public school from East Tokyo, Wanggu High School.

The group gathered together to watch a recording of a Wanggu High School game.

"How is it? Do you want to watch more?" Watanabe, a second-year, stood at the front, operating the mouse as he asked.

The team members turned their gazes toward Huangqian Yangyi; after all, he was the Captain.

"Don't look at me. If you guys still want to watch, you can keep going," Huangqian Yangyi said.

And so, everyone fast-forwarded, slowed down, and carefully studied the game from beginning to end once more.

Wanggu High School was a very aggressive team, but to be honest, their batting lineup was just average; their defense, however, was quite interesting.

After watching it back and forth several times, Huangqian Yangyi tapped the table.

"Stop!"

Hearing this, Watanabe immediately paused the footage.

"Back it up a bit... Yes, right here. Play."

On screen, Wanggu High School's ace, Ruolin Hao, was pitching. As the fielders behind him shifted in unison to the left, Ruolin Hao threw the ball—it was a Fastball!

"As expected! Their defense shifts based on the Catcher's pitch calling. When they shift to the left, the Pitcher throws a Fastball," Huangqian Yangyi said, tapping his knuckles on the table.

"So you noticed too, Captain?" Watanabe smiled.

"Too? Watanabe, you knew beforehand?" Kuramochi asked in surprise.

"Yeah, I was planning to say it in a bit."

Having discovered this tactic of Wanggu High School, the Seido members exchanged knowing, mischievous smiles. This discovery alone was enough to give them a significant advantage on the field.

"Ruolin Hao, Wanggu High School's ace, right-handed pitcher and batter, specializes in the Forkball. In games, his main pattern is using the Forkball to earn Strikes..." Watanabe began introducing the relevant data on Ruolin Hao.

After studying Wanggu High School, Manager Kataoka stood up from his seat on the side and walked to the front.

"For the next game, the rest of the starting lineup will be announced the day before the match. As for the Pitcher, Huangqian, do you want to take the mound?" Manager Kataoka asked.

Huangqian Yangyi looked at the Manager, then turned his head to look at Sawamura. After a smile, he said, "It's up to you, Manager. I'm fine with anything."

Manager Kataoka nodded; if Huangqian Yangyi wanted to go in, he would certainly agree.

"Then, for the next game, Sawamura! You will start!"

"Yes! Boss!"

Sawamura stood up and shouted.

"Practice your Changeup well these next two days. Give Wanggu a surprise when the time comes." The corners of Manager Kataoka's mouth curled up. He also knew about Sawamura practicing the Changeup and was very much looking forward to his performance.

Days passed, and it was Sunday, 12:00 PM.

The First String of the Seido Baseball Team had already appeared in the dugout.

The game went smoothly. From the start, after Sawamura took the mound, he used the height and width of the strike zone under Miyuki's guidance to retire three Wanggu High School Batters in just 7 pitches.

When it was Seido's turn to bat, Wanggu High School's ace, Ruolin Hao, showed an inexplicable hostility. He viewed private powerhouses as rivals from the bottom of his heart, not to mention the currently flourishing Seido.

As a result, he took the mound full of confidence. At the start, Kuramochi bunted to reach base, and Haruichi pulled the ball to the left, putting runners on first and second. Although Miyuki was put out when he came up to bat, Huangqian Yangyi's bat would show no mercy. After confirming Ruolin Hao would throw a Fastball by using the movement of the opponent's defense he had discovered, he hit an Extra-base Hit to the corner of Right Fielder that nearly flew into the stands, sending Kuramochi home.

In the first inning, Seido led 3:0. Huangqian Yangyi left the game to rest after 4 innings, and Asou Takeru replaced him as the Left Fielder.

The final score after 9 innings was 9:1.

Sawamura successfully suppressed Wanggu High School's batting lineup, allowing only one run. His Changeup also made its debut in this game, achieving quite good results.

After this game, Seido had entered the final four of the Autumn Tournament, and the next game would be the Semi-finals.

In the remaining three quarter-final matches, Inashiro Industrial vs. Sensen, Ichidai Sanko vs. Yakushi High School, and Seiko vs. Chuangsheng High School.

Inside the locker room, the Inashiro Industrial players had already changed their clothes.

As the ace, Narumiya Mei stared at the tournament bracket, his eyes focused and his fists clenched.

"It's almost time. Huangqian, Miyuki, just you wait!"

After saying that, Narumiya Mei looked at the name of today's opponent, Sensen High School. This team wasn't weak, but they weren't enough to stop us!

The game result was not surprising; Inashiro Industrial swept Sensen High School 7:0.

What was truly surprising was that Yakushi High School and Ichidai Sanko played the full 9 innings, with the former ultimately winning with a score of 4:3.

This also meant that Inashiro Industrial would compete against Yakushi High School for a spot in the Autumn Tournament finals.

Seido High School, Seishin Dormitory, conference room.

"Hiss, I didn't expect Seiko to win by such a large margin. I didn't expect that at all before the game."

"Well, I remember during the Summer Tournament, they were out in the first round. Now they've actually made it to the final four."

"Advancing so quickly, I'm afraid it's an evil cultivator."

"Huangqian-san, what is an evil cultivator?"

Kawakami turned his head curiously, but Huangqian Yangyi just laughed and did not explain.

"Alright, alright, everyone is tired from today's game, so go back and get some good rest; we'll study Seiko after training ends tomorrow."

Huangqian Yangyi clapped his hands to let everyone go home; the semifinals had just ended, and Watanabe was still collecting data and intelligence on Seiko High School, so now was not the time to study the opponent.

However, Huangqian Yangyi did have a deep impression of Seiko High School; in his memory, it seemed that it was in this very game that Miyuki was injured after being forcibly collided with at home plate by someone from Seiko High School.

Thinking of this, Huangqian Yangyi made a decision: in the next game, he would take the mound!