Chapter 356: Finals! Let's Do This!

"Line up!"

"Ooooooh!"

"Bow!"

"Please treat us well!"

"Please treat us well!"

Under the expectant and excited gaze of all the spectators, the roars of the two teams, Seido and Inashiro, shook the heavens.

Looking at each other, the players on both sides were extremely serious; this was an incredibly important match.

Only by winning would they be qualified to obtain a spot in the Spring Koshien, and only by winning would they be qualified to participate in the upcoming Jingu Tournament.

"Seido!!"

"Let's go!"

"Win it!"

"GO! GO! GO! Seido!"

"Do your best!"

"Go Inashiro! Go Narumiya Mei!"

"Take down the Great Demon King!"

"You must make it to Koshien!"

The fans of both sides began their first round of competition.

"Well! To all the viewers in front of your television sets, thank you for waiting."

"Now, the Tokyo Autumn Tournament main draw, the final! The match between Seido High School and Inashiro Industrial High School is about to begin."

"Both teams are powerhouse schools from the West Tokyo region, both possess top-tier players, and both are favorites to win this Autumn Tournament."

"Who exactly will win the final victory!"

"Top of the first inning, the first to attack is Seido High School, while the defensive side is Inashiro Industrial High School. Standing on the Pitcher's Mound is none other than their strongest ace, Narumiya Mei! Can he break through the barrier this time and lead Inashiro Industrial into Koshien?! Let us wait and see!"

In the Seido Dugout, before taking the field, Manager Kataoka was giving instructions on the tactics he had laid out last night.

"Don't be impatient. Narumiya Mei's pitching won't be affected by impatience, and don't deliberately chase any specific pitch type. Find a way to force Narumiya Mei to throw Breaking Balls, try to create more complex situations. Their Catcher lacks experience, and his coordination with Narumiya Mei isn't that tacit yet. Use him as a breakthrough point and take the lead in scoring!"

"Yes, Manager!!"

A period of time had passed since the last time they faced Inashiro, and both teams had new players join. This meeting would also be the first time they would have a more intuitive understanding of the other's new team.

"Top of the first inning, Seido High School's attack, first batter, Shortstop, Kuramochi-kun."

"Hoo~ ha~"

Taking a deep breath, Kuramochi walked out of the dugout, looking at the expressions of the Inashiro players on the field as he walked toward the Batter's Box.

Last time they faced Inashiro, in terms of the batting lineup, among these second-years now, besides Huangqian Yangyi, no one else had achieved very good results against Narumiya Mei. Three months later, he didn't know if this guy had any new weapons, so he had to be careful.

Kuramochi stood in the Batter's Box, looked at Narumiya Mei, and prepared himself.

"Playball!!"

At the umpire's command, the match officially began.

"Narumiya-san?!"

Catcher Tadano Itsuki and Narumiya Mei exchanged glances.

"Don't rush, just follow the original plan." Narumiya Mei nodded.

Then, Narumiya Mei, who was slightly hunched over on the Pitcher's Mound, slowly straightened his body, and his right leg followed suit as he lifted it. As his swinging arm whipped through the air, the baseball in his hand drew a cold glint in the air.

Whoosh!

The little white ball thrust straight toward home plate.

So fast!

Kuramochi raised an eyebrow, and the bat in his hands had already swung out.

Thwack!

"Strike!"

The moment the sound of the baseball entering the mitt rang out, the umpire's ruling sounded simultaneously.

151 kilometers! Inside pitch!

Glancing at this pitch speed, Kuramochi twisted his neck. This guy Narumiya Mei, his average pitching speed was now at 150 kilometers. Although such a speed couldn't compare to the exaggerated level of Huangqian Yangyi, for a high school-level batter, it was already very difficult to deal with.

"Nice!"

"Narumiya Mei!"

"Coming in so fast, firing on all cylinders today."

"The air is thick with gunpowder; we're in for a good show today."

"With such a fiery state, going for a direct head-on confrontation, I like it!"

Seeing this high inside Fastball, the spectators all clapped vigorously; they loved this kind of opening, and what the audience wanted to see was this kind of grudge match!

Second pitch.

Narumiya Mei threw the ball according to the pitch calling of the little Catcher Tadano Itsuki. Although this cute junior lacked some experience, he didn't lack talent; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to take over the position of Starting Catcher after Harada Masatoshi retired.

With Narumiya Mei's guidance, the two's tacit understanding and coordination gradually improved as each match progressed.

Whoosh!

The baseball flew in, its terrifying power manifesting Inashiro's will to win.

A Slider?!

No! It's a High-speed Slider!

How could it be!

Kuramochi reacted half a beat too slow; the white ball, tracing an arc as it sped past his eyes, bypassed Kuramochi's bat and tucked into the strike zone.

This guy! To think he's mastered a new pitch!

With two swings and misses, Kuramochi frowned as he looked at Narumiya Mei; in the past, Narumiya Mei had mastered the Slider, and throughout this Autumn Tournament, he hadn't shown any new weapons—who would have thought he was saving it until now!

Damn it!

Just you wait, I'll blast you away!

Noticing the slight curl of Narumiya Mei's lips, Kuramochi swung his bat with force, managing to connect with the third pitch, a low, outside Cutter.

The ball was heavy and the trajectory sharp; Kuramochi couldn't control the direction of his hit, and the baseball flew straight toward the area near Second Base, where Inashiro Second Baseman Ezaki Taku caught it and threw it to First Base.

In this situation, no matter how fast Kuramochi's legs were, it was useless; he was tagged out after running just a little over halfway.

"Three pitches to retire Seido's leadoff speedster Kuramochi Yoichi; Inashiro has had a good start, and Narumiya Mei is coming on strong. We can see that on the second pitch, player Narumiya Mei threw a High-speed Slider. Is this a new weapon he intentionally saved for the finals? I have to say, the effect is remarkable; Kuramochi Yoichi clearly thought that pitch was a Slider and was fooled!"

The commentator shouted with passionate excitement; on the sidelines, the returning Kuramochi clicked his tongue, feeling a bit regretful.

"Don't dwell on it; this wasn't losing to Narumiya Mei. Although his High-speed Slider was somewhat unexpected, that Catcher is bold enough to dare use a new pitch on the second ball of the opening."

Huangqian Yangyi looked at Tadano Itsuki at home plate on the field; he was also a capable one. Although not as gifted as Miyuki, he could still be called excellent. Under the circumstances where Narumiya Mei could set aside the pride of a senior and an ace to actively cooperate, he also maximized his own talents.

"Huh? Are you saying I lost to that Catcher?" Kuramochi found that a bit hard to accept.

"It's perfectly normal; you haven't faced him before, so you aren't familiar with his style."

Huangqian Yangyi smiled, but Kuramochi always felt he was being sarcastic.

"Stop talking, let's watch Haruichi," Miyuki said.

On the field, the second batter, Kominato Haruichi, swung and missed the first pitch; compared to the situation where Kuramochi was on base, Kominato now had to take on the role of the detonator.

The second pitch, a low, outside Fastball; Kominato barely managed to connect and hit it Jianjie.

The third pitch, still outside; this time it was a Forkball, and Haruichi connected for a ground ball and was tagged out.

"Strikeout!"