The unexpected figure that emerged was the star player of the Inashiro Industrial High School baseball team, their second batter and shortstop, Shirakawa.
Having represented Tokyo in exchange games with America, his strength is beyond question.
The power of the Inashiro Industrial High School baseball team isn't just reliant on Narumiya, but also on their impenetrable defense.
When it comes to the overall completeness of a team and the number of star players, Inashiro Industrial High School is the only team in high school baseball that can outshine Seidou High School.
"This is incredible, to make that kind of play!"
"Shirakawa is amazing, just look at that move..."
"Although Seidou High School's baseball team is still formidable, Inashiro Industrial's team shows no fear!"
"Considering the overall strength of the team, it's very likely that the Inashiro players might even be stronger than Seidou!"
The fans in the stands, unwilling to stay silent, began voicing their opinions.
On the field, even though the players from both teams didn't say much, their thoughts were likely similar.
Narumiya on the mound wasn't as cold as before and excitedly gave Shirakawa a thumbs up.
"Do your job, don't worry, we've got your back. We won't let the ball get past us!"
Shirakawa's response was firm.
This was the collective sentiment of the entire Inashiro Industrial team.
They had been biding their time, waiting for this moment for the entire year. They were ready to crush Seidou High School beneath their feet.
Other teams might have such thoughts, but they were merely wishes. They were very aware of their own abilities and knew that they could not achieve such a feat.
However, the players of Inashiro Industrial High School were different. They were steadfast in their belief.
They firmly believed that they could defeat Seidou High School and topple the giant above them.
To be honest, they had the confidence to do so.
When comparing the strength of the two teams, it's practically even. In their three previous encounters, Seidou won twice, while Inashiro won once.
In terms of real strength and past match records, Inashiro Industrial's team was just as strong as Seidou High School's.
So, if both teams were equally matched, why should Seidou High School already be regarded as the top team in the nation, striving to become a legend?
To be fair, if Seidou High School wins the championship this summer, they would only be a step away from that legendary status.
The players from Inashiro, confident in their abilities, were unwilling to accept that outcome.
They would fight back, and they would fight with everything they had.
Even if they couldn't become legends themselves, they wouldn't let Seidou High School rise to legendary status over their corpses.
Of course, this wasn't out of hatred for Seidou High School. In fact, they wouldn't mind if Seidou became a legend. But they couldn't stand by and let Seidou do so while stepping on the bodies of Inashiro Industrial's players.
This is Inashiro!
They had their own pride.
As for the determination in this game, they were every bit as committed as the Seidou players.
The cheers who came specially to support their team were clapping everything they could get their hands on.
Clap clap clap!
Clap clap clap!!!
"INASHIRO!"
"INASHIRO!!!"
Amidst this atmosphere, the most anticipated confrontation of the game was about to unfold.
Two Outs, no one on base.
At this moment, Sawamura Eijun stepped into the Batter's Box.
Upon seeing him, the fans from Seidou and even Sawamura's own fans couldn't contain their excitement and cheered loudly for their idol.
The atmosphere from Inashiro had been good, but when Sawamura's supporters began to chant, it was completely overwhelmed.
"SEIDOU!"
"SEIDOU!"
"SAWAMURA!!!"
"DEMON KING!!!!"
If it had been in the past, Narumiya would have likely exploded by now!
Eijun was showing off!
And that was exactly what Narumiya hated the most.
Here he was, standing as the Tokyo Prince, yet they ignored him and cheered for Eijun? It was simply unreasonable!
But now.
Narumiya paid no attention to the stands. His eyes were locked onto Sawamura in the Batter's Box.
He was going head-to-head with Sawamura!
The night before, Narumiya had already visualized this scene in his mind countless times.
He was eager to put his plan into action.
All the strategies were already in place. There was no need for further preparation. He had already smoothly dealt with his previous two opponents.
Although there were slight hiccups along the way, it didn't affect the overall situation.
"Let me show you what my pitching is like now!"
Narumiya had no hesitation. He got into position and threw the ball.
Behind the catcher mask, Tadano's heart was racing, his pulse thumping.
It was like an intense rock song that made him unable to calm down.
Although the strategy was already clear and Tadano had full confidence in Narumiya's pitching...
But after all, his opponent was the Maou, Sawamura Eijun!
In this era, Sawamura was like a guiding star.
Everyone was chasing after his figure.
As people thought they were getting closer, they suddenly realized they were farther away than they ever imagined.
Tadano felt exactly that way, and it was strong.
Even though they had prepared for the showdown between Narumiya and Sawamura, there was still unease in Tadano's mind.
Having allowed one run, Sawamura gave his all from the very first pitch.
His eyes were completely fixed on Narumiya on the mound, and he had entered Zone.
Now, Sawamura could easily enter that zone.
If he wished, he could enter it for every at-bat in a game.
His mind was in complete focus, and the entire world seemed to change shape.
It was as if, before Narumiya even released the ball, Sawamura could already identify the type of pitch.
'Two fingers clasped the baseball.'
'It was the Splitter!'
Sawamura could even see how Narumiya was gripping the ball, and the pitch was unbelievably slow.
In the Batter's Box, Sawamura waited patiently for the baseball to approach before he took a step forward and swung his bat.
His target was the two balls just beneath the fastball.
PAAK!
The baseball was hit, flying straight.
It skimmed 30 centimeters above the field, rushing through Inashiro's second baseman, who dove to intercept but failed to catch it.
It went past!
Sawamura dropped the bat and ran to first base, securing Seidou High School's first hit.
The baseball flew like a bullet just above the ground, traveling for fifty or sixty meters before it bounced and hit the ground.
Although the ball didn't result in a home run, and after it rebounded, it was quickly stopped by the center fielder, Carlos...
The scene was still very pleasing to the eye and earned endless praise.
The Maou, Sawamura Eijun, as long as he stands on the field, it feels like he can surprise people anytime, anywhere.
This hit, although based on 'luck', was still impressive. Not to mention that Sawamura swung at the very first pitch and beautifully got a hit.
This was equally stunning.
After the spectacular defensive play of the Inashiro Industrial High School baseball team, the Seidou High School baseball team immediately counterattacked without any hesitation.
They couldn't even wait for the next inning and immediately showed their desire to perform.
Such a thrilling contest was really hard to take your eyes off of.
"Awesome, really awesome!"
"Both teams are so strong."
In the stands, Fujio Mine, a senior reporter for Baseball Kingdom Magazine, looked at Sawamura Eijun with a deep sigh.
He had said before that although they conceded one run, the Seidou High School baseball team wasn't completely passive.
If they could show hope of scoring in the upcoming offense, even though they were temporarily behind, Seidou wouldn't be in too passive a position.
After all, they still had hope of countering their opponent.
On the other side, Miyuki also stood in the Batter's Box, as the unshakable fourth batter for Seidou High School's baseball team.
Miyuki's eyes were sharp, and he was closely watching Narumiya, clearly not planning to give up.
He still wanted to get Sawamura back home.
On first base, Sawamura was restless and ready to attempt a steal.
His goal was to distract Narumiya and indirectly assist Miyuki.
However, Ezaki, the second baseman, and Narumiya were very familiar with his skills and paid him no attention.
And that previous ground ball hit wasn't actually Sawamura's original plan. He was aiming for a home run, intending to directly score with his bat.
He wanted to make up for the run he had lost himself!
In the past, Sawamura had never had such confidence.
To be honest, that wasn't something just anyone could do.
But now, Eijun had that confidence and ambition.
He was very confident in his own abilities and believed he could do it.
However, the result was unexpected.
He had thought he was paying close attention, but the drop of the forkball was even greater than Sawamura had imagined!
Because of this, the swing he took to try to catch the bottom of the ball actually hit the core of the ball instead.
The result was a blunder!
After carefully studying Narumiya, Sawamura Eijun secretly grew cautious.
Previously, he had faced Allen head-on and managed to hit his pitching.
This made Sawamura's confidence swell.
He naturally thought that if he could defeat Allen, there was no way anyone else could be a match for him.
As long as he could measure things right, find his opponent's flaw, and tap into that magical State, he believed he could defeat any opponent.
That was Sawamura's true mindset back then.
Now, it seemed that he had become a little arrogant!
That state wasn't all-powerful after all. Although it could accurately predict the general direction and speed of the baseball, it couldn't perfectly gauge the exact variation of the ball's movement, nor could it observe the tailing effect of the pitch.
He only had complete confidence in hitting the ball when it was a fastball.
Although hitting other types of pitches helped, the results were slightly discounted.
Of course, that was still very impressive.
The fastball was practically a lifeline for all pitchers, and as long as Sawamura concealed it well and used it properly, his hitting average wouldn't be affected.
This realization helped Sawamura become more alert.
'Missing this opportunity wasn't a big deal; I could hit it out next time.'
He thought to himself.
Although Sawamura was still desperately playing the role of a base stealer, to be honest, by now he had already given up on scoring.
After all, Narumiya wasn't an easy opponent. With two Outs, it was impossible to get back-to-back hits off of him.
But what Eijun didn't expect was that at that very moment, his teammate gave him a huge surprise.
After Miyuki had tangled with Narumiya for a few pitches, he finally got the pitch he was looking for.
'A change-up!'
When Miyuki saw Narumiya actually throw the Change-up, he couldn't contain his excitement.
He decisively swung his bat at the incoming baseball.
He guessed right!
Tadano, the catcher, was almost scared out of his wits.
Just as he thought he was about to catch his opponent, he didn't expect Miyuki to have figured out Narumiya's pitching rhythm.
This was truly unbelievable!
PAAK!
The baseball made solid contact with the bat and soared into the air.
Under the wide-eyed gaze of the Inashiro Industrial High School players...
The ball kept flying and flying, seemingly about to leave the field.
In the end, it fell just short, hitting the protective wall with a heavy thud.
"IT WAS SO CLOSE!!"
"JUST A LITTLE BIT!!!"
Miyuki was on the verge of a two-run home run.
On first base, Sawamura's eyes flashed with disappointment.
This is how baseball is, one swing to heaven, one swing to hell.
The difference between them might just be a few meters.
If the ball had flown a few more meters, the Seidou High School team would have scored two runs in a single swing.
But in the end, it fell short by a few meters, and after the ball bounced, it was caught by the outfielder and quickly thrown back.
Miyuki successfully reached first base!
Sawamura even reached third base after crossing second base.
He wasn't trying to go any further, but the players from Inashiro Industrial High School reacted too quickly.
By the time the baseball was relayed back, Eijun could only stop.
With two outs, there were runners on first and third base.
Fujio, the senior reporter from Baseball Kingdom Magazine, secretly nodded.
"As expected of a champion, Seidou High School's baseball team."
Now, no matter if they score this inning, with these two hits, Seidou wasn't at a disadvantage.
In a fiercely contested pitcher's battle like this, every single hit had immense value.
The one run that Inashiro had scored might decide the game's outcome.
Likewise, these two hits from Seidou could very well influence the result.
Not to mention that Seidou's offense wasn't over yet.
Tadano, the catcher, nervously eyed the two runners on base, secretly dreading what was to come.
"These two monsters!"
…
T/N: As always, Thank you all for reading!!
See you Tomorrow!
Until then, take care!
You also can check my Patre0n for extra Chapters.
https://www.patre0n.com/ColdColt
There are +180 Chapters there.