That summer, the Yakushi High School baseball team didn't perform well. They were crushed by the Seidou High School team in the regional quarterfinals.
But throughout the match, no matter what kind of dire situation they were facing, the Yakushi players always had smiles on their faces…
From that moment, a voice told Igarashi that he must go to that school, that it held something that would make him like baseball again.
After all these years, aside from baseball, Igarashi had no idea what else he could do.
For the sake of his future happiness, he had to find joy in baseball again.
Though his parents and coach strongly opposed it, Igarashi stubbornly made a decision.
He resolutely joined the Yakushi High School baseball team.
His parents could do nothing about it.
His growth had reached a point where they could no longer intervene.
His intuition wasn't wrong—after joining the Yakushi High School baseball team, Igarashi's abilities skyrocketed. The speed of his pitches, which had been stagnant for a long time, naturally broke through.
In just half a year, his pitch speed increased by over five kilometers.
Compared to his previous speed, it was as if he had jumped two whole steps.
Now, Igarashi might not appear remarkable to others due to his personality, but he had entered a crucial stage of his life—his rise was undeniable.
The previous match against the top team, Sankou High School, also proved this point.
His strength had certainly reached an exceptional level.
As for Igarashi himself, he had always been one of the top pitchers in the country.
Now, with his rapid growth, comparing himself to his former teammates, his skills were undoubtedly far superior.
Even when facing the top high school players, he believed he could handle them with ease.
Just like before, with players like Hoshida Mamoru and Sasaki…
Though in recent years, Sankou High School hadn't been very lucky and hadn't stood out much, their batting lineup's strength was undeniable. Especially with their core batters, Hoshida and Sasaki, who possessed the best batting abilities in the country.
Even facing opponents like them, Igarashi felt no fear.
This also proved that his current strength was extraordinary.
Even when facing the champion team, Seidou High School's baseball team, Igarashi believed he could still put up a fight.
It wasn't until he faced the great monster, Sawamura, that Igarashi suddenly realized how timid he truly was.
He had heard of Sawamura's name, but back in middle school, they were in completely different leagues and had never faced off.
At that time, softball seemed a bit amateur compared to hardball.
Generally, hardball players wouldn't compare themselves to softball players.
Although Sawamura was quite famous, many hardball players still saw him as somewhat amateur.
So, they didn't pay much attention to him.
At most, they thought that if they ever had the chance, they would teach him a lesson to show him the difference between professionals and amateurs.
But when the day of the match finally came, Igarashi didn't even have the courage to throw a ball within the strike zone.
Sawamura stood there. His body wasn't tall, nor was it muscular.
He looked refined, not threatening at all.
But even so, Igarashi still didn't dare to make any move.
He could clearly sense that as soon as he threw the ball within the strike zone, it would be hit out of the park.
That feeling was terrifying!
Even more so than when he first joined the Yakushi High School baseball team and faced Raichi-san.
People often said that Igarashi wasn't very bright, but in his eyes, those people were the ones with poor judgment.
They couldn't even sense danger.
Just like now, Igarashi could clearly feel that if his pitch entered the strike zone, it would be sent out of the park.
Although Raizou, the Coach, didn't specifically instruct him to throw four Balls before the match, Igarashi didn't dare to throw a Strike.
It wasn't just because he was timid—it was because it wasn't worth it.
Knowing it would be a death sentence, why charge forward?
Any pitcher from the national team would never do that.
Compared to the more carefree attitude of a school pitcher, national team, or professional baseball, the higher-level competitions naturally come with more restrictions.
"BALL!"
"BALL!!"
"BALL!!!"
"BALL!!!"
"Walk To Base!"
And so, Sawamura was Walked.
He advanced to first base, and the player at first, Kominato Haruichi, was moved to second.
One Out, runners on first and second.
In the Yakushi High School team's dugout.
Though the situation wasn't favorable for them, Coach Raizou felt good.
They had truly found a gem in the Yakushi High School team this time.
'Maybe people who aren't that sharp have great intuition. Just like my silly son!'
Igarashi wasn't good at anything other than baseball.
Compared to his silly son, he was just as hopeless.
But when it came to baseball, he had an extraordinary natural talent.
The most obvious example was his intuition.
He could sense the opponent's strength and come up with a solution on the fly.
It was truly remarkable.
That kind of intuition was even more important than some advanced breaking balls.
However, thinking of this, Raizou gave a deep look at Sawamura, who had just reached first base.
He knew Igarashi's strength well.
For someone like Igarashi, who felt completely powerless against an opponent, could it be that Sawamura was now on par with his silly son in terms of hitting?
'Impossible!'
Though Sawamura had better-hitting stats, that was because they were playing at the high school level, and Sawamura's skills were far beyond that of others. He was also very consistent, so naturally, his performance stood out.
If the level of competition increased, the difference between them would surely show.
Even if his son was silly, he was still his son.
How could he lose to someone else?
Coach Raizou grinned widely, laughing as he dismissed the immediate crisis.
At least, that's how it seemed on the surface.
Next up to bat was Seidou High School's cleanup hitter, Miyuki.
Once a person's limits are touched, you never know how low they might sink next.
One Out, runners on first and second, facing the opponent, Miyuki.
Without even waiting for Raizou to give the signal or the catcher to call for a timeout to talk to the pitcher, Igarashi made his decision.
He threw four straight Balls, Walking Miyuki.
He was ready to focus entirely on facing the next batter, Maezono.
However, in these two cases, Igarashi hadn't used intentional Walks but rather had thrown offensive four Balls.
It was clear to anyone with eyes that he was avoiding direct confrontation with Sawamura and Miyuki.
Considering that the opponents were first-year rookies, the fans of Seidou High School and Sawamura's fans only gave a symbolic boo before moving on.
In fact, if they were standing on the mound, they probably would have made the same choice.
Compared to Sawamura and Miyuki, Maezono was definitely much more approachable.
Facing him wouldn't put as much pressure on them, so they could play without fear!
The audience didn't find Igarashi's choice surprising.
The fans didn't find it strange either.
Even both teams didn't think much of it and saw it as a perfectly reasonable choice.
Of course, not everyone thought it was the right decision.
For example, now at the Batter's Box was Seidou High School's fifth batter, Maezono.
His mood was like boiling oil—ready to explode at any moment.
His eyes were locked onto Igarashi with an intense gaze, as though he were ready to devour him alive.
'Again!'
'AGAIN!!!'
Somewhere along the line, people had stopped daring to confront Sawamura and Miyuki head-on.
They began treating Maezono, Seidou's fifth batter, as a punching bag.
People, whether they can or not, just wanted to take a swing at him.
…
T/N: Poor Zono XD