Top of the 4th Inning, Two Outs
Born in Hokkaido, Hongou was living up to his monstrous reputation.
Throughout his match against the Seidou High School baseball team, he displayed unparalleled strength.
He's strong!
Truly strong!
The battle-hardened players of Seidou High School, when competing against other teams, often dominate without issue.
In direct confrontations, they seldom lose.
At most, it's a back-and-forth, with no clear winner.
However, in today's match, even the spiritual pillars of the team, Sawamura and Miyuki, couldn't get the better of Hongou.
In their previous encounters with Hongou, they were thoroughly defeated.
The first three innings were somewhat manageable; the speed of Hongou's pitches, his precise control, and his terrifying pitch variations made it difficult.
Even the elite, battle-hardened players of Seidou High School struggled.
It wasn't impossible for them to miss the ball.
But in the 4th inning, the upper part of Seidou High School's lineup faced Hongou for the second time.
The brutal result of their second encounter revealed a fact to everyone:
Hongou's strength was unbeatable.
The second-round match-up saw Seidou High's powerful first and second batters swiftly dealt with.
What's worse, the results of their confrontation didn't offer any hopeful signs.
People might have difficulty imagining Seidou's top batters hitting cleanly, especially against someone like Hongou. This kind of situation is rare.
Through this small detail, one could discern much.
At least, from the perspective of the spectators, it was clear:
No matter how mighty Seidou High's reputation was, or how refined their batting skills were, they had no advantage when facing Hongou.
They were at a complete disadvantage and could be overturned at any moment.
Not to mention that Seidou's team wasn't gaining any advantage on the field.
"If they can't score soon, Seidou High's troubles will worsen!"
Veteran reporter Fujio from Baseball Kingdom magazine saw through the surface and identified the real issue.
He sharply pointed out the significant problem Seidou High was facing.
Originally, Seidou High's players were full of confidence for today's match.
Why did they have such confidence?
There were two main reasons. One was the confidence instilled by Seidou's mighty reputation.
The second was their belief in Sawamura Eijun's pitching.
But such unconditional trust has its limits.
If the match's momentum doesn't change for a long time, their original confidence will turn into enormous pressure, weighing heavily on the players.
They'd start wondering, "Is there really no problem with us? Can Seidou High really win?"
Their once firm confidence would vanish, leaving only confusion.
If it came to that point, the situation would be dire for Seidou High's players!
Nothing stays the same!
This applies to baseball as well.
If Seidou High doesn't seize their current opportunities,
The advantage could easily turn into a disadvantage.
At this point, Sawamura stepped into the Batter's Box.
Although Fujio was nervous for Seidou High, seeing Sawamura in the Batter's Box strangely eased his anxiety.
Not only did Seidou High's players have full confidence in their Ace,
But the fans who often watch Seidou High's games had unmatched trust in their Ace.
No matter the crisis the team faced, as long as Sawamura was on the field,
Everything seemed possible!
At this point, Fujio hoped that Sawamura could perform as he always had,
Leading his team forward!
From Sawamura's perspective, he was eager to hit the ball.
His goal was clear: hit a home run!
It wasn't hard to guess his intentions.
The real question was how to act now.
Defeating Sawamura wasn't easy.
Especially when he was prepared, the difficulty of this task multiplied exponentially.
'The moment of life and death has arrived!'
Renji, without hesitation, signaled a red alert to his teammates.
He had sharply realized that this confrontation might affect the outcome of the game.
This wasn't an exaggeration; it was the truth.
If they could win this encounter, fine, but if they couldn't control Sawamura's batting,
Then the Komadai Fujimaki High School team was in serious trouble!
The next confrontation could see them thoroughly defeated by Seidou High's players.
One wrong move, and everything would be lost.
For Seidou High's players, any mistake would lead to disaster.
For Komadai Fujimaki's players, the same applied.
On the mound, Hongou, after receiving his teammate's signal, also realized the importance of this showdown.
But even so, he didn't change much.
He couldn't change anything.
From the beginning, he had given it his all in this match against Seidou High.
He had already unleashed 100%, even 120%, of his power.
In such a situation, even if he realized that the next confrontation had greater significance,
He couldn't raise his power any further!
He had already opened fire with everything he had!
Hongou threw the baseball with all his might.
Roaar!
As the baseball soared through the air, it felt like the sky was collapsing.
It was terrifying.
Even after seeing Hongou's pitch, Sawamura didn't feel discouraged.
Instead, he focused on the pitch, appreciating the beauty of Hongou's throw.
Although Sawamura was also a pitcher, he couldn't help but acknowledge how impressive Hongou's pitching was.
It was cool!
The flight path and movement of the baseball were like a work of art.
Sawamura didn't want to disrupt that beauty.
At first, he should have swung at the first pitch, but after seeing how perfect it was, he subconsciously stopped himself from swinging.
He just watched as the baseball flew past him.
Boom!
"STRIKE!"
The Demon King Sawamura didn't swing on the first pitch.
For the supporters of the Komadai Fujimaki High School team, this was an exhilarating discovery!
Could it be that their star, Hongou, could actually defeat Sawamura?
As soon as this thought crossed their minds, it spread like wildfire, rooting itself in their hearts.
It's possible!
"Hongou!"
"Hongou!!!"
The once faint cheer grew louder.
Even in the Koshien stadium, you could clearly hear the cheers for Hongou.
If these spectators knew what would happen next,
They would surely regret their naive and impulsive thoughts.
How could they have been so rash?
Roaar!!
Before anyone could think further, the baseball shot out.
As Sawamura saw the baseball come toward him, it felt like he was witnessing the birth of a masterpiece.
If possible, he would have liked to watch it for longer.
But his chance was limited.
Lost in the magical moment, Sawamura was completely in control of every detail of Hongou's pitch.
It felt great!
In fact, Sawamura felt like he was in complete control of the world.
The baseball was coming, but Sawamura could see the rotation, the changes, and even the stitches on the ball.
Now was the time!
He anticipated the ball's path and timing perfectly.
He stepped forward, shifting his weight, and swung his bat.
Shuuuuuuuuuuuuu!
The deep sound of the bat cutting the air the ball was like it sucked the air out of the Batter's Box.
Renji's face changed instantly.
He had a feeling that what would happen next was something they dreaded.
PAAAAAAAAKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!
The ball was hit hard and flew out of the park, landing in the left-field stands!
...