The Summer Koshien Tournament has reached the third round.
It is the last match of the group stage.
As the game between the Seidou Baseball Team and the Kanetsu-Norin High School baseball team was about to start, the players from both teams had already started to arrive at the field, one after another, ten minutes before the game.
The atmosphere on the field between the two teams was like ice and fire.
On Seidou's side, most of the players were full of energy and enthusiasm.
Led by the fan groups of Sawamura, the spectators were waving panners and cheerleading flags in unison, shouting for Seidou's victory.
The Brotherhood of Red Heart's war drums were already placed early.
Under the leadership of Obayashi and Kobayashi, they were rhythmically chanting Sawamura Eijun's name.
Further back, the Demon King's Guard, wearing neatly arranged uniforms, was chanting "Demon King" together.
"Seidou!"
"Seidou!!"
"Sawamura!"
"Sawamura!!!"
"Demon King!"
"Demon King!!!"
There were also some people cheering for other Seidou players, but compared to these three groups, they were nowhere near as loud.
So, if you didn't listen closely, you wouldn't even hear who they were cheering for.
"Get ready to take the field!"
After taking a look at the opponent's starting lineup, the names on it were almost exactly the same as Seidou's players had predicted.
It was the nine third-year players!
Kanetsu-Norin High School had 11 third-year players in total, and most of them were key players.
Besides these 11, the remaining 7 were second-year players.
In previous matches, these second-year players had not taken the field.
Whether it was the regional tournament or the Koshien games, Kanetsu-Norin High's advancement had been solely due to the current team.
After confirming the opponent's lineup, strategies to deal with them were constantly floating in the minds of the Seidou team members.
These had all been discussed in advance.
Miyuki was at the forefront, and they were getting ready to line up.
On the other side, the Kanetsu-Norin High players were now wide-eyed in amazement.
It was truly spectacular!
Even in professional baseball games, they had never seen such a grand spectacle.
What kind of charm did the Great Demon King Sawamura Eijun possess?
How did he attract such large fan groups?
It was only now that they had a vague understanding.
"So, this is Seidou's baseball team!"
"As expected, their reputation was well-deserved!!"
"This is Sawamura Eijun, the Great Demon King."
The game hadn't started yet, but the Kanetsu-Norin players had already witnessed the magic of the Great Demon King Sawamura Eijun.
The whole crowd cheered for him.
Koshien Stadium had 55,000 seats, and at least 30,000 to 40,000 were there to support the legendary Seidou High baseball team.
And among these people, more than half were supporters of Sawamura Eijun.
"What kind of scale is this? It's insane!"
The Kanetsu-Norin players sincerely marveled.
"We should go up too!"
Compared to the other players, Hoshitaru's feelings were more direct.
After more than three years of hard work, he had finally made it this far.
He was about to compete in a fair match with the legendary Seidou.
This thought had been in his mind for at least two or three years.
Now, it was finally coming true.
But he didn't know, with his current abilities...
How far could he go?
Could he suppress Seidou's lineup?
To be honest, Hoshitaru didn't have a clear answer.
But as he left the rest area, his teammates followed him, one by one.
They stood in a row, facing off against Seidou's 18 players.
Both sides bowed at 90 degrees to show respect to each other.
"PLEASED TO PLAY WITH YOU!"
"PLEASED TO PLAY WITH YOU!!"
When experts fight, they show respect first.
Both teams had never been so reverent before.
"The third round of the Koshien tournament, Seidou Baseball Team vs. Kanetsu-Norin High School, now begins!"
What kind of mentality are they using to face the dark horse team that has defeated Seijitsu?
They definitely have a fighting spirit, but their concerns are relatively greater than their opponent's.
They can't afford to lose more than their opponent.
On the other hand, their opponent has no such worries.
For them, losing to Seidou High School's baseball team is completely normal.
But if they win, they might just soar to fame.
Seidou High School's baseball team now has this kind of reputation.
Anyone who can defeat them will instantly become famous.
Kuramochi stood in the batter's box, turning his head to look at the densely packed crowd in the stands.
It was really hard to tell who was who.
Even though the players of the Seidou High School Baseball Team were all wearing their uniforms, he could only see where the group was.
But now, it was clearly not the time for curiosity.
The game had just started.
The opponent in front of them, while previously unknown, had seen their status soar after they defeated Seijitsu.
While Kanetsu-Norin's strength was undeniable, it wasn't unbeatable.
Thanks to Watanabe and his teammates' efforts, the Seidou High School Baseball Team had found a few of the opponent's weaknesses.
One of them was their Ace pitcher, Hoshitaru.
'At the start of the game, he was prone to losing control of the ball.'
For Kuramochi, this was an opportunity.
If he observed carefully, it was very likely that he could get on base early in the game.
Once on base, he would aim to score immediately.
In today's match, Coach Kataoka had gone all in right from the start.
They were fielding their full lineup.
The pitcher was their Ace, Sawamura Eijun.
The players from the Seidou High School Baseball Team were all very confident in their Ace's ability. As long as Sawamura was on the mound, they felt like they would never lose.
It wasn't just the other players; even Kuramochi felt the same way.
He also trusted Sawamura's ability.
If they could gain the upper hand and score first, the pressure on the team would be greatly reduced.
'Let me see what kind of pitcher this guy really is!' Kuramochi muttered, his eyes locked onto the opponent as if he were about to devour him.
Roaar!
Without keeping Kuramochi waiting too long, the opponent's pitch came whistling through the air.
The ball was fast!
Though it couldn't match Furuya's speed, it was still among the fastest in high school.
Boom!
"STRIKE!"
On the first pitch, Kuramochi didn't swing his bat, and he wasn't planning to.
He still wanted to observe his opponent's pitching style first.
Against such an opponent, he had to be cautious.
While getting on base, he also needed to get familiar with the timing of his opponent's pitches.
This would help him prepare for his next turn at bat.
Kuramochi had planned things well, but when he actually saw the opponent's pitching, he couldn't help but be startled.
'Strong!'
This guy named Hoshitaru made it feel as though his pitches had a life of their own.
It was incredibly tough to face.
This was something they hadn't been able to sense from the game footage.
Now that he was standing in the batter's box, it was an entirely different experience.
The crowd in the stands had also started to stir.
151 km/h!
This guy actually threw a pitch that fast on his first try!
Fastball pitchers like this were like drugs to the audience, with an irresistible allure.
The crowd couldn't help but cheer.
There were also some neutral fans who, at this point, couldn't help but start leaning toward Kanetsu-Norin's side.
Compared to Seidou High School, they seemed more inclined to see Kanetsu-Norin win.
This team was just too interesting!
Despite being an underdog, they had the power of a top-tier team.
Who knew where their limit was?
Fans with such thoughts were mostly from Kanetsu-Norin or neutral fans.
Without letting Kuramochi think too much, the baseball came flying toward him again.
It seemed even faster than the first pitch!
Kuramochi's expression turned strange as he saw the ball.
After repeated studies by Watanabe, they concluded that the opponent started off unstable.
But now, it didn't look like their start was problematic at all.
'His pitches were sharp and tricky, weren't they?'
One wrong step and everything goes wrong.
At this point, it was Kuramochi who was in a passive position.
"STRIKE!!"
After not swinging for the first two pitches, Kuramochi was now being pressured.
If the opponent got one more good pitch, he would be struck out.
In the Seidou High School Baseball Team's bullpen, Coach Kataoka and Coach Ochiai quickly noticed this.
"It looks like that kid has overcome his previous issue," Kataoka observed.
"Every game, this pitcher is growing at a different pace!"
"Impressive!"
Coach Kataoka couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
Over the past two years, the Seidou High School Baseball Team had recruited a batch of talented players with all kinds of personalities.
Kataoka considered himself quite well-read and had seen many kinds of talent, but honestly, someone like Hoshitaru was rare.
This guy was an anomaly!
…