Chapter 34: The Dark Horse
After packing up, the team ran into Ichidaisan High just outside the dugout.
Well, naturally—they were up next.
The festive atmosphere instantly quieted down, like someone had flipped a switch.
"Congrats on being the first to make it to the quarterfinals," said Coach Tahara of Ichidaisan, adjusting his cap slightly.
Coach Kataoka nodded in acknowledgment and led his team off the field.
"Up next, Game 3: Ichidaisan High vs. Yakushi High. Ichidaisan, please begin your warm-up. You have seven minutes," announced the stadium PA.
With that, Ichidaisan let out a sharp cheer and began their fielding practice.
"This one's a guaranteed win for Ichidaisan," said Rinichi casually, ice pack pressed to his arm.
Yakushi? He hadn't even heard of them.
"Yakushi is a hyper-offensive team. So far, they haven't used a single bunt," Chris said, flipping through his notebook. "They blew out their opponent in the first round with a mercy win. Ever since their new coach took over last spring, they've grown much stronger."
"Their ability to capitalize with runners in scoring position is especially dangerous—but overall, Ichidaisan still has the upper hand."
"Huh?" Rinichi was a little surprised.
Sitting beside him, Miyuki was reviewing the roster. "Their entire heart of the lineup's been replaced with first-years."
First-years? Then they must be pretty strong to be put in that position, Rinichi thought.
The game began.
Ichidaisan, the visiting team, came out swinging, immediately blasting Yakushi's pitches all over the field.
They're strong. Way stronger than they looked back in the Spring Tokyo tournament, Rinichi thought.
Back then, Ichidaisan had seemed out of rhythm.
Now they were clearly in top form.
But… maybe Yakushi's pitcher was just weak.
Chris had only talked about Yakushi's batting lineup, after all.
And Ichidaisan—just like Seidou—seemed to have a stable cleanup hitter, with a team that could slug but also play small-ball.
Rinichi watched with sharp focus.
Yakushi's third baseman fielded a ball but then launched a wild throw—it came from their first-year cleanup batter.
By the end of the 1st inning, Ichidaisan had already scored six runs.
No matter how strong a team's batting lineup is, if their pitcher is shaky, they'll crumble.
"I guess this just reaffirms how strong Ichidaisan is," muttered Isashiki.
"And Manaka looks to be in top shape too."
"This one might end early."
Just as he said that, Yakushi's cleanup hitter, Raichi Todoroki, blasted a home run—out of the park.
Everyone was stunned by the swing.
That pitch was a breaking ball that curved sharply—and he still hit it.
Rinichi frowned.
That swing had such overwhelming force, it felt like any pitch could be sent over the fence.
Ichidaisan's bench no longer looked relaxed.
In the bottom of the 6th, Yakushi was up again.
So far, their entire lineup swung freely and without hesitation.
The score: Ichidaisan 11, Yakushi 8.
"Tch. Struggling against this chaotic team… just finish it already," Isashiki muttered.
Even though Ichidaisan was ahead, Yakushi had all the momentum.
This could still go either way.
It was Rinichi's first time seeing batters like this.
A faint sense of danger crept into his heart.
"Bottom of the 7th, Ichidaisan will change pitchers. Right fielder Manaka will take the mound. Tagawa will sub in at right field."
With their ace back on the mound, Ichidaisan's aura changed entirely.
Manaka's pitching was sharper than it had been in the 1st.
He faced Yakushi's fearsome cleanup, Todoroki.
With two strikes, just one more good pitch would do it.
So far he'd used breaking balls to bait him—now, a fastball should seal the deal.
Rinichi followed the logic.
But Todoroki didn't miss it. Instead, he hit the ball dead-on—and it struck Manaka's left arm.
He collapsed to the ground, gritted his teeth, stood up quickly, and threw to first for the out.
Then he went down again—clearly in pain. Ichidaisan's players rushed to the mound.
Rinichi let out a breath.
Now they'd be forced to change pitchers.
In the end, Yakushi took the win.
12–13.
Every Yakushi batter got at least one hit. No sacrifice bunts. Seventeen hits. Thirteen RBIs.
This lineup… was nothing like the Yakushi of previous games.
Rinichi looked away from the field and stood up.
"Good thing we all watched this game together."
Coach Kataoka's voice came from behind him.
"…"
"Now we can plan our strategy before the next game."
"Yes, Coach!"
With the game over, everyone returned to the bus.
"Everyone accounted for?" asked Manager Ota.
"We're missing two first-years."
"The first-years actually dared to make their seniors wait? Looks like we need to teach them a lesson!" Kuramochi growled with the face of a villain.
Leaning back in his seat, Rinichi half-lifted his eyelids. "Kuramochi-senpai, you're really loud."
Sitting right next to him, Kuramochi shot him a glare. "Huh?"
He wore a look that clearly said, "You got a problem?"
Rinichi: "…"
He chose to shut his eyes instead.
...
The next day at training, Furuya was already running laps early in the morning.
The upperclassmen assumed it was because he hadn't gotten on the mound lately and was pushing himself extra hard.
"Actually, yesterday when Furuya and I were coming back, we ran into Yakushi's father-son duo. They said since they already beat the pitcher who represented Ichidaisan in the qualifiers, the only real team left to watch out for is Inashiro," Haruichi explained.
The first one to blow up was Isashiki Jun.
"What—what?!"
"What kind of crap are they spewing?!"
"They dared to look down on us like that?!"
He looked downright terrifying.
He even shouted at Haruichi: "Calling Seidou a bunch of nobodies—do they think we're a joke?!"
Haruichi flailed nervously, "Th-they didn't exactly say it like that…"
"That's exactly what they meant!"
Rinichi looked on, speechless.
If Isashiki-senpai had been there yesterday, they probably would've ended up brawling.
Ryousuke appeared behind Haruichi with a cold smirk. "So? You two obviously beat the crap out of them, right?"
In contrast, Yuuki Tetsuya was calm as ever.
"Ichidaisan or Yakushi, either way—if they stand in our path, they're enemies we must defeat."
"We'll just show them how strong we are on the field."
At that moment, something fearsome seemed to ignite behind him.
The upperclassmen proposed a full-on scrimmage.
"Kamishiro! Get on the mound!" Isashiki shouted, looking absolutely menacing—like he was going to destroy him.
Rinichi: "…"
"…Yes, sir."
"Stop dragging your feet and move it!"
"Yes, sir!"
Why does it feel like I'm heading to the execution grounds?
Rinichi felt exhausted already.
And to make things worse… he had to start with runners already on base…
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