The second the ball left the bat, the Seidō players perked up.
They honestly thought it was going to be a long one.
Maybe even a home run.
No one would have batted an eye.
But then, to everyone's surprise, the ball shot straight up into the sky.
Everyone craned their necks, trying to find it against the sky.
Then, a tiny white dot started falling back to earth.
"It's coming down!" someone gasped in disbelief.
The Seidō players and cheerleaders just stood there, speechless.
The ball went way up, but it didn't even go past the infield.
The Hachiya Oji player barely had to move to snag it.
Thwack!
"Out!"
Two outs, bases empty.
Yoshida, the batter, gave a sheepish laugh as he headed back to the dugout. "My bad, I'll get it next time."
He was never one to lose confidence, even after striking out.
"Third batter, number three, first baseman, Yūki Tetsuya."
Third batter's up.
The previous out didn't seem to bother Seidō at all. They were still waving their arms and cheering, full of energy.
"Hit it!" someone yelled with excitement.
"Go big!!" another shouted with gusto.
"This guy's tricky; gotta power through!" a third chimed in with conviction.
"Just hit it like you always do!" a fourth cheered encouragingly.
Yūki was their rock. With him up there, they felt like they could take on anyone.
Where did that confidence come from? Hard to say. They just knew he was different, and that he'd come through when it counted.
"That's Yūki-senpai for ya!" A player exclaimed with admiration.
Yūki was the Captain, and even if he wasn't the flashiest player, he had a way of lifting everyone's spirits just by showing up.
Takumi watched, impressed.
"Who'd coach say to keep an eye on?" Takigawa prompted coolly from behind him.
Takumi felt a chill run down his spine, making him shiver.
"I'm still watching..." Takumi muttered, eyes fixed on the field.
Takigawa sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.
The kid was loaded with talent, no doubt. But potential wasn't enough.
He had the skill, sure, but didn't really see the bigger picture yet.
Basically, his pitches lacked that certain edge. He could handle the usual teams, but against the heavy hitters in the nationals, he'd get eaten alive.
That's why Kataoka wanted him to watch the other team's Ace. Sure, the guy might not have had Takumi's natural talent, but he knew how to pitch; every ball had a reason.
Swish!
The pitcher didn't flinch, even against Yūki.
He wound up, then sent the pitch flying.
Yūki just stared the pitch down as it sailed by.
Thwack!
"Ball!"
The ball was outside the strike zone.
"Good eye!" A Hachiya Oji fan praised enthusiastically.
"Turning up the heat already," another observed with interest.
The Seidō side tried to rattle him, but the pitcher didn't react.
He caught the ball, straight into the next pitch.
Seeing the ball coming his way, Yūki didn't hesitate – he gripped the bat tightly and swung with all his strength.
Ping!
The ball was hit, hooking out of bounds along the first base line.
"Foul!"
With one ball and one strike, the game was at a standstill.
The Seidō players rose to their feet, their nerves on edge.
Just then, Takumi's attention snapped to the other Ace.
He hadn't really been paying attention before. But now he saw it: the guy was holding Yūki off with just regular pitches. It was pretty impressive.
'Sharingan, activate!'
Takumi locked onto the opposing Ace, eyes glued to every little thing – how he held the ball, how he seemed to boss the fielders around...
He hadn't noticed it before, but now, with his observation skills cranked up, he saw the guy subtly nudging his teammates into position with these tiny, almost invisible signals.
The Hachiya Oji players were well-coordinated, responding to those signals instantly. No wonder Yūki, up at bat, got momentarily sidetracked.
He needed to scan the field to figure out where to hit it. But in that split-second of distraction... the pitcher suddenly moved.
Swish!
Yūki's eyes snapped back just in time. The ball was coming in hot, and he took a mighty swing.
Ping!
The bat met the ball with a loud smack.
The ball sailed skyward, but the Hachiya Oji outfielder was already there, like he had a GPS tracker on it. He was already there, glove up, ready for the catch.
Thwack!
The ball landed cleanly in his glove, as if on cue.
"Out!"
Three outs, inning's done.
Seidō didn't score in the first inning.
Three up, three down, and not a single player made it to first base.
A lot of fans and reporters were scratching their heads. Wasn't Seidō supposed to be a powerhouse this year?
They weren't living up to the hype. That other pitcher was totally showing them up.
"Yo, what's the name of their pitcher?" someone blurted out, all eyes on the mound.
"Natsume," a fan replied, short and sweet.
"Dude's good! Thought those guys were all about hitting the books, but they're killin' it out there," another exclaimed in, totally surprised.
"It's not just the pitcher, their whole squad's on fire," a third added, casual but impressed.
"They're a solid team, no doubt," someone agreed, nodding thoughtfully.
Bottom of the first, Seidō's turn to field.
Just as Takumi was heading out, Kataoka stopped him.
Takumi turned back, a puzzled look on his face.
"You've watched them pitch for a whole inning. What's your take?" Kataoka asked, cutting to the chase.
"Honestly? Nothing special," Takumi stated with a dismissive flick of his wrist.