"Nice shot!"
"Safety!"
"Stolen base successful! First base runner Yuki puts pressure on Inajitsu on the base, demonstrating his presence!!!"
When Sendou hit the bad ball, Yuki seized the opportunity presented by Narumiya Mei's pitching posture that completely ignored the runner's presence and decisively stole the base.
"No!!!" Head Manager Oota screamed in despair, clutching his head.
"What is Sendou doing?"
Why doesn't he just stay out of trouble like before?
If he doesn't shoot, he'll be getting a base for free!
Keep an eye on things! We can't let the Sendou run rampant anymore!
"As expected, it's still thanks to your personal guidance...!" Head Manager Oota swallowed the rest of his sentence as he looked at Coach Kataoka's unmoved expression.
Coach Kataoka kept thinking back to the conversation between Yuki and Sendou.
"What are your feelings as you stand in the Batter's Box right now?"
What kind of scene is before your eyes?
Sendou!
"I'd like to know!" Coach Kataoka thought gently to himself.
"Knowing the range of the ball's trajectory, yet still swinging the bat, are you truly enjoying the game?"
When the ball comes, we hit it!
That's what makes the hitter so interesting!
With that in mind, Coach Kataoka decided to completely trust the player; he had figured out why.
"Let him play like that!" Coach Kataoka without turning around.
The third-year Senior Chris, all smiled; they had already understood what was going on.
"Supervisor!" Although Head Manager Oota already knew the outcome, he couldn't help but speak up.
"That guy is completely absorbed in the fun of baseball!"
In other words, his condition couldn't be better right now!
If we can't even win in this state, then no matter what kind of command we receive, it won't help, and we should just accept our fate.
Moreover, Yuki has already entered the scoring zone!
Inajitsu will not send Sendou to safety to ensure the confidence and future of their ace. Now is the time to decide the outcome.
As athletes, everyone has their good moments, so even without coaching explanations, the seniors can still gain some understanding.
Coach Kataoka was explaining this to Head Manager Oota, and also as a reminder to himself and the players. He had staked all of Seidou for this summer on Sendou.
Coach Kunimoto was equally nervous, but as Coach Kataoka said, this showdown was inevitable.
If he continues to be promoted, not only will Narumiya Mei's confidence suffer a fatal blow, but he will probably have to prepare for a change of pitcher.
As King, one cannot be afraid when it's time to fight!
In such a critical moment, if you can't even trust your ace, who can you trust?
Coach Kunimoto was nervous because he had also discovered why Sendou had made his move.
Although he didn't know what had happened on Seidou's bench, since he was on the third base side and Sendou was a left-handed batter, he could see the batter's face.
Coach Kunimoto saw a smile on Sendou's face, an expression of genuine enjoyment.
Enjoy the game. This is the first time I've watched all the video materials about Sendou that Coach Kunimoto reviewed before the game.
Sendou's eyes were only on Narumiya Mei, and combined with that smile, it wasn't hard to draw the same conclusion as Coach Kataoka.
As for Sendou, a genius who has a body but lacks perfect technique, no one knows his true strength when he is in such good condition.
Both sides were at their peak of Fighting Spirit, and the impact on the loser was predictable.
Most people on the field began to breathe cautiously, and it was surprisingly quiet except for the cheering teams from both sides. They were also enjoying the peak duel between the two.
"Although I don't know why the bat swung, the number of pitches was definitely in our favor!"
Next ball, outside corner! A little too far to the side!
Let's see just how bad his ability to judge good shots really is.
We can't afford to mess around this time!
"Keep your stance steady, the runner can't be allowed to go straight to third base!"
Narumiya Mei realized his oversight and quickly nodded.
Lift your leg, step forward, and swing your arm!
"Call!"
"Call out!"
"Smack!"
"Bad ball!"
"Completely still! Can you even tell the difference between a ball that's this still?"
So what about here?
"The pitcher and catcher quickly determined the Signals! Third ball! Throwed!"
Slider! It's off the Strike Zone again!
Bad ball!
Now it's two balls and one ball!
"That's strange! According to the previous data, this guy shouldn't be able to distinguish between good and bad balls at this level!" Harada looked at Sendou, who only swung the ball a little before pulling back his bat and then repositioning himself, with a face full of doubt.
He couldn't possibly be aware that, due to his condition and the cues of his attention, his eyesight had reached a terrifying level.
"Has his excellent condition made him more perceptive?"
"Although he didn't know the specifics, Harada knew that he had to be more careful."
"Um?"
Harada noticed that Narumiya Mei was slightly bowed, letting his left hand swing freely at his side, and the Fighting Spirit in his eyes was slowly overflowing.
"We won't lose to you either!"
Come on! Let's do it again!
"Pfft!~"
"Call!"
"Again?"
"Um?"
"Smack!"
"Nice shot!"
Sendou was clearly stunned for a moment, which caused him to not swing his bat.
However, because Sendou didn't swing, Narumiya Mei's pitch became even clearer, with that exaggerated change in pitch angle—it went into the Strike Zone.
"Yoshi!" Narumiya Mei exclaimed excitedly.
Although he had a slight feeling that he was capable of anything given his current state, he was confident he could do it all.
But when he actually threw that ball—a ball he usually couldn't even throw—into the Strike Zone!!!
"Oh!!!"
"Yoshia!!!"
"Nice ball!"
"Sound! Sound!"
"This is the state! Charge!"
"No, no, no... No problem! You can do it, believe in yourself!" Even though she was a little flustered, Jun-san still shouted encouragement immediately.
"Go for it, Sendou!"
"You are very strong!"
" Sendou!!!"
However, Sendou remained standing there as if he hadn't heard anything, his eyes fixed on only one person.
Seeing this, the group on the Seidou bench breathed a sigh of relief, as they were afraid that Sendou would be affected by this ball!
"This is... the real Magic Ball!"
If this ball gets into the Strike Zone, nobody can hit it! The reason is that when he looks at the ball in his hand, he thinks about the terrifying change in trajectory. When he catches the ball, it is already very close to the ground.
How could such a ball have entered the Strike Zone in this final showdown?
By fully utilizing the fact that the Strike Zone is three-dimensional, the sheer range of change was nightmarish, giving Harada immense confidence.
"Even you were affected?"
"His swing just now was clearly a bit off!" Harada thought to himself, seeing a hint of surprise on Sendou's face. He assumed Sendoh was just as startled by the ball as he was.
Sendou tightened his grip on the bat, which convinced Harada of his idea.
"With this Changeup, my ball selection will be much easier!"
Take advantage of his current wavering and finish him off quickly!
" The Sendou!"
"Hang in there!"
"Puff!"
"The fifth ball! Hanging Ball into the inside corner!" Harada thought to himself as Narumiya Mei stepped forward.
"Call out!"
"Boom!"
"Ping!"
"Call out!"
"Puff!"
"Outside the boundary!"
The baseball struck the sand behind first baseman Yamaoka with incredible speed, kicking up a huge cloud of dust.
Just how fast was it? Yamaoka said that he couldn't keep up even when he turned his head to look at the ball.
Yamaoka swallowed hard. He was terrified by the ball. If it had hit him, he would have been carried off the court, and in a very bad way.
"That was a powerful shot! An incredible play has occurred!!!"
The defense won't even have a chance to react. If it gets into the fair zone, it's Timely Hit!
Given Sendou-kun's speed, even a triple wouldn't be impossible!
"What a swing! I couldn't even see the trajectory of the bat!"
Wow, so fast!!!
Harada glanced at Narumiya Mei, and at the somewhat stiff defensive formation.
Left with no other option, the team called a final defensive timeout. This time, it was called for the defensive lineup, so the outfield was also called over.
"What's wrong, everyone?!"
They were all as tense as stones!
"We should learn from Carlos- sama!" Tsundere Ming said to the others without any politeness as soon as he arrived.
"Stone..."
Unfortunately, this group of people couldn't refute it, otherwise Harada wouldn't have needed to specifically order the defense to pause!
"It's okay!"
We still have a chance to attack in the second half of the game!
"Hold on here! Leave an opening for our final attack!" Yoshizawa said.
"Ah!"
However, given Narumiya Mei's current state, no one said it wouldn't matter if she lost a point.
They simply couldn't imagine what it would look like if the ball were hit in this state...
"It's not enough at all!..."
"Oh?" Hearing Narumiya Mei's mutterings, the group turned around.
"It's not hot enough!"
The Pitcher's Mound at Koshien is even hotter than this!
The players from Inajitsu were all shocked as they stared at their ace.
This is not about underestimating the opponent, but Narumiya Mei expressing his dedication to Koshien!
"Even more...! Even more!"
"I've been thinking about going to Koshien to redeem myself!"
You might think that the guy who lost eight points is talking nonsense or something.
But I just feel like we won't lose!
I have absolutely no idea we'll lose here!
I will suppress them! I won't allow them to get a single point!
After hearing this, the contestants were left only with shock.
"Hmph! Now you feel uneasy?"
"Ace suddenly said something like that!" Narumiya Mei laughed like a child.
"I... am very strong! I have never felt so powerful before!"
No one can defeat me; I am as powerful as a god!
I'm here! I'm going to win perfectly!
"This showdown!" That demeanor concealed Narumiya Mei Mei's true thoughts.
Just as Sendou's eyes were only on Narumiya Mei, wasn't Narumiya Mei the same?
Or rather, Narumiya Mei's desire to win was even stronger.
For the first time in his life, he was so badly suppressed by a fighter!
How could I not avenge this?
The ace's words cleared up any confusion in Daocheng's defensive lineup!
"Bring it on!"
"We absolutely must hold this position!"
"Seriously!"
"Whether it's showing off or being overconfident, it doesn't matter!"
[We just felt we wouldn't lose!]
Even our ace said so!
Our ace!!!
Well, we feel the same way! We just don't think we'll lose!!! ×N"
Inajitsu went from being shocked and doubting themselves after their recent game to being full of confidence, all because of a single, impulsive remark made by their ace player!
"Now we can't rush to a decisive battle with him; we have to fully mobilize him."
Will the bat swing at this Ball Trajectory?
Now I have a better idea of his attack range!
"Let's make good use of our advantage in having more balls!" Harada changed his ball distribution strategy again.
He found that this game had greatly improved his ball-handling and command abilities.
Harada has realized his mistake. All that wavering was a lie; that guy swung the bat with a smile on his face when he hit that Hanging Ball.
"Call out!"
"Ping!"
"Call out!"
"Ping!"
"Call out!"
"Ping!"
By making full use of diagonal shots and combinations of Changeup, Harada ensured that the ball landed in every Strike Zone, as well as every corner of its Strike Zone.
The number of balls in the match against Sendou also reached double digits, with the total being two bad balls and two good balls.
Harada didn't give Sendou any easy balls, yet Sendoh managed to hit them out of bounds every time.
However, the Changeup didn't throw a single pitch.
With Koshien at stake, Harada was extremely cautious. He felt the timing wasn't right and was unwilling to use this shot, which prevented Sendou from hitting the Ball Trajectory throughout the entire match.
Changeup are a type of ball that utilizes speed differences, so the batter shouldn't be shown too much, especially a batter like Sendou.
"Call out!"
"A straight ball?... No, Forkball!!!"
"Little..." Isashiki, standing beside him, worried about Sendou like an old father.
"Ping!"
"Ah!"
"Outside the boundary!"
"That was close!"
"That was a long shot too! This duel between the two sides has now reached thirteen goals!!!"
This is a battle of wills!
Pitchers and batters have been opposing forces since the birth of baseball!
"This time... who will have the last laugh?!" The commentator, who had stumbled upon a dead mouse, said this just as Harada was about to make one last decisive move.
"This is the last one!"
Having thrown so many pitches, you should be used to the timing of various Ball Trajectory by now!
There is only one exception!
"From that Hanging Ball onwards, the opponent hasn't used Changeup at all. With so many fast Changeup and high-speed fastballs, Sendou must have become extremely unclear about the timing of Changeup!" Senior Chris also saw the problem.
"I don't know when it will appear, but my memory of Changeup is very vague..." At this point, the entire Seidou bench swallowed hard.
I don't know if it's right or wrong to decide the outcome here!
However, the situation no longer allows us to hesitate!
Harada finally gave Narumiya Mei the Signals he had been waiting for.