"The second round, third game of the West Tokyo Tournament, Seido High School versus Musashi High School, has officially begun!"
As soon as the commentator finished speaking, a huge cheer burst from the Third Base stands.
"Seido! Seido!"
Along with the synchronized cheers, the school had sent an orchestra and a cheerleading squad. They performed with full effort, pushing the energy higher and higher.
Several hundred people filled Seido's side of the stands. Second team cheerleaders, students, alumni, family members, and friends all gathered on the Third Base side, creating a lively wall of sound.
The players in the Seido dugout were fired up. With this kind of support behind them, their strength felt at least thirty percent higher.
In sharp contrast, the First Base stands were almost empty.
A sparrow flew over the top row and dropped a bit of waste midair. It landed squarely on the head of one of the unlucky spectators.
"Damn it, that's too accurate!"
"Your luck today is enough to buy a lottery ticket. With so many seats and only ten people around, the odds of it landing on someone are lower than winning the jackpot, and it still hit your head."
The spectator gave a bitter smile and wiped his hair clean.
"Maybe our baseball team will get lucky today too. And look, there are at least a dozen people here supporting Musashi."
"Use your titanium alloy dog eyes. There are maybe four or five cheering for Musashi. The rest are scouts."
"That means Musashi is highly anticipated."
"I admire how easily you lie. You really don't know they're here to scout Seido?"
"Let's not tear each other down. We're still friends."
Even with only a small group cheering for Musashi, they kept things noisy enough on their side. But compared to Seido, it was nothing. The Third Base side was burning with excitement.
A few First year players, holding cheering props, stared at the field with envy shining in their eyes.
"I really envy Miyuki and Zhang Sang. They're already out there wearing main jersey numbers."
Asou sighed.
"Instead of envying them, put in the work. Once the Third years graduate, we'll get promoted to the First string."
Maezono grumbled.
When he first entered the school, he had little presence among the new students. But ever since Zhang Han and Miyuki were promoted, Maezono had begun to stand out. His work ethic was unmatched. Among the second string, aside from the two who joined the First string, he was always the last to leave the field after extra practice.
Even after Chris's accident, his routine never faltered. The new students couldn't be as reckless as he was, but they all respected his determination. Before they realized it, he had become a quiet leader among the freshmen who had not yet been promoted.
"That's right. Sooner or later, we'll be in the First string too."
Of the four players promoted, only Kominato Ryousuke failed to receive a starting jersey number. His position overlapped with the captain, Tanaka. The other three all received odd numbers, the legendary main jerseys. In Seido's history, it had never happened before.
The game officially began. Seido was batting first.
Stepping into the box was the captain, Tanaka Kakuei, Seido's second baseman.
Unlike most leadoff hitters, Tanaka was built like a tank, clearly a power hitter. He didn't hide it either. When he raised his bat, the Musashi catcher could easily see the muscles bulging beneath his uniform.
There was no need to look at scouting reports or recall his past achievements. Just by observing his build, anyone could tell what kind of hitter he was. One hundred percent power, and probably one of the best examples of it.
"The Seido lineup is full of big hitters. A fastball is too risky against them. We should rely on breaking balls. Trust your breaking pitches. Even if Seido wants to hit them, it won't be easy."
The catcher gave the sign.
Musashi's pitcher, Kuriyama, number 11, nodded slightly, then delivered the pitch without hesitation.
Tanaka felt a jolt in his chest as the ball came toward him. The speed wasn't much faster than a crawling turtle. The angle was tricky, but Tanaka believed he could still crush it.
With that confidence, he swung without hesitation.
Ping!
The moment the bat made contact, his expression froze.
Right before the ball reached him, the curve suddenly sharpened. He tried to adjust, but the sweet spot of the bat missed the ball. Worse, changing his swing path caused his stored power to scatter. The ball floated weakly toward second.
Musashi's second baseman stood stunned. He hadn't expected the first play of the game to be this easy. After all, Seido was a powerhouse.
Snapping out of it, he rushed forward, scooped the ball, and fired to first.
Pop!
"Out!"
One out, bases empty.
The mood in Seido's dugout tightened instantly. Players exchanged looks, their eyes turning serious.
Kuriyama wasn't Musashi's ace. No one had considered him special. Seido assumed he would be easy to handle.
Now it seemed they had underestimated him.
In the stands, the First year students stared wide-eyed.
"My goodness, that curveball should be illegal."
"For real. We could see the sink even from up here. I don't know how Tanaka-senpai even reached it."
"I didn't expect the captain to get retired on his first swing. That's a bad sign."
"They just caught us off guard. They won't be that lucky again."
************************************
Remember 1 Chapter For Every 50 Power Stones. Do Support