After three innings, the Seido High School Baseball Team temporarily held a one-run lead, with the score at 1-0.
At the top of the fourth inning, it was Seido High School's turn to bat once again.
Although Seido was in the lead, judging from the situation on the field, this advantage was far from secure. In fact, it could hardly be considered an advantage at all.
In terms of momentum, the two sides were evenly matched. Even when comparing effective bases reached, the difference was minimal.
Seido had three.
Hosen High School had two.
As the game progressed, who would gain the upper hand and who would ultimately claim victory remained completely unknown.
Amid this tense stalemate, the game entered the top of the fourth inning.
The first batter was Seido High School's fourth batter, Azuma Kiyokuni.
The moment he stepped into the batter's box, thunderous cheers erupted from the stands. Seido's supporters were full of confidence, believing that Azuma would expand their lead and seize control of the game.
On the other side, members of Hosen High School could not help but whisper among themselves.
Should they really confront Seido's strongest batter head-on?
On the mound, Baldy glanced toward his dugout, silently seeking instruction. Earlier, everyone had been so shaken by Seido's defense that they had completely neglected tactical discussions.
Only now did he remember.
The Director of Hosen High School secretly shook his head.
Although the two teams appeared evenly matched so far, there was a clear gap in how their players operated on the field.
Many of Seido's players acted independently, without waiting for instructions from the dugout.
Whether it was a batter during an offensive turn or a pitcher preparing to throw, they often relied on their own judgment.
In contrast, Hosen High School's players were far more obedient. Most of the time, they waited for the Director's signal before deciding their next move.
Of course, they did not wait for instructions for every action.
Many matters had already been discussed in advance and could be applied directly, such as which types of pitches the pitcher should focus on or what kind of pitch the batter should look for.
These were all tactical decisions made before the game.
However, unexpected situations, including whether to challenge a strong batter directly, required waiting for a signal. They trusted their Director unconditionally, believing that as long as they followed his instructions, victory would eventually be theirs.
This was Hosen High School's style.
It sounded cruel.
But among the teams competing at Koshien, Hosen was far from the only one that operated this way.
Many Directors treated their players like chess pieces.
This approach, however, also had serious drawbacks.
For instance, at this very moment, the Director of Hosen High School believed that their pitcher could defeat Seido's fourth batter.
It was a gamble.
If they succeeded, Hosen's pitching options later in the game would become far more flexible, and the pressure would ease significantly.
But if they failed, with Yuuki, Zhang Han, and Miyuki already having delivered timely hits earlier, the risk of conceding consecutive runs would increase dramatically.
Ideally, such a gamble should come from the pitcher's own desire.
If the pitcher truly wanted to confront a powerful batter head-on, he would naturally unleash greater potential.
Unfortunately, their ace had been trained into something like a machine. He possessed speed and strength, but lacked the ability to pour emotion and soul into his pitching like Seido's ace.
The Director felt regret.
Yet he never regretted his choices.
The region they came from was too small. Talented players were scarce, and forming a team built around elites and prodigies was simply unrealistic.
Compared to natural geniuses, they needed players whose skills could improve rapidly through training.
From those players, they selected the most obedient ones to form a team.
As long as they could be controlled like an extension of the arm, they could unleash tremendous power.
This was the path Hosen High School had chosen.
And it was precisely because of this approach that they had broken out of a weaker region and become a perennial powerhouse at Koshien.
"We cannot rely on walks forever. That would only boost the opponent's momentum. Let us confront him directly here. If we defeat him with skill, we can seize the initiative in this game."
"He has not seen your decisive pitch, nor has he seen your ordinary pitches from the batter's box. A direct confrontation gives us a high chance of resolving him."
Since the pitcher himself lacked confidence and desire, the Director had no choice but to instill that confidence personally.
He wanted Baldy to believe that he could do it.
Baldy nodded slightly.
Perhaps ordinary people would find such an arrangement hard to accept, especially arrogant geniuses who would never allow themselves to be controlled this way.
But Baldy had never objected.
He had never been a genius.
Everything he had achieved was the result of his Director's guidance.
He firmly believed that his Director was the best. As long as they followed his instructions, they would surely achieve even greater glory.
Not having to worry about tactics or the overall situation allowed him to focus completely on every pitch he threw.
"Whoosh!"
The white ball shot forward.
For the first pitch, Baldy intended to throw an outside ball to lure Azuma Kiyokuni into swinging. However, his control faltered, and the pitch missed its intended location by more than ten centimeters.
What should have been an outside ball turned into an easy outside pitch.
Danger.
Hosen High School's catcher felt his heart tighten.
Although the angle was not perfect, it was neither sharp nor deceptive. Against Seido's batters, such a pitch should be very hittable.
The only uncertainty was whether the batter would swing.
And what kind of pitch he was waiting for.
The answer came immediately.
"Boom!"
A terrifying swing roared through the air, as if it were trying to blow the entire world away.
In the face of such a swing, the pitch looked utterly powerless.
"Ping!"
The bat struck the ball solidly, sending it flying at tremendous speed.
The baseball soared more than a hundred meters through the air before landing deep in the outfield stands.
"He hit it in. Seido High School Baseball Team's fourth batter, Azuma Kiyokuni. He did not wait for the pitch like the others. He swung immediately and sent it out. The total score is now 2-0."
Seido High School scored their second run.
The stadium erupted.
Inside Seido's dugout, players leapt up and exchanged high-fives, faces lit with excitement.
They were ecstatic.
This grueling battle finally seemed to be tilting in their favor.
They were going to win.
Even though the opponents at Koshien were strong, it was becoming increasingly clear that Seido's overall strength might be even greater.
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