Chapter 485: Battle Against Seiko — Head-to-Head Clash
It had to be said—under the combined command of Coach Kataoka and Ochiai, Seidou's approach this inning had completely shifted gears.
After four innings of aggressive offense, they had suddenly changed tactics.
And the results were clear—the crowd was visibly impressed.
In one section of the stands—
Seiko's former head coach, watched the field with a flicker of concern in his eyes.
"Don't waver, Oga. Your choices aren't wrong. Stick to your strategy."
"Batting third, left fielder Sawamura."
It was Eijun's third at-bat.
The second showdown between the two left-handers.
"Go for it, Sawamura!"
"Ogawa—don't be afraid. Attack! Attack!"
"Sawamura! Take him down!"
"Our ace—we're counting on you here!"
"Tsunematsu, you've got this!"
Eijun walked steadily toward the batter's box,
his calm expression hiding a faint smile at the corner of his eyes.
The previous at-bat was still vivid in his mind.
From the mound, Ogawa Tsunematsu exhaled sharply through his nose—hot breath visible in the air.
He stared daggers at Eijun.
But Eijun met his gaze head-on, completely unfazed.
He tapped the metal bat lightly against home plate,
then pointed the barrel straight at Ogawa in the distance.
He settled into his stance.
"I told you, you fat bastard—last time was just the beginning. The real fun starts now, so grit your teeth and hang in there, you jerk."
A clear provocation.
Ogawa's eyes instantly burned with fury.
Two pitchers—their wills colliding.
Their locked gazes sparked fiercely.
"!!"
At the home plate umpire's signal—behind the plate, Masu Shinichiro gave a subtle signal with his finger.
On the mound—
Ogawa's left arm snapped into motion.
"Whoosh!"
The first pitch—a fastball right down the middle.
A piercing edge.
As it flashed toward the plate—
Eijun's eyes gleamed faintly gold.
That white blur burned into his vision.
As the cold, sharp pitch closed in—
Eijun stepped forward sharply,
swinging his bat with full force.
"Swish!"
"Ping!!"
"Bang!"
"Foul ball!"
Such tricky pitch power—I can't fully release my swing unless I connect perfectly, like I did last at-bat.
A thoughtful look flickered in Eijun's eyes.
He shifted his grip slightly, considering shortening up on the bat to improve his precision.
But a moment later, he stopped—the game was still balanced.
If I let his pitch power suppress me—
I won't even get solid contact, let alone find the sweet spot.
Step by step. Let's take it from here.
"Whoosh!"
While Eijun was thinking, Masu Shinichiro didn't slow down his pace-calling.
Another sharp pitch came flying in.
That cold, flashing ball—
Eijun gathered all his strength.
At the very least, he couldn't let the pitch overpower him.
"Swish!"
"Ping!"
A sharp collision.
A piercing sound rang out as the ball shot toward the right field line, near first base.
Nagata lunged to his side, but couldn't stop it.
"Bang!"
The ball landed just outside the line.
"Foul ball!"
How's that?!
My fastball's got some serious bite, huh?!
From the mound, Ogawa Tsunematsu looked down, his expression feral.
Eijun only responded with a faint cold smile.
You're nowhere near enough yet, fatso.
Their locked gazes clashed again, intense energy rippling through the air.
It completely awakened a brutal instinct deep inside Ogawa.
"Boom!"
A fierce aura erupted from the mound.
Ogawa's stomping steps kicked up dust, amplifying his wild presence.
With every motion—
"Whoosh!"
A flash of light burst forth.
The roaring pitch—sharp and relentless—hurtled straight toward Eijun.
Eijun's expression grew serious.
He twisted his body and swung hard.
"Ping!!"
Another resounding blast.
Got it!!
The feel of this hit brought a flicker of joy to Eijun's face.
"Hah!"
With a low shout, he whipped the ball forward.
A hard line drive.
A vicious low shot sped out from the plate, slicing past the right side of the mound.
Ogawa had no chance to react.
At the same time, Kuramochi burst off second base, aiming for third.
But—just before the ball could hit the ground—
Seiko shortstop made a lightning-quick turn, leaping and snagging it in midair.
Kuramochi's expression changed—he dove back toward second.
Luckily, Seiko shortstop lost his balance from the diving catch, giving Kuramochi just enough time to scramble safely back to the bag.
"Pop!"
"Out!"
But Eijun was caught—another tough out.
Eijun stopped about a third of the way down the line, sighed helplessly.
He caught that too…
"Batting fourth, catcher Miyuki!"
With Eijun out on the line drive, the pressure on Seiko eased a bit.
This time, facing Miyuki's second at-bat, Masu Shinichiro didn't hesitate—he called for an intentional walk.
The previous at-bat was still fresh in everyone's mind.
Since first base was open anyway, filling it would lower the risk—and set up easier force plays.
"Whoosh!"
"Pop!"
"Ball four, walk!"
Miyuki frowned slightly, casting a calm glance at Masu behind the plate.
Then he tossed aside his bat and jogged to first.
"An intentional walk to Miyuki, huh."
"That's the logical move."
"Yeah—they got through the third batter, walked the fourth. Two outs now—they'll take on the fifth batter."
"Seiko seems confident about handling Maezono."
Up in the stands, the spectators were all watching with thoughtful expressions.
Sure enough, after Miyuki was intentionally walked—
Kenta Maezono's third at-bat against Ogawa Tsunematsu once again produced no results.
It wasn't that he was overpowered—rather, the quality of Ogawa's pitches prevented Maezono from fully unleashing his strength.
"Whoosh!"
"Ping!"
"Whoosh!"
"Pop!"
"Out!"
Same script, same ending.
A high fly ball to the outfield—easily caught by Seiko's right fielder Nishijima.
"Damn it!!!"
Maezono glared toward right field where the ball had been caught, gritting his teeth in frustration.
----------------
If you want to read 10 advance chapters ahead.
Visit my patreon: patreon.com/Leonzky