Chapter 271: The Strongest Offense in the Nation!
In Seidou's dugout, the entire team kept their eyes fixed on their opponents without blinking.
"It looks like these guys aren't going to be easy," Chris commented sincerely.
Since he was the one who had collected the intel, Chris undoubtedly knew the most about Saint Dorf High.
Even so, now that they were facing them directly on the field, he could keenly sense — these opponents were nothing like what they had expected.
These players, assembled from all over, had somehow blended together into a surprisingly cohesive team…
"The core players from the regional tournament are now all sitting on the bench. Most of the ones on the field are the international students," Miyuki added.
From Miyuki's perspective, he clearly didn't think this was Chris's fault.
Rather, Saint Dorf was simply a special case.
"This is getting a little tricky," Jun Isashiki muttered, clicking his tongue.
When they were gathering information on their opponents, Seidou had made a calm and thorough assessment: Based on the data they had at the time, their conclusion was that while Saint Dorf was strong,
they posed less of a threat than Ichizen High.
Meaning, unless something unexpected happened,
winning this game should have been relatively easy.
But now —
the situation had completely changed.
The core players had been replaced!
The entire team lineup was different!
Which meant all their previous research had basically gone to waste.
It was almost like they were stepping onto the field with no idea who they were facing.
In this situation... how were they supposed to play?
As these doubts filled their minds, the black pitcher, Jack, unleashed another fastball from the mound.
"Whoosh!"
The baseball shot out like a cold arrow, slicing through the air and arriving in front of Kuramochi in a blink.
The fierceness of that pitch made both Seidou's players and supporters alike break into a cold sweat.
They weren't just worried about whether Kuramochi could hit it —
they were worried if he could even react to it.
Standing in the batter's box, Kuramochi narrowed his eyes slightly.
From any perspective, this black pitcher named Jack had serious skills.
If it had been before, Kuramochi would've had no way to deal with him.
But after the experiences of the Kanto Tournament and the West Tokyo Finals, Kuramochi was no longer the same player.
He had seen plenty of powerful, heavy-drop fastballs just like this.
Seeing the ball fly toward him, he made his move without hesitation.
"Ping!"
The white baseball was struck squarely.
A look of disbelief flashed across Jack's face on the mound.
Jack clearly hadn't expected that the small, not-so-muscular-looking kid could actually hit his pitch!
What surprised him even more was that the ball traveled more than thirty meters before bouncing off the ground.
Even though he was shocked, the black pitcher Jack still believed the victory was firmly in their grasp.
"Cover it!"
He shouted at his teammates for backup.
Their team's shortstop quickly backpedaled several steps and managed to stop the ball just after it bounced.
"Nice!"
Such a clean fielding play sparked loud cheers from Saint Dorf's players and supporters.
However, before the cheering even ended, they were stunned to find that—
the boy who had been in the batter's box was already about to reach first base!
"No way!"
"What just happened?"
The players and fans of Saint Dorf all widened their eyes in disbelief.
Kuramochi's hit had surprised them, but not enough to lose their composure.
But his speed —
that completely shattered their expectations.
"How is he that fast?"
Even Mitsuki, sitting in the dugout, stood up in shock.
They had known Kuramochi was quick —
that was something their scouts had already found when investigating Seidou.
But they hadn't expected him to be this fast.
This speed far surpassed anything they had prepared for.
"Safe!!"
The shortstop who made the brilliant stop didn't even have time to throw to first.
Seidou's leadoff hitter had safely reached base.
Now the situation was: no outs, runner on first.
And the runner on first was none other than Kuramochi, famous for his blazing speed.
Anyone could tell —
Seidou was very close to scoring.
Their opponents were supposed to be strong!
And yet Seidou had immediately created a scoring chance.
The Seidou fans in the stands were swept up in a wave of pure bliss.
"International students or not, you're still not enough to stop us."
"That's our Flying Legs!"
It wasn't just the fans —
even Seidou's own teammates were amazed.
Though they hadn't stepped into the batter's box themselves, they could tell that Jack wasn't just some random pitcher —
he was legit.
They had already mentally prepared for a tough battle.
But Kuramochi had reached base so easily?
With such a golden scoring opportunity now in front of them, how could they not seize it?
From the dugout, Coach Kataoka gave the sign to the second batter preparing to step up.
Ryousuke Kominato gave a barely noticeable nod.
His assigned task was simple: move Kuramochi to second base.
The game had only just begun, and their opponents had already shown impressive strength.
Coach Kataoka had decided it was safer to secure at least one run first.
Sure, facing them head-on might allow Seidou to score more runs.
But it would also come with risk.
If Saint Dorf seized a counterattack opportunity, the advantage they worked so hard to create might vanish instantly.
Worse, it could even shake the team's entire momentum.
After enduring years of frustration without reaching Koshien, Coach Kataoka had learned an important lesson:
If you can grab something on the field, grab it first. No hesitation.
It was exactly that kind of mistake — aiming too high without securing the basics —
that had cost them the summer tournament against Inashiro last year.
Now, both Kataoka and his players had learned the hard way.
Ryousuke made no unnecessary movements.
From the very start, he squared up into a clear bunting stance.
"Are they really trying to sacrifice the runner?"
Seidou's obvious move actually made the Saint Dorf players hesitate.
They began second-guessing:
Were they really trying to bunt?
Or was it a trap?
"Cunning guys, always playing smart tricks!"
On the mound, Jack's eyelid twitched.
He hated this.
He wanted Seidou to face him openly, slugger vs. pitcher.
Playing sneaky little games like this?
That's not how real heroes fight!
"Go to hell!!"
With anger flaring, Jack hurled a nasty inside pitch.
At that moment, Ryousuke still held his bunt stance.
A ball like that could easily hit the batter.
"That's way too much!!"
Seidou's bench and even their fans in the stands roared in anger.
But before anyone else could react —
Ryousuke took half a step back, and somehow, from that awkward position, still managed to bunt the ball!
"Ping!"
The sudden bunt completely stunned Saint Dorf's players.
They had never imagined someone could bunt an inside bad pitch!
By the time they processed what had happened,
the ball was already rolling gently along the infield.
Saint Dorf's third baseman scrambled forward.
But it was too sudden —
by the time he picked up the ball, forget about stopping Kuramochi, even Ryousuke nearly made it to first!
"Pop!"
"Out!"
Saint Dorf managed to record one out.
But neither their players nor their coach could muster any joy.
Yes, they got an out.
But Seidou had successfully executed their strategy.
The lightning-fast Kuramochi was now standing on second base, deep in scoring position.
And who was coming up next?
Seidou's deadly third and fourth hitters.
In the dugout, Aoi Shingetsu, the stunning manager with long black hair, couldn't help but furrow her brows tightly.
"These guys... they're way too tough, aren't they?"
Even though Seidou's players hadn't shown overwhelming superiority, as the game progressed, the momentum was clearly shifting more and more in their favor.
"Is this... what a powerhouse team looks like?"
"Tch, powerhouse my ass. Just a bunch of show-offs.
In the face of real strength, none of that crap matters.
Jack!!"
At Mitsuki's sharp roar, the Black pitcher Jack's easy-going smile vanished completely.
In an instant, he became dead serious.
Stepping into the batter's box now was Seidou's third batter, the small-mustached veteran, Isashiki Jun.
From Isashiki's perspective, their opponent's ace always looked the same — just a dark face.
When it came to reading facial expressions?
Yeah, no chance.
But even if he couldn't tell by the face, Isashiki could clearly feel the shift in atmosphere.
Their opponent had finally gotten serious.
"Tch! Bring it on if you've got the guts."
Isashiki didn't care one bit.
He raised his bat high, clearly signaling:
The moment the ball comes — he's swinging full force.
At that moment, the pitcher moved.
Jack's long arm swung, the motion looking almost casual —
as if he was just lazily tossing the ball out there.
But that ball?
Came flying like a bullet.
"Shoo!"
As the ball approached, Isashiki didn't hesitate for even a second.
He gripped the bat tightly, waited for the right moment —
then unleashed a full-power swing.
"Buzz!"
"Fly!!"
He had been studying the pitches while waiting his turn, and this one — he swung with absolute confidence.
"Ping!"
The white ball connected with a clean, solid crack, soaring high into the air.
The Seidou players and their supporters could barely contain themselves.
A loud cheer was already about to erupt.
Meanwhile, over at Saint Dorf's dugout, Mitsuki flashed a sinister smirk.
"That ball's not getting out of the infield."
Just like he said, although the ball initially looked like it was soaring far —
after a certain distance, it suddenly lost altitude and dropped sharply.
Saint Dorf's shortstop, Uekai, had already positioned himself perfectly under the ball, waiting calmly for it to fall.
"Pop!"
"Out!"
Two outs now. Runner still on second.
Seidou's dugout instantly fell into dead silence.
Several seconds passed before Chris's voice finally broke the stillness.
"The ball's spin... it's a bit like a knuckleball."
The knuckleball isn't a standard pitch in baseball —
it's more famously known for its unpredictable drop,
similar to a "falling leaf" shot in soccer.
Same downward dipping motion.
They had no idea how that Black pitcher, Jack, was throwing those pitches.
But one thing was certain he definitely did throw it.
"An exchange student from North America, huh? No wonder he's so good..."
Miyuki chuckled bitterly.
These Black players might seem rough and reckless at first glance, but in truth, their skills and athleticism were top-notch.
Take this Jack, for example —
his performance on the mound was sharp and totally unexpected.
"If we don't capitalize on this scoring opportunity, it'll be a big psychological blow to us!"
Ota, the club advisor, rubbed his hands nervously.
"That's not necessarily true..."
Hearing that voice, Ota turned around and was immediately met with Sawamura's confident face.
"Don't forget — our next batter is our captain!"
"Batting fourth, No. 3, first baseman, Yuuki!"
After two outs, it was now Yuuki's turn to bat.
Facing an opponent full of momentum, Yuuki simply lifted his bat without a word, expressionless and calm.
"Doesn't matter how hard you struggle... it's all useless!"
On the mound, Jack looked full of confidence.
He lifted his chin proudly —
even as he pitched, he didn't lower his gaze.
It was as if he was a god looking down on mere mortals.
"You're out!"
The ball was released from Jack's hand with overwhelming confidence.
From his perspective, Yuuki's out seemed inevitable.
But standing there in the batter's box, Yuuki saw it completely differently.
Yuuki locked his eyes onto the incoming ball.
The moment the white sphere entered his zone —
he moved.
When still, Yuuki stood tall like a mountain.
But when he moved —
he was as fierce as a thunderbolt.
The catcher from Saint Dorf widened his eyes in shock.
So strong!
From his view, Yuuki at that moment looked almost inhuman —
like a demon god.
"Boom!!"
The bat swung through the air with a deafening roar.
"Ping!"
The ball was struck squarely, flying through the air like a blazing meteor.
The players from Saint Dorf could only stare wide-eyed, watching the ball bounce on the field.
As the ball hit the ground,
Kuramochi took off from second base like a bolt of lightning —
blazing through third base and racing home.
"Yeahhh!!"
Seeing it happen, Seidou's fans and supporters exploded in excitement.
"Too cool! That's our Captain!!"
"First run secured!!"
Barely five minutes into the game —
even facing a bizarre opponent like Saint Dorf,
Seidou struck first.
The score now stood at 1–0.
And it wasn't over yet.
Their next batter was already stepping into the box —
Two outs, runner on second.
Now batting: Seidou's fifth batter.
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