Chapter 29: Kunitomo’s Intentions

The practice match between the All-Tokyo team and the Tokyo University team was in full swing. By the time the two reporters from Baseball Kingdom Magazine arrived, the game had already reached its halfway point.

"So much of a difference?"

Owada Akiko stared at the scoreboard, her eyes filled with disbelief.

Although the All-Tokyo team had fielded their main players, their opponents were a university team, with several professional baseball players also helping. The gap in strength between the two sides shouldn't have been this large, right?

The game was only in the fourth inning, yet the score was already 3:1.

'Were these high school players, gathered by Superintendent Kunitomo, really this formidable?'

Akiko found it hard to understand.

"Just because you combine university and professional players, doesn't necessarily mean you have a stronger team."

Fujio, a seasoned reporter, had more to say on this point.

"But even so, with those players' skill levels, to be putting up this score..."

He ran a hand over his cap, his tone filled with admiration.

"The players Kunitomo has gathered are truly impressive."

"But still, it's about time the professional players started showing what they are made of."

Though Fujio had just started watching the game, he quickly identified the key point. His gaze fell on the pitcher's mound, focused on Fumei Tsuyoi.

Fumei Tsuyoi's demeanor had changed.

All his previous small concerns had been completely discarded. Now, all of his attention was fixed on the batter.

Yamaoka Riku, the cleanup hitter for Inashiroro Industrial High School, had performed well during batting practice. The only reason he was batting seventh was because the team had so many excellent batters. Additionally, Superintendent Kunitomo had placed him in the lower order to avoid drawing too much attention to the fact that the Inashiroro Industrial High School team had so many players on the field.

Kunitomo may have had the intention of showcasing Inashiroro's team dominance, but he didn't want it to be too obvious. So, despite Yamaoka's impressive stats, Kunitomo placed him in the seventh spot.

However, this didn't mean that Yamaoka's skills were any less than those of players in higher positions. He was a very powerful hitter.

If Fumei underestimated him just because he was batting lower in the order, he would certainly regret it.

Previously, Fumei had been disconnected from his teammates. He was focused only on pitching, leaving the defense to others. He didn't really intervene with the other players.

Though he had constantly reminded himself not to underestimate high school players, due to the brutal nature of the matches they faced, it was hard for him to maintain that mindset during the game.

Fumei had also failed to keep that resolution.

He'd been overly focused on his pitching and hadn't paid enough attention to his opponents.

After conceding three runs, Fumei finally realized the severity of the situation.

These opponents, though younger by four or five years, might look like immature kids, but their skills were far beyond their age.

They were more than capable of competing on even terms with him.

If Fumei didn't play seriously, he would surely face disaster.

"First baseman, third baseman, move closer to me. Shortstop and second baseman, step back three paces..."

Looking at the batter in the box, Fumei knew clearly that if he didn't act now, it might be too late.

With this determination, he immediately started issuing commands to his teammates.

The Tokyo University coach, sitting in the dugout, also gave a signal to fully support Fumei's directives.

At this moment, Fumei's willingness to take command and show his true strength was exactly what the Tokyo University Coach had been hoping for.

Of course, the Coach wasn't going to refuse.

As for what kind of effect Fumei's command might have—or whether it would have any effect at all—the coach had no time to worry about that now.

A group of university students, even with the help of professional players, had been outplayed by a team of high schoolers, losing 3:1. If this continued, it would be a major blow to the Tokyo University team's reputation.

If the score kept widening, the Coach felt he might not be able to face his colleagues back at the university.

What would happen if this game got reported as a large defeat? His rivals would be laughing all the way to the press.

The thought alone made the Tokyo University Coach tremble.

No, he couldn't let that happen.

But the situation on the field now seemed beyond his control.

No matter how anxious he felt, there was nothing he could do.

At this point, all he could do was place his trust in Fumei and hope for the best.

"Get back to his most familiar state and perform at his highest level."

The Tokyo University team's biggest problem wasn't how to score—though they were trailing by two runs.

Before they could catch up, they first needed to shore up the defensive holes and stop conceding any more runs.

So far, Tokyo University had given up three runs, and the game hadn't even reached the bottom of the fourth inning yet.

If they kept letting the score widen like this, they'd be done for. It would just be a matter of time before they were defeated by a large margin.

So, they had to stop the bleeding. At this point, their only hope was Fumei.

"Trust him completely, because if we doubt him, we'll lose."

Since the Tokyo University Coach had no choice but to trust Fumei, he decisively threw his full support behind him.

The combination of Fumei's role as the Ace and the Coach's orders left no room for hesitation.

The players took their positions under Fumei's command and braced themselves for the next batter.

The sequence of actions left everyone in the stadium dumbfounded.

Though most didn't fully understand the Tokyo University team's reasoning, it was clear that they had started rearranging their lines, or more precisely, that Fumei was now serious.

Yamaoka, the batter, noticed this change in energy and quickly sized up the situation. He didn't think much of it, though.

It was only natural that the Tokyo University team would finally start acting now, given their problem. If they continued to play loosely, the final result would likely be ugly.

But was it too late to make a comeback?

As Superintendent Kunitomo had analyzed earlier, both teams seemed disjointed—Tokyo's representative side was chaotic, and Tokyo University wasn't much better.

'Could Tokyo University's players really match Fumei's pace?'

Yamaoka wasn't so sure.

Whoosh!

Before Yamaoka could even finish his internal thoughts, the baseball seemed to be on a predetermined path, flying straight at him.

He braced himself, pushing all his strength into the swing.

Yamaoka knew from experience that the first pitch was often the one that revealed the most vulnerabilities, especially after a recent score.

He had no intention of waiting. This was his best chance.

Paak!

As the bat made contact, Yamaoka felt confident. He thought he had it all lined up to hit the ball out of the park.

But the ball flew much higher than he had anticipated, almost as if piercing the sky.

It stayed in the air for what felt like an eternity before finally descending.

The drop was not far from home plate, maybe 30 meters, and the fielder was already there, mitt outstretched, waiting.

"OUT!!!"

With that, the All-Tokyo team's offensive came to an abrupt halt.

Three Outs and the sides were switched.

This wasn't the only key moment. Even against players as formidable as Sawamura and Miyuki, Fumei didn't give up a single hit for the next two innings, showcasing the terrifying power of a professional ace.

The All-Tokyo players exchanged glances, realizing the change in momentum. Since Fumei had started taking charge, the entire Tokyo University team seemed to be transformed.

They now felt like a sharp sword, capable of cutting through anything.

Even a long hit by Sawamura was caught in the outfield!

Fumei seemed to have anticipated every single one of their hits!

If someone had told them that such a monster existed in the world, they probably wouldn't have believed it until now.

The Tokyo University team's momentum surged, and the All-Tokyo team wasn't about to let them have it all their way.

In the fifth and sixth innings, Sawamura and his teammates continued to display their monstrous talent, keeping the score intact.

By the time the sixth inning ended, the score was still 3:1, with Tokyo holding a two-run lead.

After pitching his third inning, Superintendent Kunitomo gave a slight neck crack, signaling a substitution.

After three innings from Narumi, it was time for a change.

Looking over at the eager Yoh Shunshin, Superintendent Kunitomo calmly said, "Umemiya, you're up!"

"Alright!"

Umemiya's eyes gleamed with excitement.

He glanced curiously at Yoh Shunshin, who was also eager to play.

Although Umemiya didn't admit it, based on the training session's performance, wasn't Yoh Shunshin supposed to be the third pitcher after Sawamura and Narumiya? Why did Coach Kunitomo choose to send him (Umemiya) instead of Yoh Shunshin?

'Forget it!'

If he couldn't figure it out, Umemiya wasn't going to waste time thinking about it.

If Ugumori High School wanted to go far in the Summer Tournament and fulfill its long-held dreams, this experience was essential.

"Kengo, swap places with Miyuki," Coach Kunitomo ordered again from the bench.

This command was easily accepted by the players.

After all, both Inui and Umemiya were from the same region, East Tokyo, and the combination of Ugumori and Teito was likely to meet each other in the Summer Tournament.

Coach Kunitomo had clearly thought this through.

Fujio, a reporter from Baseball Kingdom Magazine, quickly noticed this detail.

"Not planning to have the local pitching-catcher duo work together? Coach Kunitomo is truly thorough. But…"

Fujio paused for a long moment and didn't continue.

Owada Akiko, who was getting increasingly frustrated, didn't know when Fujio had developed this annoying habit of leaving things half-finished.

He'd start speaking, but then leave everyone hanging, driving people mad with suspense.

The two of them were like a comedy duo, and Owada, being the straight man, stepped in.

"What do you mean Senpai?"

"Pitchers and catchers from the same region can't form a duo—that's for the Summer Tournament. From this perspective, Coach Kunitomo's decision is quite open and fair. Also, to avoid suspicion—or rather, to prevent all the attention from being stolen by this pitcher-catcher pair from Seidou High, Coach Kunitomo won't even pair Miyuki and Sawamura together."

As Fujio explained, Owada's mind started racing. The more she thought about it, the more odd the situation seemed.

In East Tokyo and West Tokyo, there were two excellent catchers and four outstanding pitchers.

Even with the premise set, there were plenty of viable pitcher-catcher combinations.

But the weird thing was, none of those combinations seemed particularly fantastic.

In other words, if the team was formed according to these rules, the result would be that the Tokyo team wouldn't be able to fully unleash their potential.

"This is like purposely putting a limit on yourself!" Owada exclaimed.

Fujio's eyes flashed with approval.

Owada was quick to grasp this point. It seemed her year as an intern reporter wasn't wasted. She had learned a thing or two.

But she still didn't know enough…

There were many professionals at the scene. Although this was a private match and not an official public competition, besides the players from Inashiro Industrial High School, the only others present were reporters covering the game.

Some of them might not have deep knowledge of baseball, but there were certainly no outsiders who didn't understand the sport.

Even with their level of understanding, they could clearly see Coach Kunitomo's plan.

But so what?

Coach Kunitomo's approach was transparent. In order to let everyone fully unleash their power without reservations, there was nothing wrong with this method.

If the pitchers and catchers from the same region formed a pair, it could cause endless problems for the Summer Tournament.

Not to mention, the two excellent catchers were both from the strongest teams in their respective regions.

They had a significant advantage already, and now, with the unexpected information, it would be even worse.

Other players would have no chance to shine…

This was the same reasoning behind not pairing Sawamura and Miyuki together. If these two were allowed to play together, the other players would just be sidelined.

Other selected players probably wouldn't want to see that either.

Unless it was absolutely necessary, they wouldn't want the Seidou High School pair to steal the spotlight.

Coach Kunitomo's decision was in the best interest of the majority of the players on the field.

At the same time, it wasn't a suppression of Seidou's two players.

After all, if they were paired together, they could expose their full strength in this intense match too soon.

In conclusion, Coach Kunitomo had considered everything thoroughly.

On the surface, he appeared to be fair and just.

But what was really going on behind the scenes?

That was not for outsiders to know.

This was the same reasoning for bringing Umemiya onto the field to pitch now.

Why, when Yoh Shunshin seemed like a better choice, was Umemiya, the less reliable one, being chosen?

Narumiya, whose pride wouldn't allow him to back down, flashed a grin and was about to argue with Coach Kunitomo.

But Coach Kunitomo shot him a cold, piercing gaze. In an instant, Narumiya froze, as though turned to ice.

"Do you have a problem?" Coach Kunitomo asked in an icy tone.

Narumiya hesitated for a long while, then, feeling defeated, sulked back to his position.

"You looked pathetic with this one!" his teammates teased him.

Narumiya shot back in frustration, "If you have the knees, then go talk to him!"

The teammates who had teased him immediately turned away, scared.

They were joking, but there was no way they were going to challenge Coach Kunitomo. Did they have a death wish?

Not everyone is so cautious, though.

Yoh Shunshin walked decisively up to Coach Kunitomo.

…

T/N: The Third Chapter!

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