Chapter 35: The Most Dazzling One

"Still not enough!"

Harada Masatoshi, who was behind the plate as the catcher, got ready as he watched Carlos dash toward second base without hesitation.

In most people's eyes, Carlos was a very composed player. He liked to plan first and act later, and even though he had a speed advantage, he generally didn't show it during games.

However, those who truly knew him well understood that Carlos wasn't unwilling to show his skills—he just didn't think it was worth his effort.

He believed that most opponents simply didn't deserve him going all out.

On the surface, there were plenty of proud players on the Inashiro Industrial High School baseball team. After all, they were all talented, and a little pride was understandable.

For most people, the proudest players might be Shirakawa, or perhaps Narumiya, or even that silent and perpetually calm Yamaoka Riku.

But no one would consider the cheerful and free-spirited Carlos as one of the prideful ones.

It was really hard to sense any of that from Carlos when interacting with him.

However, just because of this easygoing nature, one would be terribly mistaken to assume he didn't have a bit of pride. Among all the players on the Inashiro Industrial High School team, Carlos was, in fact, the most prideful.

But his pride wasn't the type that showed on the surface. It was something deep within him.

Carlos was someone who carried great pride in his heart.

When it came time to show his strength, he would never hold back. For instance, when playing against the Seidou baseball team, Carlos always gave it his all.

Just like now...

With Carlos being cornered, it was certain he would try to fight back. His pride was ingrained in his bones. How could he accept defeat?

Harada understood this very clearly.

So when Carlos moved, Harada didn't hesitate and immediately gave a signal to Fumei to throw a pitch outside the strike zone.

Despite Carlos's exceptional speed, Harada still had confidence that he could stop him before he reached second base.

After all, this was something they had prepared for, while Carlos had no idea.

With the advantage in their favor, it wasn't surprising that Carlos fell into their trap.

Whoosh!

The baseball came flying toward him, and Harada stood up, ready to act.

Once Harada caught the ball, his shoulder strength would surely be enough to throw it to second base before Carlos could get there.

'This is the end!'

Harada showed no mercy when it came to his Kohais. This wasn't because he didn't care for them—on the contrary, Harada had deep feelings for his former teammates at Inashiro Industrial High School.

But because he cared about them so much, he held nothing back.

His juniors had finished as runners-up in the previous Spring Koshien tournament.

No matter how you looked at it, their overconfidence had certainly grown. Even without deep conversations, Harada could tell from their performance that they were likely no longer looking at anyone besides Seidou High School as a serious opponent.

Harada, with his vast experience, understood just how dangerous this mindset could be.

Rather than letting them suffer in the summer tournament, he'd rather teach them a harsh lesson now.

As long as they could stand up after falling, they would go farther.

But if they couldn't get back up, it would only prove they had reached their limit.

Because of these expectations, Harada didn't hold back.

Just as he was about to seal Carlos' fate, a bat suddenly extended in front of him.

Harada's pupils dilated in disbelief as he stared at the bat that had appeared in front of him—and at its owner.

The bat's owner was Shirakawa, who was standing in the Batter's Box.

"This guy... he's always unpredictable!" Harada muttered under his breath.

It was Shirakawa who had actively stepped in to help.

Originally, Shirakawa had no intention of swinging, but as he noticed Harada stand up, he quickly realized he had no choice but to act.

If he didn't swing, Carlos would surely be Out.

After weighing the threat of both himself and Carlos, Shirakawa decisively chose to sacrifice his own at-bat to help his teammate.

He felt that Carlos, already on base, was more valuable than himself at that moment.

With that judgment in mind, Shirakawa didn't hesitate and extended his bat, hitting the ball into play.

Paak...!

Shirakawa awkwardly made contact with the baseball.

After hitting the ball, he immediately let go of the bat and sprinted forward.

Although he knew his actions were futile, he refused to give up.

"This guy..."

At this critical moment, Shirakawa always surprised him.

After entering the professional leagues, Harada's perspective had greatly expanded.

He now understood the meaning behind Shirakawa's actions.

This seemingly sly and calculating Kohai might be far more of a Bro than Harada had ever imagined.

As Harada was still in shock, the situation on the field had already come to a conclusion.

Carlos, who had started running early, was now impossible to stop. As long as the ball landed, no matter how many elite players were called in, they couldn't have stopped Carlos from getting to second base.

The fielder, after catching the ball, glanced at Carlos's direction.

Carlos was already on second base.

'Too late!'

With a sigh, the fielder turned and threw the ball to the first baseman, Tetsuya.

This would help them get the batter Out.

Just as the fielder was about to throw the ball, Carlos, who had already reached second base, paid no attention to the close call and sprinted past the second base bag!

Snap!

"OUT!"

Tetsuya smoothly caught the ball, tagging out Shirakawa.

Meanwhile, Carlos's subtle movements didn't escape Tetsuya's keen eye.

After getting the Out on Shirakawa, he quickly reared back and threw the ball to third base, intending to catch Carlos before he could reach it.

Tetsuya's move was swift. Although Carlos looked like a bold, confident runner, this time he was going to regret it.

But just as he was about to catch the ball, the third baseman for the Tokyo University team made an error.

Snap!

The third baseman lost his balance while receiving the throw, causing him to drift away from the third base bag.

By the time he regained his balance and turned around to tag Carlos, it was too late.

Carlos zipped across the few meters of distance like a lightning bolt, touching the base with his hand.

"SAFE!!"

Although Shirakawa was out, with his and Carlos's extensive experience together, Shirakawa still managed to smoothly get Carlos to third base.

The situation now was one Out, with a runner on third.

Everything had happened in the blink of an eye.

By the time the spectators could react, the opportunity for Tokyo's representative team to catch up with the score was already within their grasp.

Now, with the third batter, Miyuki Kazuya, up to bat, things were looking even more dangerous.

Miyuki was unstoppable when there was a runner on base, and now with a runner on third, he was in his element.

Harada, as the catcher, secretly clicked his tongue in frustration.

He knew very well that this run was practically a sure thing.

'Try to use some tricky pitches. The runner on third doesn't need to be worried about now. Just pitch as though we're willing to give up this one run,' Harada thought.

Harada had already made the decision to cut off all chances, even if it meant sacrificing a run.

On the mound, the more experienced Fumei didn't have any objections.

He was also very aware that, given the current situation, it would be extremely difficult to prevent any Runs.

Against a team of this caliber, even if they had deployed a defensive shift, their current lack of coordination in defense would be hard to withstand.

In such circumstances, it might actually be better to pitch with the mindset of giving up one Run.

As long as they kept a proactive approach, they might even achieve something unexpected.

Both Harada and Fumei had spent years in the game. Even though they had never teamed up before, they could read each other's intentions and understand the situation they were in just by glancing at one another.

The battery had a shared understanding.

Soon, the baseball was sent flying.

Throughout this process, there was very little communication between the two. They didn't give the batter or the runners much time to react.

But who were Miyuki and Carlos?

Those two were sharp as tacks, how much time did it take them to sync their signs and execute their strategy?

Almost as soon as Fumei released the pitch, Carlos at third base had already started his move.

Harada, sitting as a catcher, watched in surprise as Carlos took off. Despite having already decided to concede a run, he hadn't anticipated how aggressive Tokyo's representative team was. They were forcing the run with sheer persistence!

Miyuki, batting in the third spot, was generally a strong hitter when there was a runner on base.

Harada had assumed the opposing team would engage in a head-to-head battle, but to his surprise, they had no such intention.

Paak!

Once Miyuki executed the bunt, the result was already inevitable.

Carlos, like a bolt of lightning, sped across the field and slid into home plate.

"SAFE!"

Though Miyuki was out for his bunt, he, along with Shirakawa and Carlos, had perfectly executed their plan.

This was the only Run that Tokyo's representative team had scored that had no relation to Sawamura.

Even the Coach of the All-Tokyo team, Kunitomo, highly praised this play.

"These guys have finally started to mature!" he said.

He wasn't talking about Miyuki Kazuya, who had batted third, but about the Inashiro Industrial High School players, Shirakawa and Carlos.

Kunitomo was very clear about the situation of these two talented players.

Their abilities were top-notch, no doubt. Otherwise, they wouldn't be among the national stars.

However, that didn't mean they were without weaknesses.

On the contrary, in Kunitomo's eyes, they still hadn't fully tapped into their potential.

By agreeing to Coach the All-Tokyo team, part of Kunitomo's intention was to give his players more exposure. Another reason was to have them compete with high-level players, helping them identify their shortcomings and push their limits.

Leaving aside their fame, the performance they just showed proved that they had made some progress.

If even Harada couldn't contain them, it was clear that there weren't many high school players in the country who could.

Very good!

This was really excellent!!

Kunitomo nodded with satisfaction as he watched his students perform.

Those in the stands were also stunned by the performance of these high school players.

Just as everyone was still in awe, another huge spectacle occurred on the field.

This time, the creator of the spectacle wasn't anyone else but All-Tokyo's cleanup hitter, Sawamura.

After Miyuki's bunt tied the score, Sawamura stepped into the Batter's Box.

When facing Sawamura, Harada and Fumei, the battery duo, were extra cautious.

After all, they had already suffered multiple losses to Sawamura before, and they had great cation against his ability.

Thus, when throwing the pitch, they were particularly careful.

Harada signaled for a pitch on the outside corner.

Part of the reason was to help Fumei regain his rhythm, and another reason was that outside pitches were harder for batters to drive for extra-base hits.

It seemed like they had thought of everything.

However, Sawamura didn't play by the rules. As soon as he saw the pitch, he stepped forward, pulling his entire body into the swing.

What had initially seemed like a tricky outside pitch for him turned into a fastball right down the middle.

Sawamura was full of confidence with this type of pitch.

'Useless…'

Though Harada was stunned by Sawamura's reaction, he didn't think that Sawamura would actually manage to drive this pitch and cause any major problems. After all, once Sawamura had stepped forward, his body was tilted awkwardly.

This was an unusual batting form.

Even if he managed to make contact with the ball, Harada figured it wouldn't be hit very far.

PAAAAKKKK!!!!!!!!

But to Harada's surprise, Carlos wasn't the only one working on his weakness.

Because of his increased focus and eye for the ball, his accuracy increased.

With the Twisted-Rope stance that gives the most power to his swing, as long as he made contact with the ball, he could send it flying!

With perfect timing, the baseball was absolutely smashed by Sawamura.

WHOOSH!

The ball rocketed into the sky like a rocket, piercing through the air with explosive force.

And then it flew out of the park!

At that moment, everyone in the stadium was left in stunned silence.

In this game, including professional stars and the powerful monsters from the All-Tokyo team, they had all witnessed countless amazing players, players whose feats defied explanation.

All of these guys were monsters.

Did you see the media around? Their jaws were practically on the floor.

Even in such an incredible game, the brightest star on the field was still him!

From Seidou High School in West Tokyo, known as the Demon King by baseball fans across the country.

Sawamura Eijun.

Sawamura seemed to possess some sort of magical ability. No matter where he went, he was always the most dazzling one.

…

T/N: This game against the Semi-Pro team will end Tomorrow!

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