Chapter 49: Reliable Guys

Even after continuous hits, Weede's pitching still maintained a high level.

The ball's velocity was fast, and it seemed that the power of the pitch hadn't decreased much.

On the Batter's Box, Yamaoka Riku's eyes flashed with admiration.

These guys from America who came for the exchange games really have some skill!

If you take Tokyo's big clubs and pit one of them against this team, they probably wouldn't have much of an advantage.

This includes both Seidou High School and Inashiro Industrial.

If they were to face the American team of Wind Youth Academy without knowing anything about each other, it might not be so easy to win!

But unfortunately, the opponent they face is the golden era of Tokyo.

A time when monsters roamed the fields and geniuses were as common as dirt.

A team formed with these kinds of people brings an explosive power that ordinary players can't even imagine.

Even though they hadn't collaborated much before, the chemistry they created when combined was enough to make others shudder.

Yamaoka Riku tightly gripped the bat in his hands.

Before this, he was the fourth batter for the Inashiro Industrial High School baseball team. In Tokyo, reaching this level could be considered quite an achievement.

But until now, Yamaoka's position had always been quite awkward.

Although he was the unquestionable fourth batter in the team, his presence in the team wasn't strong.

People's attention was often focused on Tokyo Prince Narumiya or the fast Carlos.

Even Shirakawa and Tadano had more fame than him.

This was really awkward...

If it weren't for Carlos' traits being very suitable for the first batter position, purely from a hitting standpoint, he really didn't deserve to be ahead of Carlos or Narumiya.

That made it clear—he didn't deserve to be there.

Among the top teams, he was the only one placed at the lower part of the lineup.

That says a lot.

Even his own coach, Kunitomo, seemed to think his skills weren't up to the top-level fourth batter position.

Otherwise, why would he be placed seventh?

Yamaoka had always been holding back a breath, wanting to prove his worth.

Now, the powerful cleaners before him had each hit a base hit, and the American pitcher was falling apart.

Was the pitching bad?

Of course not!

The reason such a situation had occurred was simply because their side was really strong.

He absolutely had to keep up with their rhythm!

At this moment, Yamaoka's mind was completely occupied by this thought.

The baseball flying towards him didn't look as sharp as before.

I must hit this ball!!

I can hit this ball!!!!!

I will absolutely hit this ball!!!!!

Shuuuuuuuuuuu!

It was as if a tiger roared; at this moment, Yamaoka transformed into a raging cyclone.

His body remained still as he swung his arm to move the bat.

PAAAAAKKK!!!!!

He forcefully bombarded the incoming baseball, sending it flying.

Whoooooosh!

The baseball emitted a shrill sound as it soared into the sky, disappearing from the field.

"O-OUT OF THE PAAARRRRKK!!"

"IT'S GONE!!!"

This scene made the online commentators excited to the point of losing their voices.

Base hits were common, but home runs were different!

Other than the home run by Sawamura this was the only home run.

In this game, keeping up with Sawamura Eijun's pace, Yamaoka undoubtedly gave everyone a big surprise.

"Hehe, if you thought you couldn't, didn't you just prove that you could?"

Narumiya clapped excitedly for his friend.

The teammates from Inashiro Industrial High School were also all thrilled.

Even Coach Kunitomo in the dugout softened his expression.

Why were they so excited? The seasoned reporter from Baseball Kingdom Magazine, Fujio, explained it best.

"These fourth batters from various teams are really reliable guys."

Yamaoka Riku's home run increased Tokyo's lead to six points.

The game had only gone for four innings, and they were already leading 6:0.

No one had dared to imagine such a scene.

Who would have thought? The hastily formed Tokyo representative team was this powerful.

"The reason for this scenario is that luck and timing played significant roles. Of course, the more important reason is that these teams' fourth batters were reliable at the crucial moments."

Whenever someone reached base, they had to bring them home.

As the fourth batter for their teams, they carried such a responsibility.

Looking at the results, the players excelled in fulfilling this task.

Notably, Yamaoka Riku, the fourth batter of Inashiro Industrial High School.

Currently, the most complete lineup in Tokyo is from Inashiro's baseball team.

This doesn't mean their overall strength is unbeatable—Seidou High School, at the very least, is not weaker, perhaps even a bit stronger.

But when it comes to the most complete lineup, it has to be Inashiro.

This team seemed to have no weaknesses, and every position was strong, especially in the key spots.

Of course, if you looked hard enough, you could find a flaw.

For example, Yamaoka Riku, the fourth batter from Inashiro.

He wasn't weak, and he was also a famous player in Tokyo.

But compared to other positions on the team, he wasn't as prominent. If he had played another spot, it wouldn't have been so noticeable.

But he was the fourth batter for Inashiro's team.

That made it stand out!

It seemed like he wasn't as strong, and didn't seem to be up to the level of the Inashiro team.

In crucial moments, his performance also didn't always live up to expectations...

This had been Inashiro's only flaw—

The absence of a player strong enough to carry the fourth batter position.

But now, this flaw was fixed!

By this summer, this team would surely stir up a storm.

Inashiro, Seidou!!!

Many players performed well today, but the two most prominent teams were these two.

And they were in the same division, meaning one of them would be eliminated.

This would definitely be a fierce battle to the death.

With a 6-0 lead, the Tokyo representative team was almost guaranteed victory.

Even though the game wasn't yet halfway through, the possibility of a comeback by the American team was very low.

The pitcher had been replaced, but the Tokyo team still couldn't be too confident.

However, the next two pitchers would be Narumiya and Sawamura.

The Tokyo team's players, even if they thought about it with their butts, didn't believe the American Los Angeles team had any hope of turning things around.

Taking six runs from Narumiya and Sawamura?

Even if the American players gave it their all, they didn't have that kind of power.

In other words, if they really had that kind of power...

Tokyo's representative team wouldn't even bother fighting. They'd rather surrender directly and get it over with.

The viewers in the stands celebrated wildly as if they couldn't express the overwhelming excitement inside them in any other way.

The Tokyo team players were also very excited...

The American players, on the other hand, felt more frustration and shock.

In the beginning, they hadn't taken today's game too seriously, and they ended up suffering a huge loss. Before they could even respond, the score gap had already grown too large to recover from.

At this moment, the American Coach couldn't sit still any longer.

He stood up and requested a substitution.

All the calculations and plans he had made earlier were useless at this point.

What he had to do now was to stop the bleeding of runs as much as possible. So, at this moment, he finally couldn't resist sending in his Ace.

He was sensing the fire from his players and this was a good opportunity for them too.

They can just lose this game here like this, there is also the pride of the baseball holy land, America.

As the American team made the substitution, Sawamura and Miyuki exchanged looks.

The two teams that performed the best in this exchange tournament were their teams, Seidou High School and Inashiro Industries.

Originally, the two teams were evenly matched.

Narumiya had struck out his opponent with three Change-ups, stunning the entire field.

Sawamura had also hit the only home run of the game, regaining some pride.

But now, Yamaoka from Inashiro had also hit a two-run home run.

This indirectly canceled out Sawamura's performance.

Now, it seemed like the Inashiro High School team was even stronger.

Sawamura and Miyuki, however, weren't just concerned about this.

They had fully comprehended the might of Inashiro's team.

Their power had exceeded their expectations.

Though they had raised the threat level of Inashiro to a high level before the tournament...

It now seemed they had still underestimated their opponent.

This exchange games had served as a wake-up call.

Had it not been for this tournament, they wouldn't have known what kind of scene they would face when meeting the Inashiro.

Before the summer tournament.

If they couldn't close the gap, they wouldn't win.

Meanwhile, there were already changes on the field.

One Out, no one on base.

The score was 6-0.

Faced with what seemed like an impossible situation, the American team players couldn't hold back any longer. They began to take action.

Weede was moved to the outfield, and in his place came a tall, cool young man with flowing long hair.

His features weren't very sharp, lacking the chiseled look of a Greek sculpture.

Instead, his height and focused gaze gave him a dangerous aura.

His substitution caused quite a stir.

"Woah! He is a huge guy!"

"Right? He certainly got the aura!"

"Why'd they only put in such a guy now?" Narumiya grumbled unhappily.

'Are they looking down on us? I'll make sure to beat you to a pulp,' Narumiya vowed inwardly, determined to make the other player look bad on the field.

At that moment, it was Narumiya's turn to bat—the eighth batter, the pitcher.

As Narumiya stepped into the Batter's Box, he looked excited, though others didn't know what had triggered his emotions. All they could see was him glaring angrily at his opponent, showing his teeth.

The pitcher on the mound was named J. Conrad.

He was 190 cm tall, with a body that was on the thin side.

But that was only because of his height.

He had long legs and arms!

According to baseball theory, pitchers like him were generally not easy to face.

And this proved to be true.

He immediately showcased his exceptional skills.

He was a left-handed pitcher.

Narumiya, noticing this detail, squinted his eyes.

'A southpaw pitcher?'

Such pitchers had a big advantage, especially when facing right-handed batters.

But sadly for Conrad, Narumiya was also a lefty.

Even though Conrad had the advantage of being a left-handed pitcher...

Narumiya didn't care at all.

'Whatever tricks you have, bring them on. I'll handle them,' Narumiya thought confidently as he focused on his opponent, waiting for that little white ball to come his way.

When Conrad took his stance to pitch, he brought even more surprise to Narumiya and the Tokyo team players.

Not only was Conrad a lefty, but he was also a sidearm pitcher.

Narumiya's head buzzed.

'Such pitchers were very rare.'

In fact, they were incredibly rare. In all of Tokyo, there were very few who could throw like that.

And those who could throw in that style had only one counterpart.

That would be the Ace of Teito High School, Mukai Taiyo.

...