章節 131: [131] Narumiya Mei's Strength
Chapter 131: Narumiya Mei's Strength
The arrival of Eijun's friends and their brief conversation lifted his spirits.
However, due to Coach Kataoka's instructions, Eijun couldn't chat with Wakana, Shin, and the others for too long.
After a short exchange, he followed the team to the stands to watch the semifinal game between Inashiro Industrial and Sakurazawa High School.
Eijun's interest in the game was low.
Inashiro Industrial versus Sakurazawa?
There was no real point in watching.
He was certain Inashiro would win in a dominant fashion.
Sakurazawa's knuckleball pitch might temporarily suppress Inashiro's batting lineup early in the game, but that would only last for a short time.
In the original timeline, Inashiro's batting lineup erupted in the middle innings, which was proof enough. The limitations of the knuckleball pitch were too obvious.
Another key factor was that Sakurazawa's batting lineup had no chance of scoring any runs against that pitcher, not even managing a single hit. Narumiya's ability was on a whole different level, far beyond the reach of an ordinary lineup.
Even Seidou High School, in the original timeline, could only score four runs against him. There was no way a public school like Sakurazawa could hope to do better.
So, even though the semifinal match had just begun, Eijun's thoughts had already drifted to the upcoming final against Inashiro Industrial in two days.
This was the greatest question of the summer: Who would come out on top in the end? It would all be decided in the final showdown.
Even as he watched the game between Inashiro and Sakurazawa from the stands, Eijun's focus remained solely on Narumiya Mei.
That pitcher, who seemed to make pitching look like an art form, was Seidou's biggest obstacle to reclaiming the title—the one barrier standing between them and their revival as champions: the "Tokyo Prince," Kanto's number one pitcher, Narumiya Mei.
Eijun wasn't the only one with his eyes locked on Narumiya. Almost all of Seidou's first-string players were watching him, feeling the overwhelming pressure from his effortless pitching.
Eijun could almost read the smug expression on Narumiya's face. It was as if Narumiya was enjoying Seidou's intense gaze, basking in the attention from their anxious expressions.
"Hmph, they're all watching me," Eijun could imagine Narumiya thinking. "This is great."
From Eijun's angle, it was obvious that Narumiya was glancing over at Seidou's section of the stands while pitching, a clear display of his showmanship.
What an arrogant ace, Eijun thought, filled with a sense of awe.
But, to be fair, Narumiya had every right to be confident.
Unlike Sakurazawa, which was relying on their ace Nagao's knuckleball pitch and a fully committed defense to hold off Inashiro's offense for the first few innings, Inashiro's defense looked like they were barely working up a sweat. They were sitting back, enjoying the show as Narumiya handled everything.
It was like Narumiya was the sole star of the game, with Jingu Stadium serving as his personal stage, where he could dominate as he pleased.
No runs allowed, no hits conceded, and even making contact with one of Narumiya's pitches seemed like an impossible dream for Sakurazawa.
The gap in skill was suffocating, leaving Sakurazawa in despair.
In the fifth inning, the balance of the game was finally broken. Inashiro's cleanup hitter, Harada, crushed a home run to left field, shattering Sakurazawa's defense.
That tense atmosphere snapped with a resounding crack, just like Seidou's decisive blow against Sensen.
Inashiro's victory over Sakurazawa was even more decisive than Seidou's win over Sensen.
Ten runs. A brutal score, one that Sakurazawa could do nothing to combat.
Despite holding Inashiro scoreless for four innings, Sakurazawa allowed ten runs in the fifth, and the game ended right then and there.
Sakurazawa's despair, Inashiro's cheers, and Seidou's seriousness formed a stark contrast in that moment.
On July 29th, at Jingu Stadium, two semifinal matches came to a close. The final opponents were decided.
Seidou High, the former champion, would face the reigning powerhouse, Inashiro Industrial. One ticket to Koshien. One winner.
Last year's fate. This year's destiny.
The two teams would meet in Koshien's final, the ultimate clash.
"Let's go, Sawamura."
"Right."
Standing in the stands, Eijun cast one last deep gaze at Narumiya, who stood at the center of the field, wearing a proud smile.
In the original storyline, after the semifinals, a phrase Narumiya said to Sakurazawa High School's ace echoed in Eijun's mind:
"The strongest team this summer, huh?" Eijun muttered softly.
"Well then, let's see who truly is the strongest team this summer, Narumiya-senpai!!!"
With the fire of battle igniting inside him, Eijun felt the anticipation of the final showdown. The grandest fireworks of the summer were about to explode!
Without looking back, Eijun marched out of the stadium with determination. He vowed that when he set foot on that field again, he would walk off as the victor, head held high.
....
Later that night, at Seidou High School, in the dormitory.
"From this angle, it seems like Narumiya's changeup has a tendency to dip right over the plate. This makes his changeup much harder to time, especially when paired with his fastball. It becomes even more difficult to handle," Chris said gravely, pointing at the paused footage of Narumiya throwing a changeup to one of Sakurazawa's batters.
"Although Sakurazawa's lineup wasn't all that great, Narumiya... Hmph..." Jun Isashiki let out a scoff, though he didn't finish his sentence. Everyone knew what he meant.
Narumiya's ability was overwhelming, almost unfathomable.
Five innings, fifteen strikeouts.
It was an incredible display of pitching dominance—a pure showcase of the skill gap.
"His slider with lateral movement, his deceptive changeup, and a fastball that tops out at 148 km/h... This year's Narumiya Mei is going to be very tough to deal with," Chris analyzed.
"The key is that changeup. It makes timing a swing extremely difficult."
"It feels like this guy has no weaknesses at all."
"And there's their batting lineup too. That knuckleball pitch was solid in the beginning, but they completely fell apart by the fifth inning."
Eijun's gaze remained fixed on Narumiya, but his primary focus was on Inashiro Industrial's batting lineup. That was what he needed to pay attention to.
Only by shutting down that lineup could they even begin to talk about winning.
This would be a pitcher's duel.
Eijun had a gut feeling about it—this match would test both teams' endurance and willpower.
"You all know Narumiya's strengths. The pitchers need to thoroughly study Inashiro's batting lineup. The final is the day after tomorrow. Prepare fully tomorrow, because this is the last battle. There can be no slacking!"
"Yes, sir!!"
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