Chapter 433: Battle Against Ouya — A Single Breath
As it turned out—
Ouya High's decision to adjust their approach, and Wakabayashi's shift in pitching style, were the right calls.
After walking Miyuki, Seidou's batters struggled to get a solid read on Wakabayashi's intensified pitches.
Whoosh!
Clang!
Boom!
Pop!
"Out!"
Maezono Kenta, batting fifth, made solid contact but only managed a grounder toward third base. He was thrown out at first.
Thankfully, Miyuki had read the play and took off early, managing to safely reach second base just ahead of the tag—
Barely avoiding a double play.
Next up was Shirasu, batting sixth. A reliable, contact-oriented hitter.
Before he stepped up, Coach Ochiai had suggested from the dugout: "Focus on his splitter."
Unfortunately—
It seemed Wakabayashi had abandoned precise control altogether in favor of pure power and movement.
He went all-in on force, throwing with raw, aggressive intent.
This was something Seidou hadn't anticipated.
Despite a couple of swings, Shirasu struck out swinging—three pitches, three strikes.
Miyuki couldn't even move from second base; the infielders were locked in on him, watching his every twitch.
He had no chance to advance.
Whoosh!
Pop!
"Strike! Batter's out!"
Finally, Tojo, batting seventh, also failed to crack Wakabayashi's vicious rhythm.
He froze on a fastball at the outside corner.
Strikeout looking.
Miyuki was left stranded at second.
"Three outs! Change sides!"
Dominant. Relentless.
Wakabayashi's presence in the top of the sixth was overwhelming.
Everyone watching could feel Ouya's fierce determination to claw their way back into the game.
Down by three runs.
Their ace pitching like a man possessed.
At this point—
It no longer felt like a Seidou victory was guaranteed.
Even if most still believed Ouya had only a sliver of a chance to win—
(Especially with Eijun still lurking in left field. To most fans, the idea of Ouya breaking through his pitching was laughable.)
It didn't change the fact that the game had gotten much more intense.
Ouya wasn't going to give up another run easily.
And Seidou knew they had to score again to lock down the win.
With three and a half innings left, both sides were bracing for an all-out battle—
A clash of titans, blow for blow.
The back-and-forth promised to be thrilling.
Adrenaline coursed through the stands.
"What a resilient pitcher…" Miyuki muttered, fastening his chest protector. "He's still holding it together after all that."
In terms of ability—
Wakabayashi's ceiling was already clear.
That wasn't news to Seidou.
Not to Miyuki, not to Eijun.
But it was what he was doing with what he had—
That was the real surprise.
And the fact that Wakabayashi still had that kind of momentum going into the late innings—
Even after giving up four runs in the fourth—
And still managing to suppress Seidou's lineup in the fifth and sixth—
That surprised Miyuki.
This pitcher's resilience far exceeded Miyuki's expectations.
"He's running purely on momentum now," Miyuki said. "Just one sharp hit… just one run—and that momentum will collapse. Once it breaks, we'll tear him apart."
Standing up straight after helping Miyuki fasten his knee guards, Eijun gave a small, confident smile.
"That last inning on defense must've drained him—both physically and mentally. He couldn't even finish it off with a strikeout. Heh… that Ouya ace must be feeling it by now."
Kuramochi walked over, pounding his glove with a grin.
"Yeah. Just one hit—that's all we need to completely crack him."
In the dugout, Haruichi, Shirasu, Kanemaru, and Toujou all nodded seriously.
They all understood the situation clearly.
Because Ouya had failed to score a second run just now, the momentum still rested firmly in Seidou's hands.
Rhythm was everything.
At the front of the dugout, Coach Kataoka and Coach Ochiai remained calm, wearing the same composed expressions.
Kataoka stood firm, and Ochiai maintained his usual laid-back smile—
But in a moment unnoticed by most, Ochiai glanced sideways at Kataoka.
There was a subtle shift in his expression—something a little unusual.
In the past, Ochiai hadn't fully agreed with Kataoka's style of leadership.
He'd always acknowledged that Kataoka had charisma, and was an excellent coach when it came to guiding players, creating strategies, and leading a team.
But in Ochiai's eyes, Kataoka had one fatal flaw—
He placed too much trust in his players.
Ochiai believed that high school players were still just kids—
Inexperienced, emotionally unstable, and not yet mature enough to make consistently sound decisions.
That's why a coach should always be the one giving clear direction and control.
But—
In the two months since joining Seidou, Ochiai had slowly begun to understand why Kataoka did things the way he did.
Take now, for instance.
Without needing any guidance—
Seidou's players were already thinking ahead.
Analyzing.
Preparing.
And most importantly—
Their judgment was correct.
"So that's what it is...?" Ochiai thought. "That's one of the reasons why Seidou is so strong."
Watching the players stride confidently toward the field, he raised an eyebrow and muttered to himself.
...
"Let's take it one out at a time, Kawakami."
"The run lead is enough. Just pitch your game, Nori."
"We've got your back, Kawakami-senpai. Let's shut them down!"
"Let's go, Seidou!"
Eijun had made his mark in the top half with an outstanding defensive play.
Now it was Seidou's turn to bring the pressure.
Three innings to attack.
Four innings to defend.
From here on out, Seidou was sure to play more aggressively.
And Ouya—
They knew it too.
Especially Coach Araki. His face looked calm, but the way his arms crossed tightly over his chest told a different story.
He was worried.
Especially about Wakabayashi's condition.
With years of experience, Araki could see it clearly—
Wakabayashi was walking a tightrope now.
...
"Bottom of the sixth. Ouya High at bat. Leading off, the shortstop—Haruno-kun!"
Balancing on the edge.
Running on sheer momentum.
And it wasn't just Wakabayashi—
Right now, the entire Ouya team was holding it together with nothing but spirit.
And once that spirit broke—
The consequences would be devastating.
Inevitable.
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