Chapter 450: Red vs. White (1)
"Huh? A red vs. white scrimmage?"
"No way—they're really doing an intra-squad match during the tournament?"
"What? Sawamura is pitching for the backup team?"
"Huh!?"
"Come on, let's go watch!"
"Man, Seidou High sure knows how to stir things up…"
"Damn, this kind of internal clash… I'm getting fired up just thinking about it!"
"You going or not?"
"Of course I am! Let's move!"
"Hey, wait up for me!"
The news that Seidou High's baseball club would be holding a red vs. white scrimmage that afternoon spread like wildfire.
At the field, those who had just been idly watching the team practice suddenly caught wind of something unusual.
When they saw the first-string players splitting into two squads and lining up along the first and third base benches—
They sensed that something was about to go down.
Naturally, they started calling friends over.
And before long, even before the intense match officially began, a sizable crowd had already gathered around the field.
And this was a weekday.
Had it been a weekend, Saturday or Sunday—
The entire area around the field would've been completely packed.
Even so—
The crowd around the field was growing by the minute. On the sidelines, in the closest possible vantage point, seniors like Watanabe and Kudou from the scouting team had already set up their video equipment.
This red vs. white match wasn't just for show—
They'd be recording everything for later analysis.
Breaking down the footage postgame would help both the team as a whole and individual players identify their issues and improve.
"Line up!"
With everything ready—
Both teams fully geared and mentally prepared for battle—
Tetsu, temporarily drafted by Coach Kataoka to act as head umpire, stood behind home plate in full gear, raised his right hand high, and shouted:
"Team A bats first, Team B fields! And don't think your opponent's gonna be easy today!"
Standing between the two teams, his steady voice rang out as he cast a quick glance toward the starters lined up along the first base side.
"Haha, he really knows how to pile on the pressure,"
Miyuki, Kuramochi, Maezono and the others couldn't help showing complicated expressions.
The energy radiating from the so-called "backup" team was… intense.
Even Miyuki's face had grown serious by now.
They all knew—
This wasn't going to be a casual practice game. The guys across from them were here with one goal:
To win.
"Looks like we can't afford to hold anything back."
Miyuki thought to himself as he clenched his fist.
"Salute!"
"Please take care of us!!!"
With a powerful shout, twenty Seidou first-string players with varied expressions faced off—
The curtain on Seidou High's intense internal red vs. white match…
Rose.
...
Top of the 1st — Team A (Starters) at bat
Out on the field, Team B (Backups) had taken their positions.
Yamaguchi, Kijima, Shoji and the rest stood ready.
On the pitcher's mound—
Eijun stood tall alongside his battery partner, Ono.
Ono spoke up in a relaxed tone.
"So, how's your condition today? Any plan for pitch selection? Gonna try out any of your new stuff?"
"My condition?" Sawamura tilted his head slightly, then smiled calmly. "Feels like it'll be a good day. For now, I'll stick to a fastball-based approach. As for the new pitch... we'll see how it goes."
He gave his left hand a light squeeze, then released it.
His expression was calm, confident.
For a pitcher—
The fastball is always the foundation.
No matter how good your breaking balls are—
No matter how many types you've mastered, or how many pitching techniques you've studied—
At the end of the day, a pitcher's true worth is still defined by their fastball.
The control, the velocity, the life, the late movement—
Those are the pillars of a pitcher's arsenal.
Right now, Eijun had the perfect opportunity.
He wanted to test his fastball against his own team's starting lineup—
To see exactly how far his fastball could go.
And though Coach Kataoka hadn't said it outright, That was part of his intent, too.
Eijun's goals were sky-high. His ambitions were huge.
There was so much he wanted—so much he was striving for.
Ono looked deeply at Eijun, a spark flashing in his eyes.
"…Got it. Understood."
He gave a firm nod.
"Then I'll leave it to you… Mr. Ace."
"Heh, leave it to me, Ono-senpai."
Their gloves smacked together with a resounding pop—
The signal of battle between pitcher and catcher.
"Top of the 1st inning. Team A batting. Leading off, shortstop—Kuramochi-kun."
A real showdown, huh? This is the first time we've gone at it seriously like this, Sawamura… Don't expect me to go easy on you.
Kuramochi strode up to the batter's box with calm, purposeful steps.
His sharp eyes locked directly onto Eijun, his presence like a wave of pressure.
Eijun's lips curled into a slight grin.
Right back at you, Kuramochi-senpai. But don't cry if you lose, okay?
It was a dorm-room rivalry turned battlefield.
From the very first pitch—
This was a duel between sharpened blades.
"Let him hit it, Sawamura!"
"We've got your back!"
"Go get 'em, Ace!"
"Yeah, yeah! Show these guys who's boss!"
–!!
First pitch—high and tight, inside fastball.
A bold and aggressive call right out of the gate.
Normally, Ono was the cautious type—a catcher who preferred solid, steady pitch sequences.
But after understanding Sawamura's intent—
He changed his entire approach without hesitation.
After all—
This was the ace's request.
"Mm!"
Signal confirmed.
Eijun, crouched low, suddenly straightened.
His arm whipped upward.
BOOM!
His foot slammed forward—
A surge of energy exploded from the mound.
An overwhelming presence surged across the field,
and Kuramochi felt it slam down on him like a crushing weight.
It was like the very air around the batter's box had been compressed.
FWOOOSH!
The moment Kuramochi's expression shifted—
A silver flash tore through the space between them,
blazing toward the plate with a sharp whistle.
Damn it!
By the time Kuramochi reacted—
The ball was already in Kuramochi's face—
A blazing pitch, drilling hard into the inside corner.
Kuramochi clenched his teeth and quickly widened his stance.
"Swish!"
His bat cut through the air—
"Whoosh!"
But that moment of hesitation earlier had cost him.
He was a step too slow.
"Pop!"
The pitch slammed cleanly into Ono's mitt.
A crisp, cracking sound echoed through the field.
"STRIKE!!!"
You damn punk, Sawamura… Coming at me with an inside fastball right off the bat?
That's so your style, it's infuriating!
Tsk!
Kuramochi had swung and missed.
His weight was thrown off balance, his feet awkwardly staggered, and his stance wobbled.
He adjusted his cap and took a deep breath, steadying himself.
He was ready to recover and regroup.
But Sawamura—who had clearly set his sights on dominating from the very first pitch—
Wasn't about to give him that chance.
"FWOOOSH!"
Another flash zipped toward the plate.
This time—low and inside, near the knees.
"Swish!"
"Clang!"
Kuramochi instinctively swung at it in a rush.
Sure, he made contact—
But the timing was off. The angle, all wrong.
"Thud!"
The weakly hit ball dribbled out.
Kuramochi grimaced as he watched it go.
"Pop!"
Eijun scooped it up cleanly and made the out himself.
"OUT!!"
Two pitches. Two strikes.
One routine putout.
Eijun took down Kuramochi with calm, effortless precision.
And with that—
He sent a clear message to the entire starting lineup:
This mound belongs to the ace.
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