After five innings, the Seidou High School baseball team ultimately failed to achieve their pre-set goal.
The score was 11:2.
After returning to the dugout, Coach Kataoka's face was as cold as the South Pole.
The members of Seidou's baseball team sat silently, not daring to speak.
Against such an opponent, they were already trailing 7:0 by the end of the first inning.
In the end, the remaining four innings were only 4:2!
Putting themselves in their shoes—what if Sawamura hadn't been taken out of the game?
Even if Sawamura hadn't pitched and only remained as a batter, the result might not have been the same.
Could it be true that they were really just a one-man team, as some said?
Without Sawamura, the team immediately fell apart.
Even if the players of Seidou were close friends with Sawamura, none of them would want to accept this possibility.
But what could they do about it?
The situation was clear—having Sawamura and not having him was completely different.
Nishiyama, sitting nearby, looked deep in thought.
The importance of a star player to a team was self-evident.
But in a powerhouse like Seidou, the value of a pitcher was relatively lessened.
For a weaker team, 70-80% of the results often depended on the Ace.
For a strong team, especially a powerhouse like Seidou, the dependence on an Ace was reduced by a lot.
Yet, even in such a situation, Sawamura's presence couldn't be ignored.
With him or without him, it was like two entirely different worlds.
This indirectly proved just how terrifying the strength of the senior, known as the "Great Demon King," truly was. It was almost terrifying!
When would he, Nishiyama, ever have that kind of strength?
Coach Kataoka said nothing, and the players' minds were all over the place.
On the other hand, the atmosphere in the Minori Shigeru High School dugout was lively.
Coach Miwara praised her players with a cheerful smile, complimenting everyone in turn.
Then she stood in front of the group to convey the next instructions.
"Although the process was a bit different from what we had planned, we never expected to fall behind by so many runs in the first five innings. But looking at the results, our plan was still successful!"
"We managed to drag the game to the sixth inning, and now the score between us is a nine-run gap. The next task is very simple. Before the seventh inning, we need to make up three runs. Let's aim to drag the game to the eighth inning…"
"Don't focus too much on the nine-run gap. Don't be intimidated by it. The task I'm giving you now is not to catch up with all nine runs at once. Let's set a small target first—let's take back three runs and drag the game to the eighth inning…"
"Some of you might ask, what's the point of this?"
"There is meaning, of course! The people who hike around Mount Fuji step by step—those people don't just rush through it. As long as we keep moving forward one step at a time, there will be a qualitative change eventually. It doesn't matter if you can't see the big target, just complete the small target first, and sooner or later, you'll get closer to the bigger goal. Got it?"
"Got it!!!"
Directing a strong team and a weak team requires different styles.
For example, when Coach Kataoka directs the Seidou players, he mainly gives instructions.
How do the players carry them out? That's up to them!
This is because the Seidou players already have a deep understanding of baseball.
After entrusting them with a task, Kataoka trusts that they can handle it very well.
Directing a weaker team is different!
If you let the players figure things out on their own, they might end up causing a big mess.
In such cases, it's important to tell them what to do and give them the confidence to win.
This is extremely crucial.
Coach Miwara, despite having no reputation outside, was highly skilled in tactics and morale-boosting.
Minori Shigeru High School's team was not one that Sawamura had much of an impression of.
Maybe it was because, before his regression, this team hadn't accomplished much.
Or maybe it was because his presence had led to a change, altering things for Minori Shigeru High.
Sawamura was unsure about this and didn't want to think too much about it.
Since his arrival, many things had been different from what he remembered from his past.
But this wouldn't affect Sawamura.
His mission was simple.
Everything that exists is reasonable, and everything that happens—whether he knows about it or not—is also reasonable!
Sawamura only needed to focus on his own goal.
No matter how many opponents or brilliant players appeared along the way, he was determined to be the best!
It wasn't just the opponents; Sawamura's Coach and teammates had also made significant progress.
For example, now, Coach Kataoka felt a bit different from the one Sawamura had originally thought of.
His teammates failed to complete their task, but Kataoka didn't scold them.
On the contrary, he took the blame upon himself.
"I've been taught a lesson by the opponent!"
The teammates had once imagined Kataoka's opening speech.
He might have either exploded in anger or directly talked about tactics.
But no one had ever expected him to say something like this.
"I underestimated them. If we had kept Sawamura on the mound for one more inning, maybe they would have been eliminated by now."
"This is my fault! I didn't see through their true intentions. They must have known that they couldn't score off Sawamura, so they deliberately weakened their performance and made us take him off."
By now, if the Seidou team didn't understand what Minori Shigeru's plan was, they truly were just wasting their time.
"But this has also served as a warning. Never underestimate any opponent! Every team in the Summer Tournament has put all their effort into it for three years of high school. If there's even the slightest chance of winning, they will never give up! From now on, no matter who the opponent is, we cannot hold back. We must completely give it our all!"
When Coach Kataoka spoke these words, his tone was somewhat cold.
The members of Seidou's baseball team shuddered involuntarily.
It was clearly July, the middle of summer, yet they suddenly felt a chill.
"As for the upcoming tactics, there's nothing much to say—just go all out in offense, like you are dealing with a strong pitcher you know nothing about! And when defending, don't let your guard down…"
Finally, Coach Kataoka laid out his requirements.
His teammates looked invigorated, nodding vigorously like chicks pecking at rice.
They hadn't been scolded, and that was a relief, so naturally, they would act like good kids.
As Miyuki was drinking water, Sawamura approached him.
"It's easy to talk, but actually doing it might not be so simple."
Miyuki nodded slightly after hearing Sawamura's words.
It was clear, looking at the opposing team, that they were all as fired up as if they had been injected with some sort of stimulant. They were practically ready to fight to the death against Seidou's team.
In this situation, defeating the opponent would not be so easy.
"The key is the top of the sixth inning!"
In the top of the sixth inning, it was Minori Shigeru's core lineup.
Second, third, and fourth batters!
Minori Shigeru really only had a few players who posed a threat to Seidou.
Especially Tekuno and Hanayama, their abilities were outstanding even among Famous teams.
But, if Seidou could deal with these two, the rest of Minori Shigeru's players wouldn't be much of a problem.
Theoretically, the best tactic for Seidou would be to intentionally Walk the batters.
But with a nearly ten-run lead and the dignity of a powerhouse like Seidou, intentionally walking opponents felt like a cheap tactic that wouldn't be easy to use.
Miyuki looked troubled.
Sawamura didn't know what to say.
Under the spotlight, asking Miyuki and Kawakami to do this really felt like forcing them into a difficult position.
If they did this, the news would spread, and Seidou's image would be tarnished.
In this situation, the players were essentially being forced into a corner.
They had no choice but to pick up their weapons and fight the enemy.
Even if they ended up losing points, it wouldn't be a big deal, and they would earn a reputation for being unafraid.
Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to survive in this baseball world.
It was embarrassing, but the situation left them with no other choice.
Kawakami would probably be unwilling, and Seidou couldn't afford to lose such a person.
At the top of the sixth inning, Minori Shigeru began their offense.
The second batter stepped into the Batter's Box first.
Minori Shigeru's real threats were the first, third, and fourth batters.
The second batter was competent, but compared to the other three, he wasn't on the same level.
With that, it wouldn't be too hard to get him out.
'Fully stretch your body, make sure your arms are fully extended when swinging…' Miyuki was directing Kawakami while crouching and opening his Mitt.
The opponent wasn't too strong, so there was no need for complex tactics.
The key was to maintain the rhythm and speed of the pitches. Even if the batter managed to hit one, it wouldn't matter…
'Trust the teammates behind you!'
Miyuki continued speaking as though he were a motivational speaker…
On the pitcher's mound, Kawakami was under immense pressure.
He took several deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down.
Then, he focused on Miyuki's Mitt and threw the baseball.
Whoosh!
The baseball whizzed out!
Behind the catcher, Miyuki's eyes flashed with approval as he watched the ball fly toward him.
'Not bad!'
Kawakami had finally managed to turn his pressure into motivation. This pitch was of excellent quality.
If he could keep this up, taking down Minori Shigeru's players wouldn't be a problem.
But for some reason, a bat appeared ahead.
Ping!
The baseball was hit and flew over the outfield.
Everyone, including the players on the field, was stunned.
Even the batter, the second hitter, was shocked.
He didn't actually expect to hit the ball. He had just swung the bat casually.
His goal was simply to avoid being reprimanded by the Coach for not swinging the bat.
At least now he could say he tried!
But to his surprise, the ball was hit.
It startled even him!
The Coach of Minori Shigeru, Miwara Rin, who was watching from the sidelines, wasn't overjoyed that her player had hit the ball.
In fact, she was absolutely furious now.
"Idiot, Run!!!!"
…