Chapter 489: Battle Against Seiko — The Path Forward
"Leave it to me, senpai!"
Ogawa Tsunematsu thumped his chest with force and declared loudly, "From here on out, I won't give up a single run!"
"Confidence is good, but make sure to stay cautious on the mound," Masu Shinichirou reminded, not forgetting to rein in his underclassman even in the heat of the moment.
Seeing that his team hadn't lost morale after having their previous scoring chance stolen away, Coach Oga let out a quiet sigh of relief. A faint smile rose to his lips—this was good. They still had the momentum.
It was just a one-run gap.
They had confidence that they could make up the difference—as long as they didn't lose their spirit.
Meanwhile, on the first base side, in Seidou High's dugout...
"You pitched well. You've done your part. Now let the others take over."
Coach Kataoka's normally stern eyes softened as he welcomed back Furuya.
Though this seemingly tough pitcher had a fragile side, he had clearly grown.
Though he had allowed two runs and had to rely on his teammates multiple times, for a first-year pitcher to hold out against Seiko High's lineup to this degree... he had gone above and beyond.
He didn't crumble. He stood tall on the mound to the very end.
That alone was enough for Coach Kataoka to acknowledge him.
With a little more polishing, Furuya could be trusted even in key moments.
"Understood."
Furuya's body gave a subtle shiver as he answered quietly.
He took a deep breath, pulled his cap brim down slightly, and nodded—his voice calm.
But those who knew him—like Miyuki and Eijun—could hear it clearly: the frustration.
It wasn't just about the two runs.
It was about knowing he had flirted with disaster two or three times.
Without his teammates, things could have gone badly.
He wasn't satisfied.
His pitching was still far from enough.
That figure ahead of him—he knew the gap between them.
Furuya still had a long, long road to walk.
Standing beside Coach Kataoka, Coach Ochiai caught a glimpse of that emotion deep in Furuya's eyes and allowed himself a faint, knowing smile.
"Sawamura—now it's your turn. Finish the last three innings. Shut them down completely."
Kataoka turned his gaze to Eijun and spoke in a firm voice.
With those words, the entire mood in the dugout shifted.
"Is Sawamura going up?"
"It's finally the ace's turn."
"Haha, it's his time now."
Everyone's attention—Kuramochi, Haruichi, Tojou, Kanemaru, Maezono—shifted toward Eijun.
Their eyes shimmered with quiet joy, solid trust, and a rising sense of certainty.
This is what it means to be Seidou's Ace.
The Ace Of Diamond—Sawamura Eijun.
"Yes."
Eijun took a step forward, head held high. His golden eyes lit up with unwavering determination.
"This is the final stage. You know how persistent and powerful they are. The score gap is just one run. Now the real battle begins—don't let them break through."
"Yes, sir!!!"
Eijun, Miyuki, and the others shouted in unison.
Bottom of the 6th inning.
Seidou High is up to bat.
Batting sixth—right fielder, Shirasu-kun.
Whizz!
Clang!
"Damn, even in the sixth inning, his pitches still have this much power?"
Shirasu cursed in frustration from the batter's box.
Shirasu frowned deeply.
He swung hard at the pitch.
"Clang!"
"Foul!"
His eyes locked on the pitcher's mound—on Ogawa Tsunematsu's commanding posture.
A trace of heaviness surfaced in Shirasu's chest.
This first-year left-handed pitcher from Seiko...
...was proving to be more difficult than anyone at Seidou had expected.
"Whoosh!"
Another sharp white flash.
Not good!
A pitch straight to the heart.
As that glint streaked through the air, Shirasu's face fell.
"Bang!"
"Strike! Batter out!!"
Caught off guard, Shirasu couldn't even swing.
Struck out looking.
"Haha, great pitch, Ogawa!"
"Keep it up, Ogawa!"
"Tsunematsu, you've got this!"
"One out!!"
Since stepping in as emergency relief in the first inning, Seiko's Ogawa Tsunematsu had maintained a strong rhythm.
Aside from the one run allowed in the third inning, he had completely shut down Seidou's lineup.
As the innings progressed, Ogawa's momentum only grew stronger.
His fierce presence on the mound sent a chill through Seidou's dugout.
Every Seidou player wore a grim expression.
"This is getting tricky," muttered Yuki from the stands, furrowing his brow.
"Yeah, that pitcher has completely found his groove," added Chris with a nod.
"Dammit, don't go down that easy, you idiots! Show some fight! Guts, where's your guts!"
Sitting on the far end of the stands, Isashiki-senpai was the loudest and most fired up—constantly shouting his support.
But truthfully, the situation was slipping out of Seidou's control.
"Batting seventh, the pitcher—Furuya-kun."
Just like in the original story...
By the middle to late innings, Ogawa Tsunematsu had taken on an aura of invincibility.
Stopping gods, stopping monsters—nothing fazed him.
"Whoosh!"
"Clang!"
"Thud!"
"Foul!"
"Whoosh!"
"Pop!"
"Strike!"
And so on…
A few aggressive fastballs chased Furuya down in the count.
Then, a sharp screwball finished the job.
Even though Furuya fought hard to hang in the at-bat…
He still fell to Ogawa's unrelenting pitching.
Two outs.
Ogawa's momentum reached its peak.
And as for the eighth batter, Tojou?
It was even quicker.
Two pitches.
A grounder to the infield.
Easily scooped and thrown by Yamashita.
Out at first.
In this inning—where Seiko High had clawed back a run to narrow the gap to just one—Ogawa Tsunematsu's outstanding performance on the mound allowed Seiko, even as the trailing side, to completely dictate the flow and tempo of the game.
At this point, there was no denying it:
Seiko held the momentum advantage.
However!!!
That powerful momentum—
Was abruptly smashed to pieces by the voice coming over the stadium broadcast.
When the sweet tone of the announcer rang out across the field…
The crowd exploded with excitement.
At the same time, every player on Seiko's side turned, their eyes fixed on the figure stepping onto the mound.
That figure—
So imposing, so dignified.
In that moment, every member of Seiko instinctively tensed up, their expressions turning solemn.
They knew exactly what that figure meant.
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