After successfully retiring Yamaoka, Eijun let out a quiet breath of relief.
Judging from his condition so far, he felt confident that he could still handle Inashiro's batting lineup.
His arm injury, while botherso, seed to be within the limits he had anticipated.
As long as he didn't swing his arm too forcefully,
it wouldn't drastically affect his pitching.
He just had to manage his rhythm and form carefully.
80% power.
That was the threshold Eijun set for himself.
Anything beyond that—and Carlos's hit earlier was proof—would lose its sting and be too easy to crush.
Worse, it would ss up his control and risk wild pitches.
That kind of disaster had to be avoided at all costs.
"Sharp angles, nasty pitch placent—that's the true form of Seidou's ace, Sawamura Eijun! Even though the first pitch got rocked, he locked down the next two batters perfectly. Two outs, runner on second—next up is Inashiro's cleanup hitter and ace—Narumiya i! A clash of aces in the very first inning!!"
"That's what I'm talking about! This is how our ace should pitch!"
"Ace vs. ace, cleanup vs. cleanup!"
"Go for it, Narumiya!"
"Take him down, Sawamura!"
"Let's go, Ace-sama—FIGHT!"
"Crush him, i!"
"Attack, Sawamura! Just get this final out!"
"Seidou! Seidou! Seidou!"
"Inashiro! Inashiro! Inashiro!"
The crowd buzzed with excitent, their voices mixing with both teams' bench cheers.
On this championship stage—the two pillars finally t in battle for the first ti.
BOOM!
A wave of pressure surged across the field as a figure in yellow stepped into the batter's box.
The mont Narumiya i took his stance—his overwhelming presence exploded outward,
a kingly aura that demanded the spotlight.
The intensity of it made Eijun's breath catch.
In that mont, he understood—
This Narumiya was on a completely different level than the one from sumr.
"That terrifying focus… that pressure… Narumiya's already in this state—in the first inning?"
Miyuki bit his lip behind the plate, sneaking a glance at the cold expression on Narumiya's face.
A chill crept into his heart.
"!!"
"Play ball!!" the umpire shouted.
At the plate, Narumiya raised his bat and pointed it directly at Eijun—
A silent challenge between aces.
Co at . Let's settle this.
On the mound, Eijun narrowed his eyes, a sharp glint flashing within.
At that instant, the willpower of both aces clashed midair.
"First pitch—inside fastball."
To face Narumiya, Eijun had to attack.
You couldn't trick a player with Narumiya's blend of power and finesse.
You had to break through head-on.
Tap.
Eijun stepped forward—
Staying within his upper limit, calling upon his full control, with just enough force behind the pitch.
His left arm lifted high—
Whoosh!
And then ca crashing down.
A streak of light tore through the air.
The ball burned through the sky like a teor.
It closed in on ho plate.
At the batter's box—
Narumiya's eyes turned cold as the ball entered his sight.
BOOM!
He stepped forward with explosive force.
His whole body twisted as he poured every ounce of strength into his swing.
The tal bat roared through the air—
Swish!
The white ball surged in.
Ping!
A thunderous sound exploded across the field.
The ball was crushed right off the sweet spot of the bat.
WHOOSH!
It rocketed off the bat and shot into the outfield.
The ball bounced off the ground—
Thud!
A low, heavy sound rang out.
It ricocheted toward first base.
Maezono reacted instantly, leaping with full force.
Whoosh!
But the ball just barely cleared the reach of his glove.
"Foul ball!!"
It landed just outside the first base line.
"First pitch—an aggressive inside fastball! A fierce clash between the two aces, neither giving an inch! It's a foul ball!"
His pitch doesn't seem to carry as much weight as expected…
At the plate, Narumiya tapped his bat against the ho plate, a thoughtful glint flashing through his eyes.
The location was sharp and nasty.
Is he planning to rely on control to take down?
"Second pitch—two-sear."
There was no way Miyuki and Eijun would give Narumiya ti to analyze.
Their attack was relentless—as soon as one pitch ended, the signal for the next was already in motion.
Whoosh!
Another swing of the arm.
The flash of the ball shot out like lightning.
That gleam of light filled Narumiya's vision.
He stepped forward, right foot planting sharply, both arms whipping through with full strength.
Swish!
Just as the ball neared the plate, it suddenly dropped—
Sliding downward at a diagonal angle.
Narumiya's brows furrowed.
Pop!
"Strike!!"
So that was the two-sear they showed yesterday.
It looks like a fastball at release, dips like a curveball midway, then drops sharply near the end with a slicing edge.
Still, the height was within expected range.
"Sawamura, that pitch was a bit too high. It needs to stay lower."
After tossing the ball back to the mound, Miyuki's voice turned serious.
Eijun gave a small nod.
But what Miyuki didn't see—was a faint tremble in Eijun's left hand behind his back.
Yeah… just as I thought.
Throwing two-sears is tough in my current condition.
It requires not only velocity and power—but precise finger control for the late movent.
That last pitch nearly slipped.
Eijun took a deep breath and adjusted his cap slightly.
Careful… I have to pitch with even more caution.
Third pitch—low and outside. Widen the gap. Keep it away from him, Sawamura.
Behind the plate, Miyuki signaled with a subtle finger movent.
Eijun nodded again.
He raised his right leg high—
His left arm flared out.
Boom!
Dust flew up as his front foot slamd down.
Whoosh!
The arm swung—
And the ball burst out of his hand like a streak of white light.
But the feel on his fingers made Eijun's expression shift slightly.
The previous two-sear had left so residual numbness.
This ti, his control slipped.
The ball floated a little too high.
It flew straight into Narumiya's wheelhouse.
Swish!
No way the "Prince of Tokyo" would let that pass.
Narumiya stepped forward decisively—his arms snapped around with a clean, powerful swing.
Ping!!
Perfectly reading the trajectory—he crushed it.
Whoosh!
The ball soared high, slicing past the infield.
In right-center field—Toujou and Shirasu took off at full speed.
Thud.
But the ball still dropped between them, just out of reach.
A tily hit into right-center.
Carlos jogged in from second with ease and stepped on ho plate.
Top of the first inning—
Inashiro Industrial strikes first.
Their bench exploded with cheers.
In contrast, on the mound—
Eijun's expression darkened slightly.
In Seidou's dugout, and among the crowd in the stands—
Faces were filled with disbelief.
The Ace Of Diamond, Sawamura Eijun, has allowed his first first-inning run of the tournant.
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