NOVEL NEXT V7_Chapter 14: The Private High Wall
V7_Chapter 14: The Private High Wall
“Ohh! An error now!!”
“This is a good chance!!”
“Do it Sawamura!!!”
“Go! Go! Go! Go!!!!”
As Sawamura sprinted towards home plate, many spectators in the stands were thrilled, applauding in amazement.
Before Sawamura made his move, no one had anticipated such a possibility. It was like playing chess, thinking you were about to be checkmated, only to suddenly discover a brilliant move.
Not only did he avoid being Out, but he also pushed his opponent into a corner, forcing them to make mistakes.
When the opponent’s defense made a mistake, he dashed past third base and headed straight for home plate.
Sawamura’s speed has its strengths and weaknesses. During regular bunts, he struggles to get on base—not because his running speed is insufficient, but due to his lack of explosiveness and relatively slow acceleration.
Thus, from a standstill to running the bases, Sawamura’s speed is merely average.
However, once he sprints with full effort, his speed becomes remarkable.
In a 50-meter sprint, Sawamura has only beaten Kuramochi once, Albeit with some luck.
In the 100-meter sprint, the two have exchanged victories. Although Sawamura has lost more often, he has had his share of wins.
When the distance extends to 200 meters, Sawamura has gotten more wins on Kuramochi.
Once he sprints at full power, Sawamura’s speed is remarkable.
By the time he crossed third base, his speed had reached its peak.
Like a streak of blue lightning, in almost 3 seconds, he covered a distance of 27 meters and arrived at home plate.
During this process, Ouya’s defense faltered. The ball hit by the third baseman was mishandled and had not been thrown to the catcher in time.
“SAFE!”
Inside-the-park home run!!!
This high-speed clash dazzled the spectators.
Many hugged each other excitedly, jumping and cheering.
“Sawamura!!”
“Just as expected of the Demon King!”
“This speed is incredible!!”
“Impressive!!!”
The score was now 1-0.
In Ouya High School’s dugout, everyone’s faces were grim.
The teams already had a significant strength gap. If they could keep up, it might have been manageable, but now that they were trailing, their resolve seemed to wane.
What should they do?
The Seidou High School players didn’t pay attention to the other side’s confusion.
They ran out from the rest area to hug Sawamura, who had just returned.
“Great job!”
“Fantastic!”
“Nice run you rascal!”
Sawamura smiled widely.
This experience thrilled him even more than hitting a home run.
On the other side, Ouya.
“One Out!”
“One Out, one Out!!!”
The Ouya High School players clearly hadn’t given up yet. The players were tougher than expected.
Teammates immediately supported Wakabayashi.
“Gao-chan, do you want a math problem?”
Teammates joked.
“No need!” Wakabayashi shook his head. “If we’re losing points on pitches like that, these baseball players are even more capable than we thought.”
He then glanced in the direction of the hit.
Sawamura had clearly anticipated the pitch. He had aimed at the back of the first base and used a stance specifically for dealing with the inside courses.
“Has he seen through our strategy?”
Legends about the Demon King suggest he has a genius-level intellect.
(Eijun: Who? Me?
Wakabayashi didn’t want to believe this, but he had to admit that Sawamura’s mind was indeed exceptional.
The feeling of being overpowered both physically and intellectually was a stark reminder of the kind of opponents he faced.
“Gao!”
In the dugout, Coach Araki fixed his gaze on the proud student on the mound.
He knew that if Wakabayashi was defeated, it would likely mean the end of the game.
‘They had to hang in there; only by enduring could we have hope.’
“Think positively!”
As Ouya High School aimed to play steadily and secure Outs, Seidou High School’s offense showed no sign of stopping.
Miyuki, the fourth batter, demonstrated his formidable skill.
Ping!
With no one on base, he secured a beautiful hit.
The small ball was struck, and Miyuki raced to first base.
One out, runner on first base!
Consecutive hits!
Seidou High School’s offensive power at this moment was astonishing.
“It’s starting to show its power!”
“Time for these guys to see the private high school wall!”
In the Tokyo semifinals, known as the private high wall, it means that only private high schools reach this stage.
For public high schools, it feels like an invisible barrier separates them from their goals.
“The limit of public schools, the private high wall, is nonsense!”
The mushroom-headed boy on the mound spat angrily.
He didn’t believe in such barriers.
The higher the wall, the more determined he was to climb over it.
Wakabayashi would never forget the Koshien game he watched as a child. Although he saw many powerful players and even some fastball pitchers exceeding 150 km/h, the most impressive were not those private school giants.
It was another high school.
Metropolitan Ouya High School!
As the only public school to make it to Koshien at that time, Ouya High School stood out in his memory.
Wakabayashi admired them so much that he chose to join Ouya, despite invitations from prestigious private schools.
‘Although I could have joined a Famous private school to test my skills, I have no regrets about fighting for Ouya High School. I’m determined to help them return to Koshien!’
He wanted such a challenge, instead of having the best environment to play baseball, where he is sure to be strong, him fighting as the guy with no cheats and win is more interesting.
Even if his strength fell short of his opponents, he had his own fighting methods.
Whoosh!
The small white ball whizzed towards the inner corner.
Shiratsu was caught off guard and could only swing hurriedly.
Ping!
The white ball hit and bounced back toward the pitcher.
“Whaachuu!”
Wakabayashi let out a strange Kung Fu shout, picked up the ball, and threw it to second base.
The second basemen then relayed it to the first.
“OUT!”
“OUT!!!”
In a critical moment, Wakabayashi executed a double play, successfully helping his team avoid further trouble.
They ended up conceding only one run in this inning.
***
The game between Seidou High School and Ouya High School was in full swing.
Initially, everyone thought it would be a crushing match due to the significant strength gap. Instead, it turned into a tightly contested pitching duel.
Seidou High School’s condition wasn’t a major issue. The players remained calm and consistently performed at their best.
The problem was their opponents. Ouya High School played surprisingly strong, making it difficult for Seidou to defeat them easily within a short period.
It wasn’t until the fourth inning that Sawamura Eijun’s inside-the-park home run gave Seidou a one-point lead.
The game continued.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, Ouya High School began their offensive.
Up until now, Ouya High School’s players had not managed a single hit.
“After a round of familiarization, everyone should have adjusted to the opponent’s pitch speed. Now it’s time to come up with strategies to tackle The Monster in front of us,” Coach Araki said with a calm expression, smiling as he devised tactics for his team.
“First, we must do everything possible to get on base. Only by getting on base can we hope for more opportunities. Then we’ll assess the timing. If the timing is right, we might as well execute the tactics we prepared earlier.”
“Yes!”
The players took the field, and the game resumed.
“STRIKE!”
“STRIKE!”
“STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!”
Despite Ouya High School’s well-prepared tactics, they couldn’t overcome the significant strength gap between the two teams.
Furuya’s pitches remained difficult to handle. Even when the ball was hit, it was hard to make good contact.
The first batter was struck out, and the second batter, although making contact, sent the ball high into the air.
At the catcher’s position, Miyuki stepped forward, raised his mitt, and calmly caught the falling ball.
Ouya High School’s batters couldn’t even hit Furuya’s pitches into the infield.
“Awesome!”
“Keep going!!!”
“You’re doing great!!!”
In the dugout, Seidou’s players cheered loudly. They were captivated by Furuya’s pitching.
While Sawamura Eijun’s pitching was also visually impressive, like spectacular martial arts movie stunts, Furuya’s raw, powerful pitching was equally mesmerizing, akin to a fight for One-Punch Man.
Furuya’s pitching seemed to highlight the gap between the two teams, making it feel hopeless.
In Ouya High School’s dugout, Coach Araki pulled down his hat and sighed deeply.
When studying Seidou High School’s baseball team, he initially thought Furuya, while terrifying, had several weaknesses to exploit. However, in the actual game, it was clear that Furuya had rapidly improved over the past month, with almost no noticeable weaknesses remaining.
This didn’t mean Furuya had an invincible pitching system with no flaws. It meant he had found his own way of pitching, no longer easily countered.
‘Something must be done!’ Araki thought, signaling the third batter.
With two Outs and no one on base, Ouya’s third batter prepared to bunt.
“A bunt after two Outs?” The spectators were puzzled and concerned.
They couldn’t understand this plan.
“Has Ouya lost its mind?”
“This is a forced choice. Ouya High School can’t afford to be easily eliminated now,” someone commented. “Besides Kawakami Norifumi who pitched amazingly in the previous match and the legendary Ace Sawamura Eijun, Seidou also has the terrifying Furuya Satoru. It’s hard to imagine what kind of team could overcome such a powerful pitching squad.”
“Ouya High School is clearly in a state of panic…”
As the audience speculated, Miyuki, the catcher, frowned. He didn’t believe Ouya was merely disorganized.
‘There must be a plan behind their actions.’
Miyuki couldn’t guess their exact plan but was prepared to respond. He signaled the players to advance from first and third bases.
‘No matter the opponent’s plan, we could handle it calmly.’
‘Ouya still hadn’t adjusted to Furuya’s pitching. There was still a chance!’
Miyuki was confident. With two Outs, it was difficult for Ouya’s players to pull off anything surprising. They could focus on dealing with the batters.
‘Bring it on!’
Miyuki opened his Mitt, which seemed to emit a mysterious feeling that was pulling all the attention of the pitcher.
On the mound, Furuya took a deep breath, made his stride, and threw the ball.
Roaae!
The ball soared like a speeding bullet, moving so fast it was frightening.
The most terrifying part was the ball had a sound effect as it flew, like an unknown monster approaching.
In the strike zone, Ouya’s third batter bit his lip in frustration.
Without prior adjustments, it was hard for him to handle this pitch rationally.
‘So scary!!’
Despite having Sawamura Eijun as the ace, Furuya’s reputation remained unaffected. He was still the fastest high school pitcher in the country.
A pitch over 150 km/h flew past home plate in an instant.
The third batter, initially in a bunt stance, withdrew his bat.
Now, seeing the ball come, he swung his bat aggressively.
Ping!
‘A fake bunt?’
Seeing the opponent’s actions, Miyuki was alarmed.
With his sharp mind, Miyuki realized Ouya’s overall plan. They were forcing Furuya to use a straight ball!
Compared to breaking balls with less power, straight balls are better suited for bunts. Their speed and power are ideal for this.
Ouya had exploited this, waiting for Furuya to throw a straight ball before targeting it.
‘Quite an idea!’ Miyuki admitted that Ouya’s strategy was clever.
Ping!
The white ball was hit, and the batter reached first base.
Two Outs, a runner on first base.
…