The crowd seemed to grow restless as the designated hour approached. The jumbo screen located at the end of the stadium depicted the time, looming over everyone in the arena.
Both teams gathered on the field, lining up in front of each other for the ceremonial bow at the beginning of the game. Osaka Toin was wearing their white and black pinstripe uniforms, something they were known for.
Yokohama wore their pure white uniforms with a red cap, the letter Y a prominent feature on the jersey and hat.
Ken once again locked gazes with his brother who happened to be standing directly across from him. Despite the odd feeling of playing against him, there was a buzz of excitement from within him.
Daichi too looked at Ken with a glint in his eye. He had been looking forward to this moment ever since he’d left for Osaka. Although he would have rather played together with his brother, this was the next best thing.
“Yoroshiku Onegaishimasu!”
The two teams bowed to each other, eliciting an almighty cheer from the crowd. Despite the arena being packed each day, today felt much more lively.
Perhaps it was because the home team had made it so far, or maybe it was like this whenever the Semi-finals began. Yet the fact of the matter was, the cheers were almost deafening.
Makoto and Yatsuo approached the umpire to begin the coin toss. While one was muscular, the other had wide shoulders and a solid base. Yet despite this, it was obvious that he was strong.
“I think your lucky streak will be coming to an end today.” Yatsuo said calmly.
His words were spoken with the utmost confidence, backed by his vast experience of playing under pressure situations.
“Hmm? Lucky you say?” Makoto raised his eyebrow before letting out a scoff.
“Heh. I won’t let you guys get a single run today, prepare to be humbled.” Yatsuo said, throwing the gauntlet.
Makoto felt his eye twitch unconsciously, feeling some anger arise within him. He clenched his fist briefly before relaxing, saying the only thing that came to his mind in that moment.
“We’ll see who gets humbled.”
While the Captains were having their exchange of words, Coach Hanada and Coach Narukami met with each other briefly.
The two completed a handshake and said some pleasantries, wishing each other luck.
Of course they each had their own inner thoughts which they kept hidden away.
In Coach Narukami’s eyes, Seiji Hanada was just a rookie coach who had come into some luck with getting good players. Just seeing Ken on the Yokohama team instead of Osaka brought him a pang of jealousy.
Yet he kept it in his heart. After all, it was their own fault that Ken did not take up the scholarship offer to join Osaka.
Seiji on the other hand had deep respect for the coach in front of him. Having been the head coach for Osaka Toin for over 20 years, he had brought the team’s prestige to great heights, building upon their success.
That being said, he would not pull any punches in this match. While Yokohama did not enjoy the same facilities, nor budget as Osaka, they had something that the other team did not.
His gaze turned to Ken’s tall figure who was wearing a determined grin.
‘We won’t lose with Ken on the defense.’ He said inwardly, believing it with every fiber of his being.
“Yokohama wins the toss. Please choose to either bat or field.”
The umpire pointed to Makoto who had a challenging expression on his mug.
“We’ll bat first.”
“Ah…”
Seiji stared at the figure with disbelief.
‘W-What the hell is he doing!? I told him to choose to field if we won the toss.’
Yet before he could intervene, the announcer was one step ahead of him.
“Yokohama has elected to bat first. Please stand by for the beginning of the game.”
As Makoto made his way back to the dugout along with the other players, he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. The coach was staring at his back, giving him an eerie feeling.
“Ma. Ko. To… Did you forget what I said?”
Coach Hanada was gritting his teeth, feeling his annoyance rise up from within.
“A-Ah coach I’m sorry. The other captain was saying he won’t let us get a single run, I might have got caught up in the moment.” Makoto said, looking a little apologetic.
He must have felt he would be backing down by choosing to field first.
Seiji Hanada let out a deep sigh. While he could remain pissed off, nothing would change the predicament. If anything, he knew about the folly’s of youth quite well and couldn’t exactly blame Makoto.
“Just don’t let him get into your head. Stay composed, you’re the Captain remember?”
Makoto nodded like a pecking chicken, “Yes Coach!”
Tatsuya was going to make a smart comment as usual, however that was before he saw the serious expression on the Captain’s face. He could instantly tell that whatever he said would be ignored.
A few moment later, he made his way onto the field and could feel that something had changed. Despite this being their 4th game at Koshien this year, only now did Tatsuya feel an oppressive atmosphere.
‘So this is the Semi-finals huh?’ He thought, trying to calm down his beating heart.
His gaze moved to the large pitcher on the mound who was warming up his arm. The practice throws sounded sharp, making a clear pah sound when they entered the glove.
After his throws were complete, the announcer spoke.
“Batting 1st, Left outfield, Tatsuya.”
“Kyaaa”
“He’s so cool!”
“Look at me Tatsuya!”
Despite hearing the mostly female cheers of the crowd, he didn’t lose focus. There was something about the air today that made him feel like he couldn’t afford to be complacent.
While everyone was gazing at the pitcher and batter, Ken’s eyes stared at one person only.
‘Show me how much you’ve improved Daichi.’
“Play ball!”