Chapter 145: The Next Opponent
The day of the quarterfinal draw finally arrived.
This time, Todoroki Raizo once again brought Daiki Fukuda along with him, hoping Fukuda's good luck could somehow offset his own terrible luck when it came to drawing opponents.
Back at the dormitory, the Yakushi players had already gathered together, impatiently waiting for the two to return.
Everyone was eager to know who their next opponent would be.
"Kou, who do you think we'll face next?" Nakanishi Daiki asked restlessly, unable to sit still.
Kitamura Kou barely looked up as he continued texting Wakaba on his phone.
"I don't really care," he replied casually. "Any team that makes it to the quarterfinals is going to be difficult."
"Kou, do you remember those two guys we met outside Koshien Stadium before?" Akaishi Osamu suddenly asked, as though he had just remembered something important.
"Ah, those guys!" Nakanishi immediately reacted. "The arrogant weirdo who kept provoking us and the glasses guy with the fake friendly smile, right? Their names were…"
While Nakanishi struggled to remember, Kou calmly answered first.
"Hongo Masamune and Enjo Renji."
"That's right!"
Nakanishi slammed his fist into his palm as realization struck him.
"But why bring them up all of a sudden, Akaishi?"
"Didn't you ask me to look into them before?" Akaishi rolled his eyes impatiently. "Out of curiosity, I investigated a little afterward."
"Their team made it into the quarterfinals too."
Kou wasn't surprised at all. Instead, he became more interested.
"I figured as much. So, what did you find out?"
"As far as I can tell, both Hongo Masamune and Enjo Renji are officially registered members of Komadai Fujimaki High School."
"They're first-years, just like us."
"But neither of them has appeared in a game yet."
Akaishi stared directly at Kou.
"Doesn't that sound familiar?"
Kou instantly understood what he meant.
"You're saying they're hiding their strength… just like we did against the three powerhouse schools in West Tokyo."
"Exactly."
Akaishi nodded seriously.
"Komadai Fujimaki feels very similar to Seido High School. They rely heavily on a relay pitching system."
"They've already used three different pitchers so far, and every single one of them has distinct characteristics."
"And honestly? Their stability is far better than Seido's pitching staff."
Akaishi's expression grew increasingly solemn.
"I really hope Coach doesn't draw them this round. If we face them immediately without enough information, winning won't be easy."
Clearly, Akaishi was extremely wary of Komadai Fujimaki High School.
After all, the unknown was always the most frightening thing.
"Akaishi, you worry too much." Nakanishi waved dismissively. "Even if we do face them, what's there to be afraid of?"
"Nakanishi."
Kou's tone suddenly became serious.
"Did you already forget how we defeated the three major powerhouses of West Tokyo?"
"Underestimating your opponents is a terrible habit."
"Yakushi High School isn't strong enough to ignore every challenger."
Kou genuinely felt uneasy.
This was not a good sign.
If the rest of Yakushi High School started thinking like Nakanishi, then their defeat would only be a matter of time.
Despite their seemingly overwhelming victories, Yakushi was far from invincible.
Sanada Shunpei's injury still hadn't fully healed.
Their defense remained full of weaknesses.
The reason they had advanced so smoothly so far was actually quite simple.
First, most opponents had underestimated them and lacked proper information.
Second, Kou had deliberately minimized defensive pressure by striking out huge numbers of batters and carefully controlling where the ball was hit.
That was how Yakushi had barely managed to survive against elite opponents.
But now?
Their hidden cards had already been exposed.
Their opponents had undoubtedly analyzed their weaknesses thoroughly.
If future opponents simply chose to walk Kou and Todoroki Raichi intentionally while forcing the rest of Yakushi's lineup to produce runs, scoring would become far more difficult.
As for Kou himself—
With his current physical condition, pitching all three remaining games wasn't impossible.
But doing so would place enormous strain on his shoulders and dramatically increase the risk of injury.
And if things really reached that point…
Then what difference would there be between this life and his previous one?
Just as Kou's thoughts became heavier and heavier, Todoroki Raizo and Fukuda Daiki finally returned.
The Yakushi players instantly swarmed around them, shouting questions nonstop and creating complete chaos.
"Quiet down!"
Under Raizo's roar, the room finally settled.
Clearing his throat, Todoroki Raizo revealed the result with a serious expression.
"Ahem…"
"Our next opponent is Hakuryu High School."
At first, the Yakushi players didn't think much of it.
After all, they had just crushed Seihou High School, the tournament favorite.
What team could possibly stop them now?
But after watching footage of Hakuryu High School's games, the entire room fell silent.
The relaxed smiles on everyone's faces completely disappeared.
Hakuryu High School was infamous nationwide for one thing:
Speed.
Unlike most powerhouse teams, Hakuryu didn't rely on overwhelming batting power.
Instead, they weaponized terrifying mobility.
To put it simply—
Almost every player on Hakuryu's roster possessed running speed comparable to Yoichi Kuramochi's.
Some were even faster.
Just imagining multiple runners with speed rivaling Kitamura Kou constantly stealing bases was enough to send chills down anyone's spine.
And unfortunately for Yakushi…
This was exactly the kind of opponent they struggled against the most.
Hakuryu specialized in disciplined positional baseball and relentless pressure.
Kou's pitching was dominant, yes—
But no pitcher could strike out every batter forever.
Hakuryu could simply shorten their bats, focus on bunting, and use their speed to force their way onto base.
And once they reached base…
Even Kou couldn't guarantee he could stop them from scoring.
Ultimately, Todoroki Raizo had only coached Yakushi High School for a little over a year.
No matter how intense their training became, Yakushi's defensive ability still lagged far behind the elite programs of West Tokyo.
Most of Yakushi's second- and third-year players were ordinary athletes.
If they possessed extraordinary talent, they would never have ended up at an obscure school like Yakushi in the first place.
And compared to Hakuryu's offense—
Their defense was even more terrifying.
With their extraordinary speed and field coverage, many hits that would normally fall safely into the outfield were effortlessly caught.
Even when Yakushi managed to put the ball in play, reaching base safely would still be incredibly difficult.
To put it bluntly—
Yakushi High School was in serious trouble this time.