"Good job, Shun!" - Coach Yamada praised as the boy arrived at the dugout. He then continued:
"We'll change pitchers in the next inning. Sora, you're up! We still need you in right field, Shun, so stay focused on the game."
"Yes, Coach!" - Shun and Sora said at the same time.
Meanwhile, in Hokuto's dugout:
"You bastard! Why the hell did you swing, huh? Did you not hear my plan?" - Sugawara grabbed the poor second-year student who had hit into a double play by the collar and shouted angrily.
"I-I heard, senpai, but-" - The poor boy stammered, trying to explain himself out of fear, but Sugawara didn't seem interested in listening to an explanation.
"Oh, so you heard and decided to ignore me? Tell me, do you think there was something wrong with my plan?" - Sugawara spoke in a cold voice, glaring at the boy with a murderous intent in his eyes, making the poor boy tremble with fear.
"That's enough, Suga. He already understood!" - Kohei intervened, saving the poor boy.
"Tch! This better not happen again!" - Sugawara muttered as he went to sit on the bench.
-----------
"Ahhhhhh man, I'm exhausted!" - Shun arrived home and sat at the entrance, taking off his sneakers. He then lay on his back on the floor to rest a bit.
"I'm serious. We won 7 to 6. Yes, Kohei pitched, and no, he didn't get injured. Goodnight." - Shun got a bit annoyed by his sister's surprise at his win. He just answered her questions while heading upstairs, not caring about anything else.
Leaving Mika and Hana surprised behind, the girls still hadn't processed everything Shun had said. Even Hana, who was usually shyer than Mika, was curious and wanted to ask Shun how the game went. Unfortunately, the boy missed this golden opportunity to show off in front of his crush, he was simply too tired.
SPLASH
Shun entered the bathtub, sighing in relief. After the game, he still had to complete his dreaded list of exercises, which was the reason for his extreme exhaustion. He then began to recall the game. Even though they had won, he was far from satisfied.
After the seventh run, the first off Kohei, Shoto's batters couldn't even reach base. The reason was that Kohei went all out, even using his new pitch, which made Shun, Ren, and Kenta swing and miss.
A pitch that seemed like a fastball but wasn't at the home plate when you swung the bat, a changeup. A changeup that also dropped when it reached the plate. A special pitch for a special pitcher, a vulcan changeup.
Shun clenched his fists tightly as he remembered swinging and missing against that pitch. Even though they had won this game, it didn't feel like a victory.
The only positive point was perhaps Sora's solid performance. He came in during the fifth inning and didn't give up any runs until the eighth inning. His screwball really challenged Hokuto's batters, but in the ninth inning, the top of the order managed to get on base, and Sugawara hit a grand slam, bringing the score to 7-6.
Although the game ended shortly after that, the entire Shoto team knew this victory didn't mean much. If they only counted the innings where Kohei pitched, they would have lost 6 to 1.
But even though Shun wasn't satisfied, he knew this game was crucial for the team, especially considering a potential matchup against Hokuto in the Kanto tournament. After all, they had the opportunity to see Kohei's new pitch, and their own ace, Jiro, hadn't even pitched in this game.
Shun smiled as he thought about all the things he still needed to do to face those guys in the Kanto tournament. After all, it wouldn't be any fun if things were too easy. It was better that the Hokuto players prepared themselves, because Shun and the other Shoto Junior High School players would definitely come back stronger.