WOOSH
DOOONG
Shun turned his attention to the field when he heard the loud sound of a hit. All he could see was the ball flying into the right-field stands.
"Yeeahh!! Nice Homer, Captain!"
Shun heard the cheers from his teammates in the dugout and smiled. It seemed the new captain was showing what he was made of.
He watched as Kenta and Ren trotted around the bases before returning to the dugout, full of excitement.
"You were right, Shun! He really drops his glove when he throws the cutter." - Kenta said with a grin. While he didn't need that information to hit Ootori's pitcher, knowing what pitch was coming made things much easier.
"Hehe." - Shun let out a satisfied chuckle.
"Huh? What are you guys talking about?" - The young samurai Ren, overhearing the conversation, asked curiously.
"Oh, it's like this..." - Shun realized that Ren was the only one who didn't know about the tell yet, so he calmly explained everything to him.
The young samurai listened attentively, knowing he still had more at-bats to come. However, to Shun's dismay, as soon as the explanation ended, Ren began complaining:
"Why the hell did you tell me this just now, huh? I almost got out because of that cutter! Hey, Kenta, don't get cocky! Your home run doesn't count!" - Ren grumbled, but Kenta didn't seem bothered by his friend's annoyance. He headed straight to the bench to chat cheerfully with Mio Shimizu.
Unfortunately for Shun, he didn't have a girlfriend to talk to, so he had to endure the young samurai's complaints until the end of the inning.
The rest of Shoto's offense didn't disappoint. With Shun's tip, the opponent's cutter became useless. Daigo and Sora quickly got hits, placing two runners on base for the first-year Ryosuke, who crushed a three-run homer, raising the score to 6-0.
Unfortunately, the bottom of Shoto's lineup was much weaker. Even knowing what pitches were coming, they still struggled to hit the cutters.
After all, it's not easy to hit a pitch without seeing it at least once. The strength of Shoto's top lineup only made the lower half seem worse than it really was.
With the top of the first inning over, Shun ran onto the field, heading to his position in right field. He was eager to finally see the improvements to his Chase skill, now at the legendary level.
But unfortunately for him, Sora had no intention of letting Ootori's batters hit balls to the outfield, or anywhere, for that matter.
The first Ootori batter stepped into the box. The previous confidence from their team had vanished, replaced by the fear and desperation of being retired. Daigo noticed this clearly from behind the plate and quickly signaled Sora.
WOOSH
DING
But hitting Sora's screwball wasn't that simple. The ball was once again hit toward Ren, who easily fielded it and threw to first base.
PAH
"Out!"
The third batter stepped into the box, even more nervous than the first two. Their ace, whom they relied on, had given up six runs in a single inning, and now they had to face these strange pitches?
Daigo noticed the batter's unease and signaled to Sora once more. Sora nodded and began his wind-up. The pitch came.
The batter, nervous, saw what looked like a fastball right down the middle. But remembering how his teammates had been retired, he adjusted his swing, expecting the ball to drop.
WOOSH
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DING
Unfortunately for him, this time it was indeed a fastball, and his swing adjustment caused him to pop the ball up.
Daigo quickly removed his mask and tracked the ball. He took a few steps, stopped, and raised his glove above his head.
PAH
"Out! 3 Outs, Changeover!"
"Nice pitch, Sora!" - Shun said as he reached the dugout, giving the boy a pat on the back.
"Thank you, Senpai!" - Sora replied with a smile. That compliment meant a lot to him. Over the past year, his respect and admiration for Shun had only grown. Even though Shun was also a pitcher, he never hesitated to spend time helping Sora improve, and the young pitcher was incredibly grateful for that.
"Hehe." - Shun chuckled lightly, but in his mind, he hoped Sora would let at least a few balls go toward the outfield so he could test his Chase skill.
However, after looking into the boy's eyes and sensing Sora's determination, Shun knew that probably wouldn't happen in this game.