"Time!" - Daigo quickly called out to the umpire behind him as he sprinted toward the mound, pulling off his mask. At that moment, even though he was shaken by the home run given up on a pitch he had called, he knew the priority was ensuring that Sora didn't blame himself. After all, they couldn't afford to change pitchers so early in the game, as it would disrupt their entire game plan.
The other infielders also began running toward the mound, but before any of them could arrive, the young pitcher on the mound raised his hand, signaling for them to stop. Continue reading on empire
"I'm fine, Daigo." - Sora said with a determined voice, locking eyes with his catcher. From his expression, it was clear that Sora wasn't happy about giving up the home run, but it was equally evident that his determination to keep playing remained unshaken.
"Alright." - Daigo nodded, making up his mind as well. Seeing Sora's resolve even after the home run made Daigo reflect on his own shortcomings. The young catcher had been the one most shaken by the home run, as the pitch had been exactly what he called. But thanks to his pitcher's composure, Daigo was able to realize this quickly and regain his focus.
Daigo turned and began walking back to his position behind home plate. Seeing their catcher's actions, the rest of Shoto's infielders returned to their positions, leaving Sora alone on the mound.
"I apologize, we can resume the game." - Daigo said, bowing slightly to the umpire to apologize for calling time and not using it. The umpire, understanding the situation, simply gave Daigo a small nod before signaling for Hokuto's fifth batter to step into the box.
'Let's go, Sora!' - Daigo muttered with determination as he crouched down. He glanced at Hokuto's fifth batter stepping into the box and then back at Sora on the mound. It was far too early in the game to give up!
The first pitch of the duel came—a curveball that dropped from the top of the zone to the lower part.
WOOSHNôv(el)B\\jnn
PAH
"Hmph!" - Sugawara scoffed when he realized he was being ignored. He didn't say anything further, knowing they were in the middle of a game, but his expression made it clear he was already annoyed with Shun.
'Let's crush this bastard, Kohei!' - Sugawara thought as he glanced at his ace on the mound. He then signaled for a fastball, placing his glove squarely in the center of the strike zone. His intention? To defeat this blue-eyed idiot with brute force.
Kohei looked at his friend's signal and gave a small smile before nodding. Even though he wasn't as vengeful as Sugawara, Kohei vividly remembered how Shun had hit his pitches during their practice game earlier that year. For that reason, he had no issue with taking Shun down by force.
Kohei positioned himself confidently on the mound. He lifted his right leg high into the air before slamming it down forcefully. In one quick yet powerful motion, Kohei twisted his torso, facing home plate, and whipped his left arm forward as he delivered the pitch to Sugawara's glove.
'As expected!' - Shun smiled faintly as he watched the white bullet hurtling toward him. Without a moment's hesitation, he swung his bat calmly, aiming for the bottom of the ball.
WOOSH
DING
"F- Foul!" - The umpire stammered slightly as he called the foul ball, his expression showing his astonishment. First, he had witnessed an insanely fast pitch that clearly shouldn't have been thrown by a middle schooler. Then, he saw another middle schooler make contact with it effortlessly, as if it were nothing.
In that moment, the umpire realized he was officiating a special game. Instinctively, he turned to the stadium's radar gun, only to see a number he had never encountered in a middle school game: 144 km/h. It was a speed that many high school pitchers might never reach in their entire careers. Such was the level of Kohei Sasaki, the ace of the U-15 national team.
This was the magnitude of the challenge Shun and the rest of Shoto's team were facing.
And yet... the player who had just made contact with that insane pitch stood in the batter's box, looking at Kohei with an excited smile.