Three outs—switch sides.
Facing Kuramochi Yoichi, Kominato Ryosuke, and Isashiki Jun once again, the pitchers of Seido High School Baseball Team rotated back onto the mound.
When everyone first saw this lineup, they couldn't help but sweat for Kawakami Norifumi and Sawamura Eijun.
They were teammates, after all.
That meant the batters knew their pitchers inside out—their pitch types, habits, even how to counter them.
In this kind of situation, to put it bluntly, not getting shelled would already be a blessing.
Kawakami and a first-year like Sawamura?
Most people expected them to give up hits, maybe even runs.
If they collapsed entirely, no one would've found it surprising.
And yet, the actual result shocked everyone.
A draw.
Three batters up, three batters down—twice in a row.
Now, the pitchers had nothing to be embarrassed about.
Instead, it was the three batters who felt the sting.
They were frustrated too.
This outcome was nothing like what they had imagined.
Who would've thought a first-year rookie could be this capable?
Sawamura's pitches had forced even core third-years into mistakes.
And then there was Kawakami.
Sure, he relied on a few tactical tricks—but wasn't that exactly what a pitcher was supposed to do?
A pitcher's job was to get outs by any means necessary.
There was nothing wrong with his approach.
If anything, his ability to utilize his teammates—
to turn the entire field into a weapon—
was something rare within Seido.
And incredibly valuable.
Coach Kataoka Tesshin remained silent.
Even though it was almost time for breakfast, no one moved.
No one wanted to miss what came next.
Kawakami stepped onto the mound for the second round.
This time, his opponent was the cleanup hitter—Masuko Toru.
"Uga… uga!!"
Standing in the batter's box, Masuko looked like a mountain of muscle and mass.
Among Seido's regulars, he might not have been the most famous—
but when it came to raw batting power?
If Masuko claimed second, no one would dare say they were first.
Not even Yuki Tetsuya or Zhou Hao could confidently surpass him.
With that massive metal bat in hand, even a slight mis-hit could send the ball flying.
"Another troublesome opponent…"
Behind the plate, Chris Yū Takigawa calmly crafted a mixed strategy of deception and precision.
"Bring it!"
On the mound, Kawakami delivered.
Whoosh!
The sidearm pitch cut sharply across the plate.
Masuko swung with full force.
BOOM!
The crack of the bat split the air, making everyone's scalp tingle.
Ping!
As the ball rocketed off the bat, a thought flashed through many players' minds—
Is that going out?
But—
Smack!
Foul.
A wave of regret swept through the field.
Then—
Smack!
Another foul.
Two consecutive fouls, and Masuko was suddenly backed into a corner.
"What's going on?"
Even though they were watching closely, many players couldn't understand what they were seeing.
But Chris—and Zhou Hao at shortstop—saw it clearly.
Kawakami was painting the edges of the strike zone with pinpoint control.
Masuko had no choice but to swing.
And that forced aggression led directly to those results.
Kawakami's pitching was impressive—
but the real mastermind behind it?
Without question, it was Chris.
He knew Masuko too well.
Not just his personality—
but his habits, tendencies, and limits.
In the dugout, Miyuki Kazuya gave a bitter smile.
"…This is bad."
If the previous round could be chalked up to luck—
then what Chris was displaying now was pure skill.
And that was far more terrifying.
Miyuki could already feel it.
Chris was coming for him.
If the next round also ended in three up, three down…
then at best, they'd settle for a draw.
And if Sawamura slipped even slightly—
the consequences would be disastrous.
Going second had its advantages.
But if the first pitcher performed flawlessly…
it became overwhelming pressure.
Just like now.
If Sawamura had pitched first earlier, the outcome might've been different.
But now—
there was no turning back.
"The next pitch will be a fly ball."
Miyuki suddenly spoke.
Sawamura blinked in surprise.
They hadn't even started yet—how could he already predict the result?
Ping!
A powerful swing sent the ball soaring.
It climbed fifty, sixty meters high—before dropping straight down.
"…It really is a fly ball?"
Sawamura's eyes widened.
Was Miyuki secretly a psychic?
"How did you know?"
"It's all in the pitch calling," Miyuki replied calmly. "Masuko-senpai fell right into the trap."
Chris had exploited Masuko's mindset and his batting habits.
That's how he got him out.
If this were a full game, Masuko might've had a chance to recover later.
But here—
he could only serve as a backdrop.
Smack!
The ball dropped.
Caught cleanly.
Out.
Masuko was retired.
One out, no runners on base.
The next batter to step up was Shirasu Kenjiro, known for his steady and reliable batting.
As Shirasu settled into the batter's box, lowering his center of gravity and calmly taking his stance, Chris Yū Takigawa inhaled slowly.
In a way, Shirasu was the worst possible matchup for Kawakami Norifumi.
Kawakami's weakness wasn't glaring—he simply lacked a defining edge.
His pitching was balanced across the board.
Velocity, control, breaking balls, delivery—everything was solid.
But nothing stood out.
And Shirasu?
He was exactly the same.
A well-rounded batter with no obvious weaknesses, capable of adjusting and making contact at any moment.
Against someone like that, Kawakami's advantages disappeared.
This was going to be a tough fight.
The duel began.
Kawakami followed Chris's signals without hesitation.
Whoosh!
Ping!
Ping!
"Foul!"
"Ball!"
Back and forth they went, pitch after pitch, locked in a tense stalemate.
Until—
Kawakami made a mistake.
It was only a slight miscalculation.
But against someone like Shirasu, even the smallest error was fatal.
Ping!
The ball was sent flying.
The temporary second baseman lunged—
—but came up just a fraction short.
"Ahh!!"
A collective sigh rippled through the Seido High School Baseball Team.
If it had been Kominato Ryosuke or Kominato Haruichi…
maybe that ball would've been stopped.
But there are no "ifs" on the field.
Earlier, Kawakami had benefited from Zhou Hao's defense.
Now, conceding a hit because of a defensive gap—
was only fair.
Smack!
The ball bounced into the outfield.
No one cheered.
Both sides were their teammates.
They were only spectators here—nothing more.
"Safe!"
At last—
the first clean hit of the match.
One out, runner on first.
Kawakami stood frozen on the mound.
Emotionally, it was hard to accept.
He knew very well—
with the level Sawamura Eijun had shown earlier…
the chances of Sawamura giving up a hit here were extremely low.
This mistake might have just ended his chances.
Just as that thought took hold—
"Calm down! Focus on getting this last batter!"
Chris's voice rang out.
At this stage, even Kawakami himself had nearly given up.
It wasn't a lack of determination—
he simply couldn't see a path to victory anymore.
But Chris didn't let him sink.
That was what made him an exceptional partner.
With a strong pitcher, he stayed in the background.
When the pitcher faltered, he stepped forward and guided them back.
For a brief moment, Kawakami even thought—
If Chris were always my catcher… maybe I could become much stronger.
But now wasn't the time for that.
Right now, there was only one thing left to do—
get the final out.
His last opponent:
Oshima Shin.
A first-year monster rookie.
Unlike the others, whom Kawakami knew inside and out—
Oshima was still an unknown.
On the mound, Kawakami steadied his breathing.
Then he poured everything into his arm—
and delivered.
Whoosh!
From the sidelines, Kominato Haruichi muttered:
"Outside corner…"
Against unfamiliar batters, Kawakami often started with an outside pitch.
And just as expected—
this one went wide.
But Oshima reacted instantly.
He stepped out—
turning a difficult pitch into one squarely within his range.
Impressive…
Even before the result, the Seido players could already tell.
Ping!
A clean, explosive hit.
The ball soared high—seventy, eighty meters—before crashing into the outfield.
An extra-base hit.
"Safe!"
"Safe!!"
One out—
runners on second and third.
Kawakami hadn't allowed any runs.
After all, the format was only three batters.
But the damage was done.
Across two rounds:
one hit.
one extra-base hit.
And the ones who did it—
weren't the usual core players.
Now, all eyes turned toward Oshima.
They had all seen Kawakami's performance today.
Even against Kominato Ryosuke and Isashiki Jun—
he hadn't faltered.
Yes, there was luck.
Yes, there was help.
But he got the outs.
And yet—
against Oshima?
No struggle.
No hesitation.
Just one clean swing—
and the ball was gone.
If that pitch hadn't been outside—
it might've been a two-run homer.
As the saying goes:
You don't recognize true quality until you compare.
Compared to the rest of Seido—
Oshima wasn't just keeping up.
He was ahead.
"As expected of a middle school superstar… incredible."
The Seido players couldn't help but nod in admiration.
As for the duel between the two pitchers—
the outcome was still unclear.
But one thing was certain:
Oshima Shin would soon claim a regular spot.
His debut had shocked the entire field.
Acting as umpire, Kataoka Tesshin looked at Oshima with new interest.
Sometimes, it really was like a snowball.
As long as Seido maintained its momentum—
talent like this would keep arriving.
And their dominance would only continue.
The match went on.
Now—
only Sawamura remained.
As he stepped onto the mound for the second round—
the lineup shifted.
Kuramochi Yoichi.
Kominato Ryosuke.
Isashiki Jun.
All three returned.
Meanwhile, Zhou Hao moved—
from shortstop…
to third base.
The pressure on Sawamura just skyrocketed.