Chapter 33: To Be Greedy

Facing unprecedented opponents, Miyuki showed no signs of shrinking back but instead revealed even more determination in his eyes.

At this critical moment, every second counted.

Badum! Badum!!

Miyuki could clearly hear his own heartbeat, a feeling he hadn't experienced in a while.

'We're about to face the Captain of Steel next. Be mentally prepared! Any sweet pitch now could be fatal. So, make sure your pitch isn't easy to hit.'

Furuya, despite the four balls and the hit, did not lose his fighting spirit.

His determination was still strong!

Miyuki was pleased to see his partner's resilience.

'Let's tackle this dragon together!'

There was no doubt that Tetsuya was a dragon among batters.

Before the game, not only were the pitcher-catcher duo nervous. Even the fielders were extremely anxious.

They knew too well the power of Tetsuya's hits—once the ball was struck, it was as fast as lightning, leaving no time to react.

Could they stop such a ball?

'I won't let him hit it. I absolutely won't!'

Furuya took a deep breath and concentrated all his strength into his pitching fingers.

Roaar!

The pitch roared like a landslide, with a monstrous howl, heading towards home plate.

Miyuki's eyes lit up at the catcher's position.

'The pitch was well-placed. Though not exactly where I wanted it, this location was still tough for the batter.'

BUZZZZZZ!

The low, powerful swing was filled with overwhelming force. Facing the well-placed, 150 km/h fastball, Tetsu swung his bat with no hesitation!

PANG!

The white ball was hit and flew out faster than it had come.

The ball passed over the second baseman's head.

Kominato Haruichi wasn't intimidated by the fierce hit. With his prodigal dynamic vision and amazing reflexes, he leaped up in an attempt to catch it.

If he were 30 centimeters taller or could jump half a meter more, he might have caught it.

Unfortunately, that wasn't possible.

The ball flew into the center field, resulting in a long hit!!

The white ball sliced through the defense, resulting in a super long hit!

At this moment, Captain Tetsuya looked incredibly impressive.

"Yoshaa!"

Isashiki didn't even have time to start running early; the ball landed so quickly that it seemed to penetrate the field like a laser.

Laughing heartily, Isashiki Jun began to run forward without a moment's hesitation.

Behind him, Tetsuya was also running towards first base.

In the distance, Kominato Ryosuke, stationed at second base, had already started heading toward third base. Despite his not-so-bulky frame, Kominato's speed was good enough. In no time, he had passed third base.

The third-base coach signaled for Kominato to continue.

At this moment, the Seidou High outfielders had not yet reached the ball. Even if they did, the ball was still 70 meters away.

This distance made it easy to return home!

Isashiki, being directly in front of the outfield, noticed this as well. Not only was Kominato continuing, but he wasn't planning to stop either.

With a firm step on the second base, Isashiki Jun kept advancing.

Kominato seemed like he was running better than usual, and in the blink of an eye, he reached home plate.

"SAFE!"

Thus, the Senpai's team managed to score the first run.

The once formidable pitching kingdom now seemed like a joke.

"Haha!"

Standing on third base, Isashiki planned to continue advancing.

As a Seidou High player, it's crucial to be aggressive in key moments. Moreover, the outfield's central player was a newly promoted freshman, not Sawamura.

Even if the rookie retrieved the ball, with a 70-meter distance, the chance of making a mistake was high.

'There was an opportunity, definitely an opportunity.'

If there's an opportunity, take it; if not, create one.

This was the message Isashiki intended to convey to the younger players through his actions.

"Stop!"

Unexpectedly, at this moment, the third-base coach signaled Isashiki to halt.

Though Isashiki wanted to continue, the long-term trust built with his team made him decide to stop.

Cooperation means mutual trust.

It's not only between players but also with supporting teammates, who must be trusted unconditionally.

Even though Isashiki was eager to attack, he chose to trust his teammates' judgment at this critical moment.

And that judgment proved correct.

The ball was thrown from the outfield to home plate like a guided missile.

The throw was incredibly fast; despite the 70 meters it traveled, its power remained undiminished.

Snap!

The baseball landed accurately in Miyuki's glove.

"Great job!!"

Miyuki praised sincerely.

The save was crucial; with Tetsuya's hit, even the runner on first base had a good chance of reaching home.

Fortunately, Toujou's defense was solid, and the throw was both fast and accurate.

The new team's key outfielder, Toujou Hideaki, at this moment, proved his worth with action.

"So it was Toujou huh? If I'm not mistaken, isn't that guy a pitcher?"

On third base, Isashiki frowned and asked.

The base coach beside him nodded: "That's right!"

"With such good throws and fast pitching, don't give up being a pitcher, you fool!"

Isashiki Jun shouted at Toujou.

With nearly a hundred players on the baseball team, Isashiki Jun couldn't remember everyone. However, if someone has potential like Toujou, he will. And he was willing to offer advice.

"And Furuya, are you an idiot? Why aren't you covering home plate when the ball was hit to the outfield? What if the throw was off? If you want to take the number from Sawamura, be more reliable!"

After encouraging Toujou, Isashiki didn't forget to 'advise' Furuya.

Furuya looked duly reprimanded kid.

In the outfield, Toujou's eyes showed a hint of struggle.

He didn't want to give up pitching, but with Sawamura and Furuya on the team, what could he do?

Though Kanemaru and Kariba helped him to practice more on his own, it was tough…

"There's nothing to be conflicted about. If you're greedy, you have to put in more effort than others. I also practice hard to become a good outfielder and stay on the field more, it is not about what I want, but what I need."

Sawamura seemed to read Toujou's thoughts and spoke to him.

"Thank you!"

Toujou was deeply moved and expressed his heartfelt gratitude.

Sawamura smiled, returned to his defensive position, and said no more.

Toujou Hideaki was undoubtedly an amazing talent. He also had great potential as a pitcher. Unfortunately, his luck wasn't great…

In the same grade with Sawamura and Furuya, it was difficult for him to stand out as a pitcher.

But it doesn't mean that he has no chance to be a pitcher at all. If he could recognize what he can do and adjust himself timely…

He might still have a chance.

With one Out and runners on first and third bases.

After Tetsuya reached first base, he didn't continue to second. Toujou's position was 70 meters from home plate and about 30 to 40 meters from second base.

Given this situation, attempting to steal a base was risky and could result in an Out.

Tetsuya wisely chose to stay at first base.

Moreover, this setup also puts pressure on the pitcher.

"Fifth batter, catcher, Takigawa Chris."

Originally, according to the previous rules, the fifth batter should have been Masuko. However, Masuko chose to move Chris into that spot.

"Tetsu's on-base rate is high, and your hitting is more reliable. I'll bat behind you."

"Is that okay?" Chris frowned.

On the surface, this adjustment seemed meaningless, but it was actually significant. It implied that Masuko was indirectly acknowledging that Chris was a better hitter.

For a proud baseball player, recognizing this and suggesting it was not easy.

Masuko's proposal was accepted by all the third-year players.

Ultimately, Chris took the position of the fifth batter.

And now, with such a great opportunity…

Miyuki, as the catcher, was also deeply moved.

Though Chris had been injured before, his luck wasn't too bad. He managed to seize every opportunity.

However, that didn't mean Miyuki would go easy on him.

Miyuki's mind raced, strategizing how to handle Chris's hitting.

Soon, he had a plan in mind.

'Here we go!'

Seeing Miyuki's signal, Furuya on the mound nodded slightly and prepared to pitch.

Seeing this, Miyuki's heart sank.

Wait! You have to pin Tetsu-san to the base first!'

At first base, Tetsuya had advanced 4 to 5 meters towards second base, and on third base, Isashiki Jun had advanced 3 to 4 meters.

In this situation, monitoring the runners was crucial.

Sometimes, it was necessary to throw a few pick-off attempts even if you don't get the runners Out, you will still shorten the lead and pin them to the base.

Unfortunately, the airhead Furuya had no such concept in mind.

He was entirely focused on his duel with the batter.

Miyuki felt a shiver.

At Koshien, Furuya had dominated opponents almost throughout, showing impressive performance. Even those around in the team believed Furuya's pitching was extraordinary that they neglected his other skills.

'Here is a flaw!'

They found a big flaw here!

…

T/N: That's it for now!

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