Chapter 33: Reckless

"Nice pitching, Ume-chan!"

"Let's take down Seidou like this!"

"Keep it up!"

"We can do it, we definitely can!"

After Umemiya's double play, the Ugumori players were thrilled.

This team had one very peculiar trait: they seemed completely unaware of what it meant to be in a slump. They never appeared disheartened and were always taking the initiative, even when behind and facing an unfavorable situation. They showed no signs of giving up.

Now that their Ace was performing exceptionally well, they were all fired up and full of spirit.

This atmosphere left the Seidou players puzzled and confused. Their impression of Ugumori was far from positive. It was as if Ugumori was a child new to baseball, entirely unconcerned with the game's status and just wholeheartedly enjoying it.

This, in turn, put immense pressure on the Seidou players.

They were completely different from Ugumori High School, which played without much strategic thinking. Seidou always prioritized winning. While enjoying the game was important, losing rendered everything meaningless.

The King Seidou!

To be King Seidou, they had to keep winning and reach the pinnacle of the nation. If they lost, no matter how spectacular the game, it would not befit their title of King.

It seemed impossible otherwise.

As a result, the pressure on the Seidou players was significantly greater compared to their Ugumori counterparts.

In contrast, it was no wonder that Seidou's players regarded Ugumori's team as if they were insane. They seemed utterly indifferent.

A bunch of ambitionless players!

The game continued, and in the top of the fifth inning, Ugumori High School began their offensive.

Furuya quickly scored an Out, and it was the troublesome Kondou Daiki's turn to bat.

Among the current Ugumori High School lineup, Kondou Daiki was the most challenging opponent for Furuya.

His all-around skills seemed to be perfectly designed to counter Furuya.

He raised his bat high and stared menacingly at Furuya.

"FOUL!"

"BALL!"

"BALL!"

"FOUL!"

After a battle of wills, he successfully drew a Walk and reached first base.

One Out, runner on first base!

For Ugumori, advancing the runner was crucial in this situation.

If it were Seidou, facing a similar situation—even with a runner like Kuramochi—they would not recklessly employ base-stealing tactics.

Ugumori had attempted numerous steals before, with several attempts thwarted by Miyuki's strong defense.

If Seidou faced such a scenario, Kuramochi would generally not attempt a steal.

For Seidou, attempting a steal in such conditions was akin to handing the opponent an Out. Such tactics would only be used if they were completely out of options.

Ugumori, however, was entirely different.

Even though previous attempts had been stopped by Miyuki, Kondou did not hesitate and charged forward.

"This is insane!" Akiko exclaimed from the stands, her face filled with disbelief.

Fujio's expression was one of caution.

'Such seemingly reckless moves, if unsuccessful, would waste their chances.'

'But if they succeeded, the outcome…'

It remained to be seen if they could succeed this time.

Miyuki Kazuya's pickoff attempts remained sharp and intimidating, with the ball zipping to second base like a laser.

Snap!

Kuramochi caught the ball and turned to tag Kondou Daiki. But unfortunately, he was a step too late.

"SAFE!"

Ugumori, which had previously failed several times, finally succeeded.

The timing difference might have been just fractions of a second, but the result was unforgiving.

Only when Kondou Daiki was on base did Miyuki realize his mistake.

'I was too complacent!'

By consistently using the same strategy, Furuya had subconsciously ignored the runners on base. He had assumed that as long as he made the pitch, Miyuki would handle the runners.

'While I am pleased with his trust, our problems were not that simple.'

When Furuya ignored the runners, they could advance further from their bases without waiting for his pickoff. During the preliminary motion of pitching, they could steal bases directly.

A pickoff attempt, even by Miyuki, was challenging to complete alone.

'I can't blame Furuya; I took the responsibility myself. I should have been more vigilant.'

But he had not anticipated this issue.

'Others, however, were waiting for it.'

Thinking this over, Miyuki shifted his focus to Ugumori High School's dugout.

'Someone there had figured it out and taken a bold approach.'

'Now, they had succeeded.'

What seemed like a reckless move had a deeper meaning.

"Nice job, Dai-chan!"

"We're not losing in speed."

"Lightning fast!"

The atmosphere among Ugumori players became even more vibrant. Their lost confidence was gradually being restored.

Umemiya had successfully neutralized Seidou's lineup.

Their Ace was becoming increasingly steady and tough.

At the same time, their offense was showing results.

If Ugumori High School had been in a slump before, they were now beginning their comeback.

A few spectators had started cheering for Ugumori. Their performance against Seidou exceeded expectations, earning them some support. However, compared to the overwhelming support for Seidou, Ugumori's cheers seemed rather insignificant.

The game continued.

Even on second base, Kondou remained restless, eager to steal.

Miyuki did not remind Furuya to make a pickoff attempt.

'If that's what you guys want, then I will humor you.'

If Kondou attempted to steal second, it was a lapse in his defense! But if he tried to advance further, Miyuki was prepared to teach him a lesson.

Stealing under Miyuki's watchful eye was no easy feat. Stealing third base would be even harder!

Miyuki was confident he could stop him.

Unexpectedly, the opponent did not attempt it.

Ping!

Ugumori's second batter executed a bunt, sending the ball forward.

He was Out, but Kondou Daiki advanced to third base.

Two Outs, runner on third base!

'This is confusing.' Asou in the left field was confused.

'What are they planning?' Kanemaru was looking at Kondou, not like the situation.

This situation left the Seidou High players bewildered.

If Kondou had stolen the base directly, they could have guessed Ugumori's intentions.

'But now, Ugumori had used a sacrifice bunt to advance Kondou to third base. What is their plan?' Maezono thought.

They couldn't understand it at all.

'With two Outs, the runner on third base seemed irrelevant; we just need to focus on the batter.' Kuramochi was thinking of the next course of action.

'Was Ugumori setting up their third batter to face off against Furuya-kun directly?' Haruichi speculated.

'That seemed like the only logical explanation, but the problem was, even if that were their plan, Kondou Daiki was already in scoring position.' Miyuki wondered.

'What was the purpose of Ugumori's second batter sacrificing to advance him?'

Seidou's players were puzzled.

They didn't anticipate that the most unlikely thing was actually happening…

The moment Miyuki passed the ball back to Furuya, Kondou launched an immediate dash for home plate!!!

And he did so not quietly but blatantly, charging like a headless chicken!

It felt like a suicide squad charge.

'NO WAY!!'

When Miyuki saw the opponent's move, his first thought was that Kondou was insane.

Then he quickly understood Ugumori's tactic: they were trying to distract Furuya and force him into a mistake.

Runners don't always need to run for real…

Miyuki realized that a bold plan was taking shape in his mind.

If his partner were Sawamura, Miyuki wouldn't need to say anything; Sawamura would handle it easily.

But with Furuya, it was different.

Miyuki's mind raced with countless thoughts. Finally, he shouted to Furuya.

"Don't rush! Take your time!!"

His voice had a sense of urgency.

Kondou Daiki, initially charging like a headless chicken, seemed to receive some kind of signal.

'Had Furuya made a mistake?'

He didn't even have time to look back. Like a shark sensing blood, he accelerated towards home plate.

In the catcher's position, Miyuki's mouth curved into a smirk.

'Sure enough!'

Ugumori's players would go to any lengths to attack if they had the chance.

'But Furuya made no mistake…'

As this thought crossed his mind, Miyuki was surprised to see that the ball he received was off-target!

And significantly so.

'This guuuy!'

The moment Furuya saw Kondou Daiki steal the base, he was momentarily distracted.

The return throw was fast, but the ball was off.

With Furuya's pitching speed, a missed throw could lead to a serious problem.

Facing the sudden situation, Miyuki took a deep breath, stepped away from his position, and firmly caught the ball with his Mitt.

SNAP!

As he caught the ball, Kondou Daiki arrived at home plate.

Miyuki coldly tagged him Out with his Mitt.

"You really worked hard!"

"OUT!"

Three Outs and the defense switched.

Even if Ugumori reached home plate, Seidou's performance remained impressively calm.

They stood like a mountain in front of their opponents, making it impossible for them to climb.

"Well done!"

"Miyuki, great job!"

"Nice play!"

His teammates rushed over to celebrate with him, and Maezono looked on with admiration

"This guy!"

Among his peers, Miyuki's skills were on a different level.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, Seidou High School began their attack.

Now, the Seidou players could finally analyze Umemiya's breaking ball.

Ping!

"OUT!"

The third batter, Shiratsu, was quickly dealt with.

He was a pragmatic player. Since he wasn't sure he could handle Umemiya's new breaking ball, he aimed for straight balls and slow Curves.

'Umemiya couldn't avoid throwing slow curves and straight balls, right?'

His strategy ultimately led to his Out.

Umemiya delivered another breaking ball.

On the surface, this ball didn't look much different from a straight ball. Shiratsu, who was aiming for a Straight ball, swung directly.

So, he was Out.

One out, no runners on base.

Miyuki stepped up to bat.

From Shiratsu's experience, Miyuki understood that avoiding a decisive confrontation with Umemiya was not possible.

Judging by his performance, Umemiya didn't mind letting Seidou batters see more of his pitches, which indicated he had strong confidence in his winning shot.

To completely defeat Ugumori, they had to defeat Umemiya, and to defeat Umemiya, they needed to hit his new breaking ball.

'Bring it on!'

With his bat raised high, Miyuki resolved to confront Umemiya head-on.

"FOUL!"

"FOUL!"

Ping!

"OUT!"

He fought through a few pitches but couldn't escape being out in the end.

'That is fine.'

Miyuki wasn't bothered by this result. He'd gathered enough information through the encounter.

Next, he needed to digest the information and look for an opportunity to defeat the opponent.

"STRIKE!"

"STRIKE!"

"STRIKE BATTER OUT!"

The next batter Maezono was Out too.

Two Shutout, one Strikeout.

This was Umemiya's pitching record after unveiling his new breaking ball.

Seidou's once-steaming offensive train came to an abrupt halt.

However, Seidou's performance remained strong. They played steadily, solving batters Out one after another.

"OUT!"

"OUT!"

"OUT!"

Three Outs, offense and defense exchange.

Even without the Demon King Sawamura, Seidou High School continued to display their skills and efforts.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, after Furuya was Out, Toujou hit a Straight ball and managed to get a hit a hit.

One Out, runner on first base.

Even after Umemiya showcased his new breaking ball, Seidou High School's offense showed no signs of stopping.

At this moment, Ugumori showed a rare level of teamwork.

"OUT!"

"OUT!"

Through their tenacious effort, they finally resolved Asou and Kanemaru.

They held the game not allowing more points.

Thus, both sides exchanged blows, leading to a two-inning pitching duel.

Then the game moved into the top of the seventh inning.

An almost frantic crisis hit Seidou.

…