Chapter 29: Same Dream!

PING!!

The white ball, after being smashed, soared like a falling star!

The baseball landed near the left field line for a long hit!

Unexpectedly, Maezono delivered a crucial hit in his first at-bat today.

"YEAAAAH!!!!"

He roared loudly after his hit as if he was releasing all the pressure he had accumulated.

Coach Kataoka had high expectations for Maezono, and the young man himself understood this –he is not that naïve- but had yet to deliver a decent performance

Only he knew how much pressure he had been under!

Previously, when he clashed with Miyuki, though Maezono acted tough, he still lacked confidence.

After all, Miyuki was an indispensable member of the team, whereas Maezono's role was less critical.

Such a comparison naturally made Maezono feel inadequate!

In the previous game against East Tokyo's champions, Teito High School, he hadn't shown anything.

His teammates had been worried about him.

Now, he had finally lived up to everyone's expectations…

Miyuki dashed home from second base, and Maezono advanced to second base.

The consecutive hits from the fourth and fifth batters helped the team extend their lead.

The score was now 3:2, with Seidou High School trailing by just one point.

Furuya, who was next, managed to hit the ball, but it landed right in front of the second baseman, who caught it and threw it to first base.

"OUT!"

Three Outs, offense and defense exchange.

Back in the rest area, Seidou High School's players were in good spirits.

Despite the opponent scoring three runs in the first inning, the fourth and fifth batters had delivered, especially Maezono.

"Ha, now we're just one point behind!"

"Let's catch up quickly!"

"Don't get too complacent…"

The atmosphere in the dugout was very positive.

While falling behind by three runs had been stressful for everyone, the current situation was much better.

A one-run difference was different from being three runs behind.

Even though they were still trailing, Seidou was getting momentum.

"Great job, Maezono!"

Miyuki extended his hand for a high-five with Maezono.

When Maezono first saw Miyuki extend his hand, he didn't know how to feel.

After all, he had recently had a disagreement with Miyuki, and even though the issue had been resolved with Sawamura's support, things would never be as easygoing as before.

At this moment, he could have chosen to ignore Miyuki, staying true to his own principles.

But in the end, Maezono did not do that.

Despite their differing values, they shared the same dream. Seidou High School had once won the highest peak, and within the current first string, many players were part of the team that dominated Koshien.

Some were former main forces, others were substitutes, and some had barely stepped onto the Koshien stage.

Maezono himself had never been to Koshien and was still in the second string before summer. Yet, whether they had been to Koshien or not, everyone wanted to go back.

As Coach Kataoka said, that era has ended, and now their era has just begun.

To return to Koshien with the team and dominate the nation again. This is the shared dream of all Seidou High School players.

So, even if their values were completely different, they were willing to work together for this common dream.

Puffing up his cheeks, Maezono's hand firmly clapped Miyuki's extended hand.

Clap!

The crisp sound seemed to resonate in the hearts of all Seidou High School teammates.

Due to the earlier conflict between Miyuki and Maezono, the other first-string players had also sensed a background tension in the team. Despite Sawamura forcibly suppressing the conflict, the emotional barrier remained.

Now, seeing Miyuki and Maezono reconciled, everyone's anxiety was eased.

In the top of the second inning, Ugumori High School was up to bat!

At this inning, Furuya's monstrous pitching power fully erupted. His pitching momentum was intimidating, like a beast that had suddenly awakened.

Facing a fastball exceeding 150 km/h, Ugumori High School's lower lineup struggled in vain.

Two Strikeouts in a row!

"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!"

"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!"

Furuya easily took down Ugumori High School's eighth and ninth batters.

Two Outs, no one on base.

Now, it was the turn of the leadoff batter, Kondou Daiki.

He was clearly different from the two lower-order batters. He watched the ball closely, refusing to swing at low pitches unless absolutely necessary.

Furuya's control, while good enough to pitch into the strike zone, had difficulty reaching low corners consistently.

"STRIKE!"

"BALL!"

"BALL!"

"BALL!!"

After one Strike, three Balls followed.

Straight and Forkballs at low courses, all missed the strike zone.

'This wouldn't do!'

Miyuki, the catcher, frowned.

If the situation continued, a walk was inevitable. If Furuya threw another Four Balls, it would surely affect his performance.

His subconscious might start to think his ability was limited.

If the impression of not hitting the strike zone took hold, Furuya's pitching state would only deteriorate.

So, throw a straight ball! A high one, your best position.

At a crucial moment, Miyuki ended this pointless confrontation and changed the strategy to a more direct approach.

Roaar!!

The straight ball roared like a raging monster.

In the batter's box, a glimmer of excitement appeared in Kondou's fish eyes.

The ball he was waiting for had arrived!

His bat, an extension of his own arm, swung unhesitatingly at the baseball.

Ping!

The white ball was hit and bounced to the ground!

Kondou's eyes showed some surprise.

'Heavy!'

'Heavier than before.'

After being hit, the ball landed beside the pitcher and began to roll away.

Although Furuya made a defensive move, he didn't stop the ball.

Behind him, Haruichi moved up with keen intuition.

Snap!

He picked up the ball and threw it to first base.

His speed was quick, but the runner's was even faster. After Furuya's delay, the ball wasn't stopped on the first rebound and was only caught by Haruichi on the second.

This delay wasn't short, and by the time Haruichi picked up the ball and threw to first base, more than three seconds had passed.

With this delay, Kondou managed to reach first base.

"Safe!"

The first runner reached base after two outs.

Ugumori High School's offense looked like it wouldn't stop.

"That ball was unavoidable; the pitching itself was fine."

Miyuki comforted Furuya and handed him the returned ball.

It's easy to say, but Miyuki himself was cautious. Kondou had left a strong impression.

'His batting skills were superb, his eye for the ball was sharp, and his speed was impressive.'

'Combined, his skills resembled a mix of Ryo-san and Kuramochi. While he might not be as strong in any single aspect, as a whole, he could be even more troublesome than the two…'

'I didn't expect Ugumori High School to have such a player hidden!'

Miyuki knew well that with Furuya's fielding skills, dealing with Kondou Daiki would be tricky.

'So, as his partner, I handle it!'

'Don't worry about the runner, focus on pitching.'

Miyuki signaled Furuya.

Furuya complied, pitching the ball without even glancing at the stealing Kondou.

Roaar!!

Just as Furuya began his pitching motion, Kondou suddenly moved like a lurking ghost.

"A steal!"

In the stands, Owada Akiko covered her mouth in surprise.

"Stealing bases with two outs?"

She clearly couldn't understand the intention behind Ugumori's risky play.

At the catcher's position, Miyuki's mouth curved into a cold arc. he caught the ball while he was standing up and threw it to second base like a laser.

Whoosh!

Kuramochi, already prepared, dashed to second base, catching the ball and tagging Kondou.

"Yes Yes! Thanks for your hard work!"

"OUT!"

Three Outs, offense and defense exchange.

Fujio shook his head with a wry smile.

"With Furuya-kun's pitching speed and Miyuki-kun's containment skills, there are probably few players who can steal bases against them!"

Especially Miyuki!

In the catcher's position, he was reliably intimidating.

At the bottom of the second inning, Seidou High School was up to bat.

"OUT!"

"OUT!"

"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!"

Seidou High School's lower lineup ultimately failed to achieve much and was Out one after another.

Facing Umemiya for the first time, it was difficult to grasp his pitching rhythm.

…

T/N: Thank you all for reading!! And I hope you all have a nice day!

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