It was the bottom of the eighth inning, and Seido was back on offense.
"Yuki, you can do it! Get another run!"
Seeing Yuki step into the batter's box, the greedy Seido supporters shouted enthusiastically.
On the opposite side, the few Akikawa fans present also cheered loudly for their Ace.
As the game went on, word had spread that You Shunshin was an international student and that this was his final tournament. Many neutral spectators were moved by the lone Ace who had carried his team this far almost single-handedly.
Without realizing it, more and more people began cheering for him.
"Sigh… looks like we've become the villains again," Kanzaki Ryou said with a grin.
For some reason, whenever Seido played these days, it always felt like they were bullying weaker teams, making the audience sympathize with their opponents.
Chris chuckled lightly beside him.
"From the perspective of the teams we defeat, haven't we always been the villains?"
Kanzaki laughed.
"This summer, we'll go all the way."
"We'll become the biggest villains of them all."
Chris nodded calmly.
"Yes… we will."
On the Field
Bang!
Yuki swung at the first pitch, sending a powerful foul ball screaming down the line.
You Shunshin felt the immense pressure coming from Seido's cleanup hitter. After some thought, he made a decision.
He would walk him.
In the past, he wouldn't have dared to do this. Walking Yuki meant facing Kanzaki Ryou next.
But now Kanzaki wasn't in the batting order.
Seido's next batter was Sakai Ichiro, their fifth hitter. Against him, You Shunshin was confident.
Swish… swish… swish…
After several consecutive balls, Yuki sighed and casually trotted to first base.
"Hey, did this guy just back down?" Isashiki Jun said in surprise.
"It's the late innings," someone replied. "His stamina and condition are probably dropping. Challenging Yuki head-on right now would be reckless."
"And Akikawa probably wants to finish the inning quickly so they can focus on scoring in the next."
As predicted, Sakai Ichiro soon struck out.
Then Seido's sixth batter, Miyuki Kazuya, stepped up to the plate.
Miyuki smiled faintly at You Shunshin and lightly lifted his bat.
So your plan is to walk the cleanup hitter and deal with the batters behind him?
Interesting…
In that case, I'll just send this one flying.
His eyes sharpened.
The Pitching Duel
You Shunshin remained extremely cautious.
After careful thought, he started with a curveball that barely clipped the edge of the strike zone.
"Wow… what a sharp pitch."
Miyuki didn't swing. He glanced at the ball resting in the catcher's mitt and sighed.
Even this late in the game, You Shunshin's control remained razor-sharp.
His fighting spirit, stamina, and skill… the guy truly had it all.
Where will the next pitch go?
Soon the second pitch came.
Bang!
Miyuki swung but only managed to send the ball foul.
Inside high fastball.
From a low outside breaking ball to a high inside fastball—a simple yet extremely effective sequence.
Seeing Miyuki fall into a two-strike count so quickly made Seido's bench uneasy.
"He's not going to strike out on three pitches, is he?" Kanzaki joked.
"You Shunshin's strikes are all right on the edges," someone replied. "Even Miyuki is struggling."
The third pitch arrived.
Bang!
"Foul!"
An inside high ball—actually outside the strike zone.
After hitting it, Miyuki grinned wryly.
He had been fooled by a bad pitch.
Even he was starting to feel the pressure of You Shunshin's precise control.
From the stands came a wave of cheers.
"Hit it out!"
"Send it flying!"
"Miyuki!!"
The Prediction
At the plate, Miyuki took a deep breath and focused.
Fourth pitch…
If I were the catcher…
I'd call for an outside-low breaking ball.
At the same moment—
You Shunshin thought the exact same thing.
I'll finish him with an outside-low breaking ball.
Whoosh!
The baseball shot from You Shunshin's fingertips.
Miyuki's bat swung instantly.
CRACK!
The bat bit firmly into the ball, sending it screaming toward right field.
"Nice!"
"Good hit!"
"Miyuki!!"
Amid thunderous cheers, Yuki dashed home.
Miyuki sprinted around the bases, sliding safely into third base.
An RBI triple!
You Shunshin stared at him, momentarily stunned.
Did he… see through me?
That decisive swing could only mean one thing.
He had predicted the pitch perfectly.
You Shunshin's eyes lit up with excitement.
Amazing…
Only opponents like this are worth facing.
At this moment the score became 8–1.
One out. Runner on third.
The next batter stepped up—
Arima Kazusa.
"He reached third while the outfielder was still chasing the ball!"
"What a great glasses showdown~"
In the stands, reporter Akiko flushed with excitement.
The duel between the two handsome, glasses-wearing players—You Shunshin and Miyuki Kazuya—was practically a dream scene for her.
On third base, Miyuki raised his hand in celebration before looking toward the batter's box.
"Your turn, Arima!"
Among the first-years, Arima Kazusa possessed the best batting ability.
His stance was balanced, his swing smooth, and his bat control excellent.
Although he lacked some power and swing speed, his technique made him a perfect future middle-order hitter.
A potential star.
You Shunshin threw the first pitch.
Arima's bat flashed.
Bang!
"Foul!"
Hard to hit…
The pitch location was incredibly tricky.
Arima frowned slightly before resetting his stance.
You Shunshin studied him carefully.
These Seido first-years are all impressive…
Akikawa didn't even have one player with this kind of potential.
That was the difference between the two teams.
Second pitch.
An outside high ball.
Arima instinctively chased—
Whiff!
"Strike!"
Now he was down two strikes.
Arima gripped the bat tightly.
Then he glanced toward third base.
An idea appeared.
Miyuki noticed the look and raised an eyebrow.
Arima gave a subtle nod.
Steal?
Miyuki smirked slightly.
Got it.
The third pitch came.
At that exact moment—
Miyuki dashed for home.
Arima instantly squared around and bunted the ball toward third base.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Miyuki sprinted home as the ball rolled slowly forward.
Akikawa's third baseman charged in, fielded the ball, glanced at Miyuki—and immediately threw to first.
OUT!
But Miyuki had already crossed the plate.
"SAFE!"
The scoreboard changed.
Seido 9 – Akikawa 1