During the first week of August, Ushijima once again received a Gold Treasure Chest through his daily sign-in.
Over the past few days, he had also spent a lot of time talking with Haruichi about batting.
Under the curious eyes of his teammates, Ushijima officially began practicing with a wooden bat.
The results...
Were surprisingly good.
His batting had become noticeably more stable.
Even when he didn't square the ball up perfectly, he could still drive it deep into the outfield.
Most importantly, his home run rate had increased dramatically.
Previously, while using a metal bat, only about one out of every ten hits became a home run.
That was despite the fact that his official batting average hovered around an astonishing .700.
Of course, part of that average came from his speed, allowing him to beat out infield hits.
Even so, a .700 batting average was unbelievable.
Yet despite hitting safely so often, his home run percentage had remained relatively low.
After switching to a wooden bat...
Everything changed.
The problem, however...
Was painfully obvious.
"They're way too expensive..."
Professional-quality wooden bats were usually made from maple or ash.
The same kind used by professional players.
Each one cost several hundred U.S. dollars.
Ever since obtaining the Gold Wooden Bat Home Run reward, Ushijima had deliberately purchased professional-grade wooden bats for training.
One bat.
Seven hundred dollars.
Nearly one hundred thousand yen.
It was enough to make anyone's wallet cry.
To speed up his adjustment, Ushijima had Furuya throw batting practice for him.
Furuya's fastballs regularly exceeded 150 km/h.
They were not only fast...
They were incredibly heavy.
If Ushijima connected perfectly with the sweet spot, the ball almost always disappeared over the fence.
But if his contact was even slightly off...
Crack!
The wooden bat exploded.
Instead of launching another home run, he was left holding half a bat.
CRACK!
The sharp sound echoed across the practice field once again.
Fragments of wood scattered everywhere.
Meanwhile, the baseball continued soaring through the sky before disappearing beyond the outfield fence.
"Wooooah!"
"It still went out!"
"The bat broke, and he still hit a home run!"
The entire team stared in disbelief.
Over the past few days, everyone had noticed the same thing.
Ever since switching to wooden bats, Ushijima's home run production had risen dramatically.
Looking at the shattered handle still in his hand, Ushijima sighed helplessly.
"...I literally bought this one today."
The surrounding players fell silent.
Nobody knew what to say.
From a purely selfish standpoint...
They all hoped Ushijima would continue using wooden bats.
His chances of hitting home runs were obviously much higher.
But as teammates...
And as friends...
They honestly wanted him to stop.
The reason was simple.
In only three days...
He had already broken ten wooden bats.
Ten bats.
Seven thousand U.S. dollars.
Nearly one million yen.
That wasn't batting practice anymore.
It was setting money on fire.
Ushijima looked toward Coach Kataoka with a hopeful expression.
"Coach..."
"Will the school reimburse these?"
Coach Kataoka answered without hesitation.
"Bats broken during official games are reimbursed."
"Bats broken during practice..."
"...are your own responsibility."
"..."
Ushijima instantly gave up.
"Forget it."
He waved toward Furuya.
"You don't need to pitch to me anymore."
"Your fastball is too heavy."
"I'm burning through wooden bats faster than I can buy them."
Everyone laughed.
Ushijima, however, spoke seriously.
"My control of the bat's sweet spot still isn't consistent enough."
"If I make solid contact with the thickest part of the barrel, the bat won't break."
"And the ball will still leave the park."
"But if the ball catches closer to the thinner part of the barrel..."
He glanced at the broken bat in his hand.
"It snaps almost every time."
With a resigned sigh, Ushijima picked up yet another brand-new wooden bat.
Seeing that, everyone silently prayed for the poor bat's survival.
The rest of the team could only watch in silence.
Everyone felt the same pressure.
Ushijima's batting...
Had become even more terrifying.
It hadn't been obvious when he was using a metal bat.
But after switching to a wooden bat over the past few days, it was as though he had finally discovered the batting style that suited him best.
His contact had become cleaner.
His swings were more efficient.
Most importantly...
His home run rate had skyrocketed.
Looking down at the cracked wooden bat in his hands, Ushijima let out another long sigh.
"...Expensive."
Only now did he understand why most Silver Treasure Chests rewarded him with U.S. dollars.
Professional baseball wasn't just demanding.
It was incredibly expensive.
A single professional-grade wooden bat cost around $700.
Breaking one every day wasn't training anymore—it was financial self-destruction.
"Well..."
"At least once I turn pro, the team should cover equipment costs..."
He could only comfort himself with that thought.
Crack!
Another baseball rocketed over the outfield fence.
Crack!
Another one followed moments later.
After Furuya finished, Tanba stepped onto the mound to continue batting practice.
Against Tanba's fastballs...
Ushijima launched six home runs out of ten swings.
Against his curveball...
Three out of ten.
Against his forkball...
Another three out of ten.
"...A forty percent home run rate?"
Takashima Rei stared blankly at the results.
Even the rest of Seido's players were left speechless.
Wasn't that a little ridiculous?
Kuramochi scratched the back of his head with a bitter smile.
Forget a forty percent home run rate.
His own batting average barely stayed above .200.
Meanwhile, Ushijima was hitting home runs on nearly half of his quality contact.
The difference was simply unfair.
Of course, everyone understood that batting practice and official games weren't the same.
During practice, hitters faced far less pressure.
Without the tension of a real game, batting averages naturally increased.
Official games were completely different.
Pitchers were more cautious.
Defenses were sharper.
Mental pressure affected every swing.
Even so...
Ushijima's improvement with the wooden bat was impossible to ignore.
Over the past few days, he had gradually come to understand the strengths and weaknesses of both wooden and metal bats.
A wooden bat offered very little flex.
It transferred power directly through solid contact.
If the ball met the barrel's sweet spot, the result was explosive.
But even a slight mishit dramatically reduced power.
Hit it too close to the handle or the end of the barrel...
And the bat could snap.
Using a wooden bat demanded greater strength, more precise mechanics, and far better control over the point of contact.
Metal bats were different.
Their barrels flexed on impact before springing back into shape.
Even if contact wasn't perfect, they still generated excellent exit velocity.
They were also far more forgiving.
Simply striking near the center of the ball was often enough to produce a deep drive.
Coach Kataoka folded his arms as he watched another towering fly disappear over the fence.
"It seems..."
"Switching to a wooden bat has actually helped Ushijima discover the batting style that suits him best."
Takashima Rei nodded.
"Now that he's becoming comfortable with it..."
"His offensive power at Koshien may be even greater than before."
Coach Kataoka remained silent for a moment.
Then he spoke.
"I'm considering changing the batting order."
Takashima looked at him curiously.
"You want to move him back to cleanup?"
Coach Kataoka nodded slowly.
"I do."
"My current idea is to move Yuki into the third spot..."
"And make Ushijima the cleanup hitter."
"Isashiki would move down to fifth."
Takashima immediately understood his reasoning.
"If Yuki bats third, his on-base ability can connect the lineup..."
"...then Ushijima comes up with runners already on base."
Coach Kataoka nodded again.
"Exactly."
"With the way he's swinging the wooden bat now..."
"Every home run has the potential to become a two-run shot."
He looked toward Ushijima, who was already preparing another swing.
For a cleanup hitter...
There was no greater weapon than the ability to change the game with a single swing.
And now...
Seido's cleanup batter was becoming more dangerous with every passing day.