Pop!
The baseball dropped into the outfield.
But instead of bouncing...
It stopped dead.
The heavy rain had left puddles scattered across the field, and the soaked ground absorbed the impact completely.
The runner on first was also slowed by the slippery conditions.
The instant the ball touched the ground, Ushijima Wakatoshi scooped it up.
He was still facing away from second base as he fielded it.
Without breaking stride, he bent down, picked up the ball, and leapt into the air.
In one fluid motion, he spun his body around mid-air.
The moment he completed the turn, he fired the ball toward second base with his right hand.
Whoosh!
The baseball shot across the field like a bolt of lightning.
Kuramochi, already racing toward the bag, grinned.
"Yahaha!"
Thwack!
The throw hit his glove perfectly.
As the ball arrived, Kuramochi planted his right foot on second base for the force out.
Without pausing, he sprang into the air, transferred the ball to his throwing hand, and whipped it toward first base before landing.
"What?!"
Teito's runner froze in disbelief.
They were still able to turn a double play from that?
Even the players in Teito's dugout stared at Ushijima in shock.
Fielding the ball...
Jumping...
Spinning in mid-air...
Then unleashing a perfect throw—
Everything had flowed together in one seamless motion.
Even after the airborne spin, the throw still reached roughly 145 km/h.
Whoosh!
Thwack!
The baseball slammed into Maezono's glove at first.
"Out!"
Both the second-base and first-base umpires signalled the outs simultaneously.
"Amazing!"
"A double play from the middle of the field!"
"What incredible teamwork!"
"Look who's playing centre field. That's Seido's ace. Even if his throw loses some velocity after that spin, it's still over 140 km/h."
"From centre field to second base in just a couple of seconds... getting the runner is completely believable."
"Exactly."
"With Ushijima's speed and arm strength, that kind of double play is possible."
"Still, if the runner had committed a little earlier, he might have been safe."
"The rain probably slowed him down."
"The field conditions definitely worked against him."
"Side retired!"
The home plate umpire signalled the third out.
The teams switched sides.
"Yahaha!"
Kuramochi laughed as he slapped Ushijima on the back.
"That spinning throw from centre field was pretty flashy!"
Ushijima smiled.
"I should be the one praising you."
"You jumped off the bag and still made that throw."
"I'll leave the flashy plays to our shortstop."
"Hahaha!"
The rest of Seido burst into laughter.
Miyuki walked over to Furuya.
"Don't dwell on it."
"It was still a scoreless inning."
Furuya nodded, though he still looked a little distracted.
Teito's dugout was far less cheerful.
"...What an absurd play."
Mukai Taiyo clicked his tongue.
"A ball hit into right-centre, and they still managed to turn a double play."
"It isn't that surprising," Teito's coach replied calmly.
"The centre fielder is Ushijima."
"His fastball reaches 158 km/h."
"Even if his throwing velocity drops after spinning, it's still easily above 140."
Mukai couldn't hide the envy in his eyes.
"...The Koshien Championship Ace."
That title belonged only to the ace pitcher of the team that won the national championship.
There was only one Championship Ace every year.
And Ushijima Wakatoshi currently held that honour.
"It's our turn now."
Mukai stood and stretched his shoulders.
"Let's show them what we've got."
"Right!"
The Teito players took the field.
Kuramochi stepped into the on-deck circle and adjusted his protective gear.
Behind him, Shirasu and Kominato were also getting ready.
As for Ushijima...
He remained seated calmly.
As the cleanup hitter, he wasn't in any hurry.
Before his turn came, he wanted to see how Mukai pitched.
In Ushijima's opinion, Seido's batting lineup probably wouldn't accomplish much the first time through the order.
Although everyone had improved significantly during the past several months of training...
Their opponent was still Teito's ace.
Breaking through immediately wouldn't be easy.
Among the top of the lineup, Kominato and Ushijima himself probably had the highest chance of reaching base.
As for Miyuki...
His batting was difficult to predict.
When he got into rhythm, he could produce incredible hits.
When he didn't...
Even he could disappear completely.
Standing in the batter's box, Kuramochi recalled Coach Kataoka's instructions.
"Stay patient."
"Drive the ball toward centre or the opposite field."
"Don't chase bad pitches."
"Before you get two strikes, only swing at pitches you can handle."
"You can safely ignore low pitches during your first at-bat."
Kuramochi slowly exhaled.
But he also had his own thoughts.
Mukai may have reached Koshien as a first-year pitcher...
Just like Furuya.
Maybe he's even stronger than Furuya right now.
But...
He's definitely not better than Ushijima.
Kuramochi had absolute confidence in that.
Ushijima carried us to Koshien.
He carried us all the way to the championship.
For four months, he practically tortured us with endless long-distance pitching practice.
If there's one way to repay everything he's done...
It's by getting on base.
So...
Sorry.
I'm not making this easy for you.
No one could hear the determination in Kuramochi's heart.
His eyes remained fixed on the mound.
Steady.
Confident.
Without the slightest hesitation.
On the mound, Mukai Taiyo stuck out his tongue before beginning his windup.
He brought both hands together before sweeping his left arm sharply across his body.
His low sidearm delivery was extremely uncommon.
It was his trademark.
Whoosh!
The baseball wasn't especially fast.
After months of facing Ushijima and Furuya in practice, this velocity didn't intimidate Kuramochi.
It was roughly comparable to Kawakami's fastball—around the mid-130 km/h range, but still below 140.
The speed wasn't the problem.
The trajectory was.
Released from such a low angle, the ball travelled on an unusually deceptive path.
Thwack!
Kuramochi never pulled the trigger.
The pitch disappeared into the catcher's mitt.
"Strike!"
The umpire's call echoed across the rain-soaked stadium.
Behind the plate, Teito's catcher quietly studied Kuramochi.
As the leadoff hitter and shortstop of the reigning Koshien champions, Kuramochi demanded careful attention.
Reading the batter...
Understanding his tendencies...
That was one of a catcher's most important responsibilities.