Inoue Mamoru was running on nothing but sheer willpower.
His body had long since reached its limit.
Fukuda Daiki's stolen base and Yamauchi Yutaka's hit-by-pitch became the final straws that broke the camel's back. The exhaustion that had been accumulating throughout the game finally erupted all at once.
No matter how desperately he wanted to continue pitching, his body simply refused to obey.
Coach Sasaki immediately noticed the change.
Although reluctance flashed across his face, he ultimately raised his hand and called for a timeout.
Then came the signal everyone had been expecting.
A pitching change.
The Yakushi dugout instantly exploded with excitement.
Players jumped to their feet, shouting and cheering.
Some were already celebrating as though victory was within their grasp.
The atmosphere became increasingly heated.
Seeing this, Kitamura Kou finally couldn't stay silent.
If they allowed themselves to get carried away now, disaster could strike at any moment.
With a sarcastic smile, he called out:
"Wow, you guys are amazing."
"Looks like I should congratulate everyone in advance for already winning the game."
The celebration stopped immediately.
It was as if an invisible hand had suddenly grabbed everyone's throats.
The laughter disappeared.
The excited expressions froze.
An awkward silence fell over the dugout.
The players looked at one another, their faces filled with embarrassment.
"Ahem."
Todoroki Raizo deliberately coughed.
Then he slowly swept his gaze across the team.
"Underestimating your opponent is never a good habit."
His voice was calm but firm.
"The situation on the field can change in an instant."
"One mistake is enough to throw away everything."
"So put away your excitement."
"Focus on the battle in front of you."
"We'll celebrate after we win."
"And only after we win."
The players nodded.
Their expressions gradually returned to normal.
Seeing that everyone had regained their focus, Kou immediately stepped forward.
"Kobayashi-senpai."
His eyes locked onto the upcoming batter.
"Swing at the first pitch."
"With everything you've got."
Kobayashi blinked.
Kou continued.
"Their ace has been pulled from the game."
"One out. Runners on first and second."
"The pressure is entirely on the new pitcher."
"He won't know his own condition yet."
"The first pitch will most likely be a fastball."
"He'll use it to test himself."
"So don't hesitate."
"The first pitch is your best opportunity."
Then Kou turned toward the runners.
"Fukuda-senpai. Yamauchi-senpai."
"Don't hold back either."
"If you get the chance, steal immediately."
"Put every ounce of pressure you can on them."
"The outcome of this game may be decided right here."
The players exchanged glances.
Then they looked toward Coach Todoroki.
Seeing no objection from him—and remembering how Kou's previous advice had worked perfectly—they nodded in agreement.
Hakuryu's new pitcher was a third-year student named Uemura.
He possessed a solid, well-balanced build and the physique of someone who trained diligently.
As for his actual ability...
Everyone would soon find out.
To prevent Yakushi from tying the game, Hakuryu immediately shifted into an aggressive defensive alignment.
The infield moved in.
The outfield crept forward as well.
Their intentions were obvious.
They wanted to rely on their defense to cut down any runner trying to score and end this grueling battle once and for all.
"Play!"
The home plate umpire signaled for the game to continue.
The entire stadium held its breath.
All eyes focused on the field.
Uemura took a deep breath.
Then another.
The baseball in his hand felt unusually heavy.
Countless hopes and expectations rested on this single pitch.
Finally, he began his motion.
At the exact same moment—
Fukuda Daiki and Yamauchi Yutaka exploded off their bases like arrows released from a bowstring.
"Double steal!"
"Runners are going!"
The Hakuryu infield immediately shouted warnings.
Yet Uemura remained remarkably calm.
Whether because of training or natural composure, he wasn't shaken in the slightest.
Ignoring the chaos around him, he followed his normal pitching rhythm and fired the ball toward home plate.
"Pitch!"
The ball wasn't particularly fast.
Compared to Kitamura Kou's blazing fastball—or even Inoue Mamoru's pitches—it was noticeably slower.
Around 135 km/h.
Its command wasn't ideal either.
The pitch drifted away from the strike zone.
However, there was something unusual about it.
The ball looked heavy.
Very heavy.
As it traveled toward home plate, it seemed to carry an oppressive weight.
Kobayashi Keisuke stared intently at the incoming pitch.
His grip tightened around the bat.
Every muscle in his body tensed.
Then he swung.
Without hesitation.
Without fear.
CLANG!
Bat and ball collided.
The impact instantly traveled through his arms.
His hands went numb.
His eyes widened in surprise.
This pitcher wasn't tall.
He wasn't intimidating.
His velocity wasn't impressive.
Yet the ball felt unbelievably heavy.
It was as though he had struck not a baseball, but a solid iron sphere.
"So what?!"
Kobayashi roared.
His exhausted body somehow found another reserve of strength.
A strength born from desperation.
From determination.
From the refusal to let this summer end.
"Even if my hands break..."
"I'll send this ball flying!"
"Don't underestimate the determination of Yakushi's third-years!"
CLANG!
The baseball shot sharply through the infield.
Straight toward the gap between first and second base.
At that moment, the weakness of Hakuryu's drawn-in defense was fully exposed.
Because the fielders had positioned themselves so close to home plate, the second baseman had almost no time to react.
He lunged desperately.
But he was too late.
The ball raced past his glove and rolled into right field.
When Mima Soichiro finally cut the ball off in the outfield, all three Yakushi runners had advanced safely.
One out.
Bases loaded.
Through the relentless efforts of Yakushi's lower-order third-years, the situation had been completely transformed.
The responsibility now shifted back to the top of the lineup.
The first-year stars.
The future of Yakushi High School.
A well-executed sacrifice fly could tie the game.
A clean hit through the infield could end it immediately.
The pressure now fell squarely on Hakuryu High School.
More specifically—
On Coach Sasaki.
The next decision he made could determine who advanced one step closer to the national championship.