"It's out!"
The white ball that had been hit flew straight into the gap in the defense. A clean hit was born from it.
Miyuki, who hit the single, dropped his bat and charged toward First Base at full speed.
At the same time, Kuramochi, already prepared, turned into a Leopard again, shot past Third Base, and rushed straight toward Home.
"Stop daydreaming!"
The outfielder covering the play scooped up the ball and, without any extra motion, fired it to Home.
"Whoosh!"
The white ball cut across the field like a laser, traveling dozens of meters before landing perfectly in the catcher's glove.
"Thwack!"
Every freshman who saw the throw felt their hearts tighten.
This Little Beard senior, Isashiki Jun, was unbelievable. His throwing speed was not inferior to the pitchers of the baseball team. Even more terrifying was the accuracy. A long-distance throw of dozens of meters, yet not the slightest deviation.
The catcher didn't even have to move.
It was over.
Kuramochi, charging ahead, seemed destined to be tagged out.
Miyauchi, the Old-timers Team's catcher, was a second-year who had played in many practice games. A veteran with sharp instincts and solid technique.
He had the ball before Kuramochi even arrived. Resolving Kuramochi should have been guaranteed.
"Hmph!"
Staring at Kuramochi barreling toward him, Miyauchi did not back down. Two heavy blasts of air puffed from his nostrils, like a furious bull ready to ram.
If Kuramochi dared to collide, he didn't care about seniority. He would absolutely flatten him.
"It's up to you!"
"Stop him!"
Voices rose from the Old-timers' dugout, cheering for Miyauchi. He couldn't hear the exact words, but he knew what they meant.
Not that he needed to hear them. For the sake of the baseball team and his own pride, he would not move aside.
"I'll send you flying!"
Zhang Han's opening home run had slapped every Old-timer square across the face. And Miyauchi was no exception.
It made all of them realize how extraordinary this year's freshmen were.
If they didn't give at least 100 percent, maybe even 120. They risked becoming the first Old-timers Team in Seido history to lose a freshman welcome match.
Mercy? No such thing. Anyone who dared to challenge them would get crushed.
While these thoughts flashed through Miyauchi's mind, Kuramochi was already on top of him.
Left or right—there was no gap to slip through. Miyauchi had the plate locked down.
"Since I can't go left or right… I'll go up!"
Kuramochi leaped, soaring over Miyauchi's crouched body.
Miyauchi's eyes bulged.
What was this guy doing?
Since he began playing baseball, he had never seen anything like this. A newcomer, and daring to be this bold?
By the time Miyauchi reacted, Kuramochi had already landed and stomped on Home Plate with both feet.
"Safe!"
After Zhang Han's solo home run, the freshmen rode the momentum and scored again.
The scoreboard now read 2–0.
This might have been the first time in Seido welcome match history that the New School Teammates not only scored first, but scored two runs in one inning—without a Director guiding them.
They relied purely on their own understanding of baseball to produce flawless teamwork.
"These guys…"
The third-year seniors exchanged complicated looks.
They had always believed their generation was full of talent. Unlike the underwhelming second-years, aside from Chris, there were no notable names.
But maybe they were the ones who had been arrogant.
They might not be the strongest generation after all. Perhaps the first-years were the truly promising ones.
Their movements were still childish in some ways. But this kind of naive boldness, showed their power and potential clearly.
They weren't even fully formed yet, and with teamwork, they had already reached this level.
"These kids are impressive," Manager Ota said, trembling.
In truth, Seido's recruitment this year had not gone smoothly. The only true star they'd gotten was Miyuki.
Asou and Zhang Han could only be called half-stars. They had results in middle school, but their reputation was nowhere near Miyuki's.
The gap was so large that when the freshmen first arrived, Ota and several coaches agreed that the new recruits were weaker than last year's.
Last year's group hadn't had big names either, but they were exceptionally hardworking. They had two hidden talents, and after a year of growth, their strength had solidified. Most of them were now First-string or key second-team players.
The freshmen seemed similar only on the surface.
Their actual diligence wouldn't match last year's. After all, in Ota's long career, he had rarely seen a group like last year's.
And Miyuki's middle school reputation wasn't anywhere near Chris's.
Aside from him, only Zhang Han and Asou had any potential worth noting.
From this perspective, this year's freshmen looked like the weakest batch.
Who would have thought hidden dragons and crouching tigers were among them?
"So cool!"
"He actually jumped over his head! I want to interview him! What was that guy thinking?"
"Who cares? We're up by two!!"
The freshmen didn't hold back. They cheered loudly, ignoring the upperclassmen entirely.
In sharp contrast was the Old-timers Team.
Hidezawa, on the mound, had given up a home run, then consecutive hits. He had never treated the freshmen as real threats.
But clearly, he had been too narrow-minded. Even if they were first-years, anyone personally scouted by Little Rei wouldn't be ordinary. After giving up two runs, the Ace of Seido finally woke up.
In his remaining pitches of the inning, he performed sharply and cleanly got two outs.
The top of the first inning finally ended.
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