"Whoosh!"
Smack!
"Ball!"
The umpire's call made Umemiya grit his teeth on the mound.
Behind the plate, Ugumori's catcher frowned as well.
This batter...
He's really playing mind games with us.
Meanwhile, Ushijima subtly slid his back foot a few centimeters farther behind him.
It was a tiny adjustment.
Almost unnoticeable.
But it was deliberate.
Now then...
What are you going to do?
The catcher immediately noticed the movement.
His back foot moved...
Is he setting up for an inside pitch?
Or...
Is he showing me that on purpose?
Is this another trap?
Inside Seido's dugout, Coach Kataoka spoke quietly.
"Watch Ushijima's back foot."
Toujou, Kanemaru, and the others immediately focused on the batter's box.
"It moved back."
Toujou blinked.
"Is he preparing for an inside pitch?"
Coach Kataoka nodded.
"This is psychological warfare between the batter and the catcher."
"The previous pitch was a slow curveball that started inside but missed the zone."
"He intentionally watched the defensive alignment before that pitch."
"To the catcher..."
"It looked as though he was checking where he wanted to hit the ball."
"So naturally, they'll assume he's planning his attack."
"The catcher begins thinking."
"If we challenge him inside, maybe he'll force the ball and hit a weak grounder."
"But..."
Kataoka smiled faintly.
"That was only the first layer."
Everyone listened intently.
"Now he's slowly moving his back foot."
"The catcher notices."
"And immediately starts asking himself questions."
"Is Ushijima really preparing for an inside pitch?"
"Or is he pretending to prepare for one so we'll avoid pitching inside?"
"Or... is he trying to bait us into throwing exactly where he wants?"
"The moment those questions appear..."
"The catcher has already lost control of the confrontation."
Silence filled the dugout.
Coach Kataoka continued,
"I've told you this before."
"If the pitcher won't throw the pitch you want..."
"Then create a situation that makes him throw it."
The Seido players stared at Ushijima with newfound admiration.
So this...
...is how elite hitters manipulate a game.
Behind home plate, Ugumori's catcher finally made his decision.
Fine.
We'll beat you with our best breaking ball.
He flashed the sign.
This pitch will get him.
Umemiya nodded confidently.
As the ball left his fingertips—
Ushijima's eyes sharpened.
A Slurve?
He was surprised...
But only for an instant.
He had already faced one before.
Komadai Fujimaki's relief pitcher had thrown the same pitch during Koshien.
Because of that experience...
He immediately recognized both its spin and trajectory.
Now.
He unleashed his swing.
Whoosh!!
The bat cut through the air with explosive speed.
The Slurve swept toward the outside corner before beginning its sharp downward break.
Ushijima had already calculated exactly where it would finish.
CLANG!!
The sweet spot met the baseball perfectly.
The crisp metallic sound echoed throughout Jingu Stadium.
The ball exploded off the bat.
"Whoosh!"
"What?!"
Every Ugumori player instinctively looked toward the outfield.
"Yahaha!"
Kuramochi burst into laughter.
Even so...
He didn't start running immediately.
The ball hadn't landed yet.
Ushijima, however, had already dropped his bat.
He was sprinting before anyone else reacted.
Bang!
The baseball smashed against the very top of the outfield wall.
It bounced back onto the field instead of clearing the fence.
"So close!"
"It hit the top of the wall!"
"It stayed in!"
The crowd erupted.
"Run!"
"Go!"
"Inside-the-park home run!"
Thousands of spectators jumped to their feet.
By the time the outfielder retrieved the ball...
Ushijima was already approaching second base.
Kuramochi rounded third at full speed.
The relay throw reached the second baseman.
But it was already too late.
Kuramochi crossed home plate easily.
Ushijima never slowed down.
He rounded third without hesitation.
The second baseman caught the relay.
"Damn it!"
He fired home immediately.
The baseball streaked toward the catcher.
At that moment...
Ushijima was barely five meters from home.
The catcher received the throw and quickly moved across the plate to block his path.
But Ushijima had anticipated it.
Swish!
He launched into a feet-first slide.
His body glided across the dirt, slipping around the catcher's tag.
Then...
He stretched out his left hand.
Tap.
His fingertips touched home plate.
"Safe!"
The home plate umpire spread both arms wide.
"Yosh!"
Kuramochi and Ushijima met beside the plate and slapped hands in perfect sync.
The stadium exploded.
"What a player!"
"He struck out the side in the top of the inning..."
"And now he hits an inside-the-park home run in his very first at-bat!"
"His pitching and batting are unbelievable!"
"Inside-the-park home runs are rare enough..."
"And that ball almost left the stadium!"
"What bad luck for him—and bad luck for Ugumori!"
The cheers of more than five thousand spectators echoed throughout Jingu Stadium.
Ugumori's players could only watch in silence.
It had been a perfectly executed swing.
Even Umemiya couldn't hide his surprise.
"He even hit my Slurve..."
"What kind of monster is this?"
Instead of being discouraged...
His competitive fire only burned brighter.
A Slurve combined the sharp vertical break of a curveball with the lateral movement of a slider.
It was one of his best weapons.
Against most high school hitters...
It was nearly unhittable.
Unfortunately for him...
Ushijima wasn't an ordinary batter.
He had already faced a national-level Slurve at Koshien.
The moment he identified the pitch coming out of Umemiya's hand, his previous experience took over.
He hadn't even been waiting for a Slurve.
He had been sitting on a fastball.
But thanks to his exceptional pitch recognition...
He adjusted instantly.
And with flawless timing...
He drove the ball squarely off the sweet spot.