The Old Baseball Player System

Kasuga's third batter stepped into the left side of the batter's box as the stadium roared with noise. Daigo knew about Shun's natural advantage against left-handed batters, and seeing how well Shun's pitches were going this inning, the boy did not hesitate to lead Shun.

With just two pitches, Shun managed to get Kasuga's third batter into a tight spot with two strikes. So, with the count at two strikes, Daigo called for another horizontal slider from Shun, intending for the pitch to move away from the batter's bat.

WOOSH

PAH

"Strikeout! 3 outs, changeover!" - The umpire announced as Kasuga's third batter did exactly what Daigo had planned, failing to connect with the horizontal slider.

"Yeeeahhh!" - For the first time in the game, Shun roared with excitement as he headed back to the dugout. After all, he knew how critical this inning had been.

"Yeeeeaahhh!" - The fans in the stands cheered loudly, thrilled by Shun's impeccable performance against the top of Kasuga's lineup.

"Nice pitch, Shun!" - Kenta said, full of excitement, as he followed Shun back to the dugout.

"Hahaha! I bet those idiots thought they'd score some runs this inning! As always, my judgment is never wrong!" - Ren said with a confident smile as he pointed to himself and followed his friends into the dugout.

But as Ren spoke those words, both Shun and Kenta stopped and looked back.

"Idiot..." - Kenta said as he glanced at the young samurai striking a pose despite not moving a muscle during the inning.

"Pft!" - Shun couldn't hold back his laugh as he looked at his friends, but he couldn't hide the look of gratitude in his eyes either. Kenta and Ren had not only contributed a lot to the defense but had also placed their full trust in him to pitch this inning. As a pitcher, Shun couldn't deny how much that trust helped.

"That was amazing, Senpai!" - Daigo, who was also running to the dugout, came up to Shun excitedly and said.

"Hehe, you did a great job calling the pitches, Daigo!" - Shun said with an enthusiastic smile, patting Daigo's chest with his glove. Daigo grinned, happy to be praised by Shun, but before he could respond, they arrived in front of the dugout.

"You did an excellent job, Shun!" - Coach Yamada said with a touch of emotion as he placed both hands on Shun's shoulders. In the moment when the team needed it most, Shun had surpassed his limits and kept them in the game. Yamada couldn't help but feel emotional over the boy's performance, especially knowing the effort he had put in to get to this point.

"Huh? What are you talking about, Coach? Job's not finished!" - Shun said determinedly as he stepped past his coach and entered the dugout, heading straight to the locker. After all, he would be batting in the next inning.

---

"Hahaha, that's it, Kenshin Jr.! Another perfect inning, incredible!" - Masahiro laughed excitedly in the stands. He had already gotten over his initial shock of seeing Shun pitch so well in the seventh inning.

"This kid is impressive!" - Satoru added, equally amazed. Ever since he had seen Shun's flawless pitching form, he knew the boy was going to be good, but... he never imagined the boy would become this good so quickly.

"Hahaha, that's my son!" - Kenshin shouted proudly for the whole world to hear. At that moment, even though he had no idea how his son's pitches had improved so much, Kenshin was full of pride for Shun.

"Jack, we need to make sure your grandson goes to Takenodai!" - Meanwhile, Ushida turned to Grandpa Jack and spoke with an eager tone. After seeing this inning, he knew Shun was destined to be an elite pitcher, and if the boy chose another school in Tokyo... Shun would certainly be a problem for Takenodai.

"You can talk to him after the game if you want..." - Grandpa Jack replied with a smile. Like Kenshin, he was full of pride for Shun.

"Incredible..." - Toji murmured as he looked out at the field, distracted. At that moment, Toji felt a strange emotion after witnessing Shun's incredible performance. He felt envy, not of Shun, but of Daigo. Toji was truly envious of Daigo for being able to catch those amazing pitches from Shun.

---

In Kasuga Junior High School's dugout...

"Damn..." - Kasuga's coach muttered as he looked at his players sitting silently. In just one inning, all the energy and momentum his team had were forcibly taken by Shun's pitches. The coach's mind raced, searching for something to say that would lift his players' spirits, but before he could speak, a boy walked past him and climbed the dugout steps.

"What are you all waiting for? It's our turn to defend." - Shota Imai, Kasuga's ace, said as he turned and looked at his teammates. Without waiting for a response, the boy began walking toward the mound to start the eighth inning.

"Imai is right! Let's get on defense now, we'll definitely score in the next inning!" - Kasuga's captain, who was also the catcher and the cleanup hitter, shouted with determination in the dugout.

"Yeeeahhh! Let's go!" - All the other Kasuga players, whether reserves or starters, shouted with determination. At that moment, everyone understood the game they were playing. It was win and go to the Kanto tournament or lose and go home. They didn't have time to sit around feeling sorry for themselves.

"Yeeaaahhhh!!" - Kasuga's fans also perked up upon hearing the shouts from the dugout. At that moment, they too understood their role. The game was still tied, so both the crowd and the players needed to give their all to win.

"Ka- Su- Ga! Ka- Su- Ga! Ka- Su- Ga!"

"Ka- Su- Ga! Ka- Su- Ga! Ka- Su- Ga!"

Kasuga's coach looked at his reinvigorated players as he listened to the loud chants from the crowd and smiled. Regardless of the outcome, he had trained a team of champions. Now, all he could do was hope for his players' victory.

He then focused his attention on the boy wearing number 1 as he walked to the mound. Ever since Imai joined the team, Kasuga's coach had known that the boy was special. But seeing how he managed to inspire his team with such a simple action, he couldn't hide his pride. Beyond training a team of champions, he had also prepared an ace ready to lead them to victory!