The Old Baseball Player System

"Time!" - Daigo quickly called out to the umpire behind him as he sprinted toward the mound, pulling off his mask. At that moment, even though he was shaken by the home run given up on a pitch he had called, he knew the priority was ensuring that Sora didn't blame himself. After all, they couldn't afford to change pitchers so early in the game, as it would disrupt their entire game plan.

The other infielders also began running toward the mound, but before any of them could arrive, the young pitcher on the mound raised his hand, signaling for them to stop. Continue reading on empire

"I'm fine, Daigo." - Sora said with a determined voice, locking eyes with his catcher. From his expression, it was clear that Sora wasn't happy about giving up the home run, but it was equally evident that his determination to keep playing remained unshaken.

"Alright." - Daigo nodded, making up his mind as well. Seeing Sora's resolve even after the home run made Daigo reflect on his own shortcomings. The young catcher had been the one most shaken by the home run, as the pitch had been exactly what he called. But thanks to his pitcher's composure, Daigo was able to realize this quickly and regain his focus.

Daigo turned and began walking back to his position behind home plate. Seeing their catcher's actions, the rest of Shoto's infielders returned to their positions, leaving Sora alone on the mound.

"I apologize, we can resume the game." - Daigo said, bowing slightly to the umpire to apologize for calling time and not using it. The umpire, understanding the situation, simply gave Daigo a small nod before signaling for Hokuto's fifth batter to step into the box.

'Let's go, Sora!' - Daigo muttered with determination as he crouched down. He glanced at Hokuto's fifth batter stepping into the box and then back at Sora on the mound. It was far too early in the game to give up!

The first pitch of the duel came—a curveball that dropped from the top of the zone to the lower part.

WOOSH

PAH

"Strike!" - The umpire called as Hokuto's fifth batter failed to make contact. The second pitch came quickly after, this time a screwball on the edge of the zone. The batter managed to make contact, but it resulted only in a foul ball.

With an 0-2 count, Daigo and Sora had complete control of the duel, but neither of them wanted to prolong the inning any further. Daigo called for a fastball, positioning his glove on the inside corner just above the strike zone—the same spot as the pitch Sugawara had smashed for a home run.

Sora stared at Daigo's call but didn't hesitate. The pitcher nodded and quickly set himself on the mound. Raising his leg high in the air before slamming it down forcefully, Sora channeled all his strength into the pitch, whipping his arm forward with power toward home plate.

WOOSH

PAH

"Strikeout! Three outs, changeover!" - The umpire announced, signaling the end of the top half of the first inning as Hokuto's fifth batter swung and missed. Shoto's players quickly began jogging back to their dugout, speaking only a few words here and there. After all, they were two runs behind.

"Nice recovery, Sora!" Shun said, patting Sora on the back honestly. But he didn't wait for the young pitcher's reaction and headed straight for the dugout lockers to grab his gear—after all, he was the team's leadoff hitter.

Sora watched Shun walk away, clenching his fists tightly. Those weren't the words he wanted to hear—he didn't want to have given up those runs in the first place. But... what was done was done. Sora resolved not to allow Hokuto to score another run in this game.

---

Shun stepped into the batter's box, his calm gaze fixed on Kohei on the mound. Even though Shoto was trailing on the scoreboard, Shun remained composed. After all, he never expected they'd keep Hokuto's lineup scoreless for the entire game. Shun's only focus at that moment was executing his plan against Kohei without letting Hokuto's players catch on.

"Finally, we meet again!" - Sugawara called out from behind home plate, staring intently at Shun. However, to Sugawara's irritation, Shun didn't even bother glancing at the white-haired maniac, let alone replying to his words. He wasn't here for idle chatter.

"Hmph!" - Sugawara scoffed when he realized he was being ignored. He didn't say anything further, knowing they were in the middle of a game, but his expression made it clear he was already annoyed with Shun.

'Let's crush this bastard, Kohei!' - Sugawara thought as he glanced at his ace on the mound. He then signaled for a fastball, placing his glove squarely in the center of the strike zone. His intention? To defeat this blue-eyed idiot with brute force.

Kohei looked at his friend's signal and gave a small smile before nodding. Even though he wasn't as vengeful as Sugawara, Kohei vividly remembered how Shun had hit his pitches during their practice game earlier that year. For that reason, he had no issue with taking Shun down by force.

Kohei positioned himself confidently on the mound. He lifted his right leg high into the air before slamming it down forcefully. In one quick yet powerful motion, Kohei twisted his torso, facing home plate, and whipped his left arm forward as he delivered the pitch to Sugawara's glove.

'As expected!' - Shun smiled faintly as he watched the white bullet hurtling toward him. Without a moment's hesitation, he swung his bat calmly, aiming for the bottom of the ball.

WOOSH

DING

"F- Foul!" - The umpire stammered slightly as he called the foul ball, his expression showing his astonishment. First, he had witnessed an insanely fast pitch that clearly shouldn't have been thrown by a middle schooler. Then, he saw another middle schooler make contact with it effortlessly, as if it were nothing.

In that moment, the umpire realized he was officiating a special game. Instinctively, he turned to the stadium's radar gun, only to see a number he had never encountered in a middle school game: 144 km/h. It was a speed that many high school pitchers might never reach in their entire careers. Such was the level of Kohei Sasaki, the ace of the U-15 national team.

This was the magnitude of the challenge Shun and the rest of Shoto's team were facing.

And yet... the player who had just made contact with that insane pitch stood in the batter's box, looking at Kohei with an excited smile.