"An eye for an eye…"
At the same moment, both Ushijima Wakatoshi and You Shunshin thought of the same phrase.
"Strike!"
The umpire's voice rang out.
Ushijima didn't react at all. He simply continued staring at You Shunshin on the pitcher's mound.
He hadn't dodged the pitch just now because he already understood something.
With You Shunshin's level of control, it was impossible for him to accidentally hit the batter.
If the ball struck him, it would count as a hit-by-pitch, sending him directly to first base.
And once Ushijima reached base—
He was confident he could even steal third base.
Someone as intelligent as You Shunshin would never risk giving him a free base.
So although the pitch looked like it was flying directly at him, Ushijima knew it would ultimately pass through the strike zone.
That was why he remained perfectly still.
"No swing?"
On the mound, You Shunshin was surprised.
He hadn't expected Ushijima to ignore that pitch completely.
Still, he quickly threw the second pitch.
"WHOOSH!"
The baseball shot toward the plate.
"Ball!"
The umpire waved his hand.
Behind the plate, the catcher gritted his teeth.
What is this guy doing?
He didn't swing at the strike.
And he didn't swing at the ball either.
What exactly was he waiting for?
The catcher tossed the ball back to You Shunshin.
After a brief discussion, they decided on the location for the third pitch.
Now everyone in the stadium was watching Ushijima.
What was he planning?
Even You Shunshin couldn't fully understand it.
Still, he threw the third pitch.
Another fastball.
"WHOOSH!"
"Ball!"
The umpire signaled again.
He was also a little surprised.
Three consecutive fastballs.
One strike.
Two balls.
And Ushijima still hadn't swung once.
"This doesn't make sense."
In the dugout, Miyuki Kazuya frowned slightly.
"All three pitches were over 140 km/h."
"At that speed, Ushijima's batting average is above .300."
"So why isn't he swinging?"
"I don't know," someone beside him replied.
No one could understand Ushijima's intentions.
Even the audience had gone quiet.
Only the batter himself knew the answer.
The fourth pitch came.
Another fastball.
"WHOOSH!"
"Ball!"
The count became 3–1.
Even the umpire was surprised.
"The pitch location is getting closer to the strike zone…"
But Ushijima remained completely still.
Like a statue.
"Three balls, one strike…"
"He's really calm."
Among the spectators, Narumiya Mei watched with sharp eyes.
As a pitcher himself, he understood the pressure You Shunshin was feeling.
Facing a hitter like Ushijima was extremely difficult.
If you threw another ball—
He would walk.
But if you threw a strike—
The batter knew you had no choice.
And that made it much easier for him to attack.
If the batter hit that forced strike cleanly…
The damage could be enormous.
"Tch… that bastard."
Carlos clicked his tongue.
"Not only is his pitching terrifying, his mentality is ridiculously calm."
Shirakawa remained silent, watching the field closely.
On the mound, You Shunshin felt the pressure clearly.
This was their first duel in this situation in two years.
Earlier, they had already clashed once—
Ushijima pitching.
You Shunshin batting.
Now their roles had reversed.
You Shunshin pitching.
Ushijima batting.
And this was only their second true confrontation.
Memories from two years ago resurfaced in You Shunshin's mind.
"Come on!"
He threw the fifth pitch with all his strength.
Pitch: Curveball
Speed: 125 km/h
The moment Ushijima saw the ball, his eyes widened.
He swung immediately.
"CRACK!!!"
The sound was incredibly crisp.
The bat struck the sweet spot of the baseball.
Ushijima twisted his body perfectly and met the dropping curveball head-on.
"I've been waiting for that curveball!"
"What?!"
You Shunshin's eyes widened in shock.
His finishing pitch—
Had been read perfectly.
The baseball soared high into the outfield.
Even the spectators were stunned.
"It's so high!"
"Can they catch it?"
"Maybe not!"
But what shocked everyone even more was Ushijima himself.
The moment he hit the ball, he dropped the bat and sprinted.
He reached first base in about four seconds.
And he didn't slow down.
He immediately charged toward second base.
"Whoa! That's fast!"
The players from Inashiro Industrial were stunned.
"Are you kidding me?"
Carlos stared in disbelief.
"A pitcher runs faster than me?!"
"BOOM!"
The ball crashed against the center-field wall.
"So close! That almost went out!"
In Seido's dugout, everyone shouted in excitement.
"Go! Go!"
"He can reach third!"
The center fielder finally recovered the ball and turned around.
But when he saw Ushijima charging toward third base, he panicked.
He threw the ball with all his strength.
"Third base!!"
The third baseman prepared to receive the throw.
But Ushijima didn't stop.
Not even for a second.
His speed increased again.
He stepped on third base—
And kept running straight toward home plate.
"What?!"
"Is he crazy?!"
"From center field all the way home?!"
Even Carlos was sweating now.
"…Wait."
"…That might actually work."
"THUD!"
The third baseman caught the ball.
"Throw it home!!"
On the mound, You Shunshin shouted desperately.
The third baseman didn't need to be told.
He had already thrown the ball toward home plate with all his strength.
"Don't get cocky, Shinnee!!!"
Meanwhile—
Home plate was already in sight.
"Hey~"
Ushijima leaped forward.
Then slid toward the plate.
"SWOOSH!!!"