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"Eh?"

Hiryu watched on in shock as the ball which was meant to be sitting securely in his glove soar into the air towards the right foul post.

'G-Go out!'

He quickly stood up and shouted inwardly for the ball to enter the foul zone. He didn't want to give up 3 runs in the very first innings, especially since they had only gotten 1 out so far.

BANG

The sound of the ball hitting the foul post reverberated around the grounds, crushing the hope of the Zama High players.

"I'm home~" Jun called out, placing his foot onto home plate after rounding 3rd base.

He waited for Makoto and Hiroki to complete their victory lap, ruffling his hair affectionately when he arrived.

"ORYAAA! Nice homer Hiroki!"

Makoto went a step further and pulled Hiroki into a bear hug, almost causing the air in his lungs to be squeezed out.

Ken who was next up to bat let out a genuine smile. Hiroki's improvement had been immense and he would only continue to get better, especially since his potential was now unknown.

"Nice work."

They were simple words, but between these two there was not much else that needed to be said. Hiroki grinned and held out his fist, bumping it with Ken's.

"Don't let me outshine you Ace."

"Hehe."

Ken watched as the three made their way back to the dugout, receiving the praise and cheers from their teammates. Tatsuya especially seemed to be the most excited, poking his tongue out towards the catcher who still seemed to be stunned.

"Alright, let's get some more runs." He mumbled, stepping up to the batters box.

"T-Time out please."

Hiryu called out to the umpire after seeing that their Ace was unresponsive.

He quickly ran over to the mound and began to chat with Hiroshi.

Ken was forced to be patient as he gazed upon the two. He knew how it felt to be in such a situation after giving up some runs. There was so much pressure upon these teens shoulders that it could either crush them or turn them into diamonds.

Soon enough, the umpire had gotten impatient. This was the same umpire that was present at the coin toss and witnessed the lack of respect from Hiryu towards the Yokohama captain.

"Zama High, you've had long enough. Return now or you'll forfeit."

His words were harsh, letting them know he was not kidding around.

Hiryu frowned. They were able to use up to 2 minutes for a timeout on the field, yet only a minute had passed by his calculation.

However, when he was about to argue that point, he saw the expression on the umpire's face and decided not to pursue the matter.

"Hiroshi your pitches are sharp. That last hit was just a fluke, let's claw our way back into the game okay?"

After a moment the tall Hiroshi nodded, feeling himself get injected with a fresh dose of confidence.

"OK Hiryu. Let's do this."

Letting out a sigh of relief, Hiryu returned to his position after apologizing to the umpire. It would do him no good to get on the bad side of this person, especially since he was responsible for calling the pitches.

"Play!"

Ken approached the batters box and squared his shoulders, maintaining the form that his father had drilled into him. His eyes narrowed as he stared at the pitcher on the mound.

'Let's see what you've got.'

Hiroshi went into his wind up before whipping out his arm and sending the ball down the lane towards Ken.

'Huh?'

Ken almost called out in surprise as he felt everything slow down to a crawl. He could count the amount of times the ball had spun and even predict its course, instantly figuring out that it was a curveball.

'Why did Crunch Time activate? It's the first innings.'

Crunch Time was not a skill that he could activate by himself, it only happened in certain scenarios where it was a turning point in the game. Therefore one would assume it would activate during the final innings.

However, there was no way that he would complain in such a situation.

The increase to all of his attributes made the ball even easier to hit.

DOOOONG!

Ken felt the ball hit the center of the bat, producing a sound that he loved as a batter, but hated as a pitcher.

Hiroshi on the mound didn't even turn and follow the ball's path, showing just how much shock he was in.

"No… It can't be."

Hiryu felt his legs grow weak as he suddenly fell to his knees from his crouching position. How could a first year smack the very first ball, Hiroshi's curveball at that.

Ken made his way around the bases and looked at the pitiful pitcher on the mound. He could only shake his head, feeling pity for the young man.

However, they were currently opponents. If he were to feel bad for the opposition and hold back, he would never make it to Nationals, let alone the professional league.

"See? I told you he'd hit a homer." Yusuke said gleefully.

The person he was talking to was Shiro who seemed to have recovered a little from his earlier situation. He looked at Ken with sparkling eyes, feeling his respect for him rise to another level.

He had played against Ken last year and although he knew that he was a good batter, it was rare that a middle school player would make the first squad of a High School team.

To see Ken hit such a bomb against a 3rd year pitcher on the mound, only highlighted how special he really was.

Of course Shiro knew that it wasn't just talent involved. He knew how hardworking and diligent Ken was, so much so that he didn't want to be left behind.

This was why he continued to go through the torturous training sessions despite feeling as if he was going to die.

'He really is special.'

There was another person in the dugout who was looking at Ken with sparkles in their eyes, watching him intently as he glided around the bases.

'He's so cool…'

Ai felt her face heat up as she made eye contact with Ken.