The Old Baseball Player System

"F- Foul!" - The umpire announced with a hint of shock. The ball had been hit deep into the right-field stands but ended up a few feet to the right of the foul pole.

"Ahhh, so close!" - Ren, who was in the on-deck circle, sighed in frustration. If Shun had hit that home run, Shoto would not only have taken the lead, but all of Kasuga's morale would have been shattered.

Several sighs could also be heard from the stands, and of course, there were two types of them. There were those rooting for Shoto Junior High, who sighed in disappointment like Ren, and there were those supporting Kasuga Junior High, who sighed in relief.

But regardless of which side you were on, it was undeniable that the atmosphere in the stadium had changed. Imai stood on the mound, staring at Shun in shock as a few drops of sweat ran down his face. Although he felt relieved, he couldn't deny that he was also a bit scared after seeing Shun's hit.

'141 km/h, that was Imai's best pitch yet, but... did this guy really send it into the stands? If Imai hadn't thrown it perfectly to the corner, it definitely would have been a home run!' - Kasuga's catcher made the mistake of looking at the stadium's speed radar, and after seeing that this had been Imai's best pitch so far, it was impossible not to feel hesitant about calling another ball in the zone.

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

"Sho- to! Sho- to! Sho- to! Sho- to!"

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

"Sho- to! Sho- to! Sho- to! Sho- to!"

The crowd resumed their excited chants, eagerly waiting for the next pitch in the duel. Even Kasuga's supporters didn't lower their voices after seeing their ace's best pitch hit so far, they still had full confidence in Imai.

PAH

"Ball!"

Unfortunately for them, Kasuga's catcher wasn't as confident as he should have been. He called for pitches outside the zone, clearly avoiding Shun, and on the mound, Imai felt the pressure of giving up a run after almost surrendering a home run to Shun, so he didn't contest his catcher's cautious calls.

PAH

"Ball!"

PAH

"Ball! Ball Four!" - The umpire announced the walk as Shun dropped his bat and calmly walked to first base. He couldn't deny feeling a bit disappointed to reach base that way, but there was no reason for him to be reckless and swing at a pitch outside the zone.

A collective sigh could be heard throughout the stadium. No one in the stands, not even Kasuga's fans, liked seeing the clearly intentional walk. But since this was Japan, the complaints were polite. If this were America or any other baseball-crazed Western country, shouts of "coward" and boos would have already started.

Ren then began walking to the batter's box, visibly irritated. Giving Shun a walk with him batting next was a clear sign that Kasuga's battery wasn't afraid of him. However, before Ren could channel his frustration into his swing, a shout came from Kasuga's dugout.

"Time!" - Kasuga's coach shouted as he climbed the dugout steps and walked toward the mound.

"Huh?" - Ren looked confused at the scene. It wasn't common for coaches to go to the mound during middle school games, but since the umpire allowed it, there wasn't much he could do. The young samurai watched as all of Kasuga's infield players gathered on the mound while he stepped out of the batter's box and waited.

"Hey, man." - Shun took advantage of the time and walked over to Ren, leaning in to whisper something in his ear.

"Huh? Shun, I can hit-" - Ren started to protest loudly after hearing Shun's words, but Shun quickly covered the young samurai's mouth with his hand.

"I know you can hit, man. But we only need one run, understand?" - Shun said quietly as he removed his hand from Ren's mouth. Luckily, Shun reacted quickly and covered Ren's mouth, otherwise, the young samurai would have given away their plan for the entire stadium to hear.

"Hm. Alright, leave it to me." - Ren looked at Shun's determined expression and nodded. Even though he wanted to be the hero and hit a home run, it was undeniable that Shun's plan was safer for the team. Well, the plan wasn't entirely safe, but... it was the safest thing the two idiots could come up with at the moment.

Kasuga's coach then left the mound and returned to the dugout while Kasuga's players went back to their positions. Shun looked at Imai on the mound from third base and couldn't help but nod. He had no idea what Kasuga's coach had said, but Imai seemed back in the game.

Kasuga's catcher looked at Ren in the batter's box and gave a signal to Imai. The catcher had noticed the young samurai's displeased expression when Shun received an intentional walk, so he expected Ren to try to swing at the first pitch. With that in mind, he called for a curveball in the zone, and Imai quickly agreed.

"Steal!" - As soon as Imai lifted his leg, Shun bolted toward second base while the shortstop shouted to alert Kasuga's battery. Unfortunately for them, the curveball didn't help much, as Ren had no intention of swinging. The curveball was just a pitch that took longer to reach the catcher.

PAH

"Strike!" - Kasuga's catcher ignored the umpire's call as he stood up and threw the ball forcefully toward second base.

PAH

"Safe!" - Unfortunately for Kasuga, Shun's foot reached the base before the ball reached the shortstop's glove.

"Yeeeahhh!" - A loud cheer erupted from the stands after seeing Shun successfully steal second base.

"Sho- to! Sho- to! Sho- to! Sho- to!"

Ren's excitement grew as he heard the crowd cheering. He looked at the mound and saw Imai looking irritated, which made him smile. Shun's plan was working. However, Ren's moment hadn't come yet. After exchanging signs with his catcher, Imai lifted his left leg into the air, and at that moment, a shout echoed across the field.

"Steal!" - The shortstop shouted as he saw Shun take off toward third base.