Chapter 31: A Professional Baseball Player

"First time seeing my slow curveball, and you hit it out?"

Umemiya's eyes were no longer as calm as before. It was as if he had seen a ghost in broad daylight, and he stared fixedly at Fumei, who was standing at first base.

He was extremely lucky that Carlos saved him, and that pitch did not result in a run.

But this did not mean that Umemiya could remain indifferent to Fumei's actions.

Playing baseball in the Tokyo area, and even having faced the top-tier Seidou High School team directly, Umemiya thought he had already encountered the country's top monsters.

But when facing Fumei, Umemiya still felt a chill run down his spine.

'It is really different!'

It wasn't that Fumei had any specific counter-strategy or had figured out Umemiya's pitching. What Fumei had shown earlier was simply the vast difference in their skill levels.

Fumei only swung his bat after the ball was right in front of him.

This was definitely something that no ordinary high school player could achieve.

Moreover, what shocked Umemiya the most was how easily Fumei saw through the ball's breaking course.

'Does this mean that all slow Curveballs are useless now?'

Fumei's figure in Umemiya's eyes seemed to grow taller and taller, to the point where Umemiya felt like a tiny ant in comparison.

"Ah, as expected, these guys who make a name for themselves in the pros are all super monsters!"

No matter what Umemiya had thought before, he was completely convinced. He and Fumei were simply not on the same level.

When facing an unbeatable opponent, what should one do?

Most people would inevitably lose confidence, or even give up the fight.

But Umemiya did not.

In the past, Ugumori had faced opponents far stronger than them.

Umemiya and his teammates were used to competing under this kind of pressure. Especially as the Ace, the more pressure there was, the more motivated he became.

"Let's do this!"

As an average Ace from an average high school, Umemiya had a bit of local fame in Tokyo but hadn't even reached the threshold of becoming a nationwide star.

For someone like him to face off against a rookie king from the professional league—what was there to be afraid of?

Losing to him was only natural. But if he won, that would be enough to make a name for himself.

That was why Umemiya was on base now. According to Coach Kunitomo's plan, if there were no surprises, the last three innings would be his.

He wouldn't have another chance to face Fumei.

'Next time, next time I will definitely solve him!'

How to do it? Umemiya didn't think that far ahead.

That wasn't his primary focus at the moment.

With no Outs and runners on first and third, Umemiya's current concern was how to deal with the remaining batters while minimizing the chance of the score widening.

Up next was Harada Masatoshi.

Harada, one of the Pro players now playing for Tokyo University, was also a very tricky opponent.

He had previously been a player for Inashiro Industrial High School, where he had perfectly suppressed his juniors in today's game, preventing them from showing their true abilities.

After joining the professional league, his skills significantly improved.

Now, he had become a very dangerous player, and no one could afford to take him lightly.

Umemiya certainly wouldn't.

His brow furrowed tightly as he fixed his gaze on the batter.

He had to find a way to solve this problem. He was sure of it.

'If only Nao-chan were here. Nao-chan would definitely come up with a solution.'

At this point, Umemiya was already imagining things in his mind.

The catcher, Miyuki, was also worried.

Although the All-Tokyo team still led by two runs, the current situation was not as favorable as it seemed.

'Especially the pitcher's current state.'

Miyuki glanced at Umemiya on the mound and felt an increasing sense of urgency.

The pitcher's condition was very strange, and Miyuki was deeply concerned.

In Miyuki's memory, Umemiya should have been a very strong player.

'He shouldn't be this fragile.'

But after facing off against Tetsuya and Fumei, Umemiya's pitching had been significantly affected.

Now, even trying to fully unleash his abilities seemed difficult for him.

This, in Miyuki's view, was absolutely unacceptable.

They were already at a disadvantage in terms of skill, and now if Umemiya's form dropped even further...

'What was the point of continuing?'

'He had to hold on. He had to push through.'

Miyuki hesitated. Should he call a timeout now? After some thought, he rejected the idea.

They had just formed a new partnership, and the most important thing right now was trust.

'Throw the ball here!'

Miyuki opened his Mitt wide, signaling for the pitch.

His intentions were obvious, and Umemiya easily sensed them.

But even though he understood, Umemiya didn't agree with it.

Even though Miyuki had adopted a face that seemed to say, 'Trust me, and I'll make it work.'

But the truth was, hadn't their previous pitch together just been hit?

Umemiya couldn't help but doubt Miyuki's abilities.

At second base, Sawamura furrowed his brow.

'This doesn't look good…'

When he saw Umemiya shaking his head toward Miyuki, Sawamura immediately sensed that something bad was about to happen.

He acknowledged that Ugumori had some strange charm, and Umemiya, the Ace, was no simple character.

But that was all. If you're talking about having some kind of superhuman talent, Sawamura didn't see it.

Ugumori was just a team that trained well, with hardworking players like Umemiya.

And with Matsubara Nao's presence, they managed to create some miracles.

But when it came to game awareness, Umemiya was just average. Not to mention comparing him to Miyuki, even against other skilled professional catchers, he fell short.

Once he stopped trusting Miyuki's calls, the two were doomed.

At catcher, Miyuki's heart sank.

He knew exactly what Umemiya wanted now.

Umemiya's arsenal of breaking balls wasn't limited to just slow Curveballs.

He also had a Slider(Umemiya's PowerCurve), which was almost the same speed as a fastball.

This pitch was Umemiya's real trump card.

Right now, Umemiya had probably boxed himself in, determined to compete with the Pros no matter what.

'Should I call a timeout and try to talk him out of it?'

That thought briefly crossed Miyuki's mind, but he quickly rejected it.

They had just formed their partnership, and trust was still an issue. If their previous cooperation had been better, maybe Umemiya would have been more willing to trust him.

But now, Miyuki wasn't so sure.

Miyuki thought about it from Umemiya's perspective and concluded that Umemiya likely wouldn't completely trust him right now.

'In that case, we have no choice but to go all in!'

If they could get Harada Out, that would be great. But if not, it would still serve as a wake-up call for the team.

Miyuki's thoughts circled in his mind for a moment before settling.

He opened his Mitt and signaled for a Slider.

'Since you're so persistent, let's gamble on it.'

'Fortunately, Harada-san had never seen this kind of breaking ball before.'

They still had a chance.

Umemiya nodded on the mound.

His blood was already boiling with intensity.

The Dopamine was pumping in his brain like crazy.

He didn't believe that he could take down these professional players with his own abilities.

Whoosh!

With all his strength, Umemiya threw the ball.

The baseball shot through the air like a laser, crossing several meters in an instant, right in front of the batter.

Miyuki, the catcher, silently prayed.

'Harada-san, please swing!'

The more often this kind of pitch was thrown, the greater the chance of it being recognized. If Harada swung at the first pitch...

That would be the perfect outcome.

PAAAAKKK!!

Miyuki's wish came true. Harada swung.

The baseball was hit but flew Foul.

"FOUL!"

'Such power!'

Miyuki couldn't help but marvel.

Harada didn't make solid contact, yet still managed to send the ball flying Foul.

'His hitting power had improved after joining the Pros.'

Miyuki's mind was filled with alarms.

On the mound, Umemiya sighed with relief.

'It worked.'

His pitch was effective even against professional elite players.

He could fight them!!

'One more time!!'

Taking advantage of Harada still being off-balance, Umemiya decided to strike quickly and end this.

Without waiting for Miyuki's signal, Umemiya threw another PowerCurve.

The previous pitch had left an impression on Harada, but it wasn't enough. He had to deepen that impression.

Then Umemiya could finish him off.

Umemiya's thoughts were clear.

At the catcher position, Miyuki's eyes flashed with shock.

'This Idiot!!!'

He was throwing the same pitch again to Harada, someone of his caliber!

'Had he lost his mind?!'

Miyuki could only pray silently.

Harada had never studied this kind of pitch up close before.

But he was going to be disappointed.

Back when Seidou and Ugumori played against each other...

Even though Harada had already graduated and left the team, he was still half engaged with this team. They had carefully studied both Seidou and Ugumori teams.

He knew Umemiya very well.

Especially the two kinds of breaking balls, which were as clear as day to him.

But he had only seen them in video footage, never faced them in a real game.

That last pitch Umemiya threw was like a live demonstration for Harada.

Now, facing it again, Harada was fully prepared.

PAAAAKKKK!!!!

The bat swung, and the baseball was hit.

The ball flew out of the field, landing beyond the fence.

A Three-Run Home Run!

The score changed instantly.

It was originally 3-1, but with Harada's three-run homer, the score was now 4-3!

Tokyo University turned the game around in one inning.

On the mound, Umemiya stood frozen in place.

The scenes from earlier played like a movie in his mind.

"So this is what it's like to face a professional player!!!"

...