Standing a few steps off third base, Kuramochi Yoichi stared straight at Sanada Shunpei on the mound, a provocative grin tugging at his lips.
The message in his eyes was unmistakable—
You stole home earlier? Fine.
Now try and stop me.
Sanada glanced at him… then shifted his gaze to the batter's box.
Kominato Ryosuke.
"…This is rough," he muttered under his breath. "Seido's lineup doesn't give you a second to breathe."
He made his decision.
Ignore the runner.
Shut down the batter.
Sanada fired the pitch.
"Ball!"
"Steal!"
Kuramochi exploded off the base.
"Throw it!"
"Smack!"
"Safe!"
Despite Watanabe's quick reaction, Kuramochi slid cleanly into second.
No hesitation.
No fear.
Sanada caught the return throw—
and delivered again immediately.
"Ball!"
"Steal again!"
Kuramochi took off again.
The crowd erupted.
"Smack!"
But this time—
No throw.
Watanabe held onto the ball.
That had been Sanada's instruction:
Let him run.
We'll deal with the batter.
Kuramochi reached third uncontested.
No outs.
Runner on third.
For the first time in the game—
Yakushi faced real pressure.
Sanada didn't stall.
He threw the third pitch.
"Ping!"
"Foul!"
Kominato Ryosuke began to take control.
Pitch after pitch—
He fouled them off.
Precise. Controlled. Relentless.
Five pitches.
Seven.
Ten.
The duel dragged on.
Sanada's breathing grew heavier with each throw.
Sweat dripped down his face.
Kominato wasn't unscathed either.
The sheer weight of Sanada's pitches left his hands numb.
His breathing roughened.
"Nice, Kominato-senpai!"
"He's getting tired!"
"Keep dragging it out—he's about to break!"
"Sanada-senpai, bring it here! We've got your back!"
Both sides roared.
Neither side backed down.
Kominato flexed his fingers slightly.
Still numb.
Still trembling.
If this keeps going… I'll lose this at-bat.
His eyes shifted—just for a moment.
Toward third base.
A subtle signal.
Kuramochi blinked—then smirked.
Got it.
Sanada inhaled deeply.
Then—
He unleashed the eleventh pitch.
If you can hit it… then try!
The ball left his hand—
Kuramochi moved.
Instantly.
Explosively.
"STEAL HOME!!!"
Todoroki Raichi's shout rang across the field.
At the same moment—
Kominato swung.
"Ping!"
A soft tap.
A perfectly placed bunt toward first base.
Sanada froze for a split second.
Bunt?!
Then he reacted—charging forward.
But his eyes flicked toward home.
Kuramochi was already halfway down the line.
Too risky…
"Mishima! First base!" Sanada shouted.
Mishima fielded cleanly—
and tossed it to Sanada covering first.
"Out!"
A beat later—
"Safe!!!"
Kuramochi crossed home plate.
Seido scored.
A sacrifice.
A calculated exchange.
"Seido High School shows the resilience of a true powerhouse!" the commentator's voice thundered.
"Kuramochi ignited the play with his speed! Kominato wore down the pitcher and executed a perfect bunt! A textbook run manufactured through teamwork!"
"One out, bases empty—and now, Seido's cleanup is stepping up!"
"Will Seido continue their comeback? Or will Yakushi hold the line?! Stay tuned!"
"We're on the board!"
"Keep it going, Seido!"
"It's your turn now, cleanup!"
"Break through, Yuuki!"
"Let's go Fox-senpai!"
"You idiots, who are you calling a fox-senpai?!" Isashiki Jun roared, veins popping.
Behind the plate, Watanabe exchanged a glance with Sanada.
"Are you okay?" he signaled. "If needed, we can walk them—like they did to our ace."
Sanada shook his head.
No.
"That's not our style."
His eyes sharpened again.
"Attack him inside," Watanabe signaled, setting his mitt tight to the batter's body. "He swings at anything."
Sanada nodded, a faint grin appearing despite his fatigue.
"Yeah… this is Yakushi baseball."
He drove off the mound—
and fired.
"Swoosh!"
Jun Isashiki stepped in—
and swung without hesitation.
The pitch darted sharply at the last moment—
a cutter breaking inside and up.
"Ping!"
Foul.
"Damn it… that break was nasty!" Jun clicked his tongue.
How did Yuki almost turn that into a hit?
His grip tightened.
His eyes burned.
"Bring it on!!!" he roared.
"If Yuki can hit it, so can I!"
Sanada, breathing heavily now, didn't back down.
He threw again.
The ball screamed toward the inside corner—
Jun stepped in—
and swung with everything he had—
"Clang!!!"