Kei had managed to recover enough after throwing his pitch to be the first to make it to the ball. He used his long limbs to reach down and collect the ball, yet he needed to correct his body posture before sending the throw to first.
The throw was a good one, shuttling its way toward the open glove of the first baseman.
However…
“Safe!”
Tatsuya felt as if all the weight on his shoulders had disappeared now that he arrived on first base. A wild smile appeared on his face as he sent a thumbs up to his brother on the field.
“Uwaaa! That kid is so fast.”
“Wow he’s handsome too.”
Murmurs of appreciation for both the play and Tatsuya’s appearance swept through the stadium. No one had expected a bunt from the very first batter of the game, yet it had paid off thanks to his quick speed.
As if this was the moment he’d been waiting for, Tatsuya surveyed the crowd, sending winks and grins to the women he thought were cute.
“Nice work Tatsuya!”
It wasn’t just the crowd, the Yokohama dugout were also cheering the play.
“This is our chance Jun, keep it going okay?” Makoto walked onto the field and addressed the other speedster in their lineup.
Jun nodded, his usual timidness nowhere to be seen.
Kei returned to the mound, clicking his tongue in annoyance. He sent a glare to Tatsuya on first base as if telling him to stay put before he turned his attention back to home plate.
“Eh?”
He wiped his eyes before performing a double take, looking between first base and the batters box.
“Batting Second, Center Outfield, Jun.”
Only after hearing the announcer did Kei finally realize he was not in fact seeing things and these were two different people.
After the brief sanity check, he returned to business as usual.
“Don’t mind Kei, let’s get the next guy out.”
A few of his teammates called out to him, doing their best to reassure him.
WHOOSH
PAH
“Strike”
PAH
“Strike”
Kei sent two fastballs down the lane, one to the inside and one to the outside as directed by the catcher. They were just as fast as his first pitch, sitting around the 150km/h mark.
Jun had the same kind of trouble that his brother did, failing to get the timing on the fastball. His second swing had come close to making contact, but in the end he still missed.
Kenta nodded in satisfaction after receiving the pitches. They were sharp and accurate, more than enough to take out the best batters at nationals. He just needed to make the right leads and they could win any game.
He glanced at Jun in the batters box and then at his brother on first base.
‘If he’s a speedster like his twin, then I don’t want him to bunt.’ Kenta thought, trying to decide which pitch to call for.
Since he hadn’t been expecting the bunt, calling for the much slower slider had worked against them in the end. Thus he quickly ruled out that pitch.
‘It’s 0-2, we could probably strike him out with a ball or even force a strikeout off a fouled bunt if he tries it.’
As if finally making up his mind, Kenta made his decision and called for a fastball just below the strike zone. It would make bunting difficult, while also giving the illusion it could be hit.
Kei nodded, performing his wind up and sending the ball right where it was asked for.
Jun reacted swiftly, twisting his body and beginning his swing. In a fraction of a second, he saw that the ball was far lower than it should be. He knew that if he continued the swing on its current course, it would miss.
So he made the decision to sacrifice his hitting power by pulling down on the bat, looking to just make contact and hope for the best. As long as he could get through the infield, he’d be able to advance onto base.
DONG
Somehow, the bat made contact with the ball and flew with some serious speed towards the gap between 3rd base and the short stop.
A look of adulation appeared on his face as Jun saw the ball about to bridge the gap.
The next scene that took place seemed like it was straight out of a movie.
The short stop took 3 quick steps towards the ball and launched himself forward, fully extending his body in an effort to catch the ball in mid air.
Time seemed to slow down as he snatched the ball with the glove, his entire body parallel to the ground. Yet instead of falling to the ground on his side, the figure curled up his body and landed in a commando roll before springing to his feet.
Everyone who saw this felt their jaws go slack.
Only two people didn’t seem surprised, that was Kei the pitcher and Tatsuo who had performed the catch.
“Throw to first!” Kei yelled from the mound, trying to get the attention his teammate.
Tatsuo turned to Kei, blinking his eyes in confusion. It was only after he saw the extended arm pointing to first base that he did as he was told.
Yet it was too late.
Tatsuya had witnessed the gravity defying catch mid-way through his run to 2nd base. If it wasn’t for the slow reactions of the fielder, he would have easily been out as well for a double play.
Kei felt a headache coming on as he looked at Tatsuo’s blank expression. He didn’t expect their genius’s flaws to be revealed so early in the game.
The truth about Tatsuo was that he was the best baseball genius he’d ever seen. But there was only one problem…
He found the game boring so he never bothered to learn the rules.
If Ken were to know that he was toyed around with and beaten into the ground by a kid who didn’t properly know how to play baseball, it would likely have crushed him.