“What was that swing?”
“How did he make contact with the ball at that angle?”
The crowd murmured in shock and awe at the display Daichi had just shown them.
Daichi himself let out a relieved sigh before turning his attention to Ken upon the mound.
‘He must have found out, otherwise how could he have baited me.’ He thought, a small smile forming on his face.
Yet despite him thwarting Ken’s counterplay, there was no sign of frustration on his brother’s face. It was almost as if he expected him to foul the ball off.
‘Just what is he planning?’
Daichi could only speculate as he returned back to his position. He could only be vigilant and not hope to get caught off guard because of this new development.
If anything, his job had gotten a lot harder since he couldn’t exactly pick which pitch was being thrown. He could only rely on his instincts in this situation, something that he’d been honing ever since he first picked up a baseball bat.
Yuta who was behind Daichi at the time of the hit was currently in a confused state. Since Ken had not told him about the situation with his pitching form, he had absolutely no idea why Daichi swung like he did.
In his mind it just came out of the blue.
He looked to Ken and was unsure of what to call for next. However, he could see a small grin forming on the guys face, giving him a weird sensation.
‘Is it time for that pitch?’ He asked inwardly, feeling a sense of anxiety.
Yuta crouched back down and gave the signal, waiting to see Ken’s response.
Upon receiving a nod, he felt his body shudder in anticipation. He had been waiting for this moment since being told about the pitch in the locker room before the game.
With Shiro’s assistance, he was able to get a decent grasp of how much the ball would break and where. As long as he could catch it, then they would have gotten over their biggest hurdle of the match.
However, this was a risky maneuver since he’d never caught this pitch before from Ken, nor had he seen the guy throw it. It was essentially a big gamble.
After mentally pumping himself up, Yuta placed the glove forward and narrowed his eyes.
‘Let’s see what you’ve got.’
‘Mika, what’s my curveball proficiency at again?’ Ken asked in his mind while adjusting his grip inside of his glove.
[Users curveball proficiency is at 91.8%]
“It’ll have to do” Ken muttered, getting into position.
The atmosphere on the field was stifling as the two brothers stared down the lane at each other. Ken’s tall frame looked as if he could continue pitching all day, whereas Daichi seemed poised to strike at the best opportunity.
Those who were witnessing this match didn’t realize it at the time, but this match would stay in their mind for a long time to come.
Without a word, Ken lifted his knee and coiled his body. His raised leg stepped forward and planted heavily in the dirt beneath him before whipping the ball out of his hand.
Ken watched the ball fly towards the plate, seemingly in slow motion.
It started slightly higher than his other pitches, yet still managed to carry the correct distance.
Daichi had noticed Ken hadn’t jutted his elbow out in this pitch, yet he didn’t pay it too much heed since he knew that their information was now compromised.
Instead he looked at the arcing ball that was coming towards him.
‘Heh so it was a forkball after all.’ He thought, a grin appearing on his features.
Seeing this, Daichi aimed his bat lower, intending to send the ball into the stands and finally get a run on the board for his team.
From his planted left foot to the deliberate twisting of his body and follow through of his arms, Daichi drummed up every bit of power available to him in order to hit the ball.
As long as he made contact, he was certain that it would be a home run.
The sound of the bat bulldozing through the air created a sharp noise which was harsh on the ear drums. It felt as if a tropical monsoon had arrived, bringing with it gale force winds.
WHOOOOOOSH
PAH
Daichi’s eyes widened in shock as his bat sailed over the supposed forkball, striking against nothing but air. His gaze was on the horizon, following the path in which the ball was supposed to take after he smashed it.
There was silence for a few seconds as everyone tried to process what had happened.
“Strikeout!”
“W-WHOA”
“ORYAAAAH!”
The crowd and the Yokohama bench went wild after finally seeing an end to the duel between the two brothers. They were in a stalemate for so long that a lot of people hadn’t realized they’d been holding their breath for a while now.
“C-Curveball!?”
Coach Narukami felt his eyes about to pop out of his socket as he saw ball seemingly float into the outstretched glove of the opposing catcher.
Chris too held a similar expression as he watched the aftermath of the play.
“When did he learn a curveball?”
Clearly he was unaware of the fact Ken used him as an excuse to convince the coach to let him learn the curveball.
It wasn’t just him, there were others who had been paying close attention to Ken throughout the match.
“See! I told you he he had more pitches Grandpa!”
The usually soft and proper tone of the teen had changed, turning into one of excitement and vindication as she addressed her grandfather.
“Hmm, I guess you were right Miho.” Hajime Takashi stated, his face filled with surprise as he stroked his goatee thoughtfully.
Meanwhile, back in Yokohama:
“AHA! I knew he would strike him out!” Tetsu jumped off his chair and pointed at the TV, clearly engrossed in the match.
Yuki who had kept a pillow cushion over her face the entire time felt her heart ache. She had not wanted to see her two sons battle against each other, mainly because there could only be one winner.