The first pitch came roaring towards the plate with a full head of steam. Makoto narrowed his eyes and instinctively knew where it was going to go.
It was outside the strike zone but not out of reach of his bat. While he was eager to blast it out of the park, he did his best to remain calm and refrained from swinging.
As long as he didn't swing, it should be a ball. After all, there was more benefits for him if the battery was behind in the count.
PAH
"Strike"
"Huh?' Makoto turned to look at the umpire with confusion.
He knew that he had a long reach, but there was no way that the last ball had been a strike. The umpire merely looked at him with a "I said what I said" expression plastered on his face.
The Captain resisted the urge to draw a line in the dirt, indicating where the ball had past home plate. Instead, he rolled his shoulders back and tried to relax.
Both Ken and the coach watched on with a serious expression. Ken knew how infuriating Dachi could be, at least to the opponents that they'd faced in his previous life. So to see the same thing happening to his team had him feeling a little odd.
Seiji on the other hand, had enough game sense to understand that it was the catcher giving them all of the problems.
The last pitch was most definitely a ball, yet the way the catcher framed it had deceived the umpire.
Daichi was like a maestro behind the plate, directing the game to his own tune little by little. Of course, without a juggernaut like Yatsuo on the mound his effect would be limited.
Just thinking about what kind of battery Ken and Daichi would make gave him some goosebumps.
'Maybe in the future we'll see those two on the international stage.' Coach Hanada commented inwardly, feeling his expectations soar.
He turned to Ken who still had no idea about his conversation with Coach Takashi merely a few days beforehand. No doubt that enigmatic man would be watching this game today, searching for all kinds of talent.
WHOOSH
PAH
"Strike"
Makoto felt his face heat up in irritation as the next ball sailed away from his bat. Originally he had thought they'd be trying the same trick again to get an easy strike, yet it wasn't a fastball at all.
'That damn slider…'
He grit his teeth, feeling a bout of frustration. It felt like his mind was being read all the time which was a weird sensation. He wasn't sure what was going on, but before he knew it the count was already 0-2.
He gripped the bat tightly once more and turned towards the opposing captain.
'Empty your mind. Let your muscles take over.'
Makoto took a deep breath in through his nose and out through his mouth.
His whole demeanor seemed to have changed, giving off the aura of a solid and steady mountain.
Daichi's expression flickered for a moment, yet he still got into position and called for the next pitch.
'Ahh, it's so easy to pitch when Diachi is leading.' Yatsuo thought, a sly grin creeping onto his lips.
Ever since he'd made the starting lineup, Yatsuo's job had been smooth sailing. All he needed to do was pitch as he was told, and everything would work out.
It was almost like having a cheat character in a game.
Yatsuo adjusted his grip for a two-seam fastball and quickly shot into action, throwing his whole body forward. Yet as the ball was about to leave his hand, he felt a shockwave crawl up from his wrist.
He grit his teeth and bared through the pain, still managing to send the ball to the right area.
WHOOOSH
DONG
Makoto managed to get a hold of the ball which was breaking towards him, however it was sent directly into the air and into the foul zone. He could only watch on as the ball was easily tracked down by the 3rd baseman and caught.
"3 outs! Changeover."
Yatsuo casually looked down at his wrist and began to flex his fingers a few times briefly. Not saying a word he retreated back to the dugout.
"Ah my bad, that last pitch slipped a little." He said to Daichi, a small smile on his face.
"No problem." Daichi replied, however inwardly he was a little skeptical.
Since he was the one who had been catching Yatsuo's pitches essentially all year, he could tell when something was wrong. Yet there was no point in mentioning it, especially when they'd only just started the game.
Makoto returned to his own dugout with a frown. He felt that the last ball was not going to end up where it was, yet he had already committed to hitting it.
If he was thinking straight, he probably could have dodged it or even gotten a walk from getting hit by the pitch.
"Don't mind Captain, let's focus on defense." Ken said, patting the muscular teen on the shoulder. He didn't expect to get any easy hits, particularly in the first innings when they had yet to get used to the pitcher.
It wasn't only Ken who consoled Makoto, both Yusuke and Hiroki gave him a pat on the back on their way onto the field. Now was not the time for jokes or to bring their teammates down, it would be a long game and they needed everyone to be in top shape.
Ken approached the mound and adjusted his cap. He began to roll his shoulders backwards and then forwards as he waited for Yuta to get ready.
He could feel that the atmosphere in the arena was different. It was as if an invisible pressure was descending onto him, a result of the thousands of expectant eyes watching his every action.
Yet Ken did not fold under the pressure. The constant rhythm of his heartbeat sounded within his chest, beating like a war drum on the eve of battle.