Chief Lupan, standing at the mound, observed the male youth Dragonborn with a discerning eye.
He noticed it before, but now that he got a better look at him, it truly did seem like he was the same species as Jaku.
And after observing the Rebornian dugout this entire time, he concluded that they were indeed brothers—family alongside the other similar-looking demi-humans with them.
Their cheers and playful banter proved that.
"Just swing your bat," Sheina said, her hands crossed on her chest and chewing bubble gum like a hardened coach. "Don’t forget to plant your feet squarely—"
"Oh shut up already sis! I know what I’m doing!" Zion grumbled.
Chief Lupan quietly glanced at the dugout, his eyes focusing on the white-scaled and the green-scaled Dragonborns. Those two girls were observing him just as much as he was observing them. Then, his gaze returned to the batter in front of him.
’They are of the same species... but they do not possess the same power as he does.’
He used his piercing eyes to peer through Zion’s body. A golden lining appeared around his pupils and irises as he used his Nascent Spirit realm cultivation to see through the power hidden inside the demi-human.
He glanced at Zion’s chest, his nose twitching as he sensed a powerful gathering of magic in his cores.
’So he’s powerful in magic as well,’ he concluded. It seemed that it wasn’t just Keo who was talented in the Mystic Arts.
His gaze went up from his stomach to his chest, looking at his heart.
Seeing nothing of importance, his eyes quickly moved up to his throat. He concentrated, squinting and leaning forward as he tried to get a semblance of that ancient, powerful magic hidden in his voice. But there was nothing.
He thought that red-scaled youth was just like Jaku, but it seemed that he was simply hoping for nothing.
Shaking his head, he concentrated on the game. With the ball hidden in his glove, he winded up a simple pitch.
The ball rocketed into the strikezone, causing Zion to swing his bat wildly. His swing looked the same as the other Werewolves, sloppy, amateurish, and relied entirely on brute force.
The pitch landed directly into the Werewolf catcher’s glove for a called strike.
Zion brushed it off, saying: "I wasn’t ready yet."
However, the second and third pitch proved that hitting Chief Lupan’s pitch wasn’t a matter of ’being ready’. It was about skill.
Zion swung wildly the next two pitches, hitting none of them.
"Strike three, you’re out!"
Zion smashed the bat in the ground and cursed. "This is why I hate baseball! Why can’t I just punch the ball?!"
Michael expected this outcome. Zion was never really good at baseball, or holding any other weapon for that matter. He was only good at using his fists, which thankfully, he was extremely adept at with a SSS-class talent. Otherwise, he would just look completely incompetent.
Their next batter was someone Michael and Chief Lupan both had high hopes for.
Jaku dragged his feet to the field, holding the bat in his shoulders.
"Let’s get this over with," said the lazy Dragonborn.
Instead of a normal batting stance, Jaku held the bat beside his waist, the barrel hiding behind him.
The baseball bat replaced his katana, which was now ready to be unsheathed at any time.
Chief Lupan held the ball in his hands, taking a deep breath, before winding up a fastball pitch right down the middle.
With the ball speeding down towards him, Jaku’s lazy eyes suddenly focused, as if a switch had been turned up inside his head. Lightning arced around his dark blue scales, his speed being powered by his intense need to finish this baseball game and sleep soon after. A visage of a young blue-scaled Dragon appeared above him, its eyes flashing lightning.
The whole world seemed to slow down as the ball creeped right in front of him.
He swung his bat sideways from his waist, making crisp contact with the ball, letting it fly off into the air.
And without a moment’s hesitation, he ran for the bases. Just like a lightning strike, he reached 1st base, already rounding out to get to second.
At this point, the ball was still very early in its ascent, needing a few more milliseconds before the pull of gravity arced it downwards.
Jaku reached second base, immediately running towards third with only a flash of blue lightning in his wake.
Then, he reached third, looking like he was going to reach home base even before the ball hit the ground.
But just then, a tremor quaked in the ground as the dirt in the pitch’s mound got disturbed.
Chief Lupan was nowhere to be seen.
But if one looked upwards, they would see him in the skies, hand outstretched to perfectly intercept the ball as it continued on its arc.
It landed on his mitts, before he started to fall.
The Werewolf Chief landed with a quaking thud on the ground, feet apart.
He looked towards home base just as Jaku stepped to the plate.
"You’re out," he said with a grin.
The Werewolves erupted in furious applause. Their Chief just saved them from a run! Who would have thought that he would jump up so high that he would catch the ball before it even reached the ground?!
And according to the rules, it was still a live ball. Jaku was out!
Michael couldn’t help but shake his head with a chuckle. The physical abilities of a Werewolf was a cheat in baseball!
How do we even stop that?
This was an exhibition match. Results didn’t matter. After all, Michael already achieved his goals. The Brownblood Werewolves were addicted to baseball. Among the spectators, he saw them mimicking hitting with a bat and pitching the ball during the game. Suffice it to say, they loved baseball.
Despite that, Michael still wanted to win against Chief Lupan and the others. With how naturally gifted they were in learning baseball, this was perhaps the only chance they’d get in beating them. Once the Brownbloods got some more practice in, they would be a force to be reckoned with.
We have to know how to hit those pitches.
So, before the next batter came onto the plate, he gathered everyone and gave them a simple instruction. Make Chief Lupan throw as many pitches as possible.
He was going to copy the Werewolf Chief’s tactics and use numerous batting attempts to slowly learn his style.
It didn’t matter if they only got a hit during the 9th inning. As long as they got used to his pitches, they had a chance.
So, the third batter finally took their place.
Umisu shyly approached the home base, her head downcast.
Her siblings cheered her on from the sidelines.
"Go sis!" Zion shouted. "You won’t be able to hit it, but at least try to exhaust him, yeah?"
"Shut up," Sheina grumbled. "Umisu, you’re the one who plays baseball more than us. Just play like normal."
Umisu pulled the hard hat closer to her face, hiding the embarrassment in her cheeks.
Then, once the umpire asked if she was ready, she put on her game face and nodded.
Chief Lupan winded up his pitch and threw it hard towards her, its speed far surpassing anything he ever threw before.
But at that moment, an invisible shockwave emanated throughout the baseball field.
Michael immediately stood up, his eyes wide with shock and surprise.