The Decisive Showdown

I should clarify first—I always swing with everything I've got. Whether it's the final pitch after the protagonist's growth event, the last throw from a veteran on the verge of retirement, or a practice pitch from a kid just learning to pitch... I'm the guy who coolly sends even the ball my dad hurls with all his might while betting dishwashing duty over the fence, forcing me to handle the dishes myself. Half-hearted swings don't exist in my ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠world.

'And this side has something important riding on it too.....!'

Quest cleared in just two at-bats. Watching my stats climb like that felt like stuffing endless food into an already bursting stomach.

'Hmm...... Why are my stats already this high.....'

At this level, I'd be an MVP who dominates the domestic league ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠starting over as a first-year in high school. These weren't stats a high school freshman should have. In the game, a card with specs like this would be an untouchable cheat even if it wasn't the absolute endgame.

'The game was already broken to begin with.'

The average velocity in ranked matches there exceeds 170 km/h, with 150 km/h breaking balls raining down mercilessly..... That place is an exception.

'More importantly, is he okay?'

He seemed to have pulled himself together, yet I hit a home run. That must've been quite a shock.... At worst, it could lead to a slump from mental collapse, or even retirement in severe cases.....

'Wait, what about the Cheonji War then?'

Without Kim Sihu, who was supposed to spark the Cheonji War through his feud with Lee Taehyun, their rivalry would be severed right there.

".......You okay?"

I quietly called Kim Sihu's name. He stood frozen like a corpse, blankly staring at the sky—more precisely, the spot where the home run ball had disappeared.

".....It is."

"What?"

"This is because GL Sports' custom bat is so incredible that it turned a fly-out into a home run! I'll challenge you again, so wash your neck and wait!"

'?'

Not the reaction I expected.

"Damn it, I need to head to the nearest batting cage for more practice right away!"

"S-Sihu. I'll come with you!"

As Kim Sihu quickly packed his bag to leave the field, his lackeys rushed over to carry his gear.... But.

"I'll carry my own stuff. Letting someone else handle a player's equipment.... That's grounds for disqualification as a player."

In that moment, I caught a glimpse of Kim Sihu's expression.... He looked oddly relieved.

"Right, you wanted the equipment? Your address is already in the school records, so I'll have the items sent over soon. Since you're receiving it, put in some effort promoting it too."

"Ah, if it's customized, could you change the gold parts to silver or white this time? To match the uniform."

Haneul High's uniform was a mix of black and white. Carrying a mostly black bat with gold accents wouldn't fit the team's image.

'Custom work like that matters too, huh.'

"You sure have a lot of demands. Fine, got it."

Fortunately, he agreed to all my requests and was already heading toward his waiting car when Kim Sihu paused.

"Hmm...... Looks like things wrapped up nicely....."

"And there's one condition in exchange for the equipment."

"What is it?"

When I answered his question with a question, Kim Sihu cleared his throat briefly before declaring,

"Don't lose to anyone else. You have to reign at the top until I defeat you."

With those words, he sped off. His underlings chased after him in a group.... Before I knew it, I was alone on the field.

"Haha, those crazy bastards."

They took their own gear but left all the practice balls Kim Sihu had thrown and the scattered mess behind? Could I catch up if I chased them now? No, they were already driving away. If the coach saw this empty, unorganized field after they just left like that.... I could feel the unspoken pressure of being worked like a dog creeping through my entire body.

"Sigh, they gave me 2 extra stat points, so I'll let it slide.... Like hell I will. Once school starts, you guys are all dead to me...."

"Huh? Why are you still here?"

"Epinel?"

.......I take back what I said earlier. I'm a little grateful.

'Still, I should hit her hard the next time we meet.'

"There are a lot of balls. I'll help clean up too."

Wearing Haneul High's gym uniform instead of her manager outfit—probably because she'd come out to exercise—I started tidying up the field Kim Sihu had trashed alongside Epinel.

...

...

...

"Really? You beat Kim Sihu in a one-on-one match?"

"For now, yeah. I also reached base in every at-bat during the intra-squad game."

Kim Sihu must've practiced his pitching a ton—the ball basket already held more than two full loads.

-Thud thud thud...!

'I'm really gonna kill you, Kim Sihu.'

No matter how expensive the equipment he gave me was, this grudge would be repaid twofold.....!

"Kim Sihu was famous since elementary school. He was the ace at Haneul Elementary and even studied abroad. In middle school, pitchers were scarce, so......"

'Right, he studied abroad and got hyped up by everyone around him, so there were moments when his confidence overflowed.'

I've seen plenty of so-called "once-in-a-generation talents" ruin their careers by neglecting self-management after getting drunk on that reputation.

"That's when it started. The moment Kim Sihu enrolled at Haneul Middle, the starting players acted like they were under pressure and gave up their original positions.... Especially the captain at the time, who gave up the number 1 jersey. That was still shocking."

'Well.... Pitchers are valuable here too, after all.'

Pitchers who can dominate games by stealing hitters' timing with their throws, catchers who orchestrate those pitchers, and fielders with the ability to erase hits are all important....

'Still, the most important one is the pitcher.'

If a team that was headed for last place suddenly reaches the playoffs after signing one foreign pitcher through free agency, would you believe it? Surprisingly, that happens a lot in real baseball. A pitcher who gives his team the unshakable belief that they won't allow any runs, while making opponents automatically think, "How the hell do you even get a hit off that monster?"—that's what a pitcher is.

"Still, he seems to work hard at baseball and throws pretty well, so it'll be fine. And from the look on his face when he left earlier, I don't think he'll cause any trouble for me."

"That's a relief. Kim Sihu throws well too, but.... Among the high school players I've seen, there wasn't anyone like you.... So! Now that I think about it, I was going to ask earlier. When did you switch to pitching? The database only had your records as a batter."

"I was preparing for it. During catch play, my velocity seemed pretty fast, so I got ready."

"Then you came up with that pitching form on your own? Can you show it to me one more time? During the intra-squad game, I was busy recording detailed info on the applicants so I couldn't watch closely...."

'....During the intra-squad game, I didn't show the pitching ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠form I'd prepared because of the stamina-shortage concept, but.... Can I do it?'

When Epinel asked if I could show my pitching form one more time since she hadn't seen it properly during the intra-squad game, I silently walked to the pitcher's plate.

'Conveniently, not all the balls have been cleaned up yet.'

I grabbed as many balls as I could hold in both hands. I figured I could throw about 4-5 pitches.... As I picked them up, suspicious cameras were suddenly being set up beside me.

"?"

"Ah, I set up the cameras to get a better look at your pitching form!"

Feeling like I was being forced into a modeling shoot, I threw the ball.

'Come to think of it, this pitching form is similar to Yamamoto's?'

A Japanese pitcher who would later join the Dodgers with the largest contract in MLB history. I remembered him for his distinctive pitching form without a leg kick.... But it was a bit surprising that I'd never considered skipping the leg kick while continuing my windup.

Though not exactly identical to Yamamoto's, my form also didn't require a leg kick during the windup. Personally, leg kicks were often used by hitters as a timing trigger before swinging, and during the windup, you became vulnerable to stolen bases.... I'd been thinking I needed to improve it.

'It's truly the optimal pitching form for modern baseball.'

Pitches thrown using the entire body as if hurling a spear.

1st pitch, fastball right down the middle. [153 km/h]

2nd pitch, slider that breaks from the 3rd zone into the 1st zone. [141 km/h]

3rd pitch, curveball that drops perfectly into the 9th zone. [127 km/h]

4th pitch, two-seamer that suddenly cuts back into the zone from outside the strike zone, like watching Maddux pitch. [149 km/h]

And.... 5th pitch. Same location as the two-seamer but much slower changeup. [135 km/h]

"What the heck, that pitching form!? It's different from the intra-squad game? No, to think you'd get such clean, fast velocity even while skipping the leg kick. That's incredible!"

"During the intra-squad game, my stamina was borderline so I didn't even think about using it.... This is something I prepared on my own, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠so.."

"You learned that pitching form by yourself?"

When I said I'd taught myself the pitching form, Epinel praised me with an expression like she'd witnessed something extraordinary. It was the first time anyone besides my parents had praised me this much, so I started feeling a bit embarrassed.

"That's amazing? Then before you go..... Here, take this."

Epinel suddenly wrote something in her notebook and tore out a page to hand to me. When I opened the paper to check, it was a note with someone's phone number written on it.

"If I analyze your pitching form and find points to improve, I'll contact you right away! See you later~"

Clapping as if impressed after watching my pitching form, Epinel headed to the dorm with the cameras.

'....She's pretty lively.'

Watching Epinel disappear like that, I felt a slight sense of pride, as if I'd gained a fan, and was able to head home......

"Whoa, our Seojun got into Haneul High. And even as a special recruit?! Yeah, with people like us, who else but Haneul High's special recruit could stop us!"

"?"

"If you go to Haneul High, you probably won't have time to play baseball with old guys like us anymore..."

"Ah, I can still play baseball here without going to the dorm. Only on days without weekend league games.... Whoa!?"

-Grab!

"As expected from our club's strongest player!"

That day, another perfect game record was born at the Nowon-gu baseball club.