Training camp? Yippee!
We're doing four days during Golden Week here at the school.
And I arranged games against Touwa and Oowashi High Schools as well!
Touwa, last year's East Tokyo finalists?
It's their B-team though.
And Oowashi made Chiba's top 16, so they're pretty good.
Ooh!
I'm getting so pumped up!
Which is why we'll prep for the games by training as hard as we can!
Also, there's something we need to address.
In short, I'm afraid we have a little pitcher problem.
Huh? It can't be... I'm fired?!
"Pitch 5: Losing Streak"
All right, here we go!
Come on!
I'm sorry.
Hey! Sure can you handle it?! Don't push yourself, Ms. Fu--
What the heck was that?!
When you played Yana U, they barely knew how to hit the ball.
You need to get used to how fast the ball is meant to be hit.
Nice! That's Risa for you!
Outfield! Incoming!
Who made our advisor a monster?
And camp has barely started.
Guys!
Starting with Nozomi, I need you to come with me for an interview.
Interview?
Wh-What are you...? Ack!
Next! Sumire!
What did she do to you?
Massaged me, I think?
Huh?
Sorry to keep you!
What was that about? It felt good, but...
I looked at your arm's range of motion, flexibility, and lower body strength.
Basically, your potential as a pitcher.
Oh, yeah. You mentioned that before.
I'm getting fired!
Not in a million years!
If you're our only pitcher, you might get worn out or injured.
We'll be hard pressed to go far unless we change that.
Basically, I'm saying we need a backup pitcher!
What a relief!
Who, though?
Well, look forward to finding out at camp!
I've decided on Risa and Ibuki!
This time you want me to pitch?!
Huh?
Now you want me to pitch?!
You're the one using a pitcher's glove! Just give it a shot!
Fine, whatever.
Here goes!
It's just like Asakura!
But...
So slow.
C'mon, copy her speed!
Don't ask the impossible.
Wait. This might actually work.
I feel like it floats.
Really?!
Next up, Risa!
Okay.
Me, a pitcher?
That was good!
So hefty!
It did sound hefty!
The heftiest!
You're talking about the pitch, right?
Just like I thought, you've got meat!
You've had an extra year to build up muscle!
You guys can pitch once you learn some control!
Practice with 70 pitches every day!
You can pitch like that?! Awesome!
I'm just imitating.
Let's not fall behind!
She knows how to hit the zone, but it's all over the place.
Yomi! When you throw that, where exactly do you aim?
Her mitt, obviously.
But unconsciously, I guess the batter's head?
Eek! I-I knew it!
In that case, try throwing with this picture in mind!
"4 Zones" "Face" In that case, try throwing with this picture in mind!
Sounds interesting.
I'll be your guinea pig for this.
That pitch... I've always wanted to see it up close!
No need to hold back.
Okay.
High and inside!
Right!
Nice pitch!
That was in the zone, high and inside?
Yeah.
Again! Let's keep it up!
That would've been hit.
Still, being under pressure like this is good for practice.
Next! Low and outside!
Okay!
Nice pitch!
This four-zone face thing actually works!
Thanks, Yoshino!
Ms. Fujii! Could you stand at the plate for a while?
Yes, of course!
Great! Do low and inside next!
Looking good, Shiragiku!
Next, Nozomi!
Nice!
How come you don't try to hit homers?
'Cos it ruins my form.
I might swing for one if I had to.
When the time calls for it, I'll know.
I see...
C'mon! Lower your hips more!
Ugh!
This is plain torture!
What are you doing?
Hip stretches. One hundred times after each practice.
The flexibility will come in handy if a play ever calls for it.
I see. Good luck with that!
Thank goodness I'm a pitcher.
Oh, Takeda?
When you're not on the mound, you'll play first or third.
In other words, come and do these stretches too.
Welcome to hell.
"Training Camp Lodge"
Thanks for the meal!
Yomi! Let's see what the school's like at night!
Now we're talking! I'm totally in!
I'd like to come along too!
Let's all go together then!
But there's dorms next door, so be quiet!
Okay!
Huh? Where did Rei and Risa go?
They left a little earlier.
Oh. So this is where you went.
I figured no one would find me in a place like this.
What about the rumors of ghosts around here?
Oh? You believe stuff like that? So there is a cute side to you!
Who ever said I believed 'em?
Anyways, aren't you overdoing it?
I held us back in the game against Yama U.
Still, it's crazy how much has changed in a year.
The upperclassmen used to get mad if we trained on our own.
I'm glad we didn't quit.
Thanks... For staying with me.
You're welcome. But the truth is, I stayed for purely selfish reasons.
Huh?
In middle school, you and I never even spoke to each other.
You were famous in school for being athletic,
but I never knew you played baseball.
"Today's Game" "Muraharu Girls' vs Ogishima Girls'"
It wasn't until I happened to see you playing...
...that I realized you pushed yourself to a whole different level.
After seeing that, I knew I wanted to play on the same field as you.
Ever since then, my goal has been you.
So, keep pushing hard or else I'll pass you up!
I thought I heard ghosts, but it's just them.
Look at 'em! Isn't it sweet?
What's that mean?
Let 'em have this moment!
By the way, think you can pitch?
I was picked, so I guess I have to.
Sometimes to win, you've got to save your ace for when they're needed.
True.
I just know Yomi will be an amazing pitcher. We've gotta take care of her.
Besides, I've always wanted to be a slugging pitcher.
And once I am, I'll have passed you up.
As if I'd let you.
I think I need to work harder on improving myself too.
Yeah.
Same goes for me!
Let's all do our best!
Huh?
Shh!
Shoot!
Good grief.
Five more minutes till protein shakes! Keep it up!
You okay, Ms. Fujii?
I think I went a little too wild. Ugh! That's the spot!
My age finally caught up with me. Ow ow ow!
Even alum from Saitama's big four have their limits!
Huh?! Shin Koshigaya alum?
During our big four era?!
Forgive us, master! We've been so rude to you!
I-It's okay. Just don't think being young means you're invincible.
More sweets, please.
"Team | 1 | 2 | 3" "Oowashi" "Shin Koshigaya"
My bad, Risa!
It's fine! And don't apologize while the ball's in play!
It feels like we lack experience.
All the more reason we need to have practice games.
I think Risa's biggest strength is how consistent she is.
Outfield must want special lessons.
"Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10" "Oowashi" "Shin Koshigaya"
Nice job pitching.
You held 'em to just six runs!
Ibuki, relax!
Third! Get two!
Yup!
Woohoo! Double play!
"Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10" "Oowashi" "Shin Koshigaya"
You did fine! You know, I usually give up ten runs!
C'mon, let's get ready for the next game! There's no time to be sad!
"Team | 1 | 2 | 3" "Shin Koshigaya" "Touwa"
Yippee! We're always the ones to score the first run!
"Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10" "Shin Koshigaya" "Touwa"
Final inning,
two outs, runner on second, and Nozomi's up.
If she gets a hit, just maybe...!
Good work, everyone!
Nozomi almost had it there.
No, it's all my fault for giving up hits.
We're the ones who made tons of errors today.
Ms. Fujii said we earned ourselves special training.
There's too many good batters. The second I move in, they hit behind me.
There's so many defensive signs that I can't keep track.
That's why we have practice games! It's all to prepare for the tourney!
Depending on who we're up against, every single play might matter!
All right. Training camp is officially over.
Good work, guys.
While it's a shame that we lost,
now we know what to expect from better teams.
I think we all see the areas we need to improve.
Let's do all we can to get better!
Ms. Fujii. Did you have something to say?
While club activities are important, don't forget about mid-terms.
Make sure to put aside time to study.
--Fine.
--But I don't want to! --Fine.
"coefficient" "add" "constant"
Here we have 2 X squared with a constant of five,
so cross multiplication gives us this.
"May Schedule" "Week 1: Training Camp | vs Oowashi/vs Touwa" "Week 2: Batting/Pitching | vs Matsukyou/vs Soushuu"
"Week 3: Exams/Defense | vs Hachiku" "Week 4: Mid-Terms | vs Takezuka" "Week 5: Batting"
More data?
Remember what Ms. Fujii said? Try studying once in a while.
Well, I pay attention in class, so I'll be fine!
You're awfully happy.
Shiragiku's fielding average in practice has gone way up!
And so has the infield's, including yours!
It makes me excited to see our numbers go up!
"#5 | AVG | AB" "Nozomi Nakamura" "Sumire Fujita"
And then there's Nozomi...
"Scoring Position | AVG | AB" "Nozomi Nakamura" And then there's Nozomi...
"Scoring Position | AVG | AB" "Nozomi Nakamura" She bats over .500, but...
Holy Moly!
--Thing is, she hasn't been able to hit a single RBI... --Let's see what mine is... Ugh, I'm hopeless!
--I hope it doesn't bother her. --Let's see what mine is... Ugh, I'm hopeless!
"Mid-Term Exam" "World History"
What the?! And here I thought I studied for this!
Yo, Yomi! How were mid-terms?
I thought you might come. Ta-da!
"Yomi Takeda" "Lit | HisL | Trig | Alg | R | G | Chem | Phy | His" "Percentile" I thought you might come. Ta-da!
You're kidding! I thought you were one of us!
She's smart and athletic! It's not fair!
Ryo? You didn't fail, did you?
I-I think I did fine...?
Sweet! If you did fine, I'm sure everyone did!
Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!
"Oowashi | Shin Koshigaya" "Shin Koshigaya | Touwa B" "Shin Koshigaya | Yana U Kawagoe"
In any case...
We just can't win.
True.
I'm having tons of fun though! It's cool to play as a first-year!
I agree, but I wish we won.
Sick!
It's time to bump Shiragiku up in the lineup!
In which case, who do we drop back?
By the way, how do you pick the order?
The three of us are pretty similar.
Hmm.
If it's tied with no outs, what would you do if there's no sign?
Try to get walked or bunt.
Same.
I'd smash the ball and put us ahead!
Thought so. That's my reasoning.
Ryo swings freely, so she goes after cleanup.
Between Sumire and Tamaki, Tamaki hits second due to experience.
But for our next game, I'm thinking about changing it up!
Last one!
Ever since the face zone thing, it feels even scarier.
Like the Grim Reaper's scythe.
It's the "Pitch of Death!" That's so cool!
We're losing so much, my teammates are calling me the Grim Reaper...
Referring to how it curves. 'Cuz it slices your neck.
I get it now!
Besides, us losing would make you the god of misery.
I prefer Grim Reaper.
By the way, where did Yoshino run off to?
I wonder if she went scouting again?
Yoshino's meeting with Ms. Fujii.
She said it'll take a while so to leave when we're done.
That took forever! I bet the others already left.
Huh? Someone's still here...
Nozomi?
Such a bad swing!
Nozomi!
Yoshino?! Hey, that was dangerous!
I'm just happy someone's still here!
This is the first time we've sat down and talked, isn't it?
Yeah.
Do you always stay behind?
Sometimes.
'Coz my house is small.
I can't swing there, and it's embarrassing to use the park.
I see. So what was your team like in middle school?
What was it like? The same as here.
We all loved playing baseball.
We were really good too.
In our last game, we didn't make nationals 'cos I couldn't hit.
I screwed up all four at bats.
It's just like the practice games we played.
I shoulda done way better.
It doesn't matter if I get on base if I can't hit when we need it.
I just wanna win with this team!
I want to win as much as you do,
but nobody thinks it's your fault that we lost.
We couldn't hit... We couldn't field...
But everyone regrets it and wants to do better.
The whole team is responsible, not just you.
That's... But...
Same goes for your last team.
If not, why would they promise to meet you in the nationals?
There's nothing I look forward to more than high fiving you after you score!
So, don't try to do everything all on your own.
I know someone who did just that.
And they almost walked away from the baseball they loved.
Achoo! Huh?
Well, I don't think you're like that though.
Besides, you're the one who said it first.
"Let's all go to nationals together!"
She's got so many new blisters...
She's been hitting balls to us nonstop...
Right!
Now, let's go fix your crappy swing!
You don't have to put it like that!
By the way, what took you so long today?
Meeting with our advisor!
I usually wouldn't do this for practice games, but...
It's data on our opponents!
We'll win the next game for sure!
Yeah!
Speaking of which, I had a little idea.
Do you think you could hit cleanup for us?
"Next Episode: With Hearts Full of Hope"