One Outs 6

One Outs, Volume 1, Chapter 6 (pp. 146~163)


<146>
Chapter 6: Instant


<147>
After losing to Toua
Kojima-san
Not only skipped out on his workouts, but hasn't returned to the camp at all

He was more demoralized than I had ever imagined

=Damn it!!
GRUCK

=This thing has ruined our whole training camp!!
=Damn it!!


<148>
=That damned Toua...
=My

=You seem to be awfully interested...
=In Toua

=Hey
=Has that Toua guy really never lost that game before?

=Yep
=Even when he's never reached 80mph on his fastball, and he hasn't learned any breaking pitches. Strange, isn't it?


<149>
=I can't believe it
=That level of pitching, and no-one's figured him out yet

=Want me to tell you
=About when I first met him?

=It's been 2 years already

=The American soldiers on this island are bored to death
=So I was running this bar and handling some gambling, just like I am now


<150>
All the guys started gathering at the usual place
But there was one new kid there
That was Toua—

At first I hardly even noticed him

=Emerson, ya gotta win once in a while
=I bet 20 dollars on you just to be nice
OHHHHHH
=Shut up assholes
ZWUSH


<151>
=Curveball low and outside

BWUP

THUCK
=Whoa!


<152>
=Hey hey what're you lookin' at
=Hah-hah-hah!
OHHHHH

=Damn it!
=Same pitch next

BWUSH
THUMP


<153>
What the hell!?

=Hey... Forget about the last two
=Fastball's comin' in at your chest

What is he talking about...
Idiotic...

ZWUP


<154>
=He's right!!

GR

TIII—NG

=Whoa!! Man, he really hit it—!!

=Nice shot!!
=Stupid, he just got lucky


<155>
=You hit it like that even after I told you exactly what was coming?
=Man you suck

=Try sayin' that again, you little...
=Now now

=You
=Know baseball?

=...Then why don't you give it a shot

=With this sucker
=He—y that sounds good!
=Go for it Emerson!

=Y-Yeah
=I'll show you what happens when I get real


<156>
=I'm playing this guy

=And
=It'll be a one-pitch game

=I was surprised


<157>
=...Hah
=He sounds like he can read minds or something

=It's possible
=I've seen Toua play many many times after that

And sometimes I'm really frightened
That maybe he's able to read other people's minds

=At the very least
=He can see stuff that normal people can't fathom


<158>
Tension, agitation, anxiety...

He can see those subtle changes that occur in the human mind

=And that's not all
=The most frightening part is

=He takes those emotions... And makes the disturbance even greater
=Meaning

He can control
Human mentality


<159>
=...Impossible
=You still don't get it?
=Why don't I demonstrate with a little game

=Listen and count the seconds until you reach a minute
=Think you can do it?

=?//That's all?
=Yep, that's all
=Easy little game

That's nothing
=Alright
=Ready//Go!


<160>
THUD
=JOLT

=...Oh...

=There... You lost count...


<161>
=I disrupted your concentration
=Just by making a little noise

=Counting 60 seconds by ear
=Hitting a 60mph fastball
=Neither of those are difficult things

=But... Humans are ruled on emotion
=Once the mind loses focus, even the simplest tasks become impossible to accomplish

=Throwing fast pitches
=Having a variety of pitches
=Those are certainly great skills

=But... Those things don't make or break a pitcher
=What's needed most is...


<162>
=A tough spirit

=Toua developed his amazing intuition through gambling...
=He's not just any old pitcher

=He's the ultimate gambler


<163>
=The ultimate
=Gambler...!?