Seeing Azuma Kiyokuni's unwilling expression as he stood on first base, Matsugi Musashi felt a heaviness settle in his chest.
He had been confident that Changeup would take care of Azuma—but instead, the ball was still tracked and turned into a clean single.
Is this lineup filled with monsters?
They're truly formidable…
As Azuma reached first, Seido's supporters immediately shifted their attention to the fifth batter.
Thunderous cheers erupted once again.
"KAN-ZA-KI!!"
"KAN-ZA-KI!!"
Kanzaki Ryou stepped into the batter's box with his bat in hand. He first smiled faintly and made brief eye contact with the catcher, then locked his gaze onto Matsugi Musashi.
This pitcher was nearly flawless.
Speed.
Power.
Pitch variety.
After two full days of studying footage, Kanzaki still hadn't found any obvious weakness in Matsugi's pitching.
So the only option left—
Go head-on.
If there was anything exploitable… it was the catcher.
Compared to Matsugi's overwhelming presence, Osaka Kiryu's starting catcher felt noticeably ordinary. In previous matches, whenever Matsugi took the mound, pitch selection was almost entirely dictated by the pitcher himself.
The catcher felt more like a receiving machine than a strategist.
Either Matsugi was so strong that everyone placed absolute trust in him—
—or his personality was simply too confident, too assertive.
If it's the latter… then maybe there's room to maneuver.
With a plan forming, Kanzaki settled in.
As Matsugi released the ball, Kanzaki swung immediately.
Whoosh!
The bat cut through empty air.
An outside high-speed slider.
"Strike!"
A flash of frustration crossed Kanzaki's face.
Second Pitch
The ball left Matsugi's hand.
Kanzaki's eyes narrowed.
Vertical curve.
He adjusted instantly and swung toward the lower part of the strike zone.
Thwack!
"Strike!"
Kanzaki froze.
Surprise flickered across his face—too obvious to hide.
That expression didn't escape Matsugi Musashi's notice.
His brow twitched… then relaxed.
So that's how it is.
No matter how talented Kanzaki was, the pitchers he had faced before simply couldn't compare to him.
Even if he could hit home runs off others—
The one standing on the mound now was Matsugi Musashi, the strongest pitcher in this Koshien.
During Osaka Kiryu's analysis of Seido's footage, Kanzaki Ryou had been a mystery.
His power was inferior to Azuma's.
His explosiveness couldn't match Yuki Tetsuya's.
His pitch selection lagged behind Kominato's.
Yet his results were outstanding.
Singles.
Extra-base hits.
Even home runs.
On paper, he looked strong—but under detailed scrutiny, he gave off a strange sense of weakness.
Now, after personally throwing two pitches and seeing Kanzaki's troubled expression, Matsugi felt he finally understood.
Kanzaki's strength isn't raw power or technique…
It's his ability to track the ball.
A batter like that naturally swings later than others.
That meant—
Changeups wouldn't be very effective.
What he needed was speed.
Pure, overwhelming speed.
The catcher flashed a sign.
Changeup.
Matsugi shook his head.
No.
He needed confirmation.
He would test Kanzaki with his fastest straight ball.
If Kanzaki couldn't keep up—
Then the answer was clear.
For a batter who relied on late swings, excessive pitch speed would only magnify the weakness.
Third Pitch
A four-seam fastball screamed toward Kanzaki's chest.
So fast!
Kanzaki's pupils constricted—
But instead of panic, excitement flared.
This is exactly what I wanted!
His eyes locked onto the white ball.
His abnormal dynamic vision instantly mapped the trajectory and contact point.
The bat swept through—
THUMP!
"Foul ball!!"
The ball shot out toward the first-base stands.
Kanzaki's heart tightened.
He had deliberately lured out the straight ball—
Yet he still failed to hit it cleanly.
No…
This pitch—
Was too fast.
It was blinding.
Matsugi Musashi had exceeded his usual limit.
A speed Kanzaki had never hit before.
His vision kept up—
But his swing speed didn't.
Kanzaki stared at Matsugi.
He had planned to expose the opponent—
Yet his own weakness had been revealed instead.
Seido Dugout
"This is bad…"
Miyuki frowned deeply.
Among Seido, he understood Kanzaki the best.
Up until now, Kanzaki's batting had relied almost entirely on his dynamic vision.
But Matsugi's pitch speed had crossed a dangerous threshold.
Even if Kanzaki could clearly see the ball—
His body couldn't respond fast enough.
"That's not necessarily true," Chris said calmly, flipping open his notebook.
"He can't throw every pitch at that speed."
Tanaka Wataru nodded.
"If he forces himself to pitch like that every time, he'll burn out even faster."
Miyuki exhaled slowly.
They were right.
That 158 km/h pitch was either Matsugi's limit—or beyond it.
He couldn't sustain it.
In other words—
Even if Matsugi had discovered Kanzaki's current weakness—
He ultimately wouldn't gain much from it.
On the Mound
Seeing the straight ball work—and the shock on Kanzaki's face—
Matsugi Musashi was convinced.
As long as my speed is high enough…
Kanzaki Ryou is nothing to fear.
Kanzaki steadied his breathing.
His thoughts matched Chris's exactly.
Matsugi can't maintain that speed.
Even if he tries, his control will suffer.
And if he pushes too hard—he'll pay the price.
What Kanzaki needed now—
Was to keep up appearances.
Make Matsugi believe that speed alone was enough to suppress him.
And then—
At the right moment—
Turn the tables.