Standing in the batter's box, Isashiki completely forgot to swing.
His eyes were wide, trembling, locked onto the baseball screaming toward him.
At that moment, the ball no longer looked like a ball.
In his vision, it became a wild, ferocious, starving wolf—
Its blood-red jaws open wide as it lunged straight at him.
"O–oh… oh… oh—!"
The terrifying pressure of the pitch filled Isashiki with both fear and exhilaration.
Whoosh!!
Bang!!!!!!
A white blur shot past him and smashed violently into the iron backstop.
"!!!!!!!!!"
Everyone nearby froze.
They had already seen Ushijima Wakatoshi's first pitch to Kuramochi.
But watching him throw again—without holding back at all—was still overwhelming.
The power and speed were simply too frightening.
"Ball!" Coach Kataoka called out.
The pitch was terrifying, but the control…
What a pity.
If only he could control it—how incredible would that be?
Kataoka couldn't help recalling his own days as an ace.
Back then, his fastball could also reach 150 km/h, and he had been able to control it precisely.
But this kid…
As Ushijima himself had said—he had a powerful arm, but his wrist control still needed work.
"Senpai," Ushijima said calmly from the mound, "that was just a warning. Don't get too arrogant."
"You brat," Isashiki growled, teeth clenched. "I'm going to blast you out of here."
"Oh?" Ushijima replied without fear. "If you've got the guts, then try."
The next pitch came immediately.
This one was slower than before.
Isashiki didn't hesitate.
He swung with everything he had.
"Oshi!" His face twisted fiercely as the bat cut through the air.
"Foul ball!" the coach ruled.
The ball shot toward the third-base side and bounced out of bounds.
Then—
Another pitch.
Still around 145 km/h, but the trajectory was far more deceptive.
So subtle that Isashiki hesitated, unsure whether to swing.
Ushijima threw five consecutive four-seam fastballs, all hovering near 145 km/h.
Isashiki tracked them correctly—
But because of the movement and angle, he couldn't drive any of them cleanly.
Watching Isashiki gradually calm down and adjust, Miyuki knew—
Now.
Ushijima immediately threw the sixth pitch.
"Fastball!"
"Right down the middle!"
"Slower than before!"
Isashiki reacted instantly.
He calculated the timing and swung with full force.
But at the very last moment—
The baseball drifted sideways.
"What?!"
The sudden movement threw off the point of contact.
Ping!
The ball was hit—but weakly.
It bounced along the ground.
Isashiki dropped his bat and sprinted toward first base.
Ushijima charged off the mound, scooped up the ball cleanly, and fired it to first.
"Ugh!" Isashiki lunged desperately.
"Out!" the first-base umpire called.
"Tch—damn brat," Isashiki muttered as he turned back.
"Throwing a two-seam at the very end…"
"You didn't notice the earlier two-seams at all, did you?" Kominato Ryosuke teased.
"Huh? I did?" Isashiki snapped back, face slightly red.
"All I saw were fastballs."
"Ya ha ha ha~" Kuramochi laughed bitterly.
"Our first three batters—no hits at all."
"Idiot!" Isashiki roared.
"I was out on a grounder. You two were struck out. Don't lump me together with you!"
Kuramochi and Kominato fell silent.
Someone who didn't even reach base complaining about two strikeouts…
Now it was the fourth batter's turn.
Isashiki pointed his thumb toward the batter's box.
"Captain Tetsu—teach your cousin a lesson!"
"Don't go easy on him. That kid can throw a two-seam."
"He struck out Kuramochi and Kominato, and even I got jammed at the end."
"Be careful—he's not someone you can underestimate."
Then Isashiki added loudly,
"Well, it's all your family's genes anyway. You're not that different, Captain."
His words echoed across the field.
On the mound, Ushijima Wakatoshi felt the pressure double as he faced his cousin.
This batter was on a completely different level from the previous three.
This was also his first true showdown with Yuki Tetsuya.
Before, they had both been batters. The only thing they ever compared was hitting.
Now—
One was the pitcher.
The other was Seido's cleanup hitter.
"Heh…" someone murmured.
"A brother showdown. This'll be good."
Standing in the left batter's box, Yuki Tetsuya gazed calmly at his cousin.
On the surface, he looked composed.
Inside, he was both nervous—and excited.
This was their first confrontation like this.
After watching the first three batters, Yuki already had a clear understanding.
Four-seam fastball:
With control, 140–145 km/h.
Without control—over 150 km/h, possibly even 155 km/h.
A 150 km/h fastball?
He was confident he could hit it.
155 km/h?
That was another story.
But as long as it stayed within 145 km/h, he believed he had a real chance.
"Hoo…" Ushijima exhaled slowly.
Facing Yuki Tetsuya—one of the top five batters in the country—
There was no way he wouldn't feel pressure.
Even Narumiya Mei's full-power changeup had once been sent to the outfield by this man.
Narumiya's fastball exceeded 150 km/h.
Compared to that, Ushijima's controlled pitch speed capped at 145 km/h.
If I miss my spot… it'll be hit.
At minimum, it would be a deep outfield shot.
"…This was meant to be a test anyway," Ushijima told himself.
"A test of ability. Of courage. Of heart."
"Don't fear being hit."
"What I need to test—"
"Is my control."
"And my resolve to pitch."