Kitamura Kou's eyes locked onto the incoming pitch as it tore toward home plate.
In that instant, his mind was perfectly clear.
Tanba Koichiro's pitching wasn't hard to read, his curveball and fastball had distinct trajectories. That predictability was one of his biggest weaknesses.
Fastball… or something else?
But—
Is it really that simple?
To maximize a fastball, you need a breaking ball that complements it.
The most dangerous… a fast forkball.
Kitamura's gaze sharpened.
Given his velocity, it's not a true fast fork…
Then the only possibility is—
He adjusted his aim—
slightly below the ball's path—
and swung with everything he had.
Behind the plate—
Miyuki's eyes lit up.
He swung—!
Then—
everything changed.
The ball dropped.
Suddenly. Violently.
"Clang!!!"
"BOOM!!!"
Even with the unexpected drop—
Kitamura's bat met it squarely.
The sound echoed across the stadium.
The ball soared.
High—
Deep—
Unstoppable.
In right field—
Shirasu could only look up.
There was nothing he could do.
The ball crashed into the stands.
Home run.
Kitamura raised his right fist—
mirroring Yuuki's earlier gesture—
and calmly began his run around the bases.
"As expected of Kitamura!" the commentator roared.
"In a head-on duel with Tanba, he answers with a monstrous home run!"
"Yakushi extends the lead—7 to 5!!!"
The stadium exploded.
Cheers that had quieted during Seido's rally surged back with even greater force.
On the mound—
Tanba stood still.
This was the moment that would have broken him before.
A home run.
Pressure.
Doubt.
But not this time.
Not after the injury.
Not after watching helplessly from the sidelines.
Not after seeing his teammates carry the burden.
Not after that promise—
left unfulfilled.
Tanba clenched his fist.
This time—
he didn't break.
He roared.
And stepped forward.
With his newly revealed forkball—
paired with Miyuki's bold game-calling—
and Seido's solid defense—
they shut Yakushi down.
Yamauchi Yutaka—out.
Fukuda Daiki—out.
Watanabe Tatsuya—out.
The inning ended.
"AAAAAAH!!!"
Tanba roared toward the sky once more.
"That's the ace!"
"Beautiful pitching!"
"Keep it up, Tanba!"
"Next time, you'll shut those rookies down for sure!"
The Seido crowd surged back to life.
On the mound—
his teammates rushed in—
grinning shamelessly.
"Nice job, Tanba!"
"See? You can do it if you try!"
"Don't stop now!"
Hands reached out—
straight for his head.
"Don't touch it!!!" Tanba snapped, face twisting in frustration.
But even that—
only made them laugh more.
In the stands—
Kaname Manaka watched quietly.
"…You've finally grown, Koichiro."
There was pride in his eyes—
and just a hint of loneliness.
Back in the dugout—
Coach Kataoka, usually stern and unreadable—
allowed himself a faint smile.
"That was a good pitch," he said.
"That's what an ace looks like."
"Don't forget this feeling."
"Go… and take us to victory."
"…Did Coach just smile?"
"He even praised Tanba?!"
"Enough talking!"
"Let's turn this game around!"
"Tanba, bring that energy to the plate too!"
"Seido!!!"
Even after giving up a home run—
Tanba had stabilized the game.
"His recovery afterward was outstanding," Akiko Owada commented.
"Meanwhile, Yakushi's ace is clearly exhausted," Fujio Mine added. "If this continues, Seido is closing in on victory."
Yakushi dugout.
"Tch… that curveball is ridiculous," Yamauchi muttered, annoyed.
"And now he's added a forkball too," Fukuda said grimly. "That makes him even harder to read."
Watanabe looked toward Kitamura with admiration.
"You crushed a pitch you'd never seen before… that's insane."
"Heh…" Todoroki Raizo let out a low chuckle.
"They think they've got this in the bag now."
His grin widened.
"Kitamura, it's your turn again."
"Crush those illusions."
"…Wasn't two runs a bit much?" Kitamura said lightly. "One would've been enough."
"Then give one back if you want," Nakanishi joked, laughing.
Suddenly—
the announcement rang out.
"Yakushi High School requests a substitution!"
"Catcher Watanabe is replaced by Akaishi!"
"Pitcher Sanada is replaced—"
"Pitcher: Kitamura Kou!!!"
The stadium froze.
"…What?!"
"That monster is pitching too?!"
"He's a slugger, a speedster, an outfielder and now a pitcher?!"
"Is there anything he can't do?!"
Shock spread through the stands.
Seido dugout.
"You've got to be kidding…" Kuramochi muttered.
"They're still pulling tricks at this stage," Kominato said, narrowing his eyes.
"Is it a bluff… or is he the real deal?" Chris murmured.
"Doesn't matter!" Isashiki roared.
"I'll smash him the moment I step up!"
Miyuki remained calm.
"Let's observe first."
His eyes sharpened.
No matter who stands on that mound…
We'll break them.