"Clang!!!"
Ryosuke Kominato's guess had been correct—it was a four-seam fastball right down the center.
But he hadn't expected the sheer power behind it. The impact made his hands go numb, and he almost dropped the bat entirely.
Fortunately, he reacted quickly. Seeing the baseball roll toward first base in the infield, he gritted his teeth and mustered the last of his strength to guide the bat and push himself toward first.
Though the chances of reaching base safely were slim, it was far better than letting the pitch knock the bat from his hands entirely. And as long as he didn't say anything, no one would know how much it had hurt.
As he had feared, Daiki Fukuda had already fielded the ball and thrown it to Mishima Yuta at first base.
"Smack!"
"Out!"
Kitamura Kou grinned wickedly as he watched Kominato Kominato walk back to the bench as if nothing had happened.
Ryosuke's plan to wear down the freshman pitcher had failed completely; he could only slink back, tail between his legs.
Passing by Jun Isashiki, he whispered a warning:
"Watch out, Jun. That kid's ball is heavier than even their ace, Sanada."
As Seido High School's star hitter, Coach Kataoka wouldn't let Jun Isashiki continue trying to tire out Kitamura Kou. If Seido couldn't score now, there was no hope of tying or overtaking Yakushi High School.
Now facing a dire situation, Jun didn't taunt the pitcher as usual. Instead, he stood silent, his eyes locked on Kitamura Kou, his expression fierce and determined. He was resolved to get on base, no matter what.
Though he felt he couldn't match the sense of security that Tetsuya Yuki brought when stepping into the box, Jun knew there was only one path now: get on base by any means necessary.
Kitamura Kou, meanwhile, paid no mind to what the opponent thought. After retiring four consecutive batters, he had fully entered his rhythm.
He wound up and threw.
"SWOOSH!!!"
The white baseball, with its streak of red seams, whistled toward home plate.
Dead center. Red zone.
Straight, fork, or some trick pitch? Jun wondered, eyes fixed on the approaching ball.
Kitamura Kou's pitching motion defied expectations for a first-year. You couldn't tell from his delivery whether it was a fastball or forkball—and there was no way of knowing how many variations he had hidden up his sleeve.
The pitch came too fast for Jun to hesitate. He swung at the area just below center with all his might, hoping it would drop as he had anticipated.
The ball, however, zipped directly into Akaishi Osamu's glove.
Smack!!!
"Nice pitch!"
Jun's already grim expression darkened further. The kid's precision and cunning rivaled even the team's catcher.
He forced himself to calm down, adjusted his stance, but the anger in his eyes remained unmistakable.
"That pitcher has ice in his veins! Two four-seam fastballs to the center in a row, and he dared it!"
"Are all Yakushi High pitchers made of steel?"
"This is terrible for the heart."
The audience gasped in shock at the audacity.
Kitamura Kou didn't pause. He threw the second pitch immediately—this time, a low four-seam that just grazed the edge of the strike zone at the outer corner.
Jun refused to ignore it. Any pitch close enough to the zone was worth swinging at. He struck decisively.
"Clang!!!"
The ball flew at high speed, landing just outside first base—a foul.
Kitamura Kou pressed his advantage, tossing a third pitch.
"SWOOSH!"
Another low four-seamer, this one even further outside the strike zone. But Jun still swung.
"Clang!!!"
Another foul.
Akaishi Osamu signaled the next strategy to Kitamura Kou: finish him with the next pitch.
He nodded, then wound up for the fourth pitch.
This time, he aimed near the inner corner, close to the front of Jun's eyes. It was far outside the strike zone—safe from injury, but almost impossible to hit normally.
Jun, however, was not ordinary.
Gripping the bat like a kendo sword, he slashed downward with full force. The swing cut the air with a whistle—but the ball plummeted past, landing squarely in Akaishi Osamu's glove.
Smack!!!
"Three strikes! Batter out!!!"
"Damn it… that was a forkball, and it still stayed in the strike zone!" Jun muttered, stomping away from the batter's box in frustration.
Two outs. No runners.
Four more outs remained before final victory.
All eyes now turned to Seido High School's unyielding fourth batter and captain, Tetsuya Yuki—their last hope.