Chapter 259: A Batter Who Can See Through the Heart
"Three up, three down! Change of sides!"
Furuya had struck out the side with overwhelming dominance,
not leaving even the tiniest opportunity for Ichizen High.
The crowd in the stands erupted with uncontrollable excitement.
"That was amazing!"
"That's our Furuya-kun!"
"I used to think people were exaggerating when they talked about him… but now I know I just didn't understand."
It wasn't just the fans—
even the commentators were in awe.
"Absolutely outstanding! Nine pitches, all in or near the heart of the strike zone, and every single one clocked over 150 km/h. Speeds most pitchers can only dream of—Furuya throws them like they're nothing."
The other commentator chimed in:
"Sure, there have been pitchers at Koshien with faster fastballs. But to maintain that speed across nine consecutive pitches and strike out all three batters? Furuya's the only one. No wonder people call him special. His talent… it's terrifying."
"Even Ichizen must be shaken by now, right?"
That sentiment echoed in the hearts of most of the crowd.
If they were in Ichizen's shoes, they'd probably be ready to throw in the towel.
And truthfully—Ichizen's players were in a tough spot.
They had done their homework on Seidou.
They knew Furuya wasn't normal.
Just his fastball alone, regularly above 150 km/h, was already enough to crush their spirits.
Still, they believed they had a chance.
Furuya's high-effort style would surely drain him over time.
There was no way he had the stamina to finish a full game.
And unlike some of Seidou's past opponents, Ichizen had days to prepare.
They'd practiced with pitching machines, simulated his speed, and built a mental game plan.
They didn't expect to beat him right away—
but they were sure they could keep their cool, adjust, and outlast him.
That was the plan.
Going into the game, they were anxious, sure—
but also hopeful.
They were excited to face Seidou and its monstrous ace head-on.
And now that moment had come—
And it had shattered their expectations.
They finally saw Furuya pitch in person, and their entire view of him changed.
Nine pitches. The slowest? 153 km/h.
With that kind of pressure, it didn't matter where the ball landed in the strike zone—
they had no answer.
Even more terrifying, Furuya didn't seem remotely concerned about conserving energy.
He had plenty of safer, lower-effort ways to get outs.
But he didn't use them.
Was Seidou's coach an idiot?
Did their battery not understand how to pace a game?
Impossible.
If that were true, Seidou never would've beaten Inashiro or made it to Koshien.
If they were attacking like this, it meant they had the confidence to back it up.
Ichizen's players were left in despair.
How were they supposed to beat Furuya?
"H-He's terrifying…"
Wada clutched his chest, pretending to calm his racing heart.
He looked like he'd been traumatized.
"You call that manly? Raise your head!"
Coach Aihara seized the moment, shouting sharply to snap the team out of it.
Her harsh voice, paired with Wada's act, jolted the others awake.
Their expressions twisted in shame.
How could they even think about giving up so soon?
The game had just started!
They were Ichizen—a top national powerhouse in their own right.
Seidou was strong. Furuya was terrifying.
But Seidou hadn't coasted to this point, either.
They had fought through countless tough games in West Tokyo, including a narrow win in the final against Inashiro.
That meant…
"They're not invincible. You must remember that!"
Coach Aihara declared, firm and unwavering.
Finally, Ichizen's morale began to recover—
though both she and Wada knew…
It was only temporary.
The psychological blow had landed.
And if Ichizen didn't hit back—
fast—
they'd be fighting an uphill battle the rest of the way.
"Don't let that happen. You understand, right?"
Bottom of the first.
Seidou's turn to bat.
They stepped into the box with total confidence—
not even bothering to change up their lineup.
They knew this gave Ichizen time to prepare against them.
They didn't care.
Seidou had made up their minds before the game even started:
"We're not just here to win—
We're going to win with dominance, with pride, and with clarity."
Everyone on the team, from the coach to the last bench player, agreed.
"Batting first, number six, shortstop—Kuramochi!"
As soon as Kuramochi stepped up, the crowd went wild.
"Go get 'em, Speedster General!"
"Charge hard! Don't give them a single chance!"
For Seidou's die-hard fans, they were already hungry to see their team seal this game in style.
And the fans?
They fully believed it—they could see it coming.
"Heh…"
Kuramochi stood in the batter's box with a cocky smirk.
It wasn't just his teammates and the fans in the stands who were fired up—
he himself couldn't wait.
Ever since Seidou made it to Koshien, his phone had been blowing up.
From someone unknown to instant celebrity—
Kuramochi had become a star overnight.
Sure, he knew most of the attention came from Seidou's rise as a whole—
but he didn't care.
When life is going well, confidence blooms.
And when confidence blooms, performance often follows.
Even though this was Kuramochi's first time standing on the legendary Koshien field, from the moment he stepped on it—
he felt like he belonged.
"I bet some of my old teammates are watching this from their TVs right now…"
That thought lit a fire in him.
He was going to prove to them just how far he'd come.
"I'm gonna get a hit. I'll show them all how much I've grown."
Kuramochi tightened his grip, eyes locked on the pitcher.
With Furuya's dominant start, Ichizen's pitcher was likely to come out throwing hard.
"Then I'll jump on the first pitch!"
He was ready.
On the mound, Wada still wore a big smile,
completely unfazed by the earlier damage.
When he began his motion, it looked almost lazy—
sloppy, relaxed, carefree.
Fans in the stands exchanged confused looks.
Wada didn't look like a power pitcher—
but this was a little too underwhelming.
"What's going on…?"
"Isn't this guy the ace of a top-tier team?"
Even Seidou's biggest supporters had to admit:
Ichizen was a powerhouse.
This shouldn't be their ace's energy.
"Is it a trap?"
Kuramochi sensed something was off the moment Wada began his delivery.
He even considered holding back—
But then the pitch came.
It wasn't fast.
The angle wasn't sharp.
It wasn't right over the plate either, but Kuramochi's instincts told him it was hittable.
"If I don't swing at that, I'm wasting everything I've learned here!"
He let it rip.
Crack!
The bat connected—
the ball soared straight into the sky.
For a moment, Seidou's dugout and fans exploded with hope.
It looked good.
It looked really good.
Kuramochi was fast—
maybe even a triple!
But then—
The ball came down.
Fast.
Only about 20 meters.
Right into the glove of the second baseman.
"Pop!"
"OUT!!"
The crowd let out a wave of disappointment.
What should've been a momentum-shifting hit—
was gone.
Kuramochi was out.
That was their chance to ignite the offense, to put pressure on Ichizen early.
Missed.
And the frustration hit hard.
Back in Ichizen's dugout, cheers erupted.
In Seidou's?
Furuya, Miyuki, Chris—and several others—
frowned.
Most fans probably chalked it up to bad luck.
But Seidou's players noticed something.
It wasn't the hit.
It was how Ichizen's pitcher threw that ball.
"Was that Wada's usual pitching form?"
Chris shook his head.
As the team's strategist, he had watched hours of Ichizen game footage.
He knew—
that wasn't Wada's normal style.
And yet, Wada had thrown it that way on purpose.
"If that wasn't a fluke… Then Wada has at least two pitching styles— and they're totally different."
As Seidou whispered about it, their second batter stepped up.
Kominato Ryousuke.
His injury had turned out to be minor.
Two days of rest and he was fully cleared to play.
He, too, had noticed something was off.
"What a tricky team," he said with a cheerful smile.
But his eyes—sharp and calm—looked straight through Ichizen's pitcher.
When Wada saw that stare, he flinched.
Most batters were easy to read.
But this one…
He had a nickname.
A dangerous one.
"The Devil Batter."
It wasn't just because of his absurd ability to foul off pitch after pitch, draining pitchers and drawing walks.
It was his mind.
His calm.
His ability to see through every intention on the field.
Baseball Kingdom magazine had once described Seidou's second batter like this:
"A hitter who can see straight into your heart."
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