"Hit and run!!"
Just as Carlos took off running—and the ball flashed through the air—a collective gasp erupted from the stands.
Inashiro Industrial wasn't holding anything back in this opening inning.
Whoosh!
A blur of motion—
The ball slicing through the air—
Thud!
It slamd hard near the first base line.
"Foul ball!!"
The ball skidded past the line, and the first base umpire's shout confird it.
Carlos had no choice but to ease up and jog back to second base.
"Tch… Thought that one was going to land, huh? Against Inashiro's number two, seventy percent strength is enough. What matters now is control."
The feel of that last pitch—
It gave Eijun a better sense of where his pitching condition stood.
He now knew just how much force he could put behind his throws, what form to use, and how to bring out the most from his current state.
The key was minimizing the effect of the sharp pain and numbness in his arm.
He had to manage that threshold.
"Second pitch—sa thing. Fastball, outside corner."
Behind the plate, Miyuki signaled again.
Eijun gave a slight nod.
With quick steps, he went into his motion—his arm slicing forward.
Whoosh!
A gleam of light shot out.
On the mound—sharp and composed.
In the batter's box—Shirakawa stepped forward, bat in motion.
The bat sliced through the air with deadly intent.
Swish—Smack!
"Strike!!"
A high fastball just outside the zone.
Even with his arm still hurting and unable to unleash full power, Eijun's control—especially to the corners—remained sharp and precise.
A crafty pitch.
Technically, it was slightly out of the strike zone.
But it was enough to fool Shirakawa into swinging.
He's back to normal.
Two clean fastballs—
That was all Miyuki needed to confirm Eijun's current rhythm.
It reassured him that the previous pitch—the one Carlos smashed—was just a fluke.
In baseball, stuff like that happens.
But now, watching how Eijun handled Shirakawa, everything looked back to normal.
"Third pitch! Right down the middle—accelerated fastball."
Miyuki was never one to waste pitches.
If he called a ball, it was only when truly necessary.
But now, with two strikes—
It was ti to press the advantage.
As Miyuki laid down the sign, Eijun moved instantly into his delivery.
His arm swept forward again.
And in that mont—
The ball leapt off his fingertips.
Whoosh!
A blinding flash of light shot toward ho plate.
Shirakawa's eyes locked onto the incoming pitch.
He read the path instantly.
He stepped forward with force—
Arms whipping around with power.
Swish!
A dark blur streaked across the batter's box—
The ball streaked toward ho plate.
Shirakawa llocked onto its trajectory and quickly recognized the pitch.
He stepped forward aggressively—arms snapping into motion.
Swish!
A blur of black cut through the air.
A sharp crack of wind followed, a sonic boom echoing behind it, and the fierce pressure of the pitch surged in.
As the bat swung through—
The ball suddenly veered midair, as if accelerating right before impact.
Shirakawa's pupils shrank in shock.
He watched helplessly as the pitch narrowly avoided the swinging bat and shot straight into Miyuki's glove.
Pop!
"Strike! Batter out!!"
Shirakawa gripped his bat tightly, eyes flashing with frustration.
A fastball, right down the middle… That guy!!
His gaze turned sharp and dangerous.
He glared fiercely at Miyuki before yanking his bat off his shoulder and heading back to the dugout.
"Batting third—first baseman, Yamaoka!"
As he passed by, Yamaoka whispered, "What kind of pitch was that?"
Shirakawa replied in a low, grim tone:
"Yeah... That fastball with no deceleration.
To the naked eye, it looked like it sped up near the end. The difference in perceived speed from its spin—
And if he mixes in off-speed pitches, it becos even more deadly."
Yamaoka gave a small nod, a glint in his eyes.
Gripping his bat, he stepped powerfully into the batter's box.
A big fra. A powerful aura.
As Yamaoka approached the plate—
Eijun narrowed his eyes from the mound.
In Inashiro's lineup, this guy was their powerhouse hitter.
With his current condition, Eijun knew—
If he threw anything too sweet, his weakened velocity wouldn't be enough to overpower Yamaoka's strength.
Even at full power, facing Yamaoka head-on was a 50-50 battle.
He couldn't afford a direct confrontation now.
Eijun lightly patted his right arm with his left, then pressed it downward.
Behind the plate, Miyuki raised an eyebrow slightly.
A flicker of surprise passed through his eyes—but then he gave a small nod and subtly adjusted his stance.
Whoosh!
As Miyuki crouched into position and gave the sign—
Eijun began his windup.
His left arm rose and ca crashing down in one smooth motion.
A beam of light burst from his fingertips.
The pitch cut through the air like a blade—
And in an instant, it was bearing down on ho plate.
BOOM!
Yamaoka's eyes widened as he stepped forward.
Dust kicked up from the batter's box.
A surge of wind followed.
His tal bat sliced through the air with a sharp sonic boom.
Swish!
Ping!
The bat t the ball right as it crossed the plate.
The impact rang out like a cannon blast across the stadium.
Yamaoka's face twisted slightly at the feedback from the bat.
"RAAH!"
He shouted, unleashing full force in the follow-through.
WHOOSH!
The ball flew off the bat, spinning toward the space between the mound and first base.
THUD!
It slamd into the ground between the pitcher's mound and first base line.
Yamaoka's expression changed.
Was I late on the swing!?
He clenched his teeth, tossed his bat, and sprinted toward first.
The ball skipped off the ground—
"Second base!"
Eijun shouted to Haruichi nearby.
In perfect sync—
Just as the ball bounced, Haruichi was already on it, closing in fast.
It was a tricky location—
But with Haruichi's agility, he intercepted it at the perfect angle.
Pop!
The ball landed cleanly in his glove.
His peripheral vision imdiately checked the gap between second and third.
Carlos had started to make a move—but seeing Haruichi field the ball cleanly, he gave up and returned to second base.
Whoosh—Pop!
Haruichi rifled the throw to first—
Where Maezono caught it cleanly.
"Out!!"
The umpire's voice rang across the field.
And the crowd erupted in cheers!
"Nice pitch, Sawamura!"
"Great grab, Haruichi!"
"Two outs, two outs!"
"That's the rhythm right there!"
"Go for it, Ace!"
"Sawamura, just one more out—finish the inning!"
"Let's go, Seidou!"
"Co on, Sawamura!!"
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