"BANG!"
Raichi Todoroki's swing was explosive—
But he missed.
Miyuki Kazuya reacted instantly, rising from his crouch to catch the ball as it climbed even higher.
The sharp sound of the ball slamming into his mitt echoed behind him.
Raichi Todoroki froze in place, still locked in his follow-through.
Three pitches…
A strikeout.
"Strike three!"
"Batter out!"
Even the umpire couldn't hide his shock. With a sharp wave of his arm, he announced the result.
"Raichi Todoroki—STRIKEOUT!!!"
On the mound, Ushijima Wakatoshi stood tall, calmly watching the "little monkey" after ending his first at-bat.
Raichi gripped his bat tightly, glaring at Wakatoshi with burning frustration.
Yakushi's morale instantly dropped.
"Nice pitch!!! Hahaha!"
Youichi Kuramochi and the others cheered loudly.
But in the stands—
Those holding radar guns swallowed nervously.
"…158."
One spectator muttered the number.
"What?! It went up again?!"
The crowd exploded.
"156… 157… now 158?!"
"It keeps increasing?! What kind of pitcher is this?!"
"158 km/h… that's insane!"
"If this keeps going… he might reach 160!"
The murmurs spread rapidly across the stadium.
On the Inashiro side, even Kunitomo fell silent, his expression heavy.
He had once believed Wakatoshi couldn't maintain control past 150 km/h.
That anything faster would fall apart.
But now—
This first-year pitcher had clearly evolved.
A 158 km/h fastball…
How were they supposed to hit that?
"Seriously…?"
Shunpei Sanada stared in disbelief.
In the dugout, Todoroki Raizō's expression darkened as he looked at his returning son.
Raichi, standing outside the dugout, still stared at the mound unwillingly.
On the mound, Ushijima Wakatoshi glanced at both father and son.
A faint smile curved on his lips.
The two of them looked back at him with identical expressions—resentful, unwilling to accept defeat.
This is what happens when you look down on me.
A strikeout… and this is only the beginning.
Wakatoshi turned his gaze away and refocused on the next batter.
Behind the plate, Miyuki Kazuya was thrilled.
He felt like he had hit the jackpot today.
Two fastballs over 155 km/h—
Both landed in the strike zone.
Even though the third pitch had been slightly off, it forced the swing.
Those blazing four-seam fastballs had already left a deep psychological mark on Yakushi.
"Second batter—Akiba!"
The announcer called out.
Todoroki Raizō quickly composed himself and looked toward the batter.
"Akiba… you know what to do, right?"
Akiba nodded and stepped into the batter's box.
Another left-handed hitter.
On the mound, Ushijima Wakatoshi glanced at him, then at Miyuki.
Miyuki tapped his mitt and set the target—
Inside corner.
Seeing the sign, Wakatoshi didn't hesitate.
He began his motion and delivered the pitch.
Akiba reacted instantly.
"Speed under 145… inside… four-seam—!"
He swung decisively.
But midway through—
The ball shifted.
It cut inward and dropped slightly as it approached the plate.
"What—?! A cutter?!"
Too late.
His swing was already committed.
CLANG!
The cutter jammed his bat.
The ball struck near the handle, producing a dull metallic sound.
If it had been a wooden bat, it might have snapped.
Tap… tap…
The ball rolled weakly into the infield toward second base.
Akiba dropped his bat and sprinted.
But Ryosuke Kominato charged forward, scooped the ball cleanly, and fired it to first.
SMACK!
Tetsuya Yūki caught it firmly.
"Out!"
The umpire signaled.
Two outs.
As Akiba walked back, he glanced toward the mound.
"I've faced Sanada's cutter before…"
"But this one is faster."
"And it breaks sharper… it even drops more."
Back in the dugout, his teammates immediately surrounded him.
"How was it?!"
Yuuta Mishima asked.
"It's faster than Sanada's cutter," Akiba replied seriously.
"And the break is sharper. It cuts in and drops harder."
"And… it feels heavy. Probably because of the speed."
"Faster and sharper than mine…?"
Sanada muttered, eyes burning with excitement.
He hadn't expected Seido's first-year pitcher to be this strong.
Todoroki Raizō quickly began analyzing.
"Be careful, Mishima."
"After seeing that, they probably won't use the cutter again right away."
"You're a right-handed batter."
"That battery likes attacking the inside."
"If they go inside, the pitch will run away toward your outside."
"Expect a two-seam, a shoot, or a sinker."
"Watch the release carefully—sinkers usually come out slower."
Mishima nodded and stepped into the batter's box.
On the mound, Ushijima Wakatoshi had already been waiting.
He studied the right-handed batter.
The previous hitter adjusted quickly, even against the cutter…
They've clearly trained for inside pitches—probably because of their own pitcher.
Behind the plate, Miyuki also came to the same conclusion.
They've practiced specifically for inside pitches…
So this time—
He set the target outside.
Wakatoshi nodded slightly.
He raised his arm and delivered the first pitch.
A high fastball—
Outside corner.
In the batter's box, Mishima's eyes widened.
"High… outside?"