After Todoroki Raizo spoke, the tense atmosphere in Yakushi High School's dugout eased significantly.
Yeah… what was there to be afraid of?
The opponent had Narumiya Mei—but Yakushi had Kitamura Kou.
None of them had ever seen Kou fail. They couldn't even imagine an opponent capable of defeating him. After all, this was still high school baseball—not the professional leagues or the majors, where monsters were everywhere.
Kitamura Kou finished the water in his cup and casually tossed it into the trash can in the corner—swish, a perfect shot.
"You don't need to worry about Narumiya's breaking balls," he said calmly. "Just aim for his fastball. Even if you strike out, don't swing before two strikes. And even if they try to bait you with easy pitches, don't fall for it. Focus on wearing him down."
As he finished speaking, a cold glint flashed in his eyes.
The Yakushi players shivered involuntarily, as if a chill had swept through the dugout.
Todoroki Raizo leaned back in his chair, grinning in satisfaction.
"From now on, we follow Kitamura's strategy. You all know how ridiculous his stamina is. Let's give that arrogant Tokyo prince a proper beating."
"Yeah!!!"
The team roared in unison.
Despite the close call earlier, Narumiya Mei remained in peak condition.
He struck out both the fifth batter, Mishima Yuta, and the sixth batter, Akaishi Osamu, in quick succession.
Notably, he threw four changeups in that inning alone—and both batters fell victim to them.
Watching this, the players from other schools in the stands grew increasingly serious. The Seido players were no exception.
"Not only is it hard to keep up with," Miyuki Kazuya muttered, "but the ball drops with a sinker-like movement… Is this Narumiya's changeup?!"
West Tokyo was already a brutal battlefield—and now with Yakushi's rise and Narumiya's overwhelming strength, breaking through this region felt almost impossible.
"In the bottom of the second inning, Inashiro Industrial High School is at bat. The fourth batter catcher, Harada!"
From the on-deck circle, Narumiya Mei cupped his hand to his mouth and shouted,
"Leave it to you, fourth batter!"
"Shut up," Masatoshi Harada shot back without even turning around.
On the mound, Akaishi Osamu walked over, covering his mouth with his glove.
"Kou, this guy's no joke. He won't be easy to handle."
Kitamura Kou glanced at Harada in the batter's box. The pressure coming off him was intense—but Kou remained unfazed.
"He's strong," Kou admitted calmly. "But I've seen stronger. Go back. I still want to give Narumiya a proper lesson."
Akaishi could only sigh helplessly before returning to his position. Pitchers always had their quirks—and Kou was no exception.
In the stands, the Sakurazawa players—who had lost to Inashiro—watched closely.
"It's finally here… their cleanup hitter."
"Yeah. He won't miss a good pitch."
"I wonder if that pitcher can shut him down."
"No idea…"
Masatoshi Harada fixed his gaze on Kitamura Kou, analyzing everything he had seen so far.
So far, he's taken down three batters using only a 150 km/h fastball with excellent control. Not a single breaking ball yet…
To disrupt our rhythm, he'll probably mix one in soon. But the first pitch… most likely still a fastball.
With that thought, Harada tightened his grip on the bat, preparing to go all out.
Akaishi gave a subtle signal.
Kou nodded—and delivered the first pitch.
Boom!!!
A blazing fastball tore through the air—high and tight, skimming the edge of the strike zone.
Harada didn't rush. He waited… then swung with full force.
"—!"
Thump!!!
"Strike!"
He missed completely.
Kou didn't give him time to adjust.
The second pitch came immediately.
Boom!!!
High and outside.
Harada reacted faster this time—his swing slightly ahead of the previous one.
Ping!
The ball clipped the top of the bat and flew into the back net.
"Foul!"
Akaishi glanced at him from the corner of his eye.
As expected of a cleanup hitter… he's already adjusting.
Harada exhaled slowly, raising his bat again.
Still too fast…
Yoshizawa was right. Instead of going for power, I need to focus on making contact.
And the breaking ball… it should come now. Most likely a forkball.
Kou delivered the third pitch without hesitation.
Boom!!!
The speed dropped slightly—just under 150 km/h.
The pitch came into the strike zone, second grid position, slightly cutting inward.
That's it—a breaking ball!
Harada's eyes sharpened. He committed fully, aiming slightly below center—
Thump!!!
"Strikeout!!!"
The ball didn't drop.
It stayed straight.
For a brief moment, silence filled the field.
Then—
"YEAHHHH!!!"
The Yakushi bench erupted.
"Four batters, four strikeouts!"
"Did you see that?! Our Kitamura is unstoppable!"
Narumiya Mei clicked his tongue in irritation as he walked past.
"What are you doing, cleanup hitter?"
Veins bulged on Harada's forehead.
"…Sorry."
"The fifth batter—pitcher, Narumiya Mei!"
The real showdown… was about to begin.