Chapter 188: A Stunning Strike

"Strike three! Batter out!"

Using nothing more than three perfectly located four-seam fastballs, alternating inside and outside, high and low, Kitamura Kou effortlessly struck out Kaidou's second batter, Ishiguro.

"Third batter, catcher—Sato!"

Bat resting lightly against his right shoulder, Sato Toshiya slowly stepped out of the on-deck circle.

His movements were smooth.

Elegant.

Unhurried.

Every step reflected the composure and confidence of a true cleanup hitter.

As he walked toward the batter's box, an invisible pressure gradually spread throughout the stadium.

One step.

Then another.

With each stride, his presence seemed to grow stronger.

By the time he settled into the batter's box, the atmosphere had completely changed.

It was as if a war god had stepped onto the battlefield.

An overwhelming aura radiated from him, commanding everyone's attention.

"Sato!"

"We're counting on you!"

"Don't let Yakushi look down on Kaidou!"

"Show them what our cleanup hitter can do!"

"Hit one into the stands!"

The Kaidou dugout erupted.

Cheers and shouts echoed throughout the stadium.

Although Sato had only joined the team a few months earlier, his extraordinary ability had earned the complete trust of every teammate.

"Hm?"

From Yakushi's dugout, Todoroki Raizo narrowed his eyes in surprise.

His instincts immediately sensed something unusual.

"That kid..."

"The smell of making big money is even stronger than my idiot son's."

"Hehehe..."

"So this game still has a few surprises left."

Raizo's intuition had rarely failed him.

Just from the pressure Sato unconsciously released, he could already tell—

This batter was extraordinary.

Meanwhile, Kitamura Kou's eyes lit up.

His heart pounded with excitement.

This feeling...

It's incredible.

My blood is boiling.

The pressure...

The focus...

The thrill of standing on the edge of a cliff...

He couldn't stop smiling.

There's no mistake.

This batter...

He has the potential to become one of the best hitters in the Major Leagues.

The thought alone sent another surge of excitement through him.

His calm eyes now burned like twin flames.

Every nerve in his body screamed with anticipation.

His fists unconsciously tightened.

Even his fingertips trembled slightly.

Among every hitter Kitamura had faced—

Sato Toshiya possessed the greatest raw hitting potential.

Even Todoroki Raichi, his own teammate and one of the most gifted sluggers in Japan, fell just a step behind in that regard.

"Play!"

The umpire's booming voice cut through the stadium.

Kitamura inhaled deeply.

The fire in his eyes blazed even brighter.

His fingers wrapped tightly around the baseball.

The muscles in his forearm tensed.

Veins bulged beneath his skin.

Then—

He exploded forward.

BOOM!!

The baseball rocketed from his fingertips with terrifying force, roaring toward home plate like a cannon shell.

Across from him, Sato never flinched.

A sharp glint flashed through his eyes as he tracked the incoming pitch.

You think a fastball like this is enough to beat me?

You're underestimating me.

I've faced this kind of velocity countless times.

More times than I can remember.

His grip tightened around the bat.

Every muscle in his body coiled like a spring.

He resembled a leopard waiting patiently for the perfect instant to strike.

VROOOM!!

The bat began to move.

The bat, which had remained perfectly still only a moment before, suddenly exploded into motion.

VROOOM!!

Its speed and explosiveness defied common sense.

It was almost as if it had teleported.

In the blink of an eye, the barrel appeared directly in front of the blazing fastball.

For a fleeting instant—

Time itself seemed to freeze.

The roaring stadium...

The cheering crowd...

Everything faded away.

Only the screaming baseball and the thunderous swing remained.

CLANG!!

Bat and ball collided with an explosive crash.

The instant they met, the baseball seemed to gain limitless power.

Like a cannon shell fired from its barrel, it rocketed high into the sky with incredible speed.

Whoosh!

"What?!"

Akaishi Osamu's pupils contracted violently.

He stared upward in disbelief as the baseball continued to climb.

Higher.

Higher still.

It seemed to defy gravity itself, soaring deep into the sky before finally drifting beyond the foul line and disappearing from the spectators' view.

"Foul ball!"

The umpire's call echoed through the stadium.

It was only a foul.

But no one dared underestimate that swing.

Akaishi remained frozen behind home plate.

How...?

Kitamura's pitch was perfect.

The velocity...

The location...

Everything was exactly where it should have been.

And yet...

This batter met it cleanly on his very first look.

His gaze slowly shifted toward Sato Toshiya.

Disbelief still filled his eyes.

Inside Yakushi's dugout, silence fell.

"...You've got to be kidding."

"Someone actually drove Kitamura's first pitch that far?"

"I've never seen anyone do that."

"Not even Raichi managed it."

Every Yakushi player stared toward the batter's box.

Their expressions were filled with shock.

Sato stood there calmly, his bat resting lightly on his shoulder.

His posture was as steady as a mountain.

To everyone watching...

He looked less like a high school player and more like a battle-hardened warrior standing in the middle of a battlefield.

The atmosphere in Kaidou's dugout, however, was the complete opposite.

It erupted into celebration.

"Did you see that?!"

"That's the real strength of Kaidou High School!"

"You were laughing after getting two quick outs!"

"Who's laughing now?"

"Hahaha!"

"Sato, don't hold back!"

"Crush them!"

"Forget crushing them!"

"Make that kid cry!"

"That'll be even more satisfying!"

Since the start of the game, Kaidou had been forced onto the defensive.

Kitamura's overwhelming pitching had left the entire team frustrated, unable to release the pressure building inside them.

But with a single thunderous swing—

Even though it produced nothing more than a foul ball—

Sato Toshiya shattered that frustration.

The confidence that had been buried inside Kaidou High School came roaring back to life.