Chapter 212: The Sealed Full-Power Pitch

Just as Sato Toshiya was about to head back to the dugout, a voice suddenly called out behind him.

“Sato-senpai!”

He paused and slowly turned around, looking at Kitamura Kou with a hint of confusion.

Meeting his gaze without hesitation, Kitamura smiled warmly.

His handsome face carried a sincere expression as he spoke with obvious excitement.

“That duel with you was incredible.”

“I honestly enjoyed every second of it.”

“I hope that when your next at-bat comes around, we can have another battle just like this.”

Sato didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, he quietly studied Kitamura, as though trying to see through the thoughts hidden behind that bright smile.

After a long silence, he finally spoke.

“It’s an honor to face a pitcher as strong as you.”

“As for my next at-bat…”

He gave a faint smile.

“We’ll see when the time comes.”

Without waiting for Kitamura to reply, Sato turned and walked back toward Kaidou’s dugout, leaving only his retreating figure behind.

Kitamura watched him go before shaking his head with a helpless smile and heading back to Yakushi’s dugout.

Before he even stepped inside, an explosion of cheers greeted him.

His teammates rushed toward him with faces flushed red from excitement, completely forgetting the tension of the game.

“Kahahaha! Kitamura!”

The first person to charge over, as expected, was Todoroki Raichi.

His eyes sparkled like stars as he looked at Kitamura with pure admiration.

“That pitch was amazing!”

“I want to hit a fastball like that someday!”

“A pitch as fast as the Shinkansen!”

Kitamura raised an eyebrow before deliberately putting on a terrifying expression.

“Oh?”

“You really think so?”

A mischievous glint flashed through his eyes.

“If you’ve got the guts—and you’re not afraid of getting killed by one of my pitches…”

“…or ending up so badly injured that you’ll never play baseball again…”

“…then I’ll throw as many as you want.”

The moment those words left his mouth…

Raichi instantly froze.

Cold sweat trickled down his forehead.

The excitement in his eyes disappeared immediately, replaced by a horrified expression.

“Whoa!!”

“159 km/h!”

“Kou, your fastball is absolutely insane!”

Before Kitamura could continue teasing Raichi, Nakanishi Daiki came barreling over.

His round body crashed into Kitamura like a runaway train.

Without hesitation, he wrapped one arm tightly around Kitamura’s neck while his other hand firmly pressed down on his cap, vigorously rubbing it back and forth.

“Hahahaha!”

“You’re incredible!”

A moment later…

The rest of Yakushi’s players arrived.

Like wolves spotting their prey, they surrounded Kitamura from every direction.

No one intended to let him escape.

Some pinched his cheeks.

Others slapped him on the shoulders.

Someone even decided his cap was getting in the way.

With one swift motion, they snatched it off.

Then they immediately attacked his hair instead.

Before long, Kitamura’s neatly combed hair had become a complete mess.

Surrounded by his overenthusiastic teammates, he could only struggle helplessly, desperately trying to escape their relentless celebration.

Unfortunately…

No matter how hard he tried…

There was no escaping their clutches.

The dugout echoed with laughter.

Everyone wore bright smiles.

For a brief moment, all the pressure of the game disappeared.

After finally surviving the enthusiastic “assault,” Kitamura managed to break free and retreat into the dugout.

His uniform was wrinkled.

His hair resembled a bird’s nest.

Yet the smile on his face couldn’t be hidden.

Then…

His expression stiffened.

Because sitting directly across from him was Coach Todoroki Raizo.

Unlike his usual carefree self, Todoroki wore an unusually serious expression.

His eyes remained fixed on Kitamura.

Seeing that look, Kitamura instinctively straightened his posture.

He quietly prepared himself for the lecture he knew was coming.

Unexpectedly…

Instead of exploding in anger, Todoroki simply let out a long sigh.

It was a sigh filled with concern rather than frustration.

“Kitamura.”

His voice was calm.

“I was young once.”

“So I understand exactly how you feel.”

“Youth is full of passion.”

“You want to challenge strong opponents.”

“You want to prove yourself.”

“I understand all of that.”

He paused before continuing.

“But as your coach…”

“There are things I have to say, whether you want to hear them or not.”

“You’ve only been in high school for a few months.”

“Your body hasn’t fully developed yet.”

He looked directly into Kitamura’s eyes.

“Take that full-power pitch you just threw.”

“Yes.”

“It probably felt incredible.”

“You shut down one of the strongest batters in the country.”

“But forcing your body beyond its limits like that…”

“…could have consequences that affect your future.”

The dugout fell silent.

Everyone listened carefully.

Todoroki continued in a solemn tone.

“So from now on…”

“I want you to avoid throwing full-power pitches unless absolutely necessary.”

“If something like this happens again…”

“…even if it means we lose the game…”

“…I’ll pull you off the mound without hesitation.”

His voice became firm.

“Because in my philosophy…”

“A player’s health will always come before winning a baseball game.”

“Do you understand?”

Every word echoed throughout the dugout.

Kitamura listened quietly.

As someone who had been reborn, he understood even better than anyone how dangerous overusing a young pitcher’s arm could be.

He knew Coach Todoroki was right.

More importantly…

He understood that every word came from genuine concern.

Without hesitation, he bowed his head.

“Yes, Coach.”

Todoroki nodded before shifting his gaze toward the rest of the team.

“And the rest of you?”

“Did you hear what I said?”

The players immediately straightened up.

“Yes, Coach!!”

Their unified response echoed throughout the dugout.