Chapter 513 - 513: A Feast of Pitching Speed

More importantly, the batters who had reached base were all the core of Seido's lineup.

To most spectators, it looked as though Seido's offense was finally about to come to an end.

Yet something surprising caught their attention.

Not only had Seido's supporters not calmed down—

Their excitement had only grown louder.

It was as if they believed a third run could come at any moment.

The players in Seido's dugout wore the same confident expressions.

None of them looked worried.

Instead, they all seemed convinced another run was inevitable.

"Is it because of the batter at the plate?"

"I remember him."

"As long as there are runners on base, his batting is unbelievable."

Even ordinary spectators shared that impression.

The die-hard Seido supporters—and the players themselves—believed it even more.

Standing in the dugout with his hands on his hips, Kuramochi grinned.

"That guy's luck is unbelievable."

In his eyes, Miyuki Kazuya was certain to come through with another hit.

And if he did...

Seido would score its third run.

At the very beginning of the game, a three-run lead would be devastating.

Everyone could already see Akikawa teetering on the edge.

It wasn't because they lacked determination.

Nor was it because they weren't fighting with everything they had.

Their opponent was simply too overwhelming.

If the gap widened to three runs now, even if Akikawa's players continued fighting...

Deep down, they would know how slim their chances of coming back really were.

The moment that thought took root—

The outcome of the game would already be decided.

That was why Seido's players almost pitied their opponents.

From their perspective...

Akikawa had already lost.

All that remained was the final score.

To finish the inning, Seido only needed one more hit.

And the batter standing at the plate was Miyuki Kazuya.

With runners in scoring position, he was every bit as reliable as Zhou Hao or Yuki.

What was there to worry about?

To most of Seido's players, the outcome already seemed decided.

"Not necessarily."

A calm voice suddenly interrupted.

It was Zhou Hao.

Kuramochi turned toward him in surprise.

In his memory, Zhou Hao had always spoken highly of Miyuki's batting.

Why would he suddenly disagree?

What had he noticed?

Zhou Hao didn't explain.

His attention remained fixed on the duel unfolding on the field.

Miyuki Kazuya settled into the batter's box.

There wouldn't be any easy pitches.

Against a control pitcher like Yang Shunchen, every pitch would paint the corners.

Narrowing his eyes, Miyuki quietly worked through his plan.

"I only need to see two pitches."

"After that..."

"I'll have his pattern."

Once he figured out Yang's sequencing, he was confident his chances of making solid contact would exceed ninety percent.

"This pitcher is good."

That wasn't merely Miyuki's personal opinion.

Despite already surrendering two runs, no one on Seido believed Yang Shunchen was an easy opponent.

Quite the opposite.

His command and precision made him one of the toughest pitchers they had faced.

Even Seido's cleanup hitters needed to give everything they had just to produce results against him.

Other than Zhou Hao...

Not even Yuki Tetsuya could confidently say he would win every matchup.

Yet despite all of that...

Yang Shunchen had still failed to survive the first trip through Seido's lineup.

Miyuki couldn't help feeling a little regret.

But sympathy had no place in competition.

He raised his bat and locked his gaze on the mound.

His stance was aggressive.

Ready to attack at any moment.

Combined with his reputation as Seido's most dangerous clutch hitter, the pressure he created was enormous.

Even Akikawa's players felt themselves tense up.

For a brief moment...

No one reacted.

Meanwhile, Seido's supporters roared from the stands.

"Drive it!"

"Bring him home!"

In their eyes, it didn't matter that Yang Shunchen was known as the "Precision Machine."

Against Seido...

He had already become another pitcher destined to fall.

The duel began.

Standing atop the mound, Yang Shunchen showed no trace of frustration despite allowing three straight hits and two runs.

His expression remained perfectly calm.

He lifted his leg and delivered the pitch.

Whoosh!

The baseball raced toward the plate.

But this time...

It drifted toward the middle of the strike zone.

The instant Miyuki saw it, his eyes widened.

His mind went blank.

"What?"

No matter how hard he thought, he couldn't understand it.

How could a pitcher known for flawless command make such an obvious mistake?

There was no time to think.

The pitch was simply too good.

If he let it pass...

He would be letting himself down.

He would be letting Seido down.

Gripping the bat tightly with both hands, Miyuki stepped forward.

As the ball entered his hitting zone—

He unleashed a decisive swing.

CLANG!

The instant the bat met the baseball...

A smile spread across his face.

"I got it."

The moment the ball left Miyuki Kazuya's bat, a smile appeared on his face.

He had made solid contact.

But almost immediately...

His expression changed.

The ball wasn't carrying the way he had expected.

Instead, it climbed high into the air before tracing a lazy arc back down.

Akikawa's left fielder was already waiting beneath it.

As if he had known exactly where it would land.

Pop!

"Out!"

Three outs! Side retired!

The Seido supporters, who had been cheering only moments earlier, fell silent.

Inside Seido's dugout, several players frowned.

"What happened?"

No one understood.

Kuramochi, however, couldn't hide the grin on his face.

It was part amusement...

Part curiosity.

"Haha! How did you know Miyuki was going to get fooled?"

Around him, almost everyone had believed Miyuki would drive in another run.

Only Zhou Hao had thought otherwise.

Why?

"It was the lack of information."

Zhou Hao kept his eyes on the field as he answered calmly.

"You should've noticed."

"Yang Shunchen deliberately concealed part of his ability before facing us."

"If he'd pitched like this in the previous rounds, those teams would've had almost no chance to score."

"In other words..."

"Everything we learned from our scouting reports became useless."

He paused before continuing.

"I can deal with him because of my eyesight."

"Captain Yuki can overpower him with pure strength."

"Senior Isashiki succeeds because of his unconventional batting style."

"Those are individual advantages."

"They can't be copied."

Everyone listened quietly.

"Miyuki hasn't gathered enough information yet."

"If Yang Shunchen is as smart as I think he is, then he would've studied every batter in our lineup."

"He did exactly that."

"The three of us exceeded his expectations."

"But Miyuki..."

"Didn't."

Simply put...

Nearly eighty percent of Miyuki Kazuya's batting came from his baseball IQ.

His physical batting ability made up the remaining twenty percent.

That wasn't to say he lacked skill.

His hitting had improved tremendously, to the point where he could consistently collect hits even with the bases empty.

But against an unfamiliar pitcher...

Without enough information to analyze...

His greatest weapon couldn't be fully utilized.

So before the game even began, Zhou Hao had already guessed Miyuki would struggle during their first matchup with Yang Shunchen.

The result proved him right.

Yang needed only one pitch to retire him.

"So that's it."

Kuramochi scratched his head helplessly.

"I really admire you guys who play mind games."

"The way your brains work is beyond me."

Kuramochi trusted his instincts.

But battles of strategy...

Those belonged to players like Miyuki and Zhou Hao.

Even if he understood the explanation now, he doubted he could reach the same conclusions in the heat of a game.

Akikawa High School came to bat.

Since Akikawa wasn't known for a powerful offense, Seido's players weren't particularly concerned.

Besides...

Furuya Satoru had continued to grow with every appearance.

Most people expected the inning to become nothing more than a showcase of overwhelming velocity.

Akikawa's leadoff hitter stepped into the batter's box.

After both players got set...

Furuya fired.

WHOOSH!

The baseball exploded out of his hand with a thunderous roar.

The Seido supporters instantly erupted.

"That's it!"

"Blow them away!"

"Show Akikawa what true power pitching looks like!"

Even though Seido already led by two runs...

Their supporters weren't satisfied.

They wanted complete domination.

Yang Shunchen's performance had earned their respect.

As the reigning national powerhouse, Seido couldn't allow itself to be overshadowed.

Even if their true ace, Zhou Hao, was stationed in the outfield instead of on the mound...

They still believed they could overwhelm their opponents.

That confidence came from the extraordinary talent of Seido's first-year pitchers.

Furuya Satoru was the perfect example.

A fastball exceeding 150 km/h was routine for him.

When he was at his best...

He could approach 155 km/h.

Velocity like that alone was enough to overpower the overwhelming majority of high school hitters.

Other than Yang Shunchen...

Akikawa's lineup didn't appear especially dangerous.

At least, that's what everyone believed.

Until Furuya threw his first pitch.

Whoosh!

The ball screamed toward the plate.

Akikawa's leadoff batter twitched.

His body clearly wanted to swing.

Yet...

He forced himself to hold back.

Pop!

"Ball!"

The instant the call echoed across the stadium...

The expressions in Seido's dugout changed.

That high fastball was one of Furuya's greatest weapons.

Because it looked as though it was headed straight for the batter's face, most hitters instinctively offered at it.

Even when the pitch finished outside the strike zone...

It often became a strike because the batter chased it.

That instinctive reaction was exactly what made the pitch so effective.

But this time...

Akikawa's batter resisted.

Even players from elite powerhouse schools often couldn't do that.

It was one of the biggest reasons Furuya had dominated hitters despite being only a first-year.

Now...

Everything had changed.

If hitters refused to chase that pitch...

Furuya's entire approach would become far less effective.

"Was it just a coincidence?"

Miyuki wasn't willing to believe otherwise.

He called for more high fastballs.

Again.

And again.

And again.

No matter how tempting the pitch looked...

Akikawa's hitters never offered.

Their patience never wavered.

Eventually...

Furuya issued a four-pitch walk.

"Ball four!"

The stadium fell noticeably quieter.

Seido's players and supporters stared in disbelief.

No one had expected the inning to begin like this.

Before they could process it...

Akikawa's second batter stepped into the box.

This time, Furuya needed six pitches.

The result...

Another walk.

No outs.

Runners on first and second.

Only then did Miyuki finally understand.

The scenario he had feared most had become reality.

Akikawa had prepared specifically for Seido.

Their hitters had undergone targeted training against Furuya's overpowering fastball.

No matter how enticing the pitch looked...

They refused to swing.

Even when Miyuki deliberately tried to bait them...

They remained perfectly disciplined.

As Akikawa's third batter stepped into the box...

A sharp glint flashed across Miyuki Kazuya's eyes.

"If we don't change our strategy..."

"We'll be digging our own graves."

------------------------------

pa-treon com/DaoOfPeeking