Chapter 514 - 514: Miracle

Akikawa High School had clearly studied Furuya Satoru in great detail.

They had even undergone targeted training specifically to counter him.

Miyuki Kazuya wasn't surprised.

He had long expected the day when Furuya's pitching would be thoroughly analyzed.

Especially his signature high fastball.

Once opponents realized that pitch usually finished outside the strike zone, they would stop chasing it.

When that happened, Furuya's greatest weapon would become far less effective.

Miyuki had expected it to happen eventually.

He just hadn't imagined it would come this soon.

Akikawa's players weren't just disciplined—they were incredibly diligent.

After all, Furuya was only one of Seido's first-year pitchers, not even their regular ace.

Preparing an entire game plan specifically to counter him was a tremendous gamble.

If Seido had started Zhou Hao instead...

All of Akikawa's preparations would have been meaningless.

Even if Zhou Hao hadn't pitched, Seido still had two other capable pitchers.

Had either of them taken the mound instead, Akikawa's strategy would have fallen apart before the game even began.

Yet they had prepared for Furuya anyway.

That alone spoke volumes about their determination.

They hadn't come merely to put up a respectable fight.

They had come to defeat Seido.

"The situation's difficult..."

"But this is also a good test for Furuya."

"Let's start with breaking balls."

Miyuki immediately flashed the sign.

If they didn't adjust now, the walks would only continue to pile up.

Akikawa wouldn't even need to swing.

They could simply wait for Furuya to collapse under his own pressure.

That was something Seido absolutely couldn't allow.

Seeing the sign...

Furuya took a deep breath.

Then he delivered the pitch.

Whoosh!

The baseball arrived noticeably slower than before.

Akikawa's third batter watched it all the way into the catcher's mitt.

His hands never moved.

His feet stayed rooted to the ground.

He had no intention of swinging.

Miyuki narrowed his eyes.

Just as he'd suspected.

Akikawa's hitters had been given a simple order—

Don't swing.

No matter what.

If that was the case, there was no reason for Furuya to force maximum velocity.

The priority now was simple.

Throw strikes.

Just like this one.

Pop!

The baseball settled cleanly into Miyuki's mitt.

"Strike!"

The home plate umpire made the call.

Strike one.

The mood inside Seido's dugout immediately improved.

"He's filling the strike zone now!"

"I don't know what Miyuki changed, but Furuya looks completely different."

"They thought they could corner our pitcher?"

"They're dreaming."

The supporters were already beginning to relax.

On the mound, although Furuya had sacrificed some velocity...

His command improved dramatically.

His breaking balls, in particular, completely froze Akikawa's hitters.

"Strike!"

"Ball!"

"Strike!"

"Ball!"

"Strike three!"

"Strikeout!"

Furuya recorded his first strikeout of the afternoon.

Throughout the entire at-bat...

Akikawa's third batter looked almost helpless.

He never even attempted a swing.

"I told you they weren't anything special!"

"They can't even touch pitches from one of our first-years!"

The spectators had no way of knowing the truth.

It wasn't that Akikawa's hitters couldn't swing.

They simply had orders not to.

After recording the first out, Miyuki finally relaxed.

"The adjustment worked."

"Furuya's settled down."

His gaze drifted toward the batter who had just returned to the dugout.

Judging from his build alone, that player clearly wasn't weak.

He definitely possessed legitimate hitting ability.

Unfortunately...

A batter who refuses to swing can never show his true strength.

No matter how talented he might be...

He was powerless under those orders.

One out.

Runners on first and second.

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

As the team's fourth batter, he carried himself with tremendous confidence.

Even Miyuki could sense the pressure he gave off.

He might not be among the nation's elite.

He wasn't even one of West Tokyo's absolute best.

But he was undoubtedly a first-class hitter.

A batter of that caliber could change a game with a single swing.

Yet Miyuki wasn't worried.

Because he already knew.

Just like his teammates...

This batter wouldn't swing either.

A dangerous hitter who refuses to swing...

Is nothing more than a tiger without fangs.

There was nothing to fear.

"You've found your rhythm."

"Keep attacking the zone."

Miyuki gave the next sign.

WHOOSH!

Without the slightest hesitation, Furuya delivered another pitch.

The stiffness that had plagued him at the start of the inning was gone.

His mechanics grew smoother with every throw.

Watching closely, Miyuki noticed the subtle change immediately.

Furuya had completely relaxed.

His arm was no longer tense.

That was the key.

A faint smile appeared on Miyuki's face.

"High fastball..."

"Right down the middle."

The high fastball was Furuya Satoru's greatest weapon.

It was also the pitch most likely to miss the strike zone.

Miyuki Kazuya understood that better than anyone.

Even so...

He flashed the sign without hesitation.

Only by throwing this pitch cleanly for a strike could Furuya truly shake off his earlier struggles.

Only then would Akikawa's carefully planned strategy against him become meaningless.

Seeing the sign, Furuya didn't overthink it.

He simply trusted his catcher.

WHOOSH!

The baseball exploded from his hand.

The sound alone made Akikawa's cleanup hitter, Shiratori, flinch in the batter's box.

Fast...

The earlier pitches had already been difficult enough.

But this high fastball carried an entirely different level of pressure.

Had it not been for the special training Akikawa had undergone, his body would have instinctively reacted.

He would have swung.

Pop!

The baseball smacked cleanly into Miyuki's mitt.

"Strike!"

The pitch caught the zone perfectly.

Most of the spectators had no idea what they had just witnessed.

But Seido's players understood immediately.

"He got it over!"

"It didn't sail high!"

"He actually adjusted in the middle of the game?"

"I don't even know whether to praise Furuya or Miyuki."

"Aside from that sharp tongue of his..."

"Miyuki really is incredible."

Across the field...

Akikawa's bench had noticed it as well.

Every player's expression darkened.

"How is that possible?"

"They actually corrected his pitching during the game..."

Coach Ogata remained calm.

"It's the catcher."

"As expected of someone featured in the baseball magazines."

"He's every bit as good as they say."

"But weaknesses don't disappear so easily."

"As long as Furuya keeps relying on that high fastball..."

"He'll eventually make another mistake."

The Akikawa players trusted their coach completely.

If he believed another opportunity would come...

Then it would.

"We just have to be patient."

Shiratori eventually struck out.

Two outs.

Runners remained on first and second.

Furuya's inning couldn't have been more dramatic.

He had started by issuing back-to-back walks...

Only to answer with consecutive strikeouts.

It was as though he had become an entirely different pitcher.

Even the spectators were stunned.

They didn't understand how he had turned things around so quickly.

All they knew was that Furuya had found his rhythm.

"Finish them off!"

"They're so scared they won't even swing!"

Then...

Akikawa's fifth batter stepped into the box.

"Yang Shunchen."

As he adjusted the brim of his cap, he quietly spoke to Miyuki.

"It must be exhausting..."

"Catching for a pitcher who doesn't even know where the ball is going."

The jab was obvious.

He was mocking Furuya's control.

Miyuki answered without missing a beat.

"Not really."

"If the batters refuse to swing, it makes my job pretty easy."

Yang's expression didn't change.

Only his eyes narrowed slightly.

So...

Seido had figured it out.

They already understood Akikawa's strategy.

Trying to force Furuya into self-destruction simply by refusing to swing was no longer realistic.

Yang immediately glanced toward the dugout.

I'm swinging.

Coach Ogata froze for a brief moment.

Their entire game plan had been built around exploiting Furuya.

They had prepared for him more thoroughly than for anyone else.

This was supposed to be their best chance to score.

If they abandoned that strategy now...

The consequences would be enormous.

But after meeting Yang's determined gaze...

Coach Ogata slowly nodded.

"If you've made up your mind..."

"Then go."

The scoreboard still read:

Seido 2 — Akikawa 0

Yang had challenged Zhou Hao.

He had challenged Yuki.

He had even been caught off guard by Isashiki's unconventional swing.

Because of those decisions...

Akikawa had already fallen behind by two runs.

That deficit hung over them like a sword poised to fall.

Rather than waiting helplessly...

They would seize the initiative themselves.

Receiving his coach's approval...

Yang's entire aura changed.

WHOOSH!

The instant Furuya released the ball—

Yang attacked.

WHOOSH!

His bat ripped through the air with incredible speed.

Behind the plate, Miyuki's eyes widened.

A swing?

Only moments ago, he had concluded Akikawa would refuse to swing under any circumstances.

He hadn't expected them to change strategies so decisively.

Had the entire team changed its approach?

Or...

Was this Yang Shunchen's own decision?

Miyuki didn't need to think long.

He already knew the answer.

Pop!

The bat missed.

The baseball settled firmly into Miyuki's glove.

"Strike!"

The stands erupted.

"So that's the famous Precision Machine?"

"I expected a lot more!"

"Looks like his batting isn't so precise after all!"

The ordinary spectators laughed.

But Miyuki wasn't smiling.

What caught his attention wasn't the miss.

It was Yang's timing.

That pitch had been 153 km/h.

And despite seeing it for the very first time...

Yang had almost matched it perfectly.

Very few high school hitters could do that.

Standing in the batter's box, Yang stared intently at Furuya.

It's not as fast as I imagined.

Don't follow it with your eyes.

Feel it.

As long as his mechanics stay the same...

I can hit it.

That was the confidence of an elite player.

He tightened his grip on the bat.

The previous swing-and-miss hadn't shaken him in the slightest.

Just like the two runs Seido had scored earlier.

Against the national champions, those runs should have been devastating.

Yet Yang had never let them affect him.

He continued pitching calmly.

Continued thinking clearly.

Continued battling every Seido hitter.

Now...

He approached this at-bat with that same composure.

The pressure resting on his shoulders meant nothing.

He simply prepared for the next pitch.

WHOOSH!

Following Miyuki's sign...

Furuya fired again.

Yang's eyes flashed.

Now!

His timing was perfect.

He unleashed a full-power swing.

CRACK!

The baseball exploded off the bat.

It screamed toward a wide-open gap in Seido's outfield.

Miyuki's heart sank.

This is bad...

If that ball touched the grass...

Akikawa would score at least one run.

Possibly two.

Such a scene was almost unheard of against Seido.

The players...

The supporters...

Everyone held their breath.

They prayed for a miracle.

Yet deep down...

They all knew the same thing.

No one could possibly reach that ball in time.

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

pa-treon com/DaoOfPeeking