Chapter 534 - 534: A God-Tier Performance!

"He's a monster!"

Akiha could feel his legs trembling ever so slightly.

More than anything, he wanted to crush this pitch.

But in reality...

That was far easier said than done.

Although Sawamura's pitching wasn't as overwhelming as Furuya Satoru's blazing fastballs, in terms of pure difficulty, his pitches were arguably even harder to deal with.

Just his hidden release point alone was enough to give any batter a headache.

On top of that, the baseball moved unpredictably.

Akiha clenched his teeth so hard it felt as if he might crack his molars.

He couldn't hesitate anymore.

The moment the baseball entered his field of vision...

He had to swing.

Yet on the first two pitches, he hadn't been able to pull the trigger.

Pop!

"Strike!"

"Strike Two!"

Inside Yakushi's dugout, the players shouted encouragement one after another.

"Hit it!"

"Believe in yourself! You can do it!"

It sounded simple enough.

As if hitting Sawamura's pitches was no different from hitting anyone else's.

But only someone standing in the batter's box could understand the pressure.

Even though Akiha had mentally prepared himself...

He still couldn't bring himself to swing immediately.

And now...

He had been backed into a corner.

Whether he wanted to or not, he had no choice but to face Sawamura head-on.

Raising his bat high, Akiha committed the instant the next pitch came.

"I can't predict where the ball will end up."

"Then I'll simply swing harder and faster."

"Even if I barely make contact..."

"I'll force the ball into play."

It was a solid plan.

Unfortunately...

The moment the bat met the baseball—

The confidence on Akiha's face vanished.

It was replaced by disbelief.

Before he even saw where the ball was headed, the numb sensation in his hands told him everything.

He hadn't hit it cleanly.

The vibration traveling through the bat felt completely wrong.

The contact had been terrible.

Ping!

The baseball trickled weakly off the bat.

It didn't even travel ten meters before bouncing harmlessly along the infield grass.

Yuki Tetsuya calmly moved into position.

Pop!

"Out!"

One out.

Bases empty.

The player who had started Yakushi's rally earlier—

One of Yakushi's three freshman monsters, Akiba Kazuma—

Had been retired with surprising ease.

The Seido players in the dugout exchanged astonished glances.

Honestly...

This wasn't the outcome any of them had expected.

Over the previous two innings, everyone had witnessed just how terrifying Yakushi's three first-year batters truly were.

Against Zhou Hao, they had accomplished nothing.

But that wasn't because they lacked ability.

It was because Zhou Hao, the nation's No. 1 Ace, was simply too overwhelming.

Anyone would have struggled against him.

Against Furuya Satoru, however...

They had immediately driven his 150-plus km/h fastballs for hits.

Normally, even talented batters needed several at-bats to adjust to that kind of velocity.

Yet Yakushi had managed it almost instantly.

Especially Akiha.

As Yakushi's leadoff hitter, his performance had left a deep impression on everyone.

And yet...

Facing Sawamura Eijun...

He had been completely suppressed.

There had never been any chance of reaching base on that weak grounder.

"Nice pitching!"

"Keep it up!"

Whether from the dugout or the field, Sawamura's teammates showered him with encouragement.

Everyone hoped he could keep this momentum going.

This was already Yakushi's third trip through the top of the lineup.

If Sawamura could shut them down once again...

Yakushi's entire offense might collapse.

The final outcome of the game was still undecided.

But one thing seemed increasingly likely.

Yakushi's score might remain frozen at two runs.

"Finish them off!"

"Don't give them another chance!"

"Believe in yourself!"

"You're the best!"

While Seido's supporters roared from the stands...

Yakushi's next batter stepped into the box.

Mishima Yuta.

A slugger with the presence of a cleanup hitter from a national powerhouse.

Even Seido's players admitted that Mishima's batting ability might already surpass Oshima Shin's.

The moment he settled into the batter's box...

A powerful aura naturally radiated from him.

"A hidden release point..."

"And a Moving Fastball?"

Before stepping up, Mishima had already listened to Akiha's description of Sawamura's pitching.

He knew perfectly well that these pitches wouldn't be easy to hit.

But who was he?

Mishima Yuta.

How could something like that make him hesitate?

"If you've really got that kind of ability..."

"Then show me everything you've got."

"I want to see if anyone from our generation can truly stop me."

As the saying went...

Great skill bred great confidence.

Mishima had never measured himself against players his own age.

His eyes had always been fixed on the nation's elite.

His idol, Zhou Hao.

Inashiro Industrial's Ace, Narumiya Mei.

Ichidai Sanko's Amahisa Kōsei.

Even Yakushi's own Ace, Sanada Shunpei.

Compared to those monsters...

Sawamura still had a long way to go.

At least...

That was what Mishima believed.

"Show me your level."

"Throw it."

On the mound, Sawamura slowly raised his front leg and lifted his pitching arm high above his head.

His body stretched like a bow drawn to its absolute limit.

Behind the plate, Miyuki Kazuya instinctively widened his eyes.

He could clearly sense it.

The aura surrounding Sawamura was different.

Faced with a batter as dangerous as Mishima...

Sawamura didn't retreat in the slightest.

Instead...

His fighting spirit surged even higher.

If nothing else...

That courage alone was worthy of admiration.

"Come on!"

As if he had made up his mind, Sawamura Eijun pushed his glove forward.

At the same time, his weight shifted smoothly onto his front leg.

From the batter's perspective, Sawamura's pitching arm whipped forward like a lash, his entire throwing motion hidden behind his body and head.

Standing in the batter's box, Mishima's eyebrows rose slightly.

Even from the pitching motion alone, he could tell this rookie was no ordinary pitcher.

The release point was truly invisible.

Because of that, the baseball appeared much faster than its actual velocity.

Mishima looked like a musclehead whose brain was made of brawn.

But in reality, he possessed sharp instincts and excellent baseball IQ.

Whoosh!

The baseball screamed toward the plate.

Although its actual speed was only around 135 km/h, from the batter's box it looked more than 10 km/h faster.

In the blink of an eye, it was already upon him.

Mishima didn't swing.

Instead, he watched the ball zip past.

Pop!

"Strike!"

The count moved to one strike, no balls.

After seeing just one pitch, Mishima realized Akiha hadn't exaggerated in the slightest.

Because the release point was hidden, the timing of the pitch became incredibly difficult to judge.

"It feels like it's over 140 km/h..."

But he knew that was only an illusion.

The radar gun displayed the true speed on the scoreboard.

134.5 km/h.

Average.

Perhaps even a little slow.

But because the release point was impossible to pick up, judging the timing of his swing became incredibly difficult.

And that wasn't even the most troublesome part.

The real danger lay in the unpredictable movement of the baseball.

Trying to predict its path beforehand was practically asking for failure.

"Looks like I'll have to rely on my instincts."

Mishima took a deep breath before slowly exhaling.

His eyes became razor-sharp.

"Come on!"

"Let's see if I can hit it!"

He gripped the bat tightly with both hands.

The veins on his forearms bulged.

His determination to drive the ball into the outfield was absolute.

Even Miyuki, crouched behind the plate, could clearly feel the intimidating aura radiating from him.

Sawamura, standing on the mound, naturally felt it as well.

Miyuki glanced up with a hint of concern.

Only to find...

Sawamura's face filled with excitement.

Faced with such a dangerous batter, the rookie wasn't intimidated in the slightest.

If anything...

He looked even more fired up.

"I'm starting to like your attitude."

"Fortunately, that's not a bad thing."

"Throw the next one here."

To maximize the effectiveness of Sawamura's Moving Fastball, Miyuki needed him to fully utilize the unique characteristics of his delivery.

The closer the target was to the heart of the strike zone...

The nastier Sawamura's pitches became.

This time, Miyuki deliberately set his mitt right down the middle.

Sure enough...

The moment Sawamura saw the target, his eyes lit up.

Without hesitation, he completed his windup and released the ball.

Whoosh!

The baseball shot toward the plate.

At the same instant, Mishima recognized his opportunity.

Boom!!

His bat tore through the air with explosive force.

"Fly!"

"I'll send it flying!"

Everything had gone exactly according to his plan.

For a brief moment...

He could already picture the ball soaring deep into the outfield.

Ping!

The bat met the baseball cleanly.

The ball shot high into the air.

Mishima's confident expression instantly froze.

"Huh?"

How could this happen?

How could a genius like him...

Hit nothing more than an infield pop fly?

Before he had time to process what had happened—

Kuramochi Yoichi was already waiting beneath the descending baseball.

Pop!

He raised his glove and made the catch with ease.

"Out!"

Two outs.

Bases empty.

Mishima stared blankly at Sawamura on the mound.

He had entered the at-bat convinced he could handle this pitcher without much difficulty.

He never imagined the result would be this.

Would this rookie...

Someone in the same freshman class as him...

Become the rival he absolutely had to surpass one day?

"Two outs!"

"Two outs!"

The Seido players had no interest in what Mishima was thinking.

All they cared about was one thing.

Sawamura had already recorded two outs.

For the vast majority of Seido supporters...

Sawamura had always been viewed as a promising pitcher.

But compared to Furuya Satoru...

He was still considered a step behind.

Most fans didn't understand the finer points of pitching.

They only understood one thing.

Furuya threw much harder.

Naturally, they assumed Furuya was the stronger pitcher.

Today...

Both Furuya and Sawamura had faced the exact same opponents.

Deep down, many Seido supporters had already prepared themselves for the worst.

If even Furuya had struggled...

How could Sawamura possibly fare any better?

Yet reality completely overturned their expectations.

The rookie they had underestimated had retired both Akiha and Mishima in succession.

His performance was nothing short of spectacular.

The way everyone looked at Sawamura Eijun had completely changed.

He had become the biggest surprise of the game.

The players in Seido's dugout felt exactly the same.

"A god-tier performance."

"Who could've seen this coming?"

Everyone knew just how terrifying Yakushi's three first-year batters were.

Even when facing Zhou Hao, they had charged forward without fear, eager to test themselves against the nation's No. 1 Ace.

Although they were ultimately overpowered, Seido's players could tell those three possessed enough talent to pose at least some threat.

And anyone capable of threatening Zhou Hao...

Was unquestionably among the nation's elite.

Yet those same batters...

Had been shut down by Sawamura.

With two outs already recorded, he had nearly extinguished Yakushi's hopes of mounting another comeback.

Since the game began, Yakushi's players had carried themselves with overwhelming confidence.

No matter how unfavorable the situation became, they never lowered their heads.

But now...

Every one of them looked like wilted plants after a harsh frost.

Anyone could see that their morale had taken a devastating blow.

And the one responsible...

Was Sawamura Eijun.

When Yakushi's lineup turned back over to its fearsome trio of first-year batters, the entire team had pinned its hopes on them.

Many believed this inning would mark the beginning of Yakushi's comeback.

Now...

That hope had been shattered.

At this point, no matter how hard they struggled...

It seemed impossible for them to change the tide.

"Third batter..."

"Third baseman..."

"Todoroki Raichi!"

Top of the sixth inning.

Two outs.

Bases empty.

Todoroki Raichi stepped into the batter's box once more.

The more experienced spectators had already reached the same conclusion.

Yakushi's chances of winning were all but gone.

Even with Zhou Hao no longer on the mound...

Nothing had truly changed.

Still...

That didn't stop them from hoping.

If anyone could create a miracle...

It was Todoroki Raichi.

Even if he couldn't overturn the final result...

Perhaps he could at least score another run or two against the mighty Seido High School Baseball Team.