<120> Unwavering Strength!

Chapter 120: Unwavering Strength!

"144 km/h!!"

This number, in terms of pitch speed, was indeed impressive. A pitcher capable of throwing at this speed was no ordinary player. Such pitchers would be valued on any team.

However, at this moment, none of the Seidou High School baseball team members present were smiling. In fact, their expressions were somewhat grim.

"It could be a calibration issue, or maybe the machine malfunctioned."

Due to the receiver's positioning, nobody could see Haruichi's expression. But from his tone, it was clear how unsettled he felt inside.

If it were anyone else, it might not matter, but this was Furuya. There was no way he could throw so slowly! Plus, based on their earlier feelings...

With this thought, Miyuki and the others shared a bitter smile.

It felt strange. Their eyes simply couldn't compare to a machine.

"Maybe it's because he hasn't pitched in a while, and his arm has gotten rusty. Let's try again."

Miyuki didn't directly tell Furuya the speed he'd just seen. Instead, he squatted back down in the catcher's position and opened his glove wide.

"Don't pitch to the other spots; just aim for the middle!"

When Miyuki opened his glove, he deliberately adjusted the angle. The Kanto Tournament finals had given him many insights. It was during that match that Miyuki realized Furuya's control was much better than he'd previously thought.

It was just that Furuya hadn't pitched with full effort during his middle school days. That was the reason for the constant issues.

But to put it simply, this was purely a result of insufficient practice. As long as they practiced more privately, Furuya's control when throwing at full strength could definitely be developed.

Miyuki had complete faith in that.

However, he might have been a bit too hasty and overlooked a crucial point: this kind of practice needed to be gradual. They absolutely couldn't rush.

At this stage, they should still help Furuya regain his former speed first.

"Whoosh!"

Furuya appeared unfazed; he calmly got into position and pitched again.

"Thwack!"

"Good!!"

Miyuki, catching the ball, nodded at Furuya.

From the perspective of a professional catcher, he had to admit that the quality of Furuya's pitch was quite good. After the tests of the Kanto Tournament, this guy had matured and his pitching had become sharper.

"How was that pitch's speed?"

Even though Miyuki had a vague premonition, when he saw Sawamura and Kominato shaking their heads, his expression turned serious.

Was it another one in the 140s?

If it was just one pitch, it could have been a coincidence—due to angle or technique. Ultimately, it could have been an issue with the machine.

But if there were successive pitches showing the same speed...

That situation was different.

With this thought, Miyuki felt a heavy weight in his heart.

During the earlier matches, their ace Tanba had faced an unexpected situation. This incident had hit the Seidou High School baseball team much harder than people realized.

If it hadn't been for Furuya's sudden emergence, they might have had to forfeit their chance this year.

No matter how strong their offense was, without a reliable pitcher, it would be difficult for them to go far in the summer tournament.

But now, it seemed that luck might not be on their side as they had hoped.

Tanba's injury was external, but Furuya had pitched a full eight innings in that match.

This was an immense burden for a first-year rookie.

It was possible that the previous match had led to something akin to a muscle strain for him.

While it seemed that his pitching speed and momentum were strong, the reality was that his actual pitch speed might have decreased significantly.

"Throw another one!"

Miyuki couldn't help but insist.

This time, Furuya fully wound up and pitched again.

"Whoosh!"

As the white baseball flew toward him, Miyuki felt a sense of despair. The situation was worse than he had anticipated; this pitch was even slower than the previous two.

There was no need to verify it with the radar gun.

Even with the naked eye, Miyuki could tell that this pitch was much slower.

"What was the speed?"

"139 km/h!!"

Miyuki's heart sank heavily. His intuition had proven correct.

"Another pitch, or should we go to the hospital now?"

In his mind, two little figures seemed to be arguing.

After an internal struggle, Miyuki ultimately decided that they needed to inform their coach and team captain right away.

This situation was too serious to handle alone.

Even as the team's starting catcher, he didn't have the authority to deal with it himself.

He could only seek help from someone in a more powerful position.

However, just as Miyuki stood up and prepared to leave, he saw Furuya on the mound roll his arm.

"Finally warmed up, can I pitch seriously now?"

Though he had only thrown three warm-up pitches, Furuya felt that his body was starting to loosen up.

Especially his arm and wrist.

He was itching to throw at full force.

"Were you just warming up?"

The others from Seidou High School's baseball team looked at Furuya in disbelief.

They could hardly believe that Furuya could say something so audacious with that 36-degree expression on his face.

"What's wrong?"

Furuya asked, puzzled.

"Nothing, now that you're warmed up, go ahead and continue pitching!"

Miyuki wore a bright smile.

Due to Tanba's situation, the entire team had become overly cautious.

Especially towards Furuya, where everyone was being extra careful.

"Then here I go!"

Furuya looked around, genuinely confused. Didn't they warm up at all?

He had no idea that Miyuki and the others were sharing the same thought.

Which pitcher throws over 140 km/h while warming up?

Was this a joke?

Taking a deep breath, Furuya lifted his leg high and then brought it down heavily.

As he shifted his weight, the baseball in his hand whistled out.

"BOOOMM!!"

If the earlier pitches had been like little monsters, this one's force was akin to that of a giant monster!

So fast!!

Miyuki could clearly feel that Furuya's pitch had accelerated.

It was not just an increase in speed but also an improvement in the quality of the pitch.

"Thwack!"

"Great pitch!!"

"What was the speed?"

"155 km/h!!!"

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