<26> The Seal, Broken!
Chapter 26: The Seal, Broken!
"It seems like you're well aware of your own strengths," Miyuki said as he began strapping on his catching gear.
"I thought you just said you didn't need to wear any gear?" Kusonoki asked, puzzled.
Miyuki rolled his eyes at his senior. He might have wanted to intimidate his underclassman, but he wasn't foolish enough to think his head was indestructible. Trying to catch one of Furuya's fastballs without gear, especially if it was a breaking ball, would likely send him to the hospital.
"I sensed that our first-year here might be holding back because of concern for me. If I wear the gear, he'll feel less worried," Miyuki explained, then turned to Furuya with a grin. "Right, Furuya?"
"No, I fully trust your ability to catch, senpai," Furuya replied honestly.
Miyuki froze halfway through putting on his gear, caught off guard by the straightforward response. Kusonoki, watching from the side, burst out laughing.
"Serves you right for always showing off. Looks like you finally hit a wall this time, huh?"
Though Miyuki's pride had taken a small hit, he wasn't about to change his mind. He continued to gear up with a smile and then took his position behind the plate, spreading his mitt wide.
"You've been working on a forkball, haven't you?" Miyuki asked.
Given Furuya's incredible speed, pairing it with any kind of breaking ball would make for a devastating combination. However, among all possible pitches, a forkball would be the most natural choice.
The throwing motion for a forkball is nearly identical to that of a fastball, making it particularly deceptive. Additionally, it's one of the easier pitches to develop. If a pitcher can throw a good fastball, adjusting the grip by spreading the index and middle fingers can often lead to an effective forkball.
Miyuki assumed that Furuya had likely been studying this pitch and had put in the effort to master it, so it made sense to ask.
"No," Furuya answered.
"Then throw me your forkball... Wait, did you just say no? What have you been practicing then—curveball, slider?" Miyuki asked, slightly deflated.
If Furuya had already developed a reliable forkball, he could have potentially been ready to represent Seidou High in official games. While there was still uncertainty about how well Furuya could perform on the mound, theoretically, he would have been a strong candidate as a secret weapon for the team.
But Miyuki hadn't expected this wild card to have taken a different path. If that were the case, they might have to spend considerable time guiding Furuya back on track.
"I did practice the forkball, but without a partner, it didn't go well. I could never quite find the right grip, and many of the forkballs I threw were way off target," Furuya admitted candidly.
The reason Furuya decisively chose Seidou High was largely due to this very issue. Without a reliable partner, he struggled to improve his breaking pitches, and even worse, he wasn't sure if what he had been practicing was any good at all.
"So, you mentioned you've practiced breaking pitches?" Miyuki asked, still trying to piece together Furuya's situation.
"Rather than a breaking pitch, it's more like a different way to throw a fastball," Furuya said quietly, gripping the baseball tightly.
A different way to throw a fastball? Miyuki's curiosity was instantly piqued.
"Alright, let's see it then. I'm looking forward to it," Miyuki said, his interest clearly evident.
"Be careful, senpai," Furuya warned earnestly.
Just like before, Furuya stood on the mound, preparing to pitch. His stance didn't seem any different from before. But as he lifted his leg, Miyuki noticed that Furuya raised it at least 30 centimeters higher than before.
Hmm?
This unusual change didn't escape Miyuki's sharp eyes.
"Increasing the rotation of your body to transfer more power into the pitch, huh?"
In theory, this approach wasn't without merit. However, the higher you lift your leg, the harder it is to maintain your balance. For most people, this might not matter, but for a pitcher, losing balance during a pitch could mean losing control of both the power and the accuracy of the throw.
"Is this what you think will make your pitch faster?" Miyuki silently scoffed.
No matter how talented a player is, without proper guidance, they won't reach their full potential. Furuya was a prime example of this. He might think this pitching stance looked cool and would increase his speed to the max, but in reality, losing balance meant he wouldn't even be able to throw with 70% of his actual power.
"Looks like there's still a lot of work to do," Miyuki thought to himself.
But just as this thought crossed his mind, Furuya began his motion. While he had been still, Miyuki hadn't sensed anything unusual, but as Furuya moved, an overwhelming presence—a destructive force that seemed to crush everything in its path—came crashing down on Miyuki.
"No, this doesn't feel right!"
Miyuki's mind registered the unsettling sensation, but he didn't have time to react before Furuya's pitch was already released.
"BOOMM!!!"
The baseball shot out, and the sound of it slicing through the air made Miyuki's ears ring.
Kusonoki, observing the pitch from the side, felt a chill run through his body.
"What on earth is this?"
At the same time, Miyuki, squatting behind the plate, felt as if the baseball had suddenly materialized right in front of him.
So fast!
The pitch was clearly much quicker than the previous one.
Fortunately, it was still in the strike zone.
"Is this your hidden ace?"
Despite being shocked, Miyuki tried to open his glove to catch the ball.
Even though the speed had increased, he was confident he could still handle it.
But just as he was about to secure the ball, it suddenly shifted, rising a few centimeters.
"Smack!"
The ball grazed Miyuki's glove and slammed into the wall behind him.
The impact left a faint mark on the wall as the ball rebounded.
Miyuki stared at the mark, feeling parched.
It was so close—just a hair's breadth away!
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