Chapter 10: That’s It!

Buzzzz!

The swing of Yuuki Masashi is exhilarating to watch, even from the stands.

Standing on the pitcher's mound, Amahisa Kousei can clearly hear the sound of the bat slicing through the air.

"That's terrifying!"

Amahisa's expression shows a hint of dread, but the jeering smile on the corner of his mouth reveals his current mindset.

He feels confident facing the opponent in front of him, even if that opponent seems exceptionally powerful.

And that confidence is well-founded. Despite Yuuki Masashi's impressive swings, he has yet to make contact with a single pitch thrown by Kousei.

The competition between them resembles an adult playfully toying with a child; the gap in skill is glaringly obvious.

"You're still too early to be the core batter for Seidou, kid!"

'Oh! That makes me the classic villain in anime!'

'But no way am I the villain when the other side has the Demon King, right?'

After striking Out Masashi, Amahisa's gaze remains calm and collected, though no one knows what is going on in his mind.

Even though the battle within him is almost boiling over, his expression is unfazed, and his mind is crystal clear, even allowing him to poke fun at the Seidou players.

At that moment, Amahisa experiences a remarkable sensation; he feels omnipotent, in a terrifyingly good state.

In the Seidou dugout, Sawamura, who was chatting with his friends, casts a thoughtful glance at Amahisa on the pitcher's mound.

In the stands, Mukai Taiyou leans back with his legs crossed, surveying the duel on the field from a height.

On the other side of the stands, all the Yakushi High players sit together.

Next to Raichi, a particularly tall young man mutters, "He's in too!"

"What?"

Mishima on the other side looks at his Kohai with confusion.

This tall, imposing young man seems to have a bold personality but often says things that leave people scratching their heads.

"It's nothing. This game is going to be interesting!"

The tall Igarashi Sora smiles.

Two Outs, no one on base.

Seidou sends another first-year student to the plate.

Nishiyama Kibo!

If Yuuki Masashi's debut in Seidou can be considered miraculous, then Nishiyama's debut is almost legendary.

If not for Sawamura's emergence last year, Nishiyama would be regarded as the strongest rookie in Seidou's history.

His strength has earned him the recognition of everyone at Seidou. This young man, having just been at school for barely a month, has already become a crucial player for Seidou.

As Nishiyama steps into the Batter's Box, he gives off a very ordinary vibe, even his stance looking quite unremarkable.

His eyes are like an ancient well; deep and profound.

"Wow!"

Even Kousei on the pitcher's mound can't help but mentally applaud Nishiyama. While there are many impressive freshmen on his own team this year, none are on the same level as Nishiyama.

'This unfathomable, eerie sensation.'

Even the core batters of the Champion Seidou struggle to possess such depth. If Kousei hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would find it hard to believe that this guy was merely a first-year freshman.

'Sure enough, the world is vast. Looks like there is another demon king in the making!'

The Nishiyama before him is undoubtedly such a monster, a creature of extraordinary talent.

'Well isn't that fun!'

Kousei feels every cell in his body pulse with excitement, and he's not quite sure why he feels this way. All he can think of are the reports from the team's scouts.

Nishiyama once represented Japan and won the world runner-up.

A world runner-up!

In other words, the opponent before him, though two years younger, is a world-class player.

Just the thought of this sends Amahisa's blood pumping.

If he were in an anime, his shaved hair would be growing and his aura would turn yellow.

'Come on! Let me see what a world-class is really like!'

Whrroosh!

In that instant, Kousei channels all the strength in his body into the two fingers he uses to pitch.

The small ball flies like a bullet out of a chamber, instantly crossing a distance of more than ten meters to appear before Nishiyama.

'So fast!'

From the dugout, Nishiyama hadn't felt this intensity, but standing in the Batter's Box, it was a completely different experience.

SNAP!

On the first pitch, he doesn't even have time to swing. He can only watch as the ball zooms into the catcher's mitt.

"STRIKE!"

In the Seidou dugout.

"This guy's pitch is so fast!"

"It feels like he's throwing faster than before!"

"Is he getting close to 150 Km/h?" (93 mph)

The boys are astonished.

There's no doubt that pitch velocity is a major weapon. If Kousei has indeed hidden such a fast pitch…

Today's game may not be easy.

"It's not that his pitch speed has increased; it's just that we feel it's faster. If measured with a radar gun, this pitch might not be as quick as we thought." Miyuki muses.

"What on earth are you talking about?" Kuramochi asks, bewildered.

Before Miyuki can respond, Sawamura steps in to clarify.

"What he means is that the pitch Amahisa threw isn't something a pitching machine can replicate. It's a living pitch that only a true pitcher can deliver."

From the Batter's Box, Furuya Satoru's pitches appear even more fearsome. While his speed is undeniably fast, it's his dynamic pitching that stands out.

It carries the strength of the pitcher's will.

A truly great pitcher can achieve this; some are more obvious than others.

People often say there's a fighting spirit in pitching, and it's essentially the same idea.

For Sawamura, this holds true for his own pitching.

Amahisa has undoubtedly excelled in this regard, creating the illusion that his pitch speed is increasing.

'Combined with his already sharp Slider…'

'If he finds the right combination, this guy's strength could elevate even further.'

The discussions in the dugout do not disrupt the game on the field. The duel between Nishiyama and Amahisa continues.

At the plate, the light in Nishiyama's eyes does not dim due to Amahisa's sharp pitching; instead, it sharpens even more.

His fighting spirit is ignited.

'He's still an unyielding brat!'

Seeing Nishiyama's defiant expression, Kousei smirks inwardly.

He shows no mercy in his approach.

Whrroosh!

Just as Takami tosses the ball back to him, Amahisa seizes the moment to throw his second pitch.

"This rhythm!"

A gasp ripples through the Seidou dugout.

Amahisa's pitching rhythm is noticeably faster than before.

Clearly, he's put in extra effort to handle Nishiyama.

"To put in so much effort against one of our first-year freshmen shows how seriously they're taking this!" Kuramochi comments.

"This indicates that Nishiyama is not just an ordinary freshman in their eyes!" Miyuki adds.

Sawamura nods in agreement.

After giving up a home run, Amahisa's state not only hasn't declined; he feels sharper than before.

"It looks like we'll be facing another formidable opponent in the Tokyo area!"

While speaking, Sawamura glances at Yakushi's Sanada and Teito's Mukai.

To be honest, he's eager to challenge these guys!

Ordinary opponents no longer pique Sawamura's interest. It's like playing chess; if you keep facing someone far below your level, winning each time won't bring joy.

It's far more satisfying to face a challenging opponent and checkmate them.

That feeling is much better.

Of course, the most exhilarating scenario is being thoroughly defeated at first and then turning the tables with a single pawn against a veteran.

But the odds of that happening are less than 1%.

Even more so on the field.

Seidou finds it increasingly difficult to enjoy such a match!

But it's okay; after a hard-fought battle, the feeling of ultimately crushing your opponent is quite satisfying.

Unknowingly, an aura begins to surround Sawamura.

Most of the players nearby don't notice anything, but only his partner Miyuki and the perceptive Kuramochi, who spends so much time with him, sense a change.

"Are you getting impatient?"

"Take it easy; you can't go all out here."

Though it's playful banter, both wear smiles.

They are quite pleased in their hearts that Sawamura has such a fighting spirit.

With the Ace pitcher Amahisa back in top form, looking even stronger, their worries begin to fade.

What if the opponent's strength is surging? What if they're not an easy match?

In Pitcher's Duel, Seidou won't lose.

Just as they're talking, the situation on the field shifts once more.

Faced with Kousei's slider, Nishiyama finds himself at a loss. Though he swings, he doesn't connect with the ball.

He can only watch as the small ball flies into the catcher's mitt.

"STRIKE!"

In the blink of an eye, Nishiyama is already behind with two Strikes.

His eyes sharpen even further.

'I didn't expect to encounter such a high-caliber player in the Tokyo regional tournament.'

Alarms are ringing in his mind.

Then he sees Kousei's third pitch coming.

This time, Nishiyama is very cautious, eyes locked on the incoming baseball, and decisively swings.

"Got it!"

He thinks he's finally connected, and in fact, he does make contact with the ball.

Ping!

But the ball he hit flies high into the air.

Nishiyama's expression darkens.

He didn't expect to be taken out by a fastball!

Snap!

"OUT!"

Three Outs, offense and defense exchange.

The jeering smile on Kousei's face became wider and wider.

'A World-Class! A Talented Player!'

'But That's It!'

'That All What You Have!'

…