"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!"
Oda was taken down without any suspense.
To the members of the Seidou High School baseball team, this wasn't even anything new.
Furuya is really powerful!
This fact has always been clear in their minds.
If it weren't for the presence of a giant like Sawamura Eijun in the Seidou High School team, no one would probably be able to suppress Furuya's brilliance.
This fact is universally acknowledged by everyone.
The Seidou High School players were excited.
Even without using their Ace pitcher, they still managed to suppress the opponent to this degree.
This made them feel quite pleased, and their mood relaxed.
For them, as long as they maintain their rhythm,
The complete defeat of the opponent would just be a matter of time.
"Great pitching!"
"Keep pressuring them!"
"Let them hit!"
"we'll take care of it!"
"I will catch it I swear!"
The teammates began cheering for Furuya.
With such a solid backing behind him, Furuya now fully let go.
When facing Hoshiryu High School's second batter, Tsuchihara, his pitching power increased to a whole new level.
Tsuchihara!
This guy's hitting power was nothing like that of a typical second batter.
He had tremendous hitting power and a good sense of the game.
Considering Oda's hitting power, even if he did manage to make contact with Furuya's pitch, hitting it out would still be very challenging.
But this guy in front of him, if he makes contact with the ball, he really might be able to hit it out.
'At the very least, he has the necessary power.'
From the catcher's position, Miyuki couldn't help but feel a sense of awe.
Hoshiryu High School truly gathered a group of various elites.
Each of them was exceptionally talented, with distinct roles.
'In this case, the only option was to focus on control and pitch variation.'
After a round of adjustment, given his talent, he must have already adapted to Furuya's pitch speed.
That being the case, trying to take down the opponent now...
As Miyuki was contemplating how to handle this opponent in front of him,
Tsuchihara, the batter in the box, suddenly changed his bat grip.
'What is this?'
Seeing the opponent's actions, Miyuki was momentarily stunned.
After Oda, does this guy actually adopt a short-bunt stance?
What exactly did these Hoshiryu High School players intend to do?
At this point, Miyuki had a vague feeling that these Hoshiryu High School players were definitely scheming something.
Although he had no idea exactly what they were planning,
He could guess based on their actions.
These Hoshiryu High School players surely had some sort of ulterior motive.
What exactly did they want to do?
Although he didn't understand what they were thinking, one thing he was sure of:
Hoshiryu High School was definitely plotting something, and Miyuki could 100% confirm this.
As Miyuki was lost in thought, he looked up at Furuya.
Seeing Furuya's expression, he instantly understood what the players from Nagano Prefecture were scheming.
Furuya was feeling frustrated.
For someone like him, facing an opponent he could easily defeat,
Why was he feeling frustrated?
It was hard to believe!
Miyuki couldn't figure out why he was feeling frustrated.
And from that frustration, Miyuki noticed a hint of hesitation.
'What? Why?!'
This was Furuya, a name that was almost synonymous with fearlessness in Seidou.
Miyuki couldn't fathom that he was seeing even the slightest bit of hesitation in his eyes.
Miyuki even doubted if he was seeing things.
'Don't worry about them!'
'Believe in your strength—you're no longer the same.'
'Don't worry about the opponent. Just throw the ball into my Mitt calmly.'
Miyuki crouched down, preparing to catch the ball.
Furuya, standing on the pitcher's mound, still wore an emotionless expression.
To those unfamiliar with him, it was hard to tell anything from his face.
People would likely assume that his condition was quite good.
However, even in this "good condition," the pitch Furuya threw next left everyone stunned.
VROOOOOOOOOO!!!!
The pitch cracked through the air like the earth-shattering sound of the world collapsing.
The terrifying power of the pitch seemed capable of crushing everything in its path.
At this moment, the spectators were immersed in the overwhelming force of the pitch.
No one had the thought to think of anything else.
These players from Hoshiryu High School actually thought they could bunt this pitch out.
Who gave them the courage?
As the spectators waited to see the joke, Tsuchihara, at the Batter's Box, pulled his bat back.
The spectators thought, "Let's see you guys go wild now."
"Now you can't be so cocky, huh?"
"Trying to scare us with your bunt stance? Go ahead, actually try it!"
"What a bluff!"
Kaboom!
The baseball landed in Miyuki's Mitt with a loud echo.
"BALL!!"
The players of Hoshiryu High School, fully aware that there was no hope, stubbornly kept using the bunt stance time and time again.
At first, this didn't attract the attention of the Seidou High School baseball team members.
In the previous round, the pitches by Furuya were so smooth! He struck out several batters in a row. To break Furuya's rhythm, using a bunt once or twice was understandable.
Once or twice was normal, but when it became more frequent, it was not normal.
Hoshiryu High School's actions were clearly becoming abnormal.
What were they trying to do?
Even Miyuki didn't understand right away.
It wasn't until the bunt started to have an effect that Miyuki and the Seidou players understood what Hoshiryu's true intentions were.
They suddenly had an "aha" moment and realized that they should have guessed it earlier.
But it's easy for bystanders to see clearly, while those directly involved are often confused.
Because they were Furuya's teammates, they overlooked a weakness of Furuya from before.
In fact, with Furuya's improved control, that weakness had rarely been exploited.
Furuya seldom found himself in difficult situations due to that flaw anymore.
Humans are creatures who tend to forget easily.
After so many games, Furuya hadn't made such a mistake.
The Seidou team members had forgotten the fear Furuya had felt when controlled by four balls.
But now, when they saw Furuya starting to throw Balls outside the strike zone, Miyuki suddenly remembered.
This guy's accuracy didn't seem that precise.
It seemed that Hoshiryu's team had initially set their sights on this.
If they hadn't expected Furuya to pitch first, they might have used this strategy right from the first round.
Furuya's pitching is excellent!
His control may not match his fastball, but compared to when he first joined Seidou's team, he has improved a lot.
Theoretically, picking out four Balls from his pitches shouldn't be easy.
Now, although Furuya sometimes throws a few Balls outside the strike zone…
Most of the pitches he throws are strikes.
This limits the opportunity for four-ball counts.
It was clear that Hoshiryu had anticipated this.
Simply waiting for Furuya to throw four Balls wasn't a viable strategy.
So, they decided to take the initiative!
They would aggressively use the bunt to make Furuya recall those painful memories.
In the Hoshiryu High School dugout, Coach Hosho folded his arms and observed the changes on the field.
'People's nature is hard to change.'
Furuya's pitching is fierce, and now he is undoubtedly the fastest pitcher in the nation.
But even he isn't invincible.
Although he had mostly overcome his previous weaknesses, it would be unrealistic to say he had completely eradicated them.
Some flaws and shortcomings can still be seen in his pitching.
These flaws may seem minor now, but Hosho Ryuki knew that any flaw could be amplified with the right timing, place, and circumstances.
'As long as we grasped the right condition, method, moment and, and used them flexibly...'
He could make Furuya recall those painful past memories.
He had once struggled with four Balls.
That problem haunted him for a long time.
It had certainly left a deep mark on Furuya.
What they needed to do now was to do everything they could to help Furuya recollect those memories.
What did his past opponents do when they wanted to defeat him?
Bunt to force him!
On the surface, it seemed like suicide to use a bunt against Furuya.
After all, his fastballs are so quick and powerful.
Who could ensure that their bunt would be able to handle that pitch?
Honestly, no one could be that confident.
It's impossible. Really impossible!
But Hosho Ryuki realized that what seemed like an almost impossible task wasn't completely out of reach.
As long as they put their hearts into it, it was still possible to succeed.
What appeared to be an act of suicide might produce unexpected results if done correctly.
Kaboom!
"STRIKE!"
"BALL!!"
Tsuchihara continued to pose the bunt, trying to confuse Furuya.
Furuya seemed like a dragonfly caught in a spider's web.
Struggling, but unable to break free.
The game continued, and the confrontation between the two teams showed no sign of stopping.
The next pitch became crucial.
Tsuchihara, who had been tangled up, swung his bat again after seeing Furuya's pitch.
He believed that Sawamura's pitch was a good one and he couldn't miss it.
However, the ball's flight path was completely different from what he had imagined.
As the ball approached the batter's hands, it suddenly dropped and fell into Miyuki's Mitt.
Kaboom!
"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!!"
Miyuki, the catcher, smiled coldly and cruelly.
'I wonder if Hoshiryu's players are feeling surprised?'
They really thought they were an easy target, ridiculous.
They didn't even think properly.
Since Furuya joined Seidou's team, did they think he hadn't improved?
Sawamura, who had once been considered his rival, has now reached an inhuman level.
The teammates around him have all improved so much.
Even the Hoshiryu players have undergone a huge transformation compared to last summer.
How could Furuya, who was regarded as the most talented, possibly remain stagnant?
Two Outs, no one on base…
At this point, Furuya was just one Out away from finishing this inning.
The Seidou High School team was riding high on momentum.
Given the circumstances, it seemed like Hoshiryu High School's momentum should be weak.
But strangely, their momentum didn't seem to be affected.
On the contrary, they were all in good form.
Masamoto, the third batter, stepped into the Batter's Box, also adopting a bunt stance.
From left field, Sawamura, who was watching, had a thoughtful look in his eyes.
'Unusual. Something was off.'
The situation on the field made people reconsider.
If anyone knew Hoshiryu's baseball team, it would be Sawamura.
After all, he had once been both a player and a Coach for the team.
Analyzing opponents was his job.
After more than two years of facing them, he was clear about their strengths.
Not only their strengths but also their temperaments.
These guys weren't particularly skilled at adjusting their mental state.
When they were in good form, they played crazy, like they were on drugs.
But when their form dropped, or something hindered them, their morale quickly dropped too.
That last at-bat should have had a big impact on them.
Yet looking at their current state, it was impossible to tell.
...
T/N: As always, Thank you all for reading!!
Have a good day people!
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