Chapter 152: Tremble Before the Power of the Fastball!
July 23rd, Clear Skies
The Seidou High School baseball team set off early in their exclusive team bus, heading to the Hachioji Stadium.
In just half an hour, they would face Akikawa High School in the round of 16 match.
As the players stepped off the bus, they immediately felt the attention of the crowd. People pointed and whispered, some bold fans even shouting slogans directly at them.
"Go, Seidou!"
"We're rooting for you!!"
This was the unmistakable treatment of a star team.
Leading the team at the front were the third-year seniors, confidently walking ahead of the group.
If a fan recognized them, they would politely stop to greet them. They exuded the air of true stars.
The players trailing behind received no such treatment.
Sawamuralooked enviously at the seniors ahead, already daydreaming about how wonderful it would be if he were the one being celebrated.
"Our seniors are so famous!"
As he mused, a female fan suddenly spotted Furuya in the back.
"Is that Furuya?"
Her voice caused an immediate stir.
"Where is he?"
"The tall one in the back!"
"So that's the monster rookie Furuya Satoru? He's pretty handsome!"
The crowd burst into excitement, followed by a tidal wave of cheers.
"Do your best in this game too!"
"Push your limits—we're cheering for you!!"
Furuya, now the center of attention, responded politely to his fans.
"Thank you, everyone!!!"
His response only made the fans cheer louder.
Standing beside Furuya, Sawamura truly understood what it meant to experience the inequality of the world.
Both were first-year rookies, yet the difference between them was staggering. What frustrated him most was someone adding salt to his wound.
"Seems like the senior-junior dynamic doesn't really matter, huh?" Miyuki teased.
"I'm not deaf, you don't need to whisper in my ear," Sawamura shot back irritably.
Sawamura's antics drew laughter from the surrounding fans.
"So even players from elite schools aren't all that serious—they're actually pretty cute!"
"At the end of the day, they're just a bunch of 15- or 16-year-old kids…"
Thanks to Sawamura's humor, the fans' impression of Seidou High's team softened.
They realized the players had a more relatable, approachable side, narrowing the perceived distance between them and the team.
Meanwhile, as Seidou's players stepped off their bus, their opponents also arrived at the gates of Hachioji Stadium.
The contrast was stark.
The area around Akikawa High School's team was eerily quiet, with not a soul in sight.
"This treatment is just too different, isn't it?"
Even though Akikawa's players had mentally prepared themselves for such a disparity, experiencing it firsthand still left them with mixed emotions.
"Unbelievable… We've actually made it this far?"
"Our opponents are one of the nation's top powerhouses—the Kanto Tournament champions!"
Despite their complex feelings, a sense of pride shone through.
Facing Seidou was not an opportunity given to just any team.
For a public school like theirs, previously unknown and unremarkable, being able to compete against Seidou felt like an honor in itself.
"My dad used to tell me to quit baseball!" one of the Akikawa players murmured wistfully.
"My mom said the same thing, that they didn't send me to Akikawa just to play baseball!"
When this topic came up, Akikawa High School's baseball players all shared a similar feeling of camaraderie.
"Should we give up?"
Their opponents were overwhelmingly strong, and their families' opposition to baseball was just as intense.
Giving up seemed almost inevitable.
Yet the moment those two words crossed their minds, a fire lit in the players' eyes.
"Impossible!"
"We've made it this far; we'll fight to the end, even if it kills us!"
"Ever since Shunshin joined the team and we tasted victory, I can't stand the bitterness of defeat anymore."
On the Seidou High side, the atmosphere was lively, if not exactly a thronging crowd.
But compared to Akikawa, the difference was like heaven and earth.
Even so, the players of Akikawa High showed no signs of giving up. Their fighting spirit was sky-high as they headed to the locker room.
Meanwhile, Seidou's players, while engaging with their enthusiastic fans, kept a keen eye on their opponents.
It was because of this that they immediately noticed something unusual about Akikawa High School's players.
"A bunch of 16- and 17-year-olds facing such a stark contrast, yet they're completely unfazed?"
Coach Kataoka muttered under his breath.
It was clear that Seidou's head coach had already noticed the difference in their opponents.
This match against Akikawa High wasn't going to be as easy as they initially thought.
After handling the crowd, Seidou's players made their way to their locker room.
This time, they arrived much earlier than usual.
Because their opponents were different, Seidou's strategy had also changed.
Previously, it hadn't mattered much.
Since their opponents weren't particularly strong, Seidou could win regardless of the players' condition.
But this time was different.
Their opponents' strength was clearly not to be underestimated.
Under such circumstances, the Seidou players needed to give 100% effort.
Time passed quickly.
When the players emerged from the locker room, they were greeted by a roar of applause from the crowd.
"Seidou!"
"Seidou!!!"
The stands were almost completely packed.
"This is way more lively than usual!"
Sawamura stared at the cheering fans in amazement, his eyes full of confusion.
Ever since Seidou won the Kanto Tournament championship, their team had been in the spotlight.
Sawamura was well aware of this.
But in their last match, the stands hadn't been nearly this crowded.
Miyuki, standing nearby, explained, "People say most baseball fans are amateurs, but in reality, fans are sharp! I bet they can tell that this match is something special."
Miyuki's comment left Furuya visibly startled.
He hadn't expected someone hailed as a genius like Miyuki to hold such a high opinion of the fans.
Looking up at the sea of faces in the stands, Furuya suddenly felt a sense of understanding.
That's right!
It must be like this. No doubt about it.
The fans in the stands might lack physical fitness or other qualities necessary to shine on the field.
But when it came to insight, they were on par with most players—possibly even more discerning.
In that context, it made sense for some fans to notice something unusual about this game.
"Be careful, Ace!"
Just as Furuya was thinking deeply, Miyuki's voice suddenly appeared beside him.
Furuya nodded.
"I understand, Senpai!"
Today's opponent was far from ordinary.
Miyuki clearly wanted to emphasize this point to Furuya.
However, Furuya already understood better than anyone the formidable nature of Akikawa High School's baseball team—especially the terrifying You Shunshin.
...
"The fourth round, third match of the West Tokyo Tournament begins now! Seidou High School vs. Akikawa High School!"
Akikawa High School was up to bat first.
The first batter to step into the batter's box was a player named Ninomiya—a well-built hitter with no apparent weaknesses.
As Akikawa's leadoff batter, Ninomiya's ability was beyond question. His exceptional insight set him apart from the rest.
On Seidou's side, they sent their ace pitcher, Furuya, to the mound.
In Akikawa's dugout, Coach Ozaka frowned and said,
"I didn't expect Seidou to send out Furuya right from the start."
According to their initial analysis, Seidou was more likely to start with one of their other pitchers—either the first-year Sawamura or the second-year Kawakami.
Both had solid performances.
If Seidou underestimated Akikawa's true strength, they would have likely chosen to start with one of those two instead of their ace.
After all, with such an "unworthy" opponent, there would be no need to use their ace pitcher. For Seidou, their upcoming match against Ichidaisan High was their top priority.
Hearing his coach's remark, You Shunshin, seated in the dugout, removed the earphones hanging around his neck.
"It's not that simple. While Seidou's ace pitcher looks formidable, his performance on the mound lacks maturity. This means that even if he played baseball in middle school, his actual experience is still quite limited."
You Shunshin's tone grew more serious.
"If I were Seidou's coach, I'd do the same—give him as many chances to pitch as possible. Only with more experience can he grow quickly."
"Isn't that bad news for us, then?"
Seidou's decision to field their ace left Akikawa's players in a complex state of mind.
They had already practiced against 155 km/h and 160 km/h pitches on a pitching machine.
The result was devastating.
Forget hitting the ball; just standing there watching those pitches was almost unbearable.
"No, this is actually good for us!"
You Shunshin's view was entirely different from his teammates.
"Good?"
"What's worse: having another pitcher capable of throwing 156 km/h who hasn't taken the mound yet, or having that pitcher on the mound right in front of us? Which would make you feel more hopeless?"
His question left his teammates momentarily stunned. The truth was, either scenario felt like staring into the abyss.
In that instant, the players of Akikawa High School's baseball team finally understood.
You Shunshin's perspective was spot on.
If Furuya hadn't taken the mound, his mere presence in the dugout would have created immense psychological pressure on Akikawa's players.
Seeing him pitch right away was, in a sense, a relief.
After all, they all knew that a pitcher like Furuya couldn't possibly pitch the entire game.
This meant that, even if they couldn't hit off him for a long stretch, they could afford to be patient.
As the game progressed, their chances would come.
Of course, that was merely their backup plan—their worst-case scenario.
When batters stepped into the box, they always hoped to get a hit.
Like Ninomiya, the leadoff batter, who was now determined to make contact with Furuya's pitch.
"We're both high schoolers, and I'm two years older than you! No way I can't handle this…"
As Ninomiya psyched himself up, Furuya began his pitching motion on the mound.
Raising his leg high, he slammed it down forcefully.
Even before the ball left Furuya's hand, the sheer explosiveness of his motion sent a shiver through Ninomiya.
"Something's wrong—this is way too fast!!!"
Before that thought fully formed in his mind, the white baseball had already left Furuya's hand.
The ball tore through the air, producing a sharp sound that made Ninomiya instinctively furrow his brow.
Unlike players from Maimon West High School, Ninomiya had experienced 160 km/h pitches firsthand during his team's batting practice.
He could tolerate not being able to hit such a fastball for now, but he absolutely couldn't tolerate being too scared to even stand in the batter's box.
Having seen and measured 160 km/h pitches before, Ninomiya thought he was mentally prepared.
But when Furuya's fastball actually came at him, his mind went blank.
By the time Ninomiya regained his senses, the umpire's voice echoed in his ears.
"Strike!"
The ball was already in the catcher's glove.
Ninomiya hadn't even had time to feel frustrated before he noticed, to his shock, that he was sitting down in the batter's box.
He had been so frightened by that pitch that his legs gave out.
In Akikawa's dugout, there was a deafening silence.
They had thought they were fully prepared for this game.
But with just one pitch, Furuya Satoru had delivered a resounding wake-up call, showing them just how overwhelming the gap truly was.
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