Chapter 464: The Power Pitcher's Brilliance
First pitch—low and outside.
Precise. Sharp. Powerful.
Furuya, put everything into this pitch.
Behind the plate, Miyuki gave a subtle signal with his fingers.
On the mound—
Furuya's expression was solemn. His slightly crouched frame straightened in an instant, and his left leg rose high before driving forward with force, kicking up a burst of dust.
"Whoosh!"
His arm whipped down.
A streak of light fired out from his hand.
A blistering fastball.
It came roaring in—right at the edge of the strike zone.
At the plate, Masu Shinichirou's pupils shrank.
In the blink of an eye, the ball was already upon him. It was so fast, Masu barely had time to react. The sheer pressure radiating from the pitch—
It froze him momentarily.
"Thunk!"
The ball slammed into Miyuki's glove.
"Strike!!!"
"First pitch—a fastball low and outside! Sharp and precise! That's one strike!"
A perfectly placed power pitch on the outside corner.
The heaviness of the ball, the nastiness of the angle—it caught everyone off guard.
The crowd murmured in surprise. After all, Furuya had always been known as a wild pitcher who relied on brute strength. No one expected such finesse.
...
In the stands—
Coaches Kunimoto and Raizou both furrowed their brows.
If a power pitcher like Furuya could place fastballs that accurately on the lower outside corner… most batters wouldn't stand a chance. Even the elite hitters would struggle—at best, it'd be a 50-50 duel.
"If he can throw power like that with precision," Coach Raizou muttered, "outside of Raichi, I'm not sure anyone on our lineup can handle it…" He sighed, rubbing his temple.
Seriously—what kind of monsters does Seidou keep producing?
Wasn't one Eijun already enough?
Now there's another monster?
And if Furuya's control improves by next year too…
Will anyone in Tokyo even have a shot?
Coach Raizou shivered.
...
Second pitch.
Another fastball outside. Even if it missed the strike zone a bit, that was fine.
Miyuki signaled again.
"Whoosh!"
Furuya's arm cut through the air, another blinding pitch unleashed.
"Swish!"
This time, Masu didn't just watch.
He swung—decisively.
The bat tore through the air.
"PING!!"
The moment the ball made contact with the bat—
Masu's brows knit tightly.
A sharp sting exploded through his palms.
He instantly understood:
This kid from Seidou—this power pitcher—is the real deal.
It wasn't just speed. The weight. The late break. This wasn't a pitch any average hitter could handle.
"Whizz—Thud!!"
But his timing was off—he didn't hit the sweet spot.
The ball flew off weakly.
"Foul ball!!"
The ball barely escaped first baseman Maezono's reach, bouncing just foul before he could make the catch.
That was close—just a little more and it would've been an out.
Masu Shinichirou let out a quiet breath in the batter's box, his expression growing even more focused.
This pitcher…
The velocity was just about what he expected. But the control and the weight behind the pitch—those were beyond what he had anticipated.
Cracking him quickly might be more difficult than planned.
For now, the priority was to lock onto his pitch trajectory and wait for an opening.
Masu tightened his grip on the bat and steeled his thoughts.
But unfortunately for him, Miyuki wasn't going to give him that chance.
Refined yet aggressive—That's always been Miyuki Kazuya's style of pitch-calling.
After two straight fastballs pushing in...
The third pitch—
Without hesitation, Miyuki signaled for a vertical slider.
"Fwoosh!"
A shimmering streak flew toward the plate.
As it cut downward through the strike zone—
Masu had no time to react.
"Swish!"
He swung—But completely missed the ball's trajectory.
"Thwack!"
"Strike three! Batter out!"
A vertical slider?!
Masu shook his head, lowering his bat in quiet frustration as he walked back to the dugout.
From behind the mask, Miyuki's lips curled into a slight grin.
Exactly the result he wanted.
Furuya might look like he had the vertical slider completely under control, but the truth was—his command of the pitch still lacked finesse. And the more he threw it, the higher the risk of a misfire.
Which is why—
It made the perfect decoy pitch.
Use it early, not as a strikeout weapon, but as a trap.
Etch that slider into the minds of Seiko's hitters right from the first inning. Use it sparingly in key moments.
If Seiko took the bait, pitch-calling in the coming innings would become much easier.
...
"Ohhh, a vertical slider!"
"He struck out the leadoff batter with ease. Furuya's in good form today."
"Three pitches, three strikes. Definitely has the presence of a power pitcher."
"Can't relax just yet. That was only the first batter. The real test is still to come."
"Yeah, Seiko's lineup isn't going down that easily."
"The middle order's the real challenge."
...
"Second batter—shortstop, Yamashita."
As Yamashita passed Masu on his way to the plate, Masu spoke quietly:
"His pitch has more weight than expected. Be careful."
Yamashita nodded with a serious look.
Not that they had underestimated Furuya to begin with—Any pitcher who'd fought on the mound at Koshien wasn't to be taken lightly.
And with that 150 km/h velocity?
There was no room for arrogance.
Now that even their captain had struck out in three pitches, their entire lineup would naturally raise their guard.
...
"Tch. Other than their catcher, each of them looks more hulking than the last," Miyuki muttered at the plate, eyeing Yamashita as he stepped into the box.
A pure power-hitting lineup like this—If they caught the pitch trajectory, the damage could be devastating.
Come on, Furuya. We have to establish control in this first inning.
Miyuki set his mitt and locked eyes with Furuya, sharp and composed.
Furuya responded with a firm nod, just as serious.
...
First pitch: inside fastball.
Furuya's control still didn't match Eijun or Kawakami's level.
But now, he could at least place pitches accurately on both sides of the plate.
And particularly—
His low-and-away placement was nearly on par with Eijun.
With that level of control—
"Fwoosh!"
The power pitch exploded from Furuya's hand, ripping through the air.
It wasn't just fast—
It was sharp. Refined.
And it could overpower most hitters with sheer presence alone.
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