NOVEL WEB Chapter 358: [358] Complete Domination in the Battle Against Teito
Chapter 358: Complete Domination in the Battle Against Teito
The Decisive Pitch—A Changeup
Against this batter, there was no room for hesitation. Taking a calculated risk was necessary. For a right-handed cleanup hitter like Kengo, this pitch was the perfect choice.
Whoosh—
Seidou's battery, fully committed, poured everything into this pitch.
Eijun raised his arm—
The ball flashed into existence—
Roaring through the air, it streaked toward home plate like a blinding white comet.
At that instant, Kengo's eyes glowed coldly.
Step forward.
A precise, razor-sharp swing.
Ping!
A thunderous crack echoed.
"He caught it!?"
Both Eijun and Miyuki stiffened.
Whoosh—
The ball shot upward, spinning into the night sky.
On second base, Teito's runner instinctively tensed, preparing to dash.
Pop!
The ball curved sharply past the third-base foul line, smashing against the stadium railing with a crisp metallic clang.
"Foul ball!"
...
At the umpire's call, Miyuki's heart tightened.
"He still managed to react to that!?"
No matter. One pitch wasn't enough? Then we'll go for another.
Relentless pressure. No breathing room.
"Next pitch—outer corner, high-speed fastball."
The tighter the battle, the calmer Miyuki's mind became.
This was the moment they absolutely couldn't allow Inui to time his swing.
Even if it meant throwing more pitches, it was worth it.
...
Whoosh—
Eijun fully leveraged his speed control advantage.
Standard fastball.
Changeup.
Accelerated fastball.
Three consecutive fastballs with different speeds—
All on the same trajectory.
...
As the third pitch blazed in, a sudden shockwave rippled through the air at home plate.
The ball, seemingly out of nowhere, accelerated.
Kengo's pupils contracted sharply.
His body had already committed to a swing, but—
At the last possible moment, he forcibly wrenched himself back.
Whoosh!
His bat sliced through the air, the motion eerily smooth.
Rain streamed down, the cold metallic bat gleaming ominously.
Ping!!!
Another deafening crack!
At the last possible second—before the ball could pass—Kengo's bat met it head-on!
Whoosh—
The ball ricocheted violently, skimming just past the first-base foul line before landing out of bounds.
Boom!
"Foul ball!!!"
...
"He even reacted to that!?"
A changeup followed by an accelerated fastball—
No ordinary batter should be able to react in time.
Miyuki's eyes narrowed.
"What kind of reflexes does this guy have!?"
On the mound, Eijun stared at the ball skipping out of play, his brow furrowed.
"This was three layers of speed variation."
And yet—
Despite his swing form being slightly broken and off-balance,
Despite the pitch sequence being meticulously crafted,
Kengo still managed to make contact.
That alone was enough to make Eijun's heart jolt in surprise.
Even Coach Kataoka and Coach Ochiai slightly raised their eyebrows.
Miyuki's expression tightened.
That pitch should have been enough to take him down.
But now, instead of being at an advantage, Seidou was in trouble.
...
"Let him hit it, Sawamura!"
"You've got him cornered! Keep the pressure on, Sawamura!"
"Sawamura-kun, hang in there!"
"Stay locked in, Captain! You can do this!"
"Clean-up hitter, get us a hit here!"
"Push forward, Seidou!"
"Let's go, Teito!"
"Ace! We're counting on you!"
"Inui-kun, finish this!"
The roars of support erupted from both dugouts and the stands.
It was only the fourth inning, yet everyone knew—
This at-bat would be the turning point of the game.
...
"This is bad..."
Behind home plate, Miyuki's eyes hardened.
Breaking balls were too risky.
Fastballs were being locked onto.
Even the speed variation wasn't working.
What pitch could he call?
The first at-bat—Kengo had already picked up on the pitch pattern.
Just now—Sawamura had already missed a pitch.
They had to be careful.
But—
"Why are you hesitating, Miyuki-senpai?"
"Or rather... what are you afraid of?"
...
A sudden surge of pressure.
Miyuki's breath hitched.
He looked up—
Not 20 meters away on the mound, a pair of golden-hued eyes locked onto his.
Sawamura Eijun.
His pupils burned with an unyielding fire.
His body slightly crouched, left arm swaying gently at his side—
As if to say:
"We are Seidou—the reigning champions. If there's only one choice left, then it's already right in front of us!"
...
"Heh... who would've thought—this guy ended up teaching me a lesson instead."
Miyuki lowered his gaze briefly before letting out a quiet chuckle.
That's right. There's only one option left.
...
"Alright then—"
Miyuki firmly raised his mitt.
His target: Inside corner.
Five-seam fastball.
"We'll settle this with this pitch. Whether it misses or gets hit, I don't care anymore—bring it, Ace!!!"
...
"Hah—don't worry, Miyuki-senpai."
Eijun's back straightened.
An unwavering presence spread from him—
The presence of an ace.
One who would never yield.
Victory was non-negotiable.
...
For the first time, Kengo felt a tightness in his chest.
Unconsciously, his grip on the bat tightened even further.
...
"Just as you believe in me..."
"I've always believed in you, too, Sawamura."
"You'll throw the perfect pitch right into my glove."
...
BOOM!
A strong step forward.
A raised arm, high and firm.
And then—
Every nerve in Eijun's body honed in on a single point.
All distractions faded.
Every ounce of power surged into this one pitch.
At this moment—
His eyes saw nothing but Miyuki's glove.
Throw it in. Throw it in.
The only goal—
Deliver this pitch straight into the mitt.
...
Whoosh—
The moment the ball flashed into existence—
The air split apart.
A powerful gust followed in its wake, slicing through the rain-filled air like a blade.
A sharp coldness settled in, sending an involuntary jolt through Kengo's chest.
His heartbeat contracted violently.
The blinding white light roared toward home plate.
...
His pupils locked onto its trajectory.
A step forward.
Five-seam fastball.
For some reason—
Deep in his instincts, he was convinced this was the pitch.
...
Whoosh!
The sound of a metal bat whipping through the air erupted like a sonic boom.
The glowing ball and the swinging bat—
In the next instant—
They crossed paths.
...
A silver streak shot forward.
The blinding white ball narrowly squeezed through the contact zone.
...
PING!
A thunderous impact rang through the stadium.
...
"Ohhhhhhh!?"
"Ahhhhhhhh!?"
The entire crowd exploded—half in excitement, half in shock.
All eyes followed the arc of the ball, glowing as it soared through the air.
In the next moment—
In the next second—
In the next heartbeat—
POP!
The ball landed securely into Tojo's glove in the outfield.
"OUT! THREE OUTS! CHANGE OF INNINGS!"
The stadium erupted into deafening cheers.
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