Chapter 277: The Second Coming of Furuya!
The scorching heat at Koshien left Seidou's players parched.
151 km/h!!
That number flashed proudly on the massive electronic scoreboard.
The Seidou players were momentarily stunned.
For a second, it felt like their own ace was standing on the mound— But the figure on the pitcher's mound was Alex, the towering, lion-like blond powerhouse.
Meanwhile, Seidou's true ace was calmly sitting on the bench, showing no hint of emotion.
"Holy crap…"
"Another monster just showed up."
"St. Dorf really is this tournament's strongest dark horse."
"Unbelievable!!!"
Gasps of disbelief echoed from the stands as fans struggled to process what they had just seen.
Everyone had thought the outcome of today's game was basically set in stone.
Now, that assumption felt laughably premature.
"I almost hope he takes the mound now…"
More and more eyes turned to Seidou's dugout, focusing on the tall, seemingly unfazed boy sitting quietly—Seidou's ace.
"Yeah… I want to see him too…"
Pitchers who could throw over 150 km/h were extremely rare in high school baseball.
Now there was one on St. Dorf.
And Seidou had another.
How could the fans not want to witness this duel of titans?
"He'll be out there. No doubt about it."
While the crowd buzzed in anticipation, in the batter's box, Miyuki frowned.
He had faced fastballs like this before— His own pitcher, after all, threw even faster ones.
He was no stranger to this speed.
If anything, he was used to it.
But this time, it was different.
When it was his own ace firing those pitches, it felt exhilarating—like an unbeatable force backing them.
It made their opponents crumble without resistance.
But now, that same overwhelming pressure was aimed at him.
Facing Alex, it felt just like facing Furuya himself.
And that thought made Miyuki's skin crawl.
"So this is what it's like… going up against a pitcher like Furuya."
He had imagined this scenario countless times in his head.
Each time, his heart had raced.
"Come on, then."
Gripping the bat tightly, Miyuki locked eyes with Alex.
"Let's settle this. I've dreamed about what it'd be like… facing my own partner on the other side."
Boom!
Just as the thought crossed his mind, the white ball roared toward him.
Alex didn't pitch like a person—he was like a beast.
A savage, ancient predator.
His pitch wasn't just a ball—it was like a lion charging at its prey.
Miyuki's eyes widened in shock.
His fingers tightened around the bat. His lips pressed into a thin line.
Even after seeing the previous pitch, the pressure was insane.
"I have to swing!"
Overwhelmed, Miyuki swung the bat hard.
As one of Seidou's core players—and one of the team's most improved hitters—his swing had real power behind it.
If you ignored those two "monster" teammates of his, he was a top-tier batter.
But even so… he didn't make contact.
The pitch sliced clean through the strike zone, untouched.
"Swoosh!"
"Strike!!"
Two strikes. The batter was cornered.
In Seidou's dugout, the players wore grim expressions.
They knew exactly how good Miyuki was.
That's why watching him miss twice in a row hit them like a brick.
"If hitting a fastball was scored out of 100… Miyuki would easily be a 90."
"And even he can't hit it?"
This brutal turn of events made Seidou's players feel as if they were facing Furuya himself.
That overwhelming pressure—where no matter who the opponent was, no matter how strong they were, they were simply crushed—In their memories, only their own ace had ever made others feel that way.
That ace was Furuya.
And yet, Furuya was now quietly sitting on the bench.
"Tch… this is bad."
It wasn't just Miyuki who realized it—All of Seidou had come to the same conclusion.
Their next opponent… was basically another Furuya.
Just the thought alone made them sick to their stomachs.
But while Seidou was reeling in shock, St. Dorf was ablaze with confidence.
The fire in their players' eyes was unmistakable.
"Let's finish them off in one go!"
"Two strikes already!!"
On the mound, Alex curled his lips into a sneer after hearing his teammates' shouts.
Facing Seidou would rattle most players, throw them off their game.
But to Alex, this was nothing more than a warm-up.
"I've only used 10% of my strength so far."
And with that, he threw the next pitch.
Boom!
The sound of the ball cutting through the air was sharp and terrifying.
Even the crowd could hear it clearly.
In the dugout, Seidou's players turned pale.
At the plate, normally unshakable Miyuki now had veins bulging on his forehead.
"I can see it. I can hit it!"
Though he missed the last pitch, Miyuki didn't back down.
He hadn't been late—just a split-second off.
He saw the ball clearly.
After catching for Furuya so many times, Miyuki's eyes had been honed to perfection.
Sure, hitting and catching weren't the same.
But once his eyes adjusted, once he fine-tuned his swing timing…
He knew he had a chance.
"Now!!"
Timing perfected, Miyuki zeroed in and swung with everything he had.
Whiff!
He didn't shrink from the pitch. He attacked it head-on.
Ping!
He made contact—but before he could even celebrate, a massive jolt of recoil traveled through both arms.
The impact was so fierce, he almost lost grip on the bat.
Gritting his teeth, Miyuki managed to hold on—barely.
But that was all he could do.
The ball fluttered weakly a few meters forward and bounced on the ground.
Alex jogged up casually, scooped the ball, and tossed it to first.
"Out!!"
Back in Seidou's dugout, the players' faces hardened.
They knew how good Miyuki was.
And even he couldn't hit the ball cleanly?
"That guy's strength is completely unfair."
"His fastball isn't quite as fast as Furuya's, but if we're talking pure power… he might be even stronger."
Just thinking about it sent chills down Seidou's spine.
Meanwhile, their opponents were basking in glory.
The twisted look on St. Dorf's coach Mitsuki's face was now replaced with a smug, wicked grin.
"What I was saving for the so-called 'galactic teams'... you get a taste now."
Seidou wasn't the only one who had underestimated this matchup.
Even St. Dorf hadn't expected their opponent to be this strong.
It had caught them off guard too.
And Seidou's true ace hadn't even taken the mound yet.
Once Furuya stepped up… Seidou's strength would rise to an even more terrifying level.
Mitsuki was clearly aware of the situation now.
No matter what they had thought of Seidou before, at this moment, they had no choice but to admit it—
Seidou's strength was truly among the top in the nation.
Perhaps even on par with the so-called "Galactic Teams."
The game continued, and Seidou's 8th batter stepped up to the plate.
The tension in the stadium was at a boiling point.
Many of Seidou's hardcore fans in the stands had thought this win was already in the bag.
No one expected a golden-haired monster to show up out of nowhere and change everything.
"That's him! The prodigy pitcher from Robinson Junior High—the one who got into a fight!"
"What?!"
"No wonder he looked familiar!"
For those who didn't believe Alex came out of nowhere, fans quickly dug up his history.
Originally a pitching prodigy from North America, Alex had a bright future—until he was disciplined for fighting.
After that, he vanished from the public eye.
Who would've thought he'd resurface as part of the St. Dorf roster?
"So what? He's young. A little hormone-fueled outburst over a girl is normal."
Mitsuki was clearly familiar with Alex's checkered past—But he didn't care one bit.
Even if the kid knocked someone up—
He's a genius on the mound. That's all that matters.
"Let your talent shine!"
Up on the mound, Alex was like a caged beast starved for three days.
His condition only kept rising. His pitches got faster and louder.
Boom!!
The white baseball screamed through the air, exploding like a bomb.
Seidou's batter gritted his teeth, desperate to make contact. His arms bulged with tension, veins popping as he gripped the bat tightly.
But no matter how much hatred or determination he had, he couldn't do anything.
He could only watch helplessly as pitch after pitch flashed past his eyes.
"Strike!"
"Strike!"
"Strike three!"
"Strike three!!"
Unlike Miyuki—who at least managed to make contact—the next two Seidou batters looked like fools.
These were regular starting players with consistent performances.
And now? They were like statues on display, helpless against the storm.
Three outs. Side retired.
Seidou's second inning offense ended as quickly as it had begun.
The fans looked stunned, their mouths agape, unsure how to process what they had just witnessed.
St. Dorf's supporters were few, and their cheers barely registered in the stadium.
But in the dugout?
It was like a festival.
The players were practically bouncing with excitement.
The frustration they'd bottled up from earlier in the game now turned to explosive joy.
"That's how it's done! Feels amazing!!"
"They're not that tough after all—piece of cake!"
"Next up—let's tie the game and take the lead!"
Despite their stellar performance, one truth remained:
St. Dorf was still behind by three runs.
In baseball, no matter how flashy your plays, if you don't have the runs to back them up—
You lose.
The team clenched their fists.
Over in Seidou's dugout, before Sawamura returned to the mound, his teammates reminded him:
"No pressure—we're the ones ahead."
So far, there were no signs of pulling him from the game.
Despite the opponent's strength, their first-year pitcher wasn't doing poorly.
And more importantly—they still had a three-run cushion.
As the saying goes: "If your pantry's full, there's no need to panic."
With that lead, Seidou could afford to remain calm and play smart.
"Leave it to me," Sawamura said with composed determination.
Even in the face of this immense challenge, he showed no fear or hesitation.
Seeing that, his teammates finally let out a breath of relief.
As long as their little ace-in-training held onto that fire, they had nothing to worry about.
Still, just to be safe, Coach Kataoka shot a glance at their true ace.
Furuya caught the signal—and nodded.
He was already ready to take the mound. No warm-up needed.
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