Come on, Ryou. Throw it with everything you've got!
Miyuki's eyes burned with unrestrained desire.
This pitch had to be thrown.
Kanzaki Ryou steadied his breathing. The moment he caught Miyuki's sign, a surge of excitement rushed through him.
Full speed?
That was insane.
At his absolute top velocity, he wasn't even sure he could place the ball where Miyuki wanted.
But then again—so what if it misses?
At that speed, no one could hit it anyway.
With that confidence, Kanzaki stretched his fingers, lifted his chin slightly, and thought:
Come on, Mei. Try hitting this.
Swoosh!
Under the gaze of the entire stadium, Kanzaki's arm sliced through the air, leaving behind a faint afterimage. The white ball seemed to tear through space itself, arriving in front of the plate in the blink of an eye.
Snap!
Miyuki extended his glove and caught the pitch—well outside the strike zone.
At the same time, his peripheral vision caught Narumiya Mei's empty swing.
At that speed, resisting the urge to swing was nearly impossible. It was pure instinct.
"Strike!"
"Strikeout!"
The umpire's call echoed through the stadium, and only then did the crowd finally snap out of their daze.
That pitch,
It was too fast.
Every eye turned simultaneously toward the speed display in the corner of the field.
160 km/h.
"Oh my god!"
"No way!"
"It's 160!"
"Kanzaki Ryou just hit 160 kilometers!"
"KANZAKI!"
"SEIDOOO!"
The roar of the crowd was deafening. No one cared whether the pitch was a strike or not.
That number alone ignited pure excitement.
"So strong…"
In Seido's cheering section, Furuya Satoru stared at the field in shock.
"Is this how Kanzaki-senpai pitches…?"
"Aniki!!!"
Sawamura Eijun sprang to his feet, shouting at the top of his lungs.
It was incredible.
That overwhelming presence—that dominance on the mound—was exactly what he had imagined the Ace to be countless times.
It was the pitcher he most wanted to become.
Beside them, Kominato Haruichi and Arima Kazusa exchanged glances. At the same time, the image of standing in the batter's box against that pitch flashed through their minds.
"Heh… you two look fired up," Haruichi said suddenly.
Sawamura and Furuya turned toward him.
Smiling faintly, Haruichi continued, "With Kanzaki-senpai around, neither of you has a chance at becoming the Ace."
"At least not until he graduates."
"If you want that number, you'll have to wait until after next summer. Can you really endure that long?"
The words hit hard.
Sawamura and Furuya froze.
It was a cruel truth—one they hadn't truly faced until now.
And once they did, the path to the Ace suddenly felt impossibly steep.
"I will become the Ace!" Sawamura said, fists clenched, teeth grinding.
Furuya tilted his head slightly and replied calmly, "The Ace will be me."
Arima Kazusa chuckled softly, shaking his head.
These two… their rivalry is something else.
In the Seido dugout, Ota was practically dancing with excitement after seeing the speed reading.
"160! Did you see that?!"
Coach Kataoka, however, simply nodded.
During practice, Kanzaki had already reached 159 kilometers. Breaking into 160 wasn't luck—it was inevitable.
Still, this pitch would undoubtedly shake Inajitsu.
Narumiya Mei stormed off the field after being struck out, his expression dark. He kept turning his head back, glaring at Kanzaki Ryou—once, twice… more than ten times.
In the Inajitsu dugout, silence reigned.
Coach Kunimoto stood with his hands behind his back, brows furrowed. Sensing the unease spreading among his players, he spoke calmly.
"Don't overthink it."
"It's impossible for him to throw every pitch at that speed. Kanzaki Ryou's average velocity is still under 155."
"And with that kind of output, there's no way he can pitch the entire game."
"What matters is this—don't give up any runs before he comes off the mound."
"When that happens, that's when our chance begins."
The players nodded.
They understood.
Even so, the shock of that single pitch hadn't fully faded.
After Kanzaki Ryou struck out Inajitsu's sixth batter, Yamaoka Riku, the top of the second inning ended.
Inajitsu went down scoreless.
Bottom of the Second Inning — Seido on Offense
Narumiya Mei, now fully locked in, was just as dominant on the mound.
Though his velocity couldn't match Kanzaki's, his pitching was far more intricate. Each ball seemed alive, impossible to read.
Yuki swung and missed twice, then barely made contact with a Forkball. The hit was weak—the ball rolled near the mound.
Narumiya fielded it cleanly.
Out.
Next up—Seido's fifth batter.
Kanzaki Ryou.
Casually flicking his bat, Kanzaki smiled as he looked toward the mound.
This little blond really wants revenge, huh?
He focused, raising his bat.
Narumiya Mei delivered the first pitch—
A fastball, cutting sharply toward Kanzaki's chest.
The crowd exploded.
Snap!
"Strike!"
Kanzaki swung and missed.
The pitch wasn't just fast—it had a vicious trajectory, missing the bat by half a ball's width.
Impressive, Little Blondie…
Kanzaki reset his stance.
Narumiya's eyes sharpened, his gaze cutting like a blade.
As pitchers, he refused to lose.
Masatoshi Harada sensed Mei's state immediately. An intentional walk would've been the safest option—but he knew better.
Even if Coach Kunimoto ordered it personally, Narumiya would never comply.
This was a pitcher's pride.
Narumiya Mei would never retreat from Kanzaki Ryou.
Second pitch!
An outside Slider.
Kanzaki swung with full force—
Clang!
Foul.
Tch…
Though not as fast as mine, the weight on his pitches is insane.
Two strikes.
Harada glanced at Kanzaki, then gave the sign.
Narumiya frowned—and shook his head.
A Forkball might work. It could even force a grounder.
But—
Not enough.
This wasn't about tactics anymore.
Just moments ago, Kanzaki struck him out with a 160 km/h pitch.
Now—
Narumiya Mei wanted to return the favor.
With something entirely his own.