"Strike three! Batter out!!!" the umpire shouted.
"Whoa—three up, three down!"
"Amazing! Three straight strikeouts!"
"He just kept hammering the inside corner and completely shut them down!"
"Focusing on the inside is useless—it only fuels Ushijima's aggression!"
"Ahhh! That pitching was beautiful!!!"
The entire stadium buzzed with excitement.
Nine consecutive inside pitches.
Three batters.
Three strikeouts.
Absolute domination.
"Wow… that was incredible."
"Nine straight pitches to the inside corner, and he struck out all three."
"Ushijima is ridiculously stubborn with that strategy."
"You know it's coming, but you still can't hit it—that's the worst feeling."
"Exactly. You don't even have to guess location anymore, but guessing the pitch type alone is enough to overwhelm you."
"He's got too many options for the inside."
"Three, right?"
"No—four. Two-seam, cutter, sinker… and even his four-seam fastball can be driven inside."
"Right… and that cutter breaks perfectly into left-handed hitters."
On the field, Seido's players were having the same discussion.
In the stands, Yuki Masashi's family was equally stunned.
"What sharp pitching… what power… what presence…"
Masashi watched silently as his cousin returned to the dugout.
"I didn't expect him to be this dominant," his father admitted. "I knew he was good, but… this is something else."
After a brief silence, Yuki Tetsuya clenched his fist.
"After the finals, I'm definitely making him pitch to me."
His mother chuckled. "Do you think you can even hit him?"
Masashi didn't respond.
But deep down—
I can.
Back in the dugout, Ushijima was immediately surrounded by praise.
"You went all-in on the inside today—nine straight pitches."
"You even used all your pitch types," Miyuki added.
Ushijima smiled faintly.
"I was just giving a lesson to my future junior."
"Future junior?" Isashiki blinked. "What do you mean?"
"My brother," Yuki Tetsuya said, suddenly realizing.
"Oh? He's planning to come to Seido?" Kominato asked.
"He wasn't at first… but he wants to go pro someday."
"And when we graduate, Seido's lineup might weaken."
Ushijima nodded slightly.
"He's strong. Bigger than me, too. With proper training, he'll be even better."
"His pitching might be even more outrageous than Tanba-senpai's."
"Huh?!" Everyone froze.
"Tanba-senpai?!"
"You mean the ace?" someone blurted out.
Even Sawamura couldn't help but react, earning glares from the upperclassmen.
Ushijima simply chuckled.
"Anyway, the demonstration's over," he said to Miyuki.
"Let's go back to a normal pitch sequence."
Miyuki nodded.
He understood.
That overwhelming display earlier—it had been intentional.
And now, Ushijima was already returning to a calm, controlled approach.
That composure was exactly why everyone trusted him.
"But still…" Isashiki scratched his head.
"Ever since the Summer Preliminaries started… our defense feels kind of useless."
"Now that you mention it…" Shirasu nodded.
"This is already our fifth game."
"I'm in center field, and not a single ball has come my way."
"Same here on right field!" Furuya added.
"Back in the Kanto Tournament, balls were still getting through."
"But now? Nothing."
"Even when they do hit it, it's foul," Shirasu said.
Furuya sighed.
"I haven't even touched the ball."
"The only time I see it up close is when I'm batting."
"When I'm fielding, it never comes within 50 meters of me."
The entire team burst out laughing.
And at the same time—
They all understood what that meant.
Ushijima Wakatoshi was simply too dominant.
"He's struck out more than ten batters in every game so far," Chris said calmly.
"Huh?!" Everyone turned to him.
"That means…" Tanba blinked.
"Over 40 strikeouts already?"
"With the three from today, it's over 50," Chris corrected.
"And that's four straight games with double-digit strikeouts."
"In the second game against Murata, he even had 15 consecutive strikeouts."
"That ties the high school record."
Silence fell over the dugout.
Then—
A collective breath of disbelief.
"If five-inning games count," Chris continued, "he's already thrown three complete games."
"It's just a shame official records require nine innings."
"So far, only the Akikawa game went the full distance."
Everyone's gaze shifted toward the field.
Yuki Tetsuya was now at bat.
Facing Maki, he stayed cautious.
First pitch—fastball.
He didn't swing.
Second pitch—fastball again.
He swung—
Miss.
"That angle is tough…" Isashiki muttered.
Third pitch—a high-dropping curve.
Yuki managed to make contact, but only fouled it off.
Fourth pitch—fastball again.
He barely kept up.
He was being suppressed.
Every swing felt forced.
By the seventh pitch, he finally connected cleanly.
The ball flew into the outfield—
But—
Caught.
Out.
Then—
Ushijima Wakatoshi stepped into the batter's box.
He lifted his gaze toward the mound.
Toward the towering figure standing there.
A pitcher standing at 195 cm—
A rare presence in Japan.
And one that radiated undeniable pressure.