"Of course, throwing a complete-game shutout against Inashiro is impressive."
"Keeping every batter off the bases would have been even more spectacular."
Ushijima paused before continuing.
"But if I injure my fingers because of it, then none of that is worth it."
He looked at Narumiya Mei.
"Even if we exhausted everything to defeat you today, what then?"
"There is still Koshien."
"There are still games waiting for us."
"We can't afford to win one battle while sacrificing the entire war."
"That's why, no matter how effective the Forkball is, it should only be used when absolutely necessary."
The Inashiro players fell silent.
They couldn't refute his logic.
As for Narumiya Mei, he felt even more irritated.
Not because Ushijima was wrong.
But because he sounded far too mature.
Far too calm.
Far too much like a veteran instead of a first-year.
Looking at the frustrated Narumiya, Ushijima suddenly sighed.
"Narumiya."
"What now?" Narumiya snapped.
"Have you noticed the biggest problem facing Inashiro?"
The question caught everyone off guard.
Narumiya frowned.
"What problem?"
Ushijima's gaze shifted toward Harada.
"Harada-senpai is graduating."
The atmosphere instantly became heavy.
"When he leaves..."
"Who will catch for you?"
The entire Inashiro lineup froze.
Even the Seidou players looked surprised.
Only Harada remained silent.
Ushijima continued.
"To put it another way..."
"Among Inashiro's current first-string players, is there a catcher capable of controlling you?"
The words hit like a hammer.
Narumiya's expression changed.
Carlos.
Shirakawa.
Yamaoka.
Everyone's faces became serious.
Miyuki's eyes narrowed.
Among everyone present, he understood Ushijima's meaning most clearly.
A great pitcher needed a great catcher.
Especially a pitcher like Narumiya Mei.
Someone talented.
Proud.
Emotional.
Aggressive.
Without a catcher capable of controlling his rhythm and mindset, his strengths could easily become weaknesses.
A battery wasn't simply a pitcher throwing and a catcher receiving.
The catcher guided the game.
Controlled the tempo.
Stabilized the pitcher.
Without that balance, even the strongest ace could lose control.
And right now—
Inashiro's biggest problem was obvious.
After Harada graduated, who could fill that role?
Seeing everyone's silence, Ushijima continued.
"That's why I hesitated earlier."
"Before striking out Yoshizawa-senpai."
"I considered intentionally walking him."
Everyone looked at him again.
"I wanted Harada-senpai to have one final at-bat."
"I wanted to face him one last time."
The Inashiro players stared at him.
"Because among all the catchers I've faced..."
Ushijima pointed at Miyuki.
"Besides this annoying guy..."
Miyuki's eye twitched immediately.
"...Harada-senpai is the only catcher capable of truly controlling Narumiya."
The entire Inashiro lineup fell silent.
Not a single person could deny it.
"I wanted to give him a proper farewell."
"A final showdown."
"But in the end, I couldn't do it."
The reason had already been explained earlier.
The dreams of Seidou's third-years came first.
No personal feelings could outweigh that.
Then Ushijima turned around.
His back faced Narumiya.
His next words pierced directly into Inashiro's future.
"After today..."
"For the time being, Inashiro is no longer a threat to Seidou."
Silence.
Nobody interrupted him.
"Over the next year, there are only three ways Inashiro can challenge us again."
He raised one finger.
"First."
"Find a catcher capable of replacing Harada-senpai."
A second finger.
"Second."
"Narumiya changes."
The ace of Inashiro stiffened.
"You stop acting only for yourself."
"You stop insisting on throwing only the pitches you want."
"You become a true ace."
"A true senior."
"A leader capable of carrying an entire team."
A third finger.
"Third."
"I get injured."
The blunt honesty left everyone speechless.
Ushijima lowered his hand.
"If none of those three things happen..."
"Inashiro won't be able to threaten Seidou."
After speaking, he simply walked away.
Leaving behind complete silence.
Nobody laughed.
Nobody argued.
Because everyone knew there was truth in his words.
Harada watched Ushijima's departing figure.
Then he glanced at Narumiya.
For once, the usually noisy ace said nothing.
His head was lowered.
His fists were clenched.
And he was thinking.
Really thinking.
Yoshizawa suddenly laughed.
"I finally understand."
"Why Seidou trusts that first-year so much."
Hirai nodded.
"Even when facing opponents, he points out their weaknesses."
"Not to mock them."
"Not to show off."
Yoshizawa finished the sentence.
"But because he wants stronger opponents."
"A real challenge."
Harada smiled.
"Exactly."
"He isn't obsessed with winning easy games."
"He wants worthy battles."
The Inashiro captain looked at Carlos, Shirakawa, Yamaoka, and the others.
The second-years understood as well.
The moment Harada graduated, everything would change.
And the future Ushijima described was already approaching.
Meanwhile, above the Seidou dugout...
"YUKI!"
"ISASHIKI!"
"KOMINATO!"
Azuma Kiyokuni and the former Seidou players waved excitedly.
The current third-years immediately waved back.
Their smiles were brighter than ever.
Then Azuma looked toward Ushijima.
"Ushijima!"
"Thank you."
The former captain's voice was sincere.
Without Ushijima, their dream would have ended a year ago.
Now, at last, someone had carried it forward.
Ushijima simply smiled and waved.
No words were necessary.
Nearby, his mother looked at him proudly.
"You did well, Xiao Jie."
A rare warmth appeared on Ushijima's face.
"I'll clean up first."
"Then I'll come find you."
Afterward, Seidou returned to the dugout to pack up.
The atmosphere was completely different from before.
Every player wore a smile.
Every face was filled with relief.
They had survived.
Their summer would continue.
Even Coach Kataoka approached Ushijima personally.
"You worked hard."
The usually stern coach spoke with genuine gratitude.
Ushijima scratched his head.
"It was only what I was supposed to do."
Coach Kataoka laughed softly.
Only what he was supposed to do?
A complete-game shutout against Inashiro.
Leading Seidou back to Koshien.
If that was merely doing his job, then his standards were frighteningly high.
After cleaning up, the Seidou players finally left the dugout.
However, before Ushijima could reunite with his family, a swarm of reporters surrounded him.
It wasn't surprising.
This was the West Tokyo Final.
More than forty thousand spectators had witnessed the game live.
Media outlets from across the country had gathered.
Professional scouts were present.
Even several professional players had come to watch.
And after today's performance—
Nobody could ignore Ushijima Wakatoshi anymore.
A pitcher who possessed:
A Four-Seam Fastball.
A Two-Seam Fastball.
A Cutter.
A Sinker.
A Shootball.
A Forkball.
Six different weapons.
More terrifyingly, every one of them could exceed 150 km/h.
His command was still imperfect.
But he was only a first-year.
He still had years to develop.
As long as injuries stayed away, everyone present understood one thing.
The monster standing before them today...
Would one day become a name fought over by professional teams across Japan.
And perhaps—
By teams beyond Japan as well.