Chapter 45: Physics Defying

The King is about to ascend the throne!

No one can stop him!

'Since this is your choice, I won't say anything more.'

Inui originally wanted to advise Narumiya, but he refrained.

Despite his rough exterior, Inui doesn't look like a gentle guy, but Inui's heart is actually very gentle.

He truly considered the situation from Narumiya's perspective.

It was just the fourth inning; even without using his full strength, Narumiya should have been able to handle it.

There was no need to reveal all his power so early.

Thinking of this, Inui glanced at Sawamura and Miyuki.

Especially in front of his rivals!

Tokyo was originally the most competitive battleground in the country, and West Tokyo was the hottest area in that battleground.

Some even predicted that the West Tokyo games might be even more exciting than most Koshien games.

The level of media attention and fan numbers were unprecedented.

And the creator of all this was the unchallenged king of the high school baseball scene—Seidou High School.

Being in the same division as such a team, the pressure on the Inashiro Industrial High School baseball team was immense.

In this situation, Narumiya stubbornly wanted to showcase his full abilities.

Inui felt that this was unnecessary.

Of course, he understood Narumiya's reasoning.

Though he felt it was a bit naive, most pitchers seem to be like this—refusing to admit defeat!

In the game against Tokyo University, Sawamura had shown unparalleled breaking balls.

In previous games, Yoh Shunshin had also completed a shutout.

As another pitcher for Tokyo, how could Narumiya be content?

Thus, he was bound to stir things up and prove his strength through his pitching.

Seeing Narumiya like this, Inui couldn't help but think of his own partner.

A fellow 'prince' of Tokyo, also incredibly talented in pitching.

'Even their personalities seemed very similar.'

'These pitchers really are a bunch of self-centered guys.'

If Narumiya were Inui's partner, regardless of the impact on team unity, Inui definitely couldn't let him behave this way.

But Narumiya was the Ace of Inashiro's baseball team.

If Inui were to stop him forcefully, he'd probably end up with a disaster...

Inui silently prayed for Narumiya and then made his sign.

At this point, the batter from the American team was the second hitter, Hyman.

He gripped his bat tightly, keeping his eyes on Narumiya.

Earlier, while waiting at the Batter's Box, he had carefully observed Narumiya's pitching.

To be honest, Hyman was quite surprised.

He never expected someone who looked about fourteen or fifteen to throw the ball so fast.

From his estimation, the speed was at least nearly 93 mph.

Not to mention in this country, even in the US, that was an incredibly fast pitch.

Hitting a pitch like that wasn't an easy task.

'I had to be cautious and wait for the right time...'

While Hyman was mentally preparing himself, the baseball came flying towards him.

Roaar!!

'So fast!'

The moment he saw the ball coming, Hyman froze for a split second.

He never expected not only the speed but the rhythm of the pitch would catch him so off guard.

Behind the plate, Inui felt some regret.

'There was no need…'

He thought Narumiya really didn't need to be so serious.

This batter was clearly already intimidated by Narumiya's earlier speed.

It would have been very easy to retire him without using a breaking ball.

But Narumiya insisted on going this route.

As a competent partner, Inui couldn't break Narumiya's rhythm.

He had no choice but to signal for the Forkball, and then squat down to prepare for the catch.

The baseball seemed like a streak of light, flying past Hyman in the blink of an eye.

Having already fallen behind in the count, Hyman quickly swung his bat to avoid being forced into a difficult situation.

But by the time he swung, the ball had already entered Inui's Mitt.

SNAP!

"STRIKE!"

Hyman was left dumbfounded.

The once-dismissed middle schooler appeared surprisingly formidable.

'The runner-up pitcher from Koshien, one of the best pitchers in Japan.'

'I see, it wasn't all talk!'

With two Strikes, the batter was forced into a position he dreaded.

And on the pitcher's mound, Narumiya resembled a demon, showing no signs of mercy as the batter struggled.

The critical third pitch was coming!

Already in a desperate position, Hyman decided to swing freely.

Without hesitation, he aimed his bat at the ball, trusting his instincts to make contact.

His aim was still precise, and his bat found the ball's sweet spot.

It seemed like the baseball was about to be hit out of the park!

At that moment, the ball suddenly changed direction mid-flight.

It was like an F1 race car pulling off a stunt—the ball made a sharp curve.

'It was a Slider!!!'

Hyman was completely stunned.

Having played baseball in the U.S. with a career focus, Hyman had seen his fair share of fast pitches and breaking ball.

But he had never seen a Slider like Narumiya's.

'It was as if the ball defied gravity itself!'

If Newton had been around, his coffin lid would have flown open in shock.

"No matter how many times you see it, this Slider breaks all the rules."

Typically, Sliders lose speed due to the forces applied to them.

A speed reduction of 10-20 km/h is common.

Narumiya's defining trait was that his Slider didn't slow down.

Of course, if you measured with a radar gun, you might see the ball slow down.

But standing in the Batter's Box or watching from the sidelines, the feeling was the same.

Narumiya's Slider was as fast as his fastball.

Sawamura and Miyuki exchanged glances.

In each other's eyes, they saw a flicker of concern.

Narumiya's evolution seemed to be progressing faster than they expected.

The summer competition this year doesn't seem as easy to win anymore.

For the Seidou High School baseball team, maintaining their title as the champion will not be a simple task.

Sawamura Eijun and Miyuki Kazuya were mentally prepared for this. After all, Seidou has become a thorn in the side of all the top schools across the country.

Any team with ambitions of dominating the nation will inevitably see Seidou High School as their primary rival.

The summer competition was already going to be tough, with everyone targeting them.

And now, they also have to face the extraordinarily powerful Inashiro Industrial High School and the fully evolved Narumiya Mei.

Both Sawamura and Miyuki were finding it tough.

It seemed that before the summer tournament, they would have to develop more secret weapons, or they might not be able to withstand the constant pressure of these relentless attacks.

"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!"

After Yoh Shunshin's stellar performance, Narumiya was not about to back down.

If Yoh Shunshin performed well, Narumiya had to perform even better.

On the surface, this might seem like childish bravado, almost a bit immature.

But for baseball players, this isn't a bad thing. Every successful pitcher has this kind of competitive spirit to some extent.

If they didn't have this kind of ambition, they wouldn't be able to make it far in the world of baseball.

This is the most defining feature of pitchers.

No matter what the pitcher's personality is, if they've achieved something in high school baseball, they all have this trait to some extent.

As one of the top pitchers, Narumiya's competitive spirit was especially obvious.

During training at Inashiro, whenever a backup pitcher showed impressive performance, Narumiya, like a fighting rooster, couldn't resist trying to pitch even better.

Now that the top players of Tokyo have gathered, everyone has the opportunity to face off against each other.

Although it wasn't a direct confrontation, facing the same opponent created a comparison that was even more intense than a face-to-face rivalry.

With Narumiya's competitive nature, it would have been strange if he didn't stir up some trouble here.

Two Outs, no one on base.

Narumiya was flaunting his strength, while the American players were starting to get anxious.

Seeing this 'middle schooler' power, they couldn't help but consider their next move.

If the game continued like this, would they have any chance of winning?

The North American players were absolutely unwilling to accept that.

So they knew they had to strike back.

The responsibility now fell to the third batter, Reinhardt.

Reinhardt had a heavy burden on his shoulders, as the Tokyo team had already made their intentions clear.

After Narumiya finished this round, they would likely switch to another pitcher.

If the Tokyo team kept rotating pitchers like this, the North American team would have no chance and might as well surrender.

To avoid such a situation, Reinhardt had to perform.

The best outcome would be a hit.

A score will be perfect.

Even if he couldn't score, advancing the lineup so that the upper batters would have a better chance against Narumiya in the second round would be the next best thing.

At the very least, Reinhardt needed to figure out Narumiya's pitching style.

This way, he could provide detailed information for the batters behind him.

Reinhardt, carrying this responsibility, stepped into the Batter's Box and fixed his eyes on Narumiya on the mound.

At this moment, he was determined to observe the pitches carefully and swing with caution.

Not only him, but the spectators were also watching the showdown intently.

Everyone sensed that this was the decisive moment.

Whoosh!

Narumiya on the mound, however, seemed to be completely unbothered.

With his usual rhythm, he pitched the ball.

The pitch came in sweetly, almost dead center.

Reinhardt, originally planning to observe a few pitches, could no longer resist the urge to swing at this perfect pitch.

If he didn't swing at such a perfect ball, he would regret it for life.

So, he cleanly swung his bat.

But as soon as his bat was in motion, the baseball didn't come towards him.

'It is a Changeup!'

Reinhardt's heart filled with frustration.

His nerves were so tight that he didn't even recognize the Change-up and impulsively swung at the ball.

As a result, he ended up in this situation.

'It is such a disaster!'

Snap!

"STRIKE!"

The first pitch was a Change-up, and it had tricked the batter into swinging.

Narumiya's performance lifted the spirits of all the Tokyo team players.

It seemed like the scales of victory were tilting in their favor.

"With the Change-up setting the tone, Narumiya's fastball will appear even faster."

Many players seemed to have figured out Narumiya Mei's pitching strategy.

Just as they were expecting a fastball, Narumiya unexpectedly threw another Change-up.

'Here it comes again!'

Reinhardt, frustrated, never expected fate to be so kind to him.

It gave him a second chance to face Narumiya's Change-up.

This time, he was fully prepared.

With his swing speed, Reinhardt knew he could wait until the ball was in the strike zone before swinging at the Change-up.

'NOW!'

The ball was almost in position, and Reinhardt wasted no time in swinging his bat.

Just as he was about to make contact, the ball suddenly dropped.

'What…?'

Reinhardt stood frozen in the Batter's Box, confused.

He had never seen a Change-up like this before.

'Was this even a Change-up?'

'It sank like a Screwball!'

It seemed to defy the laws of physics itself.

Reinhardt's face turned pale as if he had seen a ghost in broad daylight.

The other players also looked equally stunned.

The Tokyo team didn't understand what Narumiya was trying to do.

The American players were completely shocked by Narumiya's pitching.

This 'middle school' pitcher was absolutely inhumanly skilled.

At that moment, Narumiya threw his third pitch.

'Are you F*cking with me?!'

Reinhardt's handsome face turned absolutely livid.

His eyes were turning red.

'Another Change-up?'

'What is this kid trying to do?'

...

T/N: Narumiya is showing off…

Anyway, Thank you all for reading!!

And I hope you all have a good day!

You also can check my Patre0n for extra Chapters.

https://www.patre0n.com/ColdColt

There are +160 Chapters there.