[516] The Champion's Rhythm — Inashiro in Control

Chapter 516: The Champion's Rhythm — Inashiro in Control

The mighty Prince of Tokyo—

Narumiya Mei had already taken down two batters with ease, seemingly without even needing to go full power.

Tens of thousands of spectators in the stadium were left stunned.

"Beautiful pitching, Mei!"

"Two outs! Two outs!"

"Narumiya, you're too cool!"

"Let's go, Narumiya-senpai!"

"Crush Seidou while you've got the upper hand, Mei!"

With both flair and dominance, Narumiya had already won over the crowd at this championship stage. His performance was nothing short of overwhelming.

In Seidou's third-base stands, the third-year alumni all wore serious expressions.

"He's gotten stronger again... Just where is this guy's ceiling?"

Isashiki Jun muttered, a complicated look in his eyes as he stared at the pitcher's mound.

"Perfect control over his breaking balls, and his velocity's up too... Not to mention his command is almost flawless. Narumiya Mei, huh..."

Even with his usual smile, Kominato Ryousuke couldn't hide his worry.

"But the biggest thing is his fastball. That's the foundation of any pitcher. And Narumiya's fastball? There's not a single gap. If we can't handle that, we won't even get the chance to deal with anything else."

Chris's gaze sharpened as he crossed his fingers tightly—revealing just how worried he was about his junior.

"It's tough… But he's not untouchable."

Miyuki's predecessor, Tetsu-senpai, cut straight to the point, calm but focused.

"Yeah… It's up to whether they can find a crack in that catcher's calls,"

Chris nodded.

Nearby, Tanba, Masuko, Sakai, and Kusunoki all gave solemn nods in agreement.

They had made it this far—to the finals.

What they truly hoped for—was for their team to return once more to the sacred stage.

Not just a flash-in-the-pan brilliance like a summer firework—but the revival of a true champion.

"Batting third, second baseman—Kominato!"

A wooden bat?

On the mound, Narumiya narrowed his eyes slightly.

This kid's been moved to the third spot?

"Tch. Watch as this ace snaps your little bat in half!"

His energy surged—

A kingly aura rippled from the mound as he took the sign.

But in the batter's box—

Haruichi's gaze was colder than ever.

There was a sharp glint beneath his bangs.

In the stands, Ryousuke instantly noticed something different about his younger brother.

"...What's this?"

"Play!"

First pitch—high inside fastball.

A pitch meant to intimidate.

Seeing Haruichi's smaller build and wooden bat,

Tadano made a rare bold call to open the at-bat—

a call that perfectly matched Narumiya's aggressive style.

Whoosh!

Narumiya's arm snapped forward.

A streak of white light burst out and raced toward the plate.

As the pitch neared—

Haruichi widened his stance and stepped forward in perfect timing.

His wooden bat cut through the air—whistling as it swung.

Swish!

The sharp glow of the ball got right up in his face—

but Haruichi didn't flinch.

He stepped in and struck.

Ping!

A crisp sound echoed through the stadium.

Haruichi's eyes lit up with focus.

"HAAH!"

With a soft exhale, the vibration of the bat carried through him.

The ball ricocheted off the ground near home plate—

Whoosh—THUD!

It slammed toward third base.

Yabe lunged to his side but couldn't get a glove on it.

"Foul!!"

What sharp bat control… and that swing speed…

He might look slight, but Haruichi's power couldn't be underestimated.

Behind the plate, Tadano's pupils shrank slightly.

A batter who can use a wooden bat…You really can't judge this one by appearances…

What!?

As Tadano was about to signal the next pitch—

A shadow loomed.

Haruichi had stepped closer to home plate—

his stance tight, eyes unwavering.

This was his answer.

High inside fastball? Your inside pitch isn't sharper than Eijun's. And I won't give an inch. Not to you.

It was bold.

It was defiant.

Today, Haruichi stood on this stage with a completely different presence than usual.

In the on-deck circle, Eijun—

In the dugout, Coach Kataoka and Coach Ochiai—

And in the stands, Ryousuke—

All clearly noticed the change in Haruichi.

And it was a good change.

However, both Eijun and Coach Kataoka couldn't help but feel a bit surprised—

What had gotten into Haruichi today to make him so aggressive all of a sudden?

"Very good… Excellent. You're not backing down at all, huh? That's more like it. Now this is starting to get interesting."

The air around the mound turned savage.

The presence of the Prince of Tokyo surged sky-high from the pitcher's mound.

"Second pitch—low and inside."

Since Haruichi had clearly shown he was ready to go all-out, there was no reason for Narumiya to hold back.

Or rather—there was no one in this world that could make Narumiya Mei retreat.

BOOM!

The gust of power surged forward.

His left arm shot up—his stride exploding forward in perfect sync.

Every movement was crisp, precise, and powerful.

Whoosh!

As his arm came down, a sharp flash blazed toward home plate.

The cutting pressure of the pitch—

A fastball fired straight at the inside corner.

Swish!

Haruichi slightly adjusted his stance, his arm tensing,

swinging his bat low from the inside as he stepped into the motion.

PING!

Another sharp sound rang out.

WHOOSH—THUD!

The ball slammed into the dirt just beyond the third base line—

"Foul!!"

"Inashiro's pitcher-catcher duo continues their aggressive pressure. Two inside fastballs in a row—relentless, forceful dominance over the batter!"

"He's catching up! Haruichi's catching up!"

"Finish him, Narumiya!"

"Crush him, Haruichi! Get a hit!"

"Go, Narumiya!"

"You got this, Haruichi!"

"Seidou! Seidou! Seidou!"

"Inashiro! Inashiro! Inashiro!"

The batter's box was electric with tension.

And between pitcher and catcher, there was no hesitation.

What many high school teams misunderstood—

even Seidou, to some degree— was that on Inashiro's team, it wasn't the catcher, Tadano, calling the shots.

It was Narumiya.

He dictated the rhythm, the pitch selection, the control.

And when it was time to strike—

He didn't wait.

WHOOSH!

Another pitch exploded forth—this time with a change in tempo.

Haruichi couldn't react in time.

Swish!

POP!

The ball zipped cleanly through the zone—

No contact.

Another blazing inside fastball.

Three pitches. Three strikes.

Strikeout.

"Strike! Batter out! Three outs! Change sides!"

With royal composure—the Prince stood tall.

This was the rhythm of a true champion.

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