<12> High School Pitching Standards

Chapter 12: High School Pitching Standards

The first-string players from Seidou High School's baseball team had arrived.

Their presence seemed to carry an aura, and the already tense freshmen were now completely overwhelmed.

Many rookie players couldn't even speak clearly.

"How's Tanba doing today?" the senior with a small mustache asked eagerly.

It was clearly intentional.

The score on the field was 18-0; if they could have ended the game early, the seniors would have done so by now.

Tanba, as the pitcher, had already completed three innings and was now pitching the fourth.

His performance could be gleaned from the scoreboard.

"He's on fire! The freshmen haven't had a chance, barely even able to make contact with Tanba's pitches."

If Tanba could maintain this form, the Seidou High School baseball team would have fewer worries about their pitching staff.

"So, he's back in form," the mustached senior said proudly. "Then what are you waiting for? Crush their spirits and send these rookies home crying for their mothers!"

The remark was as cutting as it was loud.

Many of the freshmen showed expressions of anger.

However, contemplating the gap in skills and staring at the scoreboard, they fell back into deep despair.

Tojo, the strongest among them and the one they had pinned their hopes on, had completely fallen apart.

He sat despondently on the bench with a towel over his face, as though his spirit had left him.

Kanemaru clenched his fists in frustration.

He knew deep down that his anger was merely powerless rage.

Given the current situation, even if the second and third-year seniors were to switch players, the newcomers would struggle to mount an effective resistance.

"It's not over yet, keep pushing! It starts with this at-bat!!"

A boy, who had somehow mingled into the freshmen's ranks, enthusiastically cheered them on.

"You don't understand anything at all!" Kanemaru snapped.

"The game is about more than just skill; it's also about momentum..."

Under the overwhelming pressure from the seniors, the spirit and morale of the freshmen had long dissipated.

They couldn't execute their skills at all.

Even if there were occasional flashes of brilliance, they were quickly crushed by the seniors' overwhelming strength.

There's no hope! It seemed utterly hopeless this time.

"As long as the game isn't over, we still have a chance. You guys came from junior baseball, and yet you don't understand this?"

The boy had the fearless demeanor of a young calf facing a tiger.

As the chief umpire, Coach Kataoka gave the boy a cold glance but didn't say anything.

Behind his sunglasses, there was a hint of approval in his eyes.

The boy speaking was Sawamura Eijun, someone brought in by Takashima Rei, the deputy head of the baseball club.

At the time, the deputy had mentioned that Sawamura possessed the true spirit of an ace.

Seeing him now, it was clear that this praise wasn't unfounded.

"Among the freshmen, it seems like this boy is the only one who hasn't given up on the game, right?"

Though some thought Sawamura's optimism was naive, his spirit won over many of the onlookers.

They greatly admired Sawamura.

"No! There's another one!" a chubby man with glasses said earnestly.

"Who? I haven't noticed anyone else!"

"The little guy getting ready to bat on the field."

Upon hearing the chubby man's words, the onlookers turned their gaze towards the batter's box.

Furuya took a deep breath and lowered his center of gravity.

He lifted his bat high, positioning it behind him.

He looked like a swordsman about to unsheathe his blade.

"Who's that guy?"

"Just brought in; I haven't heard his name before."

"A nobody?"

"Doesn't seem like it. Haven't you noticed how the second and third-year players look like they're ready to explode?"

Since  stepped onto the field, the senior players of Seidou High School's baseball team had been watching him with fiery gazes, like they wanted to devour him. This was a manifestation of their previous frustrations.

The second and third-year seniors had long wanted to teach this overconfident junior a lesson on the field.

Yet, in the face of such pressure, Furuya seemed completely unfazed.

He ignored the surrounding tension, focusing intently on Tanba on the mound.

"This little guy is challenging you, Koichiro!" signaled the catcher, glancing up from his crouched position.

"I can feel it without you telling me," Tanba replied, gripping the baseball tightly. Although Furuya was a freshman, Tanba had already come to see him as a major competitor based on his performance during the tests.

With his rival standing right in front of him, Tanba had no intention of holding back.

"Let me show you what high school-level pitching is all about!"

Taking a deep breath, Tanba unleashed all his strength into the pitch.

"Whoosh!"

The white baseball shot toward Furuya's head like an arrow.

"Dangerous!"

Even having seen Tanba pitch countless times, the freshmen couldn't help but feel their hearts race at the sight.

Many of them secretly worried that this senior might take personal revenge and aim for Furuya.

"Haven't we lost enough already? Do they still need to go this far?" Kanemaru thought, the notion rumbling unavoidably through his mind.

Even more concerning to them was Furuya's lack of reaction at the plate. He simply stared as the ball seemed to head straight for his head before sharply veering.

The ball whipped past him, sliding seamlessly into the strike zone.

"Thwack!"

"Strike!"

Everyone who witnessed this was left utterly speechless.

"Tanba's pitching has reached a new level!"

Truthfully, the display was astounding for them to see.

What surprised them even more, however, was Furuya's reaction—or lack thereof. Faced with such a pitch, he hadn't flinched.

"That's the spirit! Just like that, as long as we're not afraid of the ball, we'll find a way to hit it," Sawamura echoed from the freshmen's dugout, passionately promoting his universal baseball philosophy.

His words seemed quite convincing.

However, for those standing in the batter's box, facing Tanba's pitches was an entirely different story, a truly overwhelming experience.

"I can't imagine a pitcher like this being criticized," Furuya mused, genuinely impressed after witnessing the pitch firsthand.

It was this very pitch that made him truly grasp the caliber of high school baseball.

It was a completely different level compared to what he was used to in junior high.

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Power Stone (⊙ω⊙)