<85> The Best Pitcher in Kanto!

Chapter 85: The Best Pitcher in Kanto!

In Seidou High School's dugout, Isashiki Jun was shouting wildly.

"Hit the ball out of the park, Youichi!"

Their pitcher was performing so impressively. In this situation, if they didn't capitalize and win today's game, how embarrassing would that be?

Standing in the batter's box, Kuramochi could feel the encouragement from his teammates, and his eyes seemed to glow with determination.

Kuramochi focused intently on the pitcher's mound, staring down the "Prince of Tokyo."

"Why are you glaring at me like that? You think you can eat me alive?"

On the mound, Narumiya wasn't fazed by Kuramochi's intense gaze.

The strength Seidou had displayed so far wasn't just shocking to the fans in the stands; even within Inashiro's ranks, it had caused quite a stir.

But Narumiya didn't mind. In fact, unlike his teammates, he found this situation exhilarating.

How could he, as the ace, show his true value without facing a strong opponent?

"Three strikeouts in a row, huh?"

To be honest, if this were any other team, Narumiya would have been determined to outdo Furuya.

Three strikeouts? It's not like he couldn't do that too.

But this wasn't just any team—they were facing Seidou, a powerhouse.

That made all the difference.

Even for someone as skilled as Narumiya, he wasn't entirely confident he could strike out Seidou's batters in succession.

This fact bothered him greatly, as if he, Inashiro's ace, was somehow inferior.

But no matter how much it annoyed him, the truth was the truth.

"Narumiya knew this better than anyone, and that only made him angrier!"

Muttering under his breath, Narumiya released the pitch.

Whoosh!

The white ball shot out at a blistering speed, clocking in at 147 km/h.

In the blink of an eye, it whizzed past Kuramochi.

Thwack!

"Strike!!"

Kuramochi, standing in the batter's box, didn't even have time to react.

With just one pitch, Seidou's dugout fell into an eerie silence.

Not a single sound.

After a full four or five seconds, Miyuki, pushing up his glasses, murmured quietly.

"That pitch speed isn't quite as fast as our starting pitcher's."

In terms of pure speed, Furuya definitely had the edge—there was no doubt about that.

But that didn't mean Furuya could dominate Narumiya on the field.

In fact, from a batter's perspective, Furuya probably didn't measure up to Narumiya.

Aside from his fastball velocity, Furuya lagged behind in other areas.

First of all, his control. Furuya could only manage to throw the ball in the strike zone, but even that wasn't always guaranteed.

Narumiya, on the other hand, could divide the strike zone into precise quadrants.

With his pitch speed in the 140 km/h range, his control was nothing short of spectacular.

And that's not even mentioning his breaking balls.

Before this game, and even earlier, Seidou High School's baseball team had conducted a thorough study of Inashiro Industrial High School's ace, Narumiya Mei.

Their conclusion was that Narumiya's pitching was nearly perfect.

Not just in West Tokyo—across all of Tokyo and even the entire Kanto region—Narumiya was unquestionably the top pitcher when it came to pure pitching skill.

However, Miyuki knew better than to boost the opponent's morale while deflating his own team's spirit. That's why he mentioned that Narumiya's pitching speed wasn't as fast as Furuya's—highlighting their own strengths while downplaying the opponent's.

"After all, he's the best in Kanto..."

As the Seidou players murmured to themselves, the tension on the field reached its peak.

Kuramochi, now in a two-strike situation, gritted his teeth and swung the bat.

Crack!

The bat made contact with the ball.

But before Seidou's die-hard fans could celebrate, they were stunned to see the ball fall from the sky.

Thwack!

Inashiro's shortstop, Shirakawa, effortlessly caught the ball in his glove.

"Out!"

One out, no one on base.

Next up was Seidou's second batter, Ryousuke Kominato.

Narumiya was even more direct this time, throwing a fastball right down the middle!

Seidou's players in the dugout were furious when they saw this. Narumiya was clearly mocking them.

He was taking advantage of Kominato's small frame, knowing he didn't have the power to hit a home run.

But Kominato wasn't one to back down. He managed to hit the ball into the outfield.

However, Inashiro's outfielders seemed to have anticipated this, positioning themselves right where the ball would land.

Thwack!

"Out!"

Two outs, no one on base.

Now it was Seidou's third batter, the mustached vice-captain, Isashiki Jun's, turn to bat.

Yet even he couldn't escape the same fate.

Thwack!

"Three outs, switch sides!"

Just as Furuya had retired Inashiro's batters in order, Narumiya responded with a perfect inning of his own.

"Compared to our starting pitcher, Narumiya doesn't have the same energy!"

Seidou's supporters in the stands proudly exclaimed.

Even though both pitchers had thrown a perfect inning, Furuya's three consecutive strikeouts were clearly more impressive.

Inashiro's fans, however, scoffed at this.

"Are you only playing one inning?"

"It's too early to celebrate. Our ace can pitch the full nine innings. Can your starter do that?"

"Let's see who lasts longer!"

Even the fans knew that Furuya wasn't capable of pitching an entire game.

Meanwhile, back in Seidou's dugout, the players were preparing to take the field for the top of the second inning.

Miyuki quietly approached Furuya.

"Partner!"

Furuya frowned curiously at the call.

"Do you know who's standing in front of you right now? He's recognized as the best pitcher in all of Kanto! Even if you look nationwide, he ranks in the top three. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Miyuki asked with a face full of anticipation.

Furuya immediately understood what his catcher was implying.

"So, if I beat this senpai, I'll be the best in Kanto!"

Miyuki's eyes lit up with approval. "Smart!"

It was clear to everyone just how much of a gap existed between Furuya and Narumiya.

But precisely because of that, defeating Narumiya would mean even more for Furuya.

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A/N: Guys, there's a reason why I only upload one chapter per day: there's a new DNA fanfic that I might upload on Friday. You can check it out; the title is Diamond No Ace: The Strongest Hitter.

If you want to read 20 chapters advanced.

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