<90> Future Ace of Seido's Cleanup!
Chapter 90: Future Ace of Seido's Cleanup!
The direct confrontation between Furuya Satoru and Narumiya Mei, the two ace pitchers of their teams.
In today's game, they've already faced each other once before.
From the result of that previous matchup, the renowned "Prince of Tokyo" didn't seem to gain much of an advantage.
Furuya successfully struck out Narumiya.
As for today's game, Furuya's performance on the mound has been nothing short of unstoppable—taking down any opposition that dares to stand before him.
When Narumiya failed to hit the ball, the fans in the stands didn't react much.
Maybe, in their eyes, it was nothing out of the ordinary.
But now, things are clearly different.
Although Narumiya Mei, the "Prince of Tokyo," has also shown incredible dominance on the mound...
Even Seido's core batters have struggled against him.
But compared to Furuya's overpowering pitching, Narumiya's performance clearly lacks the same kind of overwhelming edge.
Now, with Furuya stepping into the batter's box, the eyes of the fans in the stands widened noticeably.
And this change didn't escape Narumiya's sharp senses either.
When he saw the eager expressions of the fans, Narumiya could feel the anger in his heart rising.
"Heh, what's with you guys? Are you hoping to see this genius mess up?"
The fans' burning gazes were too intense.
No matter how much Narumiya wanted to pretend he hadn't noticed, he couldn't convince himself to ignore it.
Before his next pitch, Narumiya tightly gripped the baseball in his hand, veins faintly bulging on the back of his hand.
"So, you want a good show? Well, this genius will give you something to watch!"
Swoosh!
The white baseball shot out instantly—blazing fast and at a sharp angle.
The fans in the stands and Seidou's players in the dugout all felt their hearts tighten as they saw the pitch.
The "Prince of Tokyo" was serious now!
From a certain perspective, this wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
It was precisely because Narumiya respected Furuya's potential as a batter that he was taking him this seriously.
If he didn't care or take Furuya seriously, he wouldn't have pitched like this.
Furuya, after all, was just a first-year rookie, and his greatest strength wasn't even his hitting ability.
The fact that Narumiya was treating him with such seriousness just by stepping into the batter's box was already an honor.
Although Seidou's players had a sense of foreboding...
They still believed their first-year junior was performing remarkably well.
But just when they thought Furuya was about to struggle...
Suddenly, without any warning, Furuya made his move.
Facing the fast and sharply angled pitch, he didn't hesitate. He decisively swung the bat.
Boom!
As the bat sliced through the air, the massive sound it created shocked Harada, who was crouching behind the plate.
So fast!
So powerful!!!
This didn't surprise Inashiro Industrial High School's players.
After all, Furuya's ability to throw pitches at terrifying speeds is due, in no small part, to his explosive power, which is undeniably top-tier.
And that was exactly the case here.
Just like Narumiya—why does he hold the 5th spot in Inashiro's batting lineup?
It's not for any other reason than his raw, overwhelming hitting power.
Coupled with his decent batting technique, of course.
In that sense, Furuya and Narumiya are similar types of hitters.
With their innate physical abilities, their batting strength is often formidable.
Even when their swings don't make perfect contact, they still have the potential to send the ball flying.
Crack!
What you fear most often becomes reality.
Just like that, the seemingly confident pitch from Inashiro Industrial was unexpectedly sent flying by Furuya.
At the moment the ball soared into the air...
Not only were Inashiro's players dumbfounded, but even Seidou's own team members stared in disbelief, their mouths agape.
Some even let their drool drip from their gaping mouths.
"Incredible, absolutely unbelievable!!"
It wasn't just the Inashiro players who were stunned—even Seidou's own teammates couldn't wrap their heads around it.
Furuya hit that pitch out?
They genuinely wanted to ask, "Is that really just an ordinary first-year standing in the batter's box?"
Keep in mind, Seidou's players had been with Furuya day in and day out since he joined the first string.
Yet even they found it hard to believe what they were seeing.
Let alone anyone else on the field.
They all watched in shock as the white baseball soared through the sky, covering a distance of 60 to 70 meters before finally beginning to descend.
Smack!
As the dominant force in West Tokyo and a regular presence at Koshien, there was no way Inashiro Industrial's outfielders would let a ball like that hit the ground.
Even though Inashiro's outfielder rushed to the ball's landing spot in time and made a clean catch with his glove...
They couldn't stop the wave of excitement surging through the stands.
"Did you see that? That ball flew at least 70 or 80 meters!"
"Probably just under 80 meters, but still!"
"So what? It was almost a home run!"
"Furuya's just a first-year rookie! Imagine how strong he'll be when he's in his second or third year…"
The fans couldn't help but dream about the future.
When they see a player they truly like, especially one who's just a first-year rookie...
They feel a sense of excitement, as if they are witnessing his growth firsthand!
They could almost picture the pride and glory that Furuya would bring them in the future.
With these thoughts swirling in their heads, Furuya's fans couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion.
Even the chubby reporter in the stands couldn't resist glancing over at Seidou's second- and third-string players seated nearby.
Sawamura, Kominato, Kanemaru.
These three first-year players were standing front and center, drawing all the attention like shining stars.
"Although we still don't know which of Seidou's second- or first-year players will rise as their most powerful hitter, I'm certain one spot is already locked in."
With a powerhouse school like Seidou, they're bound to have some standout hitters in the lower grades.
But despite that, the chubby reporter was firmly convinced.
No one will surpass Furuya Satoru!
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