Chapter 189: Intensification

"Time!"

"Timeout!"

Akaishi Osamu's heart pounded against his chest.

A thin sheen of sweat formed across his forehead.

The calm, composed catcher who had guided Yakushi all tournament long now showed the faintest trace of unease.

One swing.

That was all it had taken.

Sato Toshiya's towering foul ball had made one thing painfully clear—

This batter was on an entirely different level from anyone Yakushi had faced so far.

If they failed to adjust their approach immediately, the game could slip away from them in an instant.

To his surprise, however, Kitamura Kou wasn't shaken in the slightest.

Instead, he wore an amused smile as he looked at his partner.

"Hehe..."

"This is rare."

"I've never seen you make that face before, Akaishi."

"Hahaha!"

"Hmph."

Akaishi shot him an exasperated glare.

"I'm not as carefree as someone I know."

"Even now, you still have time to joke around?"

As he spoke, his hands unconsciously tightened into fists.

For a brief moment, it looked as though he might actually smack Kitamura over the head.

Kitamura immediately took a quick step backward.

"Akaishi."

"Calm down."

"Violence has never been the best solution."

"..."

Akaishi rolled his eyes once again.

Then his expression became serious.

"Kou."

"We can't underestimate this batter."

"Should we start mixing in your breaking balls?"

The teasing disappeared from Kitamura's face as well.

His eyes sharpened.

"It would definitely improve our odds."

"But think about what it tells them."

"If we abandon the fastball now..."

"We're admitting that my fastball alone isn't enough to beat him."

"And the moment Kaidou realizes that..."

"Their confidence will skyrocket."

"Once they seize that momentum, controlling the rest of the game becomes much harder."

He looked directly into Akaishi's eyes.

"So..."

"This is exactly when we have to face them head-on."

"I'll beat him with my fastball."

"And by doing that..."

"We'll seize control of the game's momentum."

"...Kou."

Akaishi quietly studied the boy standing in front of him.

Although Kitamura was nearly half a head shorter, the confidence in his eyes made him seem far larger.

The uncertainty lingering in Akaishi's heart quietly disappeared.

Unable to suppress the faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips, he simply turned away before Kitamura could notice.

With steady steps, he walked back toward home plate.

"I'll leave him to you..."

"...Partner."

While Yakushi's battery held its conference, the atmosphere inside Hanshin Koshien Stadium remained as heated as ever.

The brief timeout did nothing to cool the excitement.

Instead, it gave thousands of spectators the perfect opportunity to debate what would happen next.

"What do you think Yakushi's going to do against Sato Toshiya?"

"After that first swing?"

"I'd intentionally walk him."

"He almost hit a 153 km/h fastball out of the stadium on his very first pitch."

"You must not watch Yakushi very often."

The fan beside him laughed.

"They've never backed down from a challenge."

"No matter who the opponent was, they've always attacked head-on."

"That's exactly why so many people love watching them play."

"But they're only ahead by one run."

"If Sato hits a home run here, the game is tied."

"And Sengoku Masato is waiting on deck."

"If Kaidou hits back-to-back home runs..."

"Yakushi could lose control of the entire game."

Another spectator snorted confidently.

"Hmph."

"You're all underestimating Kitamura."

"With his ability..."

"He'll shut Sato down."

"Hehehe..."

"I can't wait to see the look on Kaidou's faces if he does."

Throughout the stadium, anticipation continued to build.

Everyone knew the same thing.

The outcome of this showdown between Kitamura Kou and Sato Toshiya could very well determine the momentum of the entire game.

The stands buzzed with animated discussion.

Different opinions flew from every direction, turning the stadium into a giant debate hall as spectators eagerly shared their predictions for the showdown unfolding before them.

After the brief timeout, play resumed.

Will he walk me?

Sato Toshiya calmly analyzed the situation.

No...

Probably not.

Based on everything we've gathered, Yakushi's ace has never backed away from a challenge.

He attacks.

Relentlessly.

He won't start now.

If anything changes, it'll be the pitch selection.

He'll probably mix in a breaking ball...

His eyes narrowed.

But the pitch he trusts the most is still that fastball approaching 155 km/h.

A pitcher like him wouldn't abandon his greatest weapon.

And if I want to crush Yakushi's momentum...

Then I have to crush that fastball.

A batter should defeat a pitcher at his strongest.

Coincidentally...

That's also the pitch I'm most confident hitting.

Sato tightened his grip on the bat.

A cold gleam flashed through his eyes.

His gaze never left Kitamura Kou.

The roar of the crowd gradually faded from his awareness.

At that moment, the world seemed to contain only two people—

The pitcher.

And the batter.

Every muscle in Sato's body tightened like a fully drawn bowstring.

His breathing remained steady.

Measured.

Every adjustment had been completed.

His body had reached its peak condition.

The instant the ball left Kitamura's hand—

He would unleash everything.

Across from him, Kitamura smiled faintly.

"Hehe..."

"That expression..."

"It really makes me want to break it."

His voice was quiet.

But the fighting spirit behind those words burned like wildfire.

Kitamura drew a deep breath.

Every muscle in his body tensed.

Power surged through his legs, his torso, and finally into his throwing arm.

Then—

He exploded forward.

BOOM!!

The baseball screamed out of his hand.

Here it comes!

The instant the pitch was released, Sato moved.

His body reacted almost instinctively.

VROOOM!!

The bat whipped through the strike zone with explosive speed.

PING!!

Bat and ball met once again.

The baseball skimmed the upper edge of the barrel before soaring almost straight back.

It crashed violently into the protective netting behind home plate.

The net rippled violently from the impact, as if the ball were still trying to force its way through.

"Foul!"

Another foul ball.

Neither player gave an inch.

From that point on, the duel evolved into a pure contest of will.

Kitamura relentlessly challenged Sato with overpowering fastballs.

Sato answered every challenge with an equally fearless swing.

Pitch after pitch.

Swing after swing.

The count stretched on.

Six consecutive pitches.

Every one of them exceeded 150 km/h.

Every one of them was fouled off.

Neither the pitcher nor the batter was willing to surrender even the slightest advantage.

The showdown had become a true deadlock.

A battle of overwhelming power...

And unshakable resolve.