Chapter 455: Red vs. White (6)
Angle, timing, power.
Strictly speaking, there wasn't much wrong with the pitch Furuya had thrown.
However, his control was still a little lacking.
The ball broke just a bit too early.
If it had started breaking right around the plate instead, even if Eijun had managed to react, the best he could have done would've been to foul it off.
There was even a good chance he could have been struck out or forced into a pop-out.
Rather than saying Eijun hit it well—
it was more accurate to say Furuya didn't pitch it perfectly.
Not that Furuya's pitch was bad—
for most batters, this level of execution would have been more than enough.
But when facing top-level hitters, it fell just a little short.
And even though Eijun wasn't quite a top-tier batter yet—
he was already able to blast a pitch like that out of the park.
If it had been someone like Raichi or Yuuki instead, there wouldn't even be a need to discuss it—the outcome would've been obvious.
"Still... that kid really doesn't hold back."
Miyuki shook his head with a wry smile as he watched Eijun round the bases and return to home plate.
"Batting fifth, first baseman, Yamaguchi-kun."
Eijun's home run not only sent shockwaves through the crowd—
it also served as a stark reminder to Furuya of the gap that still existed between them.
And that gap wasn't just in pitching—
it was the overall difference between them as complete baseball players.
Of course, Furuya wasn't as fragile as he used to be.
After all, this was just an internal Red vs. White match.
Even if this were a real game—
getting hit for a home run might rattle him a bit, but it wouldn't break him anymore.
The important thing wasn't avoiding giving up runs—
it was knowing how to respond after getting scored on.
That was an essential trait for any pitcher.
A determined face.
Eyes filled with resolve.
Behind home plate, Miyuki's mouth curled into a slight grin.
"Our team is full of interesting guys."
"Whoosh!"
"Pop!"
"Strike! Batter out! Three outs, change sides!"
Eijun's home run hadn't shaken Furuya.
Just like Miyuki thought—after all, Furuya wasn't the same pitcher he used to be.
With no runners on base, and facing the fifth batter, Yamaguchi Ken—
Furuya didn't give him much of a chance.
Three straight fastballs to pin Yamaguchi down, then a vertical slider to finish.
Against a hitter like Yamaguchi, it was more than enough.
The ball's sharp break after a high-speed spin caught Yamaguchi off guard.
Even though he reacted at the last moment—
it wasn't enough.
Furuya stylishly struck him out.
"Ooh, staying cool, huh, Furuya?"
"Well, he's a pitcher who's already been 'baptized' by Ugumori. About time he grew up."
"Yeah. If he still crumbled after giving up one home run, or completely collapsed after two, that would've been unacceptable."
"First, the substitute team scores two runs. Now it's up to the starting team to see how they'll respond against Sawamura."
"Tch, four-hole hitter vs. ace pitcher, huh? Man, this is getting exciting."
"Top of the second inning. A Team's attack. Batting fourth—catcher, Miyuki Kazuya."
Under the intense, expectant gazes of the crowd—
the fourth batter and team captain, Miyuki Kazuya—
stepped up to face—
the third batter and ace pitcher, Sawamura Eijun.
The golden battery's first official showdown.
Whether it was Miyuki, walking up to the batter's box with a smile, or Eijun, standing tall on the mound with a gleam in his eyes—
this matchup—
captured everyone's attention.
Sawamura, I'm coming for you. Are you ready?
Heh, bring it on, Miyuki-senpai.
This time, I'm going to beat you fair and square.
Their gazes locked.
Between the golden battery—
their mouths curled into matching smirks.
Even in the heat of battle, their perfect understanding of each other was unmistakable.
First pitch—
low and outside.
Eijun moved sharply.
At home plate, Miyuki reacted just as swiftly.
"Whoosh!"
The white flash that followed the swing of Eijun's arm—
"Swoosh!"
The bat sliced through the air with force.
Behind the visor of his helmet, Miyuki's eyes locked onto the ball's trajectory.
A flashing streak of white light.
The powerful swing of the bat.
In that moment, the ball and bat overlapped—
"Pop!"
The ball zipped precisely into Ono's glove, positioned low and outside, making a crisp sound.
"Strike!!"
That was a nasty pitch.
Sawamura's control is getting sharper and sharper,
Miyuki thought, his eyes narrowing slightly, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
If the first pitch was a low outside ball—
then the next one would probably be...
"Whoosh!"
Another flash of white light came flying in.
Miyuki's pupils suddenly contracted—
a rare flash of surprise appearing on his face.
He swung quickly.
"Pop!"
"Strike!!"
A changeup, huh? You gutsy little—
Heh, Miyuki-senpai, I've been your battery partner long enough. How could I not know exactly what you're thinking?
Standing tall on the mound, Eijun smiled slightly, bowing his body forward.
When he met Miyuki's gaze from across the field, he responded with a mischievous grin—one that looked just like Miyuki's own usual smirk.
Miyuki hadn't expected Eijun to go for that pitch.
But at the same time—
Eijun also made a slight miscalculation in dealing with Miyuki.
After pushing him into a two-strike count,
Eijun had no intention of letting up.
Using bad pitches to bait the batter?
That wasn't his style.
For Eijun, pushing the attack was the only truth.
Or rather—
That was Eijun's pitching style.
Unfortunately, between two players who knew each other so well—
there were no secrets.
Just as Eijun understood Miyuki—
Miyuki understood Eijun just as deeply.
Including everything about him.
"Whoosh!"
Here came the finishing pitch.
Eijun's favorite—inside fastball.
"Ping!"
The pitch, just a bit off target, was caught by Miyuki perfectly.
"Whish!"
"Thud!"
The ball tore past the infield.
Second baseman Kijima Rei and first baseman Yamaguchi Ken both lunged to intercept it—
but they couldn't catch up to the ball's speed.
It bounced hard across the infield, slicing cleanly between second and first base, and rolled out toward the gap between center and right field.
It hit the ground sharply.
Outfielders like Seki barely had time to react.
By the time Seki scooped up the ball—
Miyuki was already stepping safely onto first base.
"Ugh, still got outsmarted by you, Miyuki-senpai..."
On the mound, Eijun exhaled heavily, watching Miyuki flash a smug smile as he stood confidently at second base.
Eijun shook his head in resignation.
Looks like instead of trying to outthink this scheming captain—
I should've just stuck to pure power and brute force.
Trying to beat Miyuki at a mind game?
Way too exhausting—
and way too easy to get caught in a trap.
Eijun rubbed his forehead, smiling bitterly in his heart.
Next time at-bat, no games.
Just pure, relentless attack.
That's the best way to deal with Miyuki.
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