Chapter 224: An Astounding Turn of Events!
"Boom!!!"
The baseball sliced through the air with a deafening roar.
The batter was stunned as the ball whizzed past.
"Pop!"
"Strike!"
"Three strikes, you're out!!"
"Three outs—time to switch sides!!!"
On the pitcher's mound, Furuya remained stoic as ever.
In this opening inning, he had allowed a run—an exceedingly rare occurrence for him.
From any perspective, it was undeniably a major slip-up.
And yet, at this moment, no one seemed to care about that lone run.
Everyone present was completely enthralled by Furuya's jaw-dropping pitching.
"155 kilometers per hour!!!"
"My gosh, since that 158-kilometer pitch earlier, Furuya's pitches haven't dipped below 153 kilometers!"
"That 158-kilometer blazing fastball was scary enough, but not hopelessly so. But an average speed of 155 kilometers? That's beyond terrifying! Forget high school players—there's not a single pro league pitcher who can maintain that kind of speed consistently!"
"His strength isn't just a sudden burst. It's the overwhelming power and speed that crushes everything in its path..."
Casual fans simply thought Furuya was incredible.
When asked to explain why he was so remarkable, they struggled to put it into words.
They just instinctively knew that a pitcher capable of reaching those speeds was one of a kind, perhaps even unparalleled nationwide.
While casual fans couldn't grasp the full significance, the reporters and elite players from other powerhouse teams had no such trouble.
From their seasoned perspective, they were utterly astounded by Furuya's performance.
"Oh my god!"
"Are we seriously going to face a monster of this caliber at Koshien?"
Some players, who had already secured their spots at Koshien, made a point of scouting the Tokyo games for intel.
Their first stop was the West Tokyo finals.
While the East Tokyo powerhouse, Teito High School's baseball team, also drew attention, Teito's dominance in their region was overwhelming. Most people doubted that any East Tokyo team could truly challenge them.
By comparison, the West Tokyo matchups promised a far more compelling showdown.
Both teams were exceptionally strong—on par with the best at Koshien. With a bit of luck, either team could make a push for the championship.
Reigning over West Tokyo, Inashiro Industrial had consistently delivered stellar results and dominated the Koshien stage. If not for a few unlucky breaks, they might have already claimed the national title.
This year's Inashiro squad was widely regarded as the strongest in their history.
Many eagerly anticipated their championship run.
Facing them was a team with an equally impressive pedigree: Seidou High School. Seidou was among the most elite programs in the country, rivaling Inashiro's storied reputation.
This was a clash of tradition and history.
In terms of current strength, Seidou was not to be underestimated. Just two months ago, they were crowned champions of the Kanto tournament.
The prospect of these two teams going head-to-head was enough to set hearts racing.
And knowing that they might face one of these squads at Koshien only made their desire to watch all the stronger.
These players, thrilled at having secured their Koshien berths, initially felt they had a slight advantage. While the West Tokyo teams battled it out, they could sit back and observe.
In the grind of Koshien, where weak teams were rare, even a minor advantage could become a deciding factor. Most teams reaching Koshien were top-notch, and even the smallest edge might be critical.
But as these players watched the Seidou-Inashiro showdown, their excitement turned into something quite different. One by one, they looked as if they'd just swallowed a mouthful of bitter melon.
The expressions on their faces twisted in dismay.
The pitching of the so-called "Prince of Tokyo" alone nearly redefined what they thought was possible. Then, when Furuya stepped up and hurled a terrifying 158-kilometer-per-hour fastball, the entire audience was utterly floored.
Some players who came specifically to watch this match were already regretting their decision. If they had stayed in the dark about these two teams' capabilities, they could have gone into their own games without overthinking. Any challenges would have been dealt with only when they arose.
But there's no undo button in life. They had chosen to watch this match, and Furuya's pitching was now seared into their minds.
When they imagined their future opponents being on the same level as Furuya, their morale plummeted. No matter how hard they tried to strategize, they just couldn't figure out how to connect their bats to Furuya's pitches. Forget about getting a hit—just making contact seemed impossible.
It wasn't just rival team players who were shaken. The reporters, too, were left stunned. Even compared to professional pitchers, few could deliver high-speed pitches with the stability and consistency that Furuya demonstrated.
"He's like a cold, unfeeling pitching machine!" someone remarked.
Fujio, a veteran reporter from Baseball Kingdom magazine, frowned at this statement. He clearly disagreed with his colleague's assessment.
"Furuya's pitching is nothing like a pitching machine. Remember when we visited Inashiro Industrial's practice sessions? Their players trained against a machine that threw 155-kilometer-per-hour fastballs, and they could still manage to hit it out.
"But here, Inashiro's core sluggers struggled just to make contact with Furuya's pitches. They couldn't even get a clean hit. That difference speaks volumes," Fujio concluded.
Indeed, the so-called "core sluggers" from Inashiro's lineup, who were usually more than capable of handling high-speed pitches, looked utterly helpless against Furuya. They couldn't even make solid contact, let alone hit the ball far.
"For a high school pitcher, Furuya is practically a demon on the mound," Fujio said plainly. "Any team that goes up against Seidou High School without proper preparation will be utterly crushed."
His words were sincere and mirrored his true opinion. Next to him, the tall and elegant Akiko Oowada, nodded in agreement. "Spot on, as always, senpai!"
While many reporters only began paying attention to Seidou after their rise to prominence, Fujio and Akiko had been following the team from the very beginning. They were not newcomers to the story.
Meanwhile, in Inashiro Industrial's dugout, Coach Kunitomo began strategizing. Furuya's performance had clearly dealt a heavy psychological blow to his players. As the team's leader, Kunitomo had to issue clear directives to prevent his players from getting mentally overwhelmed on the field.
In Seidou's dugout, however, the mood was completely different. The players were buzzing with excitement.
"Furuya, you blew everyone away out there!"
"That's our Furuya!"
They showered Furuya with praise for his performance. Furuya himself, however, remained remarkably composed. To him, it was just another routine part of his job.
"Not letting it go to his head," Coach Kataoka thought with a satisfied nod.
Seidou High School's head coach, Kataoka, had always been obsessed with developing an ace pitcher who could stand tall and dominate—just like he had dreamed of in his youth.
However, whether it was due to bad luck or Seidou's own streak of misfortune, the team's pitching over the past few years had been, at best, slightly above average.
Without extraordinary talent, their ace pitchers struggled to gain widespread recognition.
As a result, when compared to the aces of other teams, Seidou's pitchers often fell significantly short.
It was one of the reasons Seidou had struggled to make it to Koshien.
But now, things were different. They finally had a promising prospect in Furuya. Furuya's performance nearly fulfilled Kataoka's vision of the ideal ace.
And then there was the unexpected arrival of Eijun.
While Sawamura's current performance on the field was still raw and unpolished, his potential, combined with his relentless work ethic and ambition, made it clear that he would carve out a place for himself in the baseball world someday.
"You gave up a run but stayed calm—this shows growth," Kataoka remarked.
The statement stunned Seidou's players. Kataoka was not known for such straightforward praise.
"No wonder Furuya stands out—even Coach sees him differently," they thought.
While the team mulled over Kataoka's words, Furuya raised his hand.
It was an unusual gesture. As Seidou's ace, Furuya rarely spoke up like this.
"What's the matter?" asked Oota, the team's manager.
Furuya's recent dominant performance had everyone cheering, but Oota had been quietly worried the entire time. He feared Furuya might have injured himself or something might be wrong. Now that Furuya had raised his hand, that worry only grew.
Could it be something serious?
Just as Oota's anxiety peaked, Furuya spoke in his deep, steady voice:
"Please replace Kominato-senpai."
"What did you just say?" came the sharp, angry reply.
The older players were immediately incensed. Ryousuke might have made an error earlier, but he was still the most reliable second baseman on the team, not to mention a respected senior.
Even if Furuya was their ace, asking for a third-year player to be subbed out was a shocking request.
The other players in the dugout were equally stunned, struggling to understand why Furuya, who was normally reserved and composed, would say such a thing.
They couldn't believe he'd make such a bold and seemingly disrespectful demand.
Even Kataoka, who had just praised Furuya, instinctively frowned.
"Why?" Kataoka asked. He wanted to hear Furuya's reasoning before making any judgments.
Seeing everyone's puzzled expressions, Furuya firmly declared, "Kominato-senpai is injured!"
This statement left the entire team dumbfounded.
"You think you're a doctor? How do you know that?"
In the face of his senior's question, Furuya remained calm and collected.
"Of course I'm not a doctor. But can't everyone tell? If Kominato-senpai wasn't injured, there's no way he would have missed that play just now."
Facts often spoke louder than words.
The players on Seidou's team had all felt a nagging doubt in the back of their minds when Kominato failed to make the play. But since Kominato himself hadn't mentioned any issues, they had simply chosen to trust their teammate.
"Is that really true?" Kataoka's gaze turned toward Kominato. While his question sounded neutral, his tone revealed that he was already leaning toward believing Furuya's assertion.
Ryousuke, however, shook his head. "I'm fine. I can keep playing, no problem!"
He had worked tirelessly for three years to reach this final test. Even if it meant risking his health, he refused to quit.
Hearing his older brother's words, Kominato Haruichi's eyes filled with tears. "Brother…"
His brother was injured, and yet Haruichi hadn't realized it. Guilt surged through him, weighing heavily on his heart.
The other Seidou players also darkened their expressions. It seemed the situation might be worse than they had expected.
Even though their ace hadn't been affected by his recent pitching, if Kominato truly was injured, it could spell trouble for the entire team.
Both the second baseman position and the number two spot in the lineup were crucial. Any issues there would ripple through the entire team's performance.
Kominato's refusal to leave the game wasn't just stubbornness—it was concern. He knew that if he stepped down, the team's advantageous position could be jeopardized.
Kataoka frowned instinctively. Apart from that one defensive misstep, Kominato's movements had been solid. As he had said, the injury wasn't severe. Letting him continue was an option.
But if Kominato stayed on, his recovery time might be delayed, and his injury could worsen.
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