After the Changeup was revealed, the batter was completely thrown into chaos.
What's coming next?
A blazing Straight ball?
Or that nightmare Changeup again?
There was no difference in Kanzaki Ryou's pitching motion—no tells, no hesitation.
He could only guess.
And guessing against a pitcher like this was no different from gambling.
In the Seidou dugout, Coach Kataoka watched silently as Kanzaki Ryou and Miyuki chose this moment to unveil the Changeup. The faint worry he had about conceding a run immediately faded.
Using a Changeup right now was the perfect decision.
The opponent wouldn't be able to adjust so quickly.
Sure enough—
When Kanzaki Ryou delivered the next pitch, even though the batter had already decided to swing as if it were a fastball, the shadow left by the Changeup lingered too deeply in his mind.
His swing hesitated—just for an instant.
That instant was fatal.
Whoosh!
A 150 km/h four-seam fastball ripped through the strike zone like a blade.
To the batter, it felt even faster than before.
That was the terrifying aftereffect of the Changeup.
"Strikeout!"
The top of the fifth inning ended just like that.
Seihou High School's offense was stranded at third base—
their best chance, wasted.
"Kanzaki!!"
As Kanzaki Ryou walked off the mound, Seidou's stands erupted in applause.
"This kid's incredible."
"As expected of our junior."
"The Coach must be smiling inside—Seidou finally has another true Ace."
"The tables have turned… Inashiro, Ichidai—those teams always got the geniuses."
"This time, it's Seidou's turn."
Someone suddenly muttered,
"If we'd had a pitcher like this back then… would we have made it to Koshien?"
Silence followed.
"…Hey! Why would you say that?"
"You're reopening old wounds!"
"That's three drinks for you later!"
Laughter broke out, but soon their gazes all returned to the same figure—
Kanzaki Ryou.
They knew.
Their generation had always fallen short because they lacked that one overwhelming presence on the mound.
Back in the dugout, Kanzaki Ryou grabbed an energy drink from a senior manager and downed it in one go.
Hot…
"Kanzaki," Coach Kataoka said calmly, "the Changeup is working. Don't force your fastballs too much. Lower the output when you can."
He was still worried.
If Kanzaki Ryou couldn't finish the game, the backup would be Tanba—
And in a Koshien final, that was a gamble no coach wanted to take.
"Yes, Coach."
Kanzaki Ryou nodded.
He was tired, but manageable.
Four innings remained.
Bottom of the Fifth Inning
Azuma Kiyokuni stepped into the box and lashed a deep drive to left field.
The ball slammed into the corner—just inches from clearing the fence.
Then—
Kanzaki Ryou picked up his bat.
Second at-bat.
On the mound, Seihou's Ace Nakae Yuta was still steady. His pitch count was low, stamina solid—third-year experience showing clearly.
After seeing the catcher's sign, he fired without hesitation.
Swish!
Kanzaki Ryou focused, eyes locked on the ball, and swung—
Crack!
"Foul!"
Kanzaki Ryou raised an eyebrow slightly.
A fast forkball… just missed.
Honestly, if he'd made contact, it probably would've been a grounder anyway.
Behind the plate, the Seihou catcher narrowed his eyes.
This guy isn't just dangerous on the mound…
Despite not having explosive swing speed, Kanzaki Ryou led the Koshien home run rankings.
He couldn't be underestimated.
Outside corner—high curveball.
The sign went down.
Nakae Yuta nodded.
A difficult pitch.
But—
The moment the ball left his hand, both pitcher and catcher felt it.
Too high.
Too sweet.
The pitch drifted toward the center of the zone.
Kanzaki Ryou didn't hesitate.
Thwack!
The bat met the ball cleanly.
The baseball rocketed into the sky—high, far, and deep.
The catcher's heart sank.
No… don't go out—
Kanzaki Ryou chuckled softly.
If he couldn't punish a mistake like that, he didn't deserve to stand here.
"Home run!!"
"It's gone!! Seidou's Ace, fifth batter Kanzaki Ryou, delivers another home run on the Koshien final stage!"
"OOOOHHHH!!!"
"Nice one!!"
"Blow them away!"
"Bomb them—BOMB THEM!!"
"Champion contender? That's it?"
"Kid—crush them!"
Compared to the current students, Seidou's alumni were even more unrestrained, hurling taunts and laughter toward Seihou's side.
Amid the thunderous cheers, Azuma Kiyokuni rounded the bases laughing loudly, while Kanzaki Ryou waved toward the stands.
Two runs.
Seidou leads Seihou High School 2–0.
The deadlock—finally broken.
Back in the dugout, Kanzaki Ryou was greeted like a hero.
Water.
Towels.
Cheers.
The Coach… simply nodded.
"Good," Coach Kataoka said. "But don't relax. Keep applying pressure. The wider the lead, the less burden on the pitcher."
"Yes!" the team answered in unison.
Isashiki Jun followed with his usual reckless swing—resulting in a shallow pop fly.
Out.
Araki Keita and Yoshikawa Junpei failed to reach base as well.
The fifth inning ended.
Top of the Sixth Inning
Kanzaki Ryou struck out Seihou's ninth batter—Nakae Yuta—cleanly.
The leadoff batter attempted a bunt, but the ball rolled weakly toward third.
Miyuki reacted instantly, charged forward, barehanded the ball, and fired to first—
Bang!
"So fast!!"
The ball whistled past Nakae Yuta, shocking the crowd.
That throw—
That speed—
This battery was terrifying.
Pitcher.
Catcher.
Both monsters.