"Sorry to trouble you with the trip."
"With the Summer Tournament coming up, let's have a good game."
The two coaches exchanged polite greetings with faint smiles.
Then they swapped starting lineups.
After taking Seido's lineup sheet, Kiryu High's coach, Matsumoto, glanced through it and chuckled.
"A good game, huh?"
"But you're sending out a freshman as your starting pitcher."
"I figured you'd be experimenting for the Summer Tournament."
Coach Kataoka replied calmly.
"No."
"…No?"
Matsumoto blinked, surprised.
Then he laughed.
"You've got guts. Sending a first-year against Kiryu… He must be pretty special."
Coach Kataoka crossed his arms, his expression cold and imposing like a mafia boss.
"Didn't you gather intel on us?"
"Our first-year."
"He's the Ace."
"…What?"
Matsumoto's eyes widened.
"An ace pitcher… as a freshman?"
Kataoka turned away.
"Just a warning."
"Be careful."
"My first-year isn't someone you can handle casually."
"You're the strongest batting lineup in the country, right?"
"Don't let yourselves get completely suppressed by a rookie."
With that, Kataoka walked back to the bench, leaving Matsumoto standing there speechless.
Both teams were fired up.
But Seido's players all knew one thing.
Their bodies weren't at 100%.
After a week of hellish training, everyone felt like they were carrying sandbags.
"…Ahh."
Ushijima muttered while pulling on his glove.
"My body feels so heavy…"
Everyone silently agreed.
Then—
"Ushijima."
Coach Kataoka called out.
"Today's only a practice game."
"Try whatever pitches you want."
"I don't care if you dominate."
"I don't care if you get hit."
"I only care about how much you can still perform when you're exhausted."
"So experiment. Do everything you've wanted to try."
The entire first string turned to look at Ushijima.
He rolled his neck once. Crack.
Then he grinned.
"So it's Kiryu… the number one lineup in the country, huh?"
His eyes sharpened.
"Don't think you're leaving Seido without paying the price."
He raised his arm.
"Let's go!"
"Oshi!!!"
The team roared and sprinted onto the field.
Their fighting spirit exploded.
Since Kiryu was the visiting team, they batted first.
Seido's lineup was mostly unchanged:
1 – Kuramochi (SS)
2 – Kominato (2B)
3 – Isashiki (CF)
4 – Yuki (1B)
5 – Ushijima (P)
6 – Masuko (3B)
7 – Miyuki (C)
8 – Shirasu (RF)
9 – Furuya (LF)
Ushijima had once suggested moving Haruichi into the ninth spot.
Honestly, that would maximize their offense.
But Coach Kataoka had a different plan.
Furuya wasn't just there to bat.
He was insurance.
If Ushijima got tired, Furuya could immediately take the mound.
Then Ushijima could shift to the outfield.
A seamless transition.
Safer.
More flexible.
Still—
Ushijima believed one thing.
If he was on the mound, Seido didn't need defense adjustments.
They just needed overwhelming firepower.
Because facing Seido's lineup alone was already enough to suffocate any ace pitcher.
"Ushijima! Let's go!"
Behind the plate, Miyuki slapped his mitt.
Kiryu's leadoff batter stepped in.
At the mound, Ushijima grabbed some rosin powder and tossed it aside casually.
Miyuki flashed the sign.
Ushijima smirked.
"…You've got a nasty personality, you know that?"
Miyuki grinned.
"Let's start with heat. Intimidate them."
"Works for me."
Inside his glove—
Four-seam grip.
The moment he raised his arm—
Kiryu's batter stiffened.
Something felt wrong.
A chill crawled up his spine.
The ball hadn't even been thrown yet…
…but the pressure alone made his skin crawl.
Why…?
The answer came instantly.
Ushijima lifted his leg high.
Stepped forward.
BOOM.
His foot slammed the mound.
His body twisted—
His arm whipped forward—
The baseball exploded out of his hand like a cannon shot.
A white streak tore through the air.
"—?!"
The batter froze.
He couldn't swing.
Couldn't react.
His brain went blank.
It didn't feel like a baseball.
It felt like a wild beast charging straight at him.
Instinctively, he stepped back.
"BANG!"
The ball smashed into Miyuki's mitt with a gunshot-like crack.
The sound echoed across the entire stadium.
Even the spectators flinched.
Kiryu's bench went silent.
Eyes wide.
Faces pale.
That speed…
That wasn't normal.