Oda of Ichidai Third High School was deeply shocked.
Ichidai and Seido were old rivals. Over the years, they believed they understood Seido's ace pitcher, Hidezawa, inside and out. His characteristics, his limits, even his habits on the mound—Ichidai thought they had all of it figured out.
But now, standing in the batter's box, Oda realized something was wrong.
They didn't understand Hidezawa nearly as well as they thought.
The current Hidezawa not only threw heavy pitches, but his control had clearly improved.
In the past, if a batter waited patiently, an easy pitch would eventually come. But now, after so many pitches, Oda hadn't seen a single ball he could comfortably swing at.
Either the pitch carried crushing weight, or it landed in an extremely awkward spot.
Since when did Seido, a team known for its ace's raw power and rough edges, develop such refined pitching?
And that wasn't even the most unsettling part. The pitch selection itself felt wrong.
There was an eerie sensation, as if Hidezawa could see straight through him.
What pitch Oda preferred. What ball he was waiting for. What swing he intended to take.
It felt like Hidezawa knew all of it. But that shouldn't have been possible.
Even back when the "monster" Chris had been Hidezawa's catcher, Hidezawa had never displayed such a suffocating rhythm on the mound.
When Ichidai evaluated Hidezawa in the past, they described him politely as having "nuclear-level power."
But that phrase had another meaning.
To put it bluntly, it meant explosive force with little technique.
Pure brute strength worked against poorly trained teams. Against powerhouses like Ichidai, it was practically suicidal.
But now, everything was different. Gradually, Oda found himself completely suppressed. After the count filled up, he still couldn't hit the ball into fair territory. All he could do was foul it off again and again.
But that was dangerous.
One mistake, and it would be an out.
By the ninth pitch, Oda barely managed to slice the ball foul past the first-base line.
He secretly breathed a sigh of relief. At least he had survived one more pitch. None of the batters on powerhouse teams were simple.
Like Oda, once they realized they couldn't overpower the pitcher in a short time, they adjusted immediately.
Instead of forcing a hit, they focused on fouling pitches off.
On one hand, this gathered information. On the other, it drained the pitcher's stamina.
Ichidai Third High School knew Hidezawa well.
They knew that such violent pitching couldn't last forever.
Hidezawa wasn't particularly sturdy, yet his pitching relied heavily on power. Maintaining this intensity indefinitely was impossible.
As long as they dragged things out patiently, his stamina would eventually become a problem.
Oda's plan wasn't wrong.
He simply overestimated himself.
On the ninth pitch, just as he relaxed slightly after fouling the ball, a nimble figure suddenly burst forward.
Just as the ball was about to land, it dropped cleanly into a waiting glove.
"Pop!"
"Out!!"
"Second baseman Tanaka Kakuei! As expected of Seido's captain, stepping up at a critical moment to turn the tide!"
The stands erupted in discussion.
People marveled at the play.
From his position, Tanaka had to cover more than ten meters to reach the ball. Yet he arrived in an instant and made the catch look effortless.
In Seido's dugout, smiles spread across every face.
"That was beautiful, Captain!"
"You're amazing, senpai!"
"One out! One out!"
Under Tanaka's leadership, the team's morale surged.
And after dealing with Oda, Hidezawa's task became noticeably easier.
The next batters from Ichidai Third High School were strong, but they weren't as complete as Oda, nor were they at his level.
Ichidai's second and third batters were both heavily built, muscular hitters.
Their swings were fierce, giving the impression that a single solid contact could send the ball out of the stadium.
But impressions didn't win games.
In direct power contests with Hidezawa, they gained no advantage.
The second batter barely managed to lift the ball into the outfield.
The moment the ball left the bat, everyone knew the outcome.
It soared high—too high.
Its descent angle was almost vertical.
Isashiki Jun calmly positioned himself and caught the ball with ease.
"Pop!"
"Out!"
One foul fly out. One high fly out.
It looked like defensive success, but defense wasn't the real reason.
The true contributor to these outs was the pitcher. Hidezawa had genuinely grown over the past few months. His biggest improvement wasn't velocity or raw power. It was control.
Before, he had both the gun and the bullets, but no one feared him.
The reason was simple.
He couldn't hit the target.
His poor control led to two serious problems. Opponents could wait him out and draw walks. And when he did throw strikes, they often landed squarely in the hitting zone.
This created an awkward reality.
Hidezawa possessed terrifying power, among the best in all of Tokyo, yet his performances swung wildly.
On good days, he rivaled the city's best pitchers.
On bad days, even mediocre batters could punish him.
But that era was over.
Now, with stable control, Hidezawa's overall strength had risen by at least an entire level.
"Strike!"
"Strike!!"
"Strike!!!"
"Strikeout!!"
Ichidai Third High School's third batter went down swinging.
At the very start of the game, the usually slow-starting Hidezawa retired Ichidai three up, three down.
It was a brutal slap in the face.
All of Ichidai Third High School's pregame plans were rendered useless.
Seido High School Baseball Team hadn't only strengthened its offense.
Their defense had undergone a complete transformation as well.
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