Chapter 241: The Man Who Leads the Storm!
So fast!!
Standing in the batter's box, Narumiya Mei felt a blinding white light rapidly expanding before his eyes.
By the time he regained his composure, the baseball had already whizzed past him.
It landed snugly in Miyuki's glove.
"Snap!"
"Strike!!"
At that moment, the entire Jingu Stadium fell silent.
Then came the announcer's voice.
"Strike!!!"
It was like a switch had been flipped. As the announcer spoke, the entire stadium seemed to come back to life.
"Wow!!!"
"Was that pitch just insanely fast?"
"Is there a radar gun?"
"Are you an idiot? This is Jingu Stadium. The speed's right there on the electronic scoreboard!"
Over half the crowd turned their eyes to the massive electronic scoreboard.
They were desperate to know—how fast was that pitch?
"Oh my god, are my eyes playing tricks on me?"
The fans who saw the number first immediately doubted their vision.
Otherwise, how could they have seen such a number?
"Don't be so dramatic. The guy pitching is Furuya. Any speed from him shouldn't be surprising…"
Some seasoned fans scoffed at the newcomers' overreactions.
They might know high school baseball, but they clearly didn't know *that* guy.
For Furuya, throwing at any speed seemed entirely natural.
Then, one of those seasoned fans, with his head held high, glanced at the number on the scoreboard.
In the next instant, his pupils dilated, his jaw dropped…
He didn't even notice the drool slipping from his mouth.
"How is this possible?"
The number displayed clearly was 159 km/h.
Previously, Furuya had thrown a pitch at 158 km/h.
From that perspective, even if he pushed his speed to 159 km/h, it shouldn't be that shocking.
But was that really the case?
Of course not!
Others might not know, but Seido High School's die-hard fans knew the truth all too well.
That previous 158 km/h pitch was the fastest Furuya had ever thrown in an official game.
In the words of the fans, that was already Furuya performing beyond his usual level.
Now, this pitch was even faster than his previous record?
This meant that, in the same game, Furuya had broken his own speed record twice!
And the second time he broke it, the game was already in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Although Furuya had rested for two innings during that time, he hadn't been on the mound the entire game.
Even so, by now, this flame-throwing pitcher had already thrown dozens of pitches.
Given his violent pitching style, his stamina was draining far faster than other pitchers.
Simply put, Furuya was definitely not at his peak condition right now.
Yet, even in this state, he had pushed his speed to 159 km/h?
What if he were pitching at full strength?
What if he were at his absolute peak?
Did that mean the young man standing before them could throw a pitch over 160 km/h?
"Among today's high school pitchers, is there anyone who can do that?"
The fans in the stands couldn't help but ask this question.
"Are you kidding? Furuya is already the fastest high school pitcher right now. If he can push his speed even higher, even by just one kilometer, he'd rank among the top five high school pitchers of all time."
"And he's only a first-year!"
As the fans in the stands debated this topic, they couldn't help but feel a shiver run down their spines.
Even though the miracle-working young man was right in front of them, it still felt like a dream.
The excited fans filled Seido High School's players and supporters with a sense of euphoria.
This was exactly the boost they needed!
Although Inashiro Industrial High School had tied the score, they were far from being in control of the game.
During the Kanto Tournament finals, they had managed to outplay their opponents.
Now, they were determined to do the same.
"The only team advancing to Koshien will be us!!"
On the other side, in Inashiro Industrial High School's dugout.
After tying the score, the Inashiro players had reignited their confidence in winning the game.
And this confidence was strong!
On one hand, it was because their team had indeed performed exceptionally well.
On the other hand, it stemmed from their trust in their players and their confidence in their own abilities.
But now, the players and supporters of Inashiro Industrial High School were suddenly struck by the realization that their assumptions might be wrong.
Facing a pitch clocking in at 159 km/h, they were utterly helpless.
That terrifying speed completely dominated them.
"We're no match for this!"
The Inashiro players couldn't help but voice this sentiment.
They could clearly feel that going up against Seido's ace, Furuya, they stood no chance.
That insane speed wasn't just something Narumiya couldn't hit—none of their players could.
This was an objective fact.
No matter how much the Inashiro players wanted to deny it, the reality couldn't be changed.
Coach Kunimoto, sharp as ever, noticed this immediately.
While others were still at a loss, the Inashiro coach took the initiative to speak up.
"There's no need to hang your heads!"
Coach Kunimoto noticed that his players had, without realizing it, lowered their heads.
Deep down, they no longer believed they could win.
"No one is without weaknesses, not even Furuya! Otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to score that first run off him. If we could score one run, we can definitely score a second. I believe in you!!"
Coach Kunimoto was usually very strict with his players.
Hearing him speak like this now surprised the Inashiro players, but it also deeply moved them.
Why should they hang their heads?
After all, the game wasn't over yet, and they had already managed to score off Furuya once before.
The Inashiro players, clearly inspired by their coach's pep talk, lifted their heads once more.
Seeing his players' reactions, Coach Kunimoto nodded subtly to himself.
But it wasn't enough.
The Inashiro coach had decided to light a fire under his players.
"Even if we don't score in the next nine innings, we just need to make sure we don't give up any runs…"
Coach Kunimoto's words opened a new door for the Inashiro players.
Suddenly, everything clicked for them.
How had they been so blind?
Yes, they didn't need to obsess over scoring.
As long as they could prevent Seido from scoring and drag the game into extra innings, they were confident that Furuya couldn't maintain such a blistering pace forever.
While a monster like Furuya had never appeared in high school baseball history, there had been pitchers with similar styles.
The truth was, these pitchers, while incredibly strong and difficult to hit, all shared one common weakness.
Their young, undeveloped bodies simply couldn't sustain such intensity for too long.
Each individual might have slight differences, but the general rule held true.
As a first-year, Furuya's performance on the mound was even more ferocious than his predecessors.
But by the same token, he could only last until the end of the ninth inning at most.
And that was only because he had been relieved for two innings earlier.
Once the game went into extra innings, this terrifying monster's stamina would inevitably falter.
"We can definitely win!!"
In that brief moment, the Inashiro players built up an unshakable confidence.
They were convinced that the young man dominating the mound would eventually crumble.
"I refuse to believe you can keep pitching like this forever!"
In the batter's box, Narumiya Mei's eyes were practically bulging out of his head.
Although his own pitches had already surpassed 150 km/h, compared to the first-year monster on the mound, his speed was still two tiers below.
This realization left the Tokyo Prince deeply frustrated.
He had been desperate to hit the ball, and now that determination burned even stronger.
His eyes were locked on the pitcher, waiting for the ball to come so he could smash it.
Just as Narumiya had this thought, Furuya on the mound wound up and delivered another pitch.
"Boom!!"
The motion was smooth and effortless, almost soothing to watch.
But when the ball actually left his hand, everyone was left speechless.
"So fast!!"
"So powerful!!!"
The white baseball shot forward like a laser beam.
It cut through the strike zone in an instant, landing snugly in the catcher's mitt.
Even though the batter in the box had been fully prepared, when the ball flew past him, he still couldn't react in time.
All he could do was watch helplessly as the white baseball whizzed by.
"Snap!"
"Strike!"
"Strike!!"
"Strikeout!!!"
It wasn't until the final pitch that Narumiya managed to react.
But by the time the ball flew past him, his bat was only halfway through its swing.
And just like that, he was struck out without a doubt.
In the Inashiro dugout.
Even though the players had been convinced by their coach's words and firmly believed they still had a chance to win, they didn't need to focus on scoring—they just had to make sure they didn't give up any runs.
But when the result unfolded before their eyes, the Inashiro players couldn't help but be stunned.
After all, Narumiya wasn't just their ace pitcher—he was also their cleanup hitter, the fifth batter in the lineup.
Even if you ignored his raw power, his overall batting performance was outstanding!
Yet even someone as talented as Narumiya couldn't even manage to swing against Furuya.
Let alone make contact with the ball?
"159 km/h, 157 km/h, 156.5 km/h!! Every pitch is over 155 km/h…"
Such a brutal reality forced the Inashiro players to confront an unsettling thought.
Why was Furuya, who they had assumed would run out of stamina, showing no signs of fatigue?
Not only that, but Furuya seemed to be getting even stronger.
Next up was the sixth batter, Yamaoka.
He was another exceptional hitter, a core player for Inashiro Industrial High School.
Known for his raw power, Yamaoka's appearance at the plate naturally reignited hope among Inashiro's supporters.
"Hit it out!"
"Even if you just make contact…"
The die-hard Inashiro fans in the stands had shifted their expectations.
They weren't even hoping for runs anymore.
They just wanted their players to perform well on the field.
If they could waste a little more of Furuya's stamina, they would be satisfied!
Just as these thoughts crossed their minds, Furuya delivered another pitch.
"Boom!!"
The terrifying sound of the ball cutting through the air reached everyone's ears.
Then, they saw the white baseball flash by.
Yamaoka was ready.
No matter what kind of pitch came, he was determined to swing.
So the moment he saw the ball, he swung.
But his bat was too slow. By the time it came around, the ball had already flown past him.
"157 km/h!!!"
"Snap!"
"Strike!!!"
In that moment, Furuya on the mound became the eye of the storm.
He was the man leading the tempest.
"Four consecutive pitches, all over 155 km/h!!"
While Furuya's pitching had always felt like something out of a video game, there had always been a few pitches that weren't as fast.
Everyone had grown accustomed to that.
But now, after hitting 159 km/h, something incredible had happened.
All of his pitches seemed to have been elevated.
To the point where he could now throw 155+ km/h fastballs at will?
In this state, the Inashiro players stood no chance of making contact.
"Snap!"
"Strike!!"
"Strike!!!"
"Strike!!!!"
"Strikeout!!!!!"
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