Three consecutive Gyro Balls.
Three consecutive strikeouts.
After effortlessly retiring Kobayashi Keisuke, Naoki Enomoto stood on the mound with an expression of complete ease, as if what he had just accomplished was nothing more than a simple warm-up exercise.
The next batter was Yakushi High School's ninth hitter, Fukuda Daiki.
Although Fukuda's overall ability was slightly stronger than Kobayashi's, the difference between them was not particularly large. Against a pitcher of Enomoto's level, he was still far from being a threatening opponent.
Behind home plate, Sato Toshiya had already memorized the strengths and weaknesses of every batter in Yakushi's lineup.
Having prepared beforehand, he crouched down calmly and carefully considered the next pitching strategy.
After a brief moment, he gave his signal.
Naoki Enomoto nodded.
Taking a deep breath, he raised his leg and began his delivery.
Whoosh!
The baseball shot out like a streak of lightning.
The target was the inside corner, low and right around Fukuda Daiki's knees.
Fukuda had already carefully observed Enomoto's previous three Gyro Balls from the on-deck circle, so the moment he saw the pitch coming, he immediately swung with all his strength.
However...
The bat and baseball passed by each other.
Not even the slightest contact.
Pop!
"Strike!"
Enomoto's first pitch achieved its purpose.
Without hesitation, he immediately prepared the second pitch.
Whoosh!
This time, Fukuda adjusted his timing and stance.
But the result was exactly the same.
The baseball seemed to possess intelligence, perfectly avoiding the path of his bat before entering Sato's glove.
Pop!
"Strike Two!"
With two strikes already against him, Fukuda's pressure instantly increased.
When Enomoto threw the third Gyro Ball, Fukuda gritted his teeth and swung with everything he had.
But even with his desperate effort...
He still couldn't touch it.
The baseball once again slipped past his bat and landed firmly in Sato Toshiya's glove.
Pop!
"Strikeout!"
Two consecutive strikeouts.
With his overwhelming performance, Naoki Enomoto instantly reignited the morale of the Kaidou High School players, whose confidence had been shaken earlier by Kitamura Kou's pitching.
The dugout immediately erupted.
"Great pitching, Enomoto-senpai!"
"Two strikeouts in a row! Keep going!"
"Since you've already gotten two, why not complete the inning with three straight strikeouts!"
"Did you see that, Yakushi? This is the true strength of Kaidou High School!"
"We only allowed you to advance because we acknowledged your effort in reaching Koshien! But you actually dared to dream of defeating us? You don't even understand the difference in strength between us!"
"Enomoto! Teach that arrogant brat a lesson! Show him who the true number one pitcher in Japanese high school baseball is!"
The Kaidou players' voices were full of confidence.
The Yakushi players naturally felt annoyed hearing those words.
However, none of them responded.
Because the next batter stepping up was...
"First batter, Pitcher, Kitamura Kou!"
The announcer's voice spread throughout the stadium.
At that moment, Kitamura Kou, who had been quietly waiting in the on-deck circle, slowly stood up.
The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, revealing a faint smile.
His movements were calm and elegant, almost like a nobleman casually strolling through his own garden.
Step by step, he walked toward the batter's box.
There was no nervousness.
No hesitation.
No pressure.
It was as if the person waiting on the mound wasn't Naoki Enomoto—the Ace Pitcher of Kaidou High School, a pitcher widely considered one of the strongest in Japanese high school baseball.
Instead...
He looked like he was simply facing an ordinary opponent.
And that attitude immediately infuriated Enomoto.
The satisfaction he had gained from two consecutive strikeouts disappeared instantly.
His anger reignited.
He clenched his teeth, his cheeks puffing slightly as he glared at Kitamura.
"That damn brat..."
"He actually looks down on This Great Master so much?"
"I really want to ignore everything and just throw the ball straight into that annoying face of his!"
"Then I'll watch him run away from the batter's box in despair!"
"Hehehe..."
As Enomoto imagined the scene, his furious expression suddenly changed.
The anger disappeared.
A strange, excited smile appeared on his face.
Then...
"Hehehehehe..."
He actually started laughing to himself.
Seeing Enomoto's ridiculous expression from the batter's box, Kitamura Kou couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.
'Is this guy really Kaidou's Ace?'
After enduring it for a while, Kitamura finally couldn't hold back.
He turned his head slightly toward Sato Toshiya behind home plate.
"Hey..."
"Your Ace..."
"Is he okay?"
As he spoke, Kitamura pointed at his own head.
Sato Toshiya froze.
His mouth opened slightly, clearly wanting to explain.
But after thinking about it carefully...
He realized he didn't actually know how to explain.
After a long silence, he could only answer awkwardly.
"Uh..."
"Well..."
"Maybe?"
Sato's face turned slightly red from embarrassment.
A moment later, he shook off those thoughts and forcefully slapped his glove twice.
Thwack!
Thwack!
The loud sound instantly pulled Enomoto back to reality.
Enomoto blinked and looked toward Sato.
Their eyes met.
"Enomoto-senpai."
Sato's expression was extremely serious.
"Whether we can completely control the rhythm of this game from this point onward depends entirely on whether your pitching can suppress the batter standing in front of you."
"So please..."
"Do not underestimate him."
"Use your strongest pitch."
"Throw everything you have."
Sato's voice was firm.
He wasn't just giving a sign.
He was conveying his complete trust in his senior.
Enomoto clicked his tongue.
"Tch..."
"What an annoying junior."
Although he complained, he eventually accepted Sato's words.
After all, he understood.
The batter standing before him was not someone who could be defeated through arrogance.
With a reluctant nod, Enomoto adjusted his grip on the baseball.
This time...
He would truly go all out against Kitamura Kou.