Ikuei High School had been crushed from the very start.
Four runs conceded in the first inning alone.
A nightmare opening.
Fortunately, they were not a weak team.
Their ability to reach the Koshien quarterfinals proved their strength.
After a brief moment of panic, the coach quickly called a timeout.
The team regrouped.
Reset.
Refocused.
When play resumed, the starting pitcher adjusted his rhythm.
His eyes locked onto the catcher's glove.
Then he unleashed his pitch with full force.
WHOOSH!
The ball shot forward like lightning.
One batter missed.
Then the second.
Then the third.
The momentum shifted.
Ikuei High School's defense stabilized.
Before long, the first inning ended without further damage.
The team regained both confidence and fighting spirit.
Just as Ikuei began to rally—ready to fight back and close the gap—
CLANG!
"Strike! Strikeout! Three outs! Change sides!"
Kaido High School's starting pitcher, the left-handed ace Sakuraba, ruthlessly extinguished their momentum.
Whatever hope Ikuei had rebuilt was immediately crushed again.
Cold.
Clean.
Absolute.
Scoreboard update
Kaido High School:
4–0–0–2–1–0
Ikuei High School:
0–0–0–0–0–0
Final score after six innings: 7–0
Kaido's offense had swept through like an autumn wind scattering dry leaves.
If not for their pitching rotation, the damage could have been even worse.
On the defensive side, Kaido's relay pitching system worked flawlessly.
Sakuraba started with three innings.
Then another third-year pitcher followed for three more innings.
A perfectly structured rotation.
Efficient.
Relentless.
And still not finished.
The center fielder made a clean catch.
SMACK!
"Out! Three outs! Change sides!"
Even while trailing heavily, Ikuei refused to give up.
They ran harder.
Fought harder.
Clung to every out.
But Kaido's pressure never loosened.
Then came the bottom of the seventh.
Kaido High School made another substitution.
The ace stepped onto the field.
Naoki Enomoto.
The stadium erupted instantly.
The roar of the crowd surged like a tidal wave.
Waves upon waves of sound filled the air.
"Wow… what a scene."
Nakanishi Daiki blinked in shock.
"Who is this guy? The crowd's going crazy…"
His gaze landed on the number on the pitcher's back.
Ace.
No doubt about it.
Akaishi Osamu adjusted his glasses and opened his notebook.
"Naoki Enomoto."
"Third-year at Kaido High School."
"Known nationwide for his wide variety of breaking balls and sharp fastballs."
He paused slightly.
"Before Kitamura Kou appeared…"
"He was widely regarded as the best right-handed pitcher in Japanese high school baseball."
"WHAT?!"
Nakanishi nearly jumped.
"Best right-handed pitcher in Japan?! That's insane!"
Akaishi continued calmly.
"If Narumiya Mei was considered the best left-hander…"
"Then Enomoto was his counterpart on the right."
Nakanishi turned sharply toward Kou, eyes sparkling.
"But that's old news, right?"
"Now that Kou is here… that title is definitely changing!"
Akaishi glanced at him.
Expression flat.
"There are many things I still don't know."
"For example…"
He looked Nakanishi up and down.
"Your weight. It changes every day."
"I have to update my data constantly."
"Ahahaha…"
Nakanishi laughed awkwardly, scratching his head.
While the chatter continued, Enomoto had already finished his first defensive inning.
Efficient.
Precise.
Unshakable.
"His control is ridiculous…"
Nakanishi murmured, slightly impressed.
"Every pitch hits the corners perfectly…"
"No," Kou said quietly.
"That's not a normal fastball."
"That's a bullet pitch."
Nakanishi tilted his head.
"A bullet pitch?"
"It just looks like a normal fastball to me."
Kou sighed and looked away, clearly exhausted.
"This guy is hopeless…"
Still, he explained.
"The difference is in the spin."
"A normal fastball has vertical rotation."
"A bullet pitch spins more horizontally—like a spinning bullet."
"And because of that spin, it doesn't lose velocity."
"It reaches the catcher almost at the same speed it was released."
He paused.
"It's extremely difficult to master."
"But once you do…"
"It becomes a weapon that changes everything."