"Nice pitch. Your velocity and pitch selection were flawless," Akaishi Osamu praised as he tossed the baseball back to Kitamura Kou.
Kitamura caught it smoothly, a confident smile never leaving his face.
"Thanks for the compliment. That was just standard stuff."
He glanced at Todoroki Raichi and noticed a slight improvement in his condition.
Looks like that simple method worked.
"Akaishi, stay sharp. Here comes the next one."
Hearing the warning, Akaishi immediately focused. His eyes locked onto Kitamura, every muscle tensed in preparation.
Whoosh!
The baseball screamed through the air toward Akaishi's glove.
Raichi swung with all his strength.
Thwack!
Another miss.
Kitamura threw ten pitches in total, and Raichi failed to connect with a single one. He couldn't even graze the ball.
Yet something was changing.
Each swing grew faster.
More powerful.
More spirited.
"Hahahaha! Amazing! So strong! I have to hit it! I definitely have to hit it! Hahahaha!"
Raichi suddenly burst into his signature laughter.
At that moment, a fierce light flashed in his eyes.
An invisible switch seemed to flip inside him.
The previously suppressed aura exploded outward, pressing directly toward Kitamura.
Raichi tightened his grip on the bat engraved with the words "Money Tree."
The muscles in his arms bulged violently, veins standing out beneath his skin.
He resembled a ferocious beast waiting in the wilderness, patiently lurking while adjusting itself to peak condition.
All he needed was for his prey to step within range.
Then he would strike.
"Oh?"
Kitamura's smile widened.
"Looks like you've finally recovered."
He rolled the baseball in his hand.
"I've warmed up enough too. Time to try that pitch."
He lowered his gaze briefly to confirm his grip before looking up again.
A sharp glint flashed across his eyes.
Taking a deep breath, he raised both hands overhead.
His left leg lifted high.
His body twisted.
Then—
Boom!
His left foot slammed into the ground.
At the same time, his right arm whipped forward like a crack of lightning.
Whoosh!
The baseball shot from his fingertips.
It tore through the air with overwhelming momentum, like a bolt of lightning splitting the sky apart.
The rapid spin distorted the surrounding air as it screamed toward home plate.
Raichi and Akaishi's eyes widened.
Their pupils trembled.
For a brief instant, both were completely frozen.
The ball flashed past.
Neither of them reacted.
It grazed past Akaishi's head and continued straight toward the wall behind him.
Bang!
The impact echoed across the field.
Silence.
Raichi and Akaishi slowly turned their heads toward the wall.
A small dent had appeared where the ball struck.
Then they looked back at Kitamura.
Shock filled their faces.
"What... was that pitch?"
Akaishi stared blankly, unsure whether he was asking a question or simply talking to himself.
Kitamura glanced at the wall and shrugged.
"Failed, huh?"
He sounded surprisingly calm.
"Well, getting this far on the first try is already pretty good."
He stretched lazily.
"Let's call it a day. It'll be troublesome if Coach finds out."
The moment he thought of Todoroki Raizo's terrifying expression when angry, a shiver ran down his spine.
He quickly scanned the area.
After confirming that the terrifying coach wasn't nearby, he let out a sigh of relief.
Without even bothering to pack up properly, he immediately fled the scene.
By the time Raichi snapped out of his daze, Kitamura was already gone.
"Hahahaha! That was incredible!"
Raichi's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"That last pitch was way too interesting! Kitamura, I want to hit more!"
Without waiting for a response, he grabbed his bat and sprinted toward the hotel.
His destination was obvious.
He was going to find Kitamura.
Akaishi was left standing alone on the field.
A gentle breeze drifted past.
A few leaves fluttered through the air.
The lonely figure standing by himself somehow looked even more desolate than before.
Had he been abandoned again?
Meanwhile, inside the luxurious conference room of Kaidou High School's hotel.
All team members had gathered for a meeting to analyze their next opponent—
Yakushi High School.
"Yakushi High School is this year's biggest dark horse."
The Kaidou coach stood at the front of the room with a serious expression.
"The fact that they've made it this far is no coincidence."
He looked around the room.
"They've defeated teams such as Ichidaisan, Seido, Inashiro, Seihou, and Hakuryuu. None of those opponents were weak."
"Even for Kaidou, surviving a schedule like that would be difficult."
"So don't underestimate them."
His voice grew heavier.
"And remember."
"It has only been two months since our First String suffered defeat at the hands of Shigeno Goro."
The room immediately became quieter.
"I hope all of you have learned from that lesson."
"When facing Yakushi High School, I want everyone giving their absolute best."
"Yes!"
The response was loud and unified.
Whether they truly took those words to heart, however, was another matter entirely.
The coach nodded and gestured toward the team member responsible for scouting reports.
The student stood and began presenting the gathered information.
"Yakushi High School is an extremely aggressive team."
"The two most dangerous batters in their lineup are first-years Kitamura Kou and Todoroki Raichi."
"Despite being freshmen, both possess batting ability strong enough to compete for spots in Kaidou's core lineup."
"As for Kitamura Kou, he even has the potential to bat cleanup."
Several players in the room narrowed their eyes.
A freshman worthy of cleanup consideration?
That was no small evaluation.
The scout continued.
"Mishima Yuta, Akiba Kazuma, and Akaishi Osamu are also players who cannot be overlooked. Their abilities are sufficient to earn places on our First String roster."
"The reason Yakushi has risen so quickly this year is largely due to the addition of these talented freshmen, combined with the performance of second-year ace Sanada Shunpei."
"Compared to the freshmen, however, Sanada's batting is noticeably weaker. His greatest value lies on the mound."
"As for pitching..."
A meaningful smile appeared on the scout's face.
"This is where Kaidou holds a clear advantage."
He pressed a button.
A photo appeared on the screen.
However, his expression soon became serious again.
"That said, if we want to completely crush Yakushi High School..."
"There is one player we absolutely cannot ignore."
"Their two-way star."
"The monster with the powerful arm."
"Kitamura Kou."