Chapter 12: The Twin Stars of Seido

It took a long time for Nanjo Taishi to build up enough mental preparation, but even now, with Huangqian Yangyi standing before him, he still lamented the unfairness of the heavens.

Bang!

A loud noise rang out.

Huangqian Yangyi's pitch had already been thrown.

"Ball."

Chris caught the ball with his hand held above his head.

"154 kilometers!" Dong Qingguo read the number on the radar gun; this guy was a monster, right?

Nanjo Taishi sighed helplessly to the side, while a flash of light crossed Chris's eyes—was this the maximum speed Huangqian Yangyi could reach right now?

Even without control, as long as the timing was right, throwing at this speed should yield some unexpected results.

"Again."

He then threw two more pitches at full strength; the speeds were 154 and 155, both drifting upward and away from the strike zone.

"Next, throw normally."

Chris said, placing his mitt at the high inside corner.

Huangqian Yangyi nodded, then turned his head and asked, "Senior, are you going to hit?"

"Hit!"

Dong Qingguo walked over carrying his bat, stood in the Batter's Box, and stared with wide eyes, focusing intensely on Huangqian Yangyi's mitt.

Seeing Dong Qingguo so serious, Chris smiled and asked, "Do you want to watch two pitches first?"

"No need!" Dong Qingguo replied.

Huangqian Yangyi was indeed impressive, but he wasn't a pushover; he had faced such high-speed pitches before and had even hit a Home Run off them.

Signaling with two fingers, Chris moved his mitt to the low outside corner.

After a quick glance, Huangqian Yangyi lifted his left leg, his motion fluid and coherent, and the little white ball flew out instantly; Dong Qingguo didn't hesitate and swung his bat directly.

The swing was powerful and heavy; Dong Qingguo's momentum looked as if he were going to shatter the ball.

With a *pa* sound, the little white ball flew past the bottom of the bat and drilled into Chris's mitt.

To Dong Qingguo, this pitch felt as if it had vanished.

"Hell, that break is huge!" Dong Qingguo swung his bat twice and shouted, "Again!"

Hearing this, Chris smiled; looking at the trajectory alone, that pitch had seemed headed for a ball, but in the end, it had clearly dropped and curved into the low outside strike zone.

Compared to a few months ago, not only had the speed increased, but the horizontal movement and the depth of the drop had also improved.

Second pitch, four-seam inside.

Just as Huangqian Yangyi threw it, Dong Qingguo roared and swung his heavy bat; with a crisp *bang*, the ball flew high and landed behind him.

"Foul Ball," Nanjo Taishi said subconsciously.

Dong Qingguo gave him a speechless look.

"Impressive, hitting my four-seam on the first try; you truly are a famous monster Batter, the team's Fourth Batter and Captain."

Huangqian Yangyi offered his praise at the right moment.

Dong Qingguo clicked his tongue; he had specifically chosen to hit the inside pitch, yet with his hitting ability, he hadn't connected well. This guy's pitches were fast and heavy, with terrifying power; without enough strength, it was hard to hit an Extra-base Hit.

For the third pitch, Huangqian Yangyi smiled slightly after seeing Chris's sign, then threw the ball.

Dong Qingguo let out a violent shout, and the heavy bat in his hands whistled through the air.

*Pa! * The ball went straight for Dong Qingguo's chest and was caught steadily by Chris.

Another inside pitch!

Dong Qingguo's expression turned ugly; he had caught the previous inside pitch, and this battery actually dared to throw inside again, even though he had specifically chosen to hit an outside pitch this time.

He shouldn't have been picking his pitches, Dong Qingguo thought with secret annoyance.

"Senior Dong, you're overthinking it; that's not like you," Chris said as he stood up.

Dong Qingguo's own hitting style wasn't the type to pick pitches, and he didn't know what had gotten into him today that he had started using his brain.

Hearing this, Dong Qingguo felt a bit embarrassed; regardless, he had just been struck out.

"Good pitch," Dong Qingguo said.

"Thank you, Senior."

After Dong Qingguo left with Nanjo Taishi, Huangqian Yangyi and Chris threw another 20 pitches, including his Changeup—this was the real reason he had come to find Chris.

Whatever Miyuki had, Chris had to have as well.

"For your pitching, it's hard to make significant progress at this stage; once your body fully matures, both your speed and power will naturally increase."

After they finished, Chris said this.

"What about learning new pitch types?" Huangqian Yangyi asked.

"You can learn them, but there's no need."

The two chatted while playing catch.

"Your current weapons are enough; as long as you can fully exert your strength in a game, you have the ability to fight against anyone. So, you have two urgent priorities right now."

"First, increase your stamina; the intensity of high school baseball and the brutal schedule test a player's stamina and willpower, which can only be forged through rigorous training."

"Second, game experience; there's no way to solve that for now."

Hearing this, Huangqian Yangyi nodded, "I understand, thank you, Senior."

"Mm, go back, get some rest early; taking care of your body is also very important."

Huh?

Hearing these words, Huangqian Yangyi suddenly remembered that it was in this year that Chris got injured!

Calculating by the timeline, it should be during the Spring Metropolitan Tournament.

Because Chris's year was known as Seido's lean year, Chris, as the only genius, took on the heavy responsibility without hesitation, eventually leading to an injury from overexertion, which was how Miyuki Kazuya came to take his place.

"Chris-senpai, I'm planning to go to the hospital for a physical check-up in the next two days. Could I trouble you to come with me? I don't really understand things like sports health."

Huangqian Yangyi held this excuse in until they reached the dormitory door.

"A check-up? Is something bothering you?" His gentle tone carried a hint of worry.

"No, I just want to go take a look and understand my own body better so it's easier to make a better training plan," Huangqian Yangyi said.

His slightly furrowed brow relaxed, and Chris said with a smile, "No problem, I happen to know a doctor who specializes in sports rehabilitation."

"Then I'll leave it to you, senpai."

The two returned to the dormitory, but Dong-senpai hadn't returned yet; he was likely off practicing quietly somewhere else with Nanjo-senpai.

Strangely, starting the next day, Huangqian Yangyi noticed that Dong Qingguo's attitude toward him had improved significantly, and Nanjo-senpai would also greet him with a smile when they met; it was unclear what the two had discussed, but they seemed to have had a change of heart and let go of their burdens.

Over the next few days, the entire Seido Baseball Club operated at almost the same rhythm, with the second and third-year seniors conducting various batting and fielding practices.

The training menu for the freshmen was simple and brutal: it was just basic physical training, plus some exercises for physical coordination and balance; for freshmen who had just entered the world of high school baseball, only by conditioning their bodies well could they keep up with the intensity of the seniors, whether in training or in games.

It is worth mentioning that after training ended on the second day, Kataoka Tesshin promoted Huangqian Yangyi and Miyuki Kazuya directly to the Second String.

Regarding this, neither the old students nor the freshmen could say a word of complaint; in just two short days, the gap between the two of them and the other freshmen had already widened.

Seido Twins, genius Pitcher and genius Catcher.

This was the summary the freshmen had for the two of them in private.