Chapter 212: Duel Against Narumiya Mei

In the Batter's Box, Harada Masatoshi looked at Huangqian Yangyi's face with a sigh; Inashiro and Seido had clashed several times, and it could be said that they had all lost at the hands of this man.

And now, after a year of growth, the opponent had become even more formidable; if they, Inashiro, wanted to surpass Seido, they had to find a way to score off this man, otherwise everything was just wishful thinking.

This Sighing Wall standing before everyone in West Tokyo—Harada Masatoshi made up his mind that, no matter what, he would break a gap through it.

Carrying this conviction, Harada Masatoshi focused his spirit intensely, his gaze locked onto Huangqian Yangyi, not daring to blink even once.

Whoosh!

Huangqian Yangyi threw the ball, the little white ball coming with fierce momentum; the bat in Harada Masatoshi's hands was no pushover either, and after gauging the ball's path, he swung it with great force.

Thwack!

"Strike!"

The baseball entered Miyuki's glove; it was a Forkball, and Harada Masatoshi's bat failed to connect, the bat and the baseball passing each other by, one above and one below.

Phew~

Miyuki let out a breath; that swing had such fast speed and was full of power—it was truly frightening when the bat swept past in front of him.

"Nice ball!"

Miyuki stood up and returned the ball; after catching it, Huangqian Yangyi twisted his neck, then saw Miyuki, who had just crouched down, quickly signal the sign.

A fast tempo, Huangqian Yangyi smiled; against a Batter like Harada Masatoshi, accelerating the pitching tempo was also a good method, and Miyuki's pitch calling clearly took this into account.

Of course, this method did not apply to every Pitcher; some Pitchers needed to slow down their own tempo, adjusting their state for every single pitch.

Whoosh!

Without waiting for Harada Masatoshi to think too much, Huangqian Yangyi's second pitch had already flown over; under the pressure of the super-fast ball speed and terrifying ball movement, Harada Masatoshi remained calm and composed, swinging his bat toward the path he had chosen.

"Thwack!"

"Strike!"

Swinging and missing, Harada Masatoshi was not discouraged; this pitch had been a ball!

Looking down at Miyuki, Harada Masatoshi really didn't know what to say; this Seido battery was truly troublesome—the Pitcher was strong, and the Catcher was devious.

With the two of them as a pair, it was enough to make any Batter feel a headache, or even feel a bit disgusted.

"Heh~"

Miyuki looked up and flashed a smile at Harada Masatoshi; when a Batter had such a strong desire to hit, it would be too boring not to tease them with a ball.

Hmph!

Harada Masatoshi turned his head away in annoyance, not wanting to have too much eye contact with Miyuki.

This black-hearted guy was not only annoying on the field, but off the field as well; their Pitcher would mutter "Kazuya, Kazuya" every now and then—it was so annoying.

Miyuki, who was being hated, had no self-awareness at all; he stood up to return the ball and soon gave the sign for the third pitch.

Huangqian Yangyi nodded and changed his grip to that of a Circle Changeup; after two consecutive Fastballs, using a Changeup would definitely disrupt the Batter's hitting rhythm.

Moreover, this Changeup was flying toward the upper part of the strike zone; as soon as Harada Masatoshi saw this path, he immediately swung his bat to sweep toward the lower half of the strike zone.

According to their intelligence, Huangqian Yangyi's Forkball had such a large drop that, when thrown, it looked like a high-floating, easy-to-hit Fastball.

However, as he swung, Harada Masatoshi was struck out; this pitch was not the Forkball he had assumed, but a Changeup.

"Yes!"

"Well done!"

"Nice! Huangqian!"

Having struck out Inashiro's Fourth Batter and Captain, the Seido supporters in the stands immediately cheered and jumped for joy.

Huangqian Yangyi smiled as he watched Harada Masatoshi leave the field, then saw a little blond-haired guy carrying a bat walk into the Batter's Box in a huff.

Narumiya Mei, the ace of the Inashiro Industrial Baseball Team, was also a 5th Batter like Huangqian Yangyi; his hitting level was not to be underestimated, especially as a Pitcher, and coupled with some personal grudges, Narumiya Mei's understanding of Huangqian Yangyi was probably no less than that of Huangqian Yangyi's own teammates.

"Come on!" Narumiya Mei roared in the Batter's Box, a rare sight, causing even Miyuki to look at him with some surprise.

Quite a lot of spirit, Mei.

Miyuki shook his head; having beaten Narumiya Mei so many times, he now recalled the high-spirited appearance of the other party when he had once tried to recruit him.

At the beginning, Miyuki would find the sight of Narumiya Mei being defeated quite satisfying, but after it happened so many times, he actually felt a bit of pity; Mei was too pitiful—to have met him and Huangqian, it was truly a matter of fate.

But for now, sorry, Mei; although the Spring Metropolitan Tournament championship didn't hold much weight, our goal is to be undefeated!

Miyuki firmed his resolve, nodded at Huangqian Yangyi, and gave the sign.

As soon as Huangqian Yangyi and Miyuki locked eyes, he felt Miyuki's seriousness and persistence for victory; the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, Huangqian Yangyi turned the baseball in his hand, then took a deep breath, lifted his left leg, and the baseball left his fingertips, flying toward Narumiya Mei like a bullet.

Inside pitch!

Narumiya Mei's pupils constricted, and he immediately swung the bat in his hands.

Whoosh!

Thwack!

"Strike!"

The baseball flew straight in, an Inside Fastball aimed at the chest; Narumiya Mei's swing was half a beat slow and failed to connect.

Swinging and missing, Narumiya Mei was not as agitated as he had been when he first came up; instead, he was unnervingly calm, his eyes as still as a lake, staring fixedly at Huangqian Yangyi.

Returning the ball, Miyuki sensed Narumiya Mei's determination and, after careful consideration, chose to call for a low, outside Cutter Slider.

Huangqian Yangyi threw the ball, but Narumiya Mei didn't move at all; clearly, Narumiya Mei had no intention of hitting this pitch, only looking down at it after Miyuki caught it.

Just as expected, after an inside high Fastball, followed by an outside low Slider, then next, it was very likely to be a Forkball, or perhaps a Changeup.

What pitch should he choose to hit?

Narumiya Mei kept guessing Miyuki's pitch-calling logic; if it were him on the Pitcher's Mound, standing in Huangqian Yangyi's position, what would he be thinking, and what pitch would he want to throw?

Countless conjectures flashed through his mind, and Narumiya Mei was ready to hit at any moment, but the battery on the field wouldn't give him any extra time to think; less than three seconds after returning the ball, Miyuki had already made his choice and given the sign.

It was not a Changeup, nor was it a Forkball; while the Batter was highly focused and guarding against those two pitches, Miyuki chose to call for an ordinary Fastball, right in the center of the strike zone.