Chapter 263: Strikeout Todoroki Raichi

Before the game began, they had been thinking about defeating Seido, but now, just a single pitch had shattered their previous ambitions to pieces.

As the manager, Todoroki Raizo's mood at this moment was extremely complicated; if this guy stayed on the field, they likely wouldn't have any chance in this game.

However, considering Seido's previous decision not to let Huangqian Yangyi take the mound, it must have been to conserve their strength; since that was the case, the opponent's ace would definitely not pitch the entire game.

"Don't worry, it's just a small matter. Once he leaves the mound, that will be our time to strike."

With a plan in mind, Todoroki Raizo forced a smile and turned to say.

They hadn't expected Seido to send out Huangqian Yangyi at the very start.

After all, the opponent really had many pitchers; even the Third Year, Tanba, was someone capable of serving as an ace, and he wouldn't be easy to deal with, not to mention that Second Year, Kawakami, whose strength was equally solid.

Originally, they thought the starter today would be Tanba, and that even if Huangqian Yangyi were to pitch, it would be to close the game later on; who would have thought this guy would come up in the first inning, completely paralyzing their strategy of scoring early in the game.

Hearing Todoroki Raizo's words, everyone looked at each other and stopped talking.

On the field, after this pitch, Todoroki Raichi stood in the Batter's Box, stunned for quite a while; his heart was beating faster and faster, and the hands gripping the bat were trembling uncontrollably.

So amazing, so strong!

Although he was startled, Todoroki Raichi felt more excitement than anything else right now.

Too interesting, such a pitch, to be able to be this fast—he had never hit a ball like this before!

This kid!

Huangqian Yangyi felt Todoroki Raichi's gaze and couldn't help but feel a bit uncomfortable, as if the other party were treating him like prey.

He had thrown this pitch with all his might, even hitting his top speed, and he was lucky enough that it entered the strike zone.

Did that still not scare this kid?

"Nice ball!"

Rising to return the ball, Chris looked at Todoroki Raichi, his eyes filled with surprise and admiration; after seeing such a terrifying pitch, this First Year kid could actually still smile—this mentality was truly invincible.

Thinking of this, Chris looked at Sawamura in the Bullpen; hmm, very similar.

Looking toward Huangqian Yangyi, Chris nodded slightly and opened the battery channel.

Pitch normally from here on out, don't use too much force.

That last pitch hadn't just startled the others; Chris had been shocked too. Not only had it broken the top speed, but it had also luckily entered the strike zone; most importantly, it was a Red Center pitch.

If the trajectory had been slightly off, he doubted he would have been able to catch it without any mental preparation.

Huangqian Yangyi said "mm" in his heart, then saw Chris give the sign: a Two-seam Fastball, low and outside.

Whoosh!

Without much hesitation, Huangqian Yangyi threw his second pitch. The speed was clearly not as fast as the previous one, but it still reached 155 km/h; such speed was enough to make anyone marvel, no matter where it was.

Todoroki Raichi was mentally prepared this time; seeing the baseball fly in, he gritted his teeth and swung the bat, the bat cutting through the air with a "Boom" sound.

Whack!

"Strike!"

The bat swept past a ball's height above the baseball; Todoroki Raichi swung and missed.

This is a Forkball!

"Ya, haha, so amazing! His pitches really are amazing!"

While Todoroki Raichi felt shocked, he also felt the blood in his body burning; this hot-blooded idiot hadn't thought at all about what would happen if he couldn't hit it—he just wanted to swing, swing to his heart's content, and hit the ball out.

His heart was racing, but beads of sweat had already appeared on Todoroki Raichi's forehead; this was a physical instinct. Swallowing his saliva, Todoroki Raichi pulled back his bat and prepared to hit.

Seeing this, Huangqian Yangyi lifted his left leg again just as he had before.

Whoosh!

The baseball flew straight toward Todoroki Raichi. The latter's eyes widened as if he were resisting an invisible force, a muffled growl escaping his throat as he swung the bat, which whistled with the sound of wind.

The baseball got closer and closer; Todoroki Raichi clearly tracked the ball, yet his body and his movements felt like slow motion—his speed couldn't keep up at all, and he could only watch helplessly as the baseball streaked past his eyes.

Bang!

The sound of the baseball entering the glove exploded in his ears like a cannonball.

Todoroki Raichi, having swung and missed, held his swinging posture, unable to recover for a long time.

Was he... struck out?

Seemingly realizing this, Todoroki Raichi turned his head to look at Chris, then looked at Huangqian Yangyi. The serious expression on the other party's face made him shiver involuntarily, and a strong sense of frustration suddenly welled up in his heart.

How could it be like this?

Didn't his old man say he was very strong?

Didn't he say he could make big money and eat barbecue every day?

How was it that in front of Huangqian Yangyi, he couldn't even touch the ball?

Since entering high school, this was the first time Todoroki Raichi felt weak, even a little helpless.

On the Pitcher's Mound, seeing the expression on Todoroki Raichi's face, Huangqian Yangyi frowned. This little monkey was a bit noisy, just as annoying as his own Sawamura, but to be honest, he was truly a genius; it would be a pity if he were so discouraged that he couldn't recover.

Thinking of this, Huangqian Yangyi made a decision.

"Hey! Kid, your name is Todoroki Raichi, right?"

Huangqian Yangyi's voice rang out. Todoroki Raichi, who had just stepped off the Batter's Box, jerked his head around, his eyes full of confusion.

Why is he calling me?

"Your swing is quite good, very impressive. In your next at-bat, you'd better have more fighting spirit!"

Everyone who heard this was stunned. What's going on? You guys are opponents right now, why are you encouraging the other side? And it's the guy with the strongest hitting on the other team, too.

Todoroki Raichi opened his mouth in surprise. After three seconds of mental brainstorming, a smile reappeared on his face.

He said my swing is good, said I'm impressive.

"Hehe, you're a really good person, thank you."

Todoroki Raichi said with a smile, and after finishing, he even gave a serious bow.

Consequently, whether on the field or off, everyone was stunned.

He strikes you out, and you even thank him?

"Why does Senior Huangqian want to encourage Todoroki Raichi? Wouldn't it be better if the opponent were demoralized?" Sawamura tilted his head, unable to understand it at all; shouldn't one beat a drowning dog at a time like this?

Hearing this, Miyuki's lips curled up, and he chuckled, saying: "That is Yangyi. He has never changed from beginning to end. Whenever possible, he will always find a way to offer help or guidance to these talented players."

"This includes you and Furuya."

"You don't think that the aces of other teams would be so caring toward First Years, do you? He practically responds to every request, and even started guiding you before you had even joined Seido."