Chapter 268: Social Death

The little monkey Todoroki Raichi stepped into the Batter's Box, his grinning appearance making it seem to onlookers as if he had already forgotten about having been struck out previously.

"Ya-ha-ha, I won't be afraid of you!" Todoroki Raichi shouted to bolster his own courage; that kind of pitching speed exceeding 160 kilometers per hour was too terrifying.

"Raichi! Ganbatte!"

"Don't be afraid! Swing like you always do!"

"You have to hit it!"

"I'm counting on you, Raichi!"

The cheers from his teammates brought a trace of comfort to Todoroki Raichi's heart; after getting ready, he looked toward Huangqian Yangyi, who was also watching him seriously.

"Come on, throw it, throw it! I will definitely hit it." Todoroki Raichi kept cheering himself on in his heart.

On the Pitcher's Mound, Huangqian Yangyi frowned as he looked at Todoroki Raichi; the young man was muttering something, but no sound was coming out.

He isn't self-hypnotizing, is he? Just like Kawakami.

Well~ whatever; though this little monkey was struck out before, perhaps his fighting spirit is even higher now; it won't be easy to finish him off as simply as before.

At the Catcher's position, Chris clearly thought of this too; he set his glove, and the first pitch he called for was an outer-corner Fastball, though it was a different kind of Fastball.

Huangqian Yangyi nodded, a smile appearing on his face; little monkey, go ahead and try swinging at this pitch.

Whoosh!

With a heavy swing of his arm, the little white ball flew rapidly toward home plate, and Todoroki Raichi, whose focus was incredibly intense, swung his bat at the same time; his swing speed was among the best in the nation, yet just as Todoroki Raichi thought he would make contact, it was as if he were hallucinating—this ball had accelerated!

In Todoroki Raichi's field of vision, the little white ball suddenly increased in speed halfway through its flight; the baseball and the bat crossed paths, and with a *bang*, it entered the glove.

Feeling the baseball in his hand, the corners of Chris's mouth curled up slightly; this pitch is really good; the exact same trajectory, yet it has the ability to make the Batter misjudge the timing of the swing, and coupled with the super-fast speed, just using the Fastball is enough to finish off the vast majority of Batters.

Don't you see that even this freak from Yakushi, Todoroki Raichi, is stunned?

The little monkey rubbed his eyes fiercely, thinking he had hallucinated.

Until he confirmed his eyes were fine, Todoroki Raichi looked at Huangqian Yangyi with the same excitement as a lecher seeing a beauty or a starving ghost seeing a roasted chicken leg; drool was even flowing from the corner of his mouth.

"Sugoi!!"

"What an amazing Fastball, it's my first time seeing a ball that accelerates!"

The little monkey muttered to himself in excitement.

Eww~~!

Chris couldn't help but frown; this Todoroki Raichi, his drool was dripping in a line.

Ahem!

Chris gave a tactful reminder.

"Huh?"

Todoroki Raichi lowered his head and said "huh."

"Student! Wipe off your drool!" The umpire behind them couldn't watch anymore either and said with a dark face.

Coming to his senses, Todoroki Raichi raised his hand to wipe his face, and upon discovering he really had been drooling, he immediately felt so embarrassed he wanted to die; he was simple-minded and single-tracked, not truly stupid.

This is a game, after all; who knows how many people are watching on TV, and he actually drooled; it's over, social death.

At this moment, Todoroki Raichi wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

"Raichi! What are you being shy for! Do you think everyone doesn't know you're an idiot!"

A rough shout suddenly came from off the field, and when everyone looked, who could it be but Todoroki Raizo.

Hearing this, Todoroki Raichi was so angry he felt smoke coming out of his seven orifices; you damn old man, am I even your biological son?!

The embarrassment vanished in an instant, and Todoroki Raichi's heart was filled with rage toward his own damn old man; once he got off the field later, it would surely be another harmonious scene of "fatherly kindness and filial piety."

Hu~ hu~

Adjusting his state, Todoroki Raichi turned to look at Huangqian Yangyi; he still wanted to hit that last pitch! It's just that the opponent probably wouldn't throw the same pitch in succession.

Seeing Todoroki Raichi was ready, Chris immediately gave the sign: an inner-corner high Slider.

Whoosh!

Huangqian Yangyi had a fast rhythm and immediately threw the ball after seeing the sign.

A high Fastball!

Todoroki Raichi captured the information about the baseball at a glance and swung his bat fiercely, yet before the baseball reached home plate, it suddenly shifted and dropped toward the Batter, landing right at Todoroki Raichi's chest.

"Strike!"

Tricked by a pitch again, the excitement on Todoroki Raichi's face did not diminish, but the beads of sweat on his forehead were getting larger; ever since he entered high school and started participating in games, he had never felt so powerless.

"Again!" Todoroki Raichi changed from his usual grinning demeanor; his current performance made even Todoroki Raizo off the field feel a bit unfamiliar—his child couldn't have been hit too hard, could he?

Seeing this, Huangqian Yangyi quickly threw the third pitch, a Circle Changeup!

The little monkey's bat had just swung out, and he was completely dazed; the previous pitch was a Fastball that accelerated, and now this one had turned into a Changeup—how is he supposed to hit this? It's too foul, it's bullying!

Pop!

"Strike!"

"Strikeout!"

Struck out in three pitches again, Todoroki Raichi returned to a blank, dazed state; just as Huangqian Yangyi was considering whether to snap him out of it, the little monkey suddenly slapped himself, "Next time! Next time I will definitely hit your ball!"

After saying this, Todoroki Raichi walked quickly toward the Dugout.

"Heh, it seems Huangqian Yangyi really values Raichi; besides using various pitch speeds to deal with Raichi, he even threw an accelerating Fastball and a Circle Changeup." Sanada Shunpei said just as Todoroki Raichi walked into the Dugout.

Hearing this, everyone looked at Todoroki Raichi; indeed, up until now, in their batting lineup, no one had been able to make Huangqian Yangyi this serious like Todoroki Raichi.

Todoroki Raichi, who had been doubting himself, regained his confidence after hearing this.

Seeing this, Todoroki Raizo couldn't help but look at Sanada Shunpei; this guy is really reliable; just a single sentence restored Todoroki Raichi's nearly shattered confidence; how should he thank him? Treat him to a meal? No money!

Seido Dugout.

"Hey, hey, you really used that Fastball so early, huh," Kuramochi Yoichi asked.

"Yeah, might it be a bit too early?"

Seeing his companions all looking at him, Huangqian Yangyi smiled and said, "It's fine, just knowing about it doesn't mean they can hit it, rest assured, there's no problem."

"If that's the case, as long as you have confidence, we all believe in you," Yuki Tetsuya said.

"Doesn't Huangqian still have a weapon he hasn't used? How about it, want to give it a try?" Kominato Ryosuke asked.

"You mean the Palmball?" Huangqian Yangyi looked at Director Kataoka, then looked toward the opposing Yakushi team, and subsequently shook his head, "There's no need for that, better to save it for the finals; I'll give Narumiya Mei a surprise then."

"I think he probably won't want that surprise," Miyuki laughed.