Chapter 289: Successive Surprises

"Huangqian! This kid is not bad, he's a fastball pitcher just like you," Dong Qingguo shouted, turning his head.

Huangqian Yangyi chuckled, "How is he like me? He's still far off. Senior Dong, don't praise him, he'll get arrogant."

Although he said that, Dong Qingguo clearly felt the pride in Huangqian Yangyi's tone.

Hmph!

Not wanting to say more to Huangqian Yangyi, Dong Qingguo got into his batting stance.

Chris glanced at Dong Qingguo, then gave the sign: a low, outside Forkball.

Whoosh!

Furuya was a man of few words and quick action; as soon as the sign came out, he immediately began his pitch.

Already knowing Furuya's pitch speed was fast, Dong Qingguo began to take it seriously, swinging his bat the moment the baseball flew out of Furuya's hand.

Bang!

Hitting the ball accurately, Dong Qingguo laughed out loud.

"Hey, hey, are you that happy, Senior Dong? You're a Professional Baseball Player, after all~"

Huangqian Yangyi's teasing voice drifted over.

Dong Qingguo's laughter stopped instantly. Well, he was a senior, a Professional Baseball Player; how could he be so smug about hitting a ball from a First Year junior? It was too beneath him.

"Ahem, not bad. The pitch speed is fast and the ball has power, and you can accurately throw to the spot Chris wants. Kid, you're pretty good, your future is promising." Dong Qingguo patted his stomach, putting on the air of a good senior.

Hearing this, the onlookers burst into laughter.

Isashiki Jun even said, "Senior Dong, you've never said that to me."

Tanba: "Me too!"

Kawakami: "Same here."

The former victims made their accusations one after another, and Dong Qingguo became a bit embarrassed, arguing with a red face: "I did that for your own good. Don't you know that honest advice is hard to hear?"

"Tch, do you guys believe him? I don't, anyway," Huangqian Yangyi debunked him.

Dong Qingguo glared at him, then turned to look at Furuya: "One more pitch."

Furuya nodded; he had already seen the sign Chris gave: a Fastball at the bottom of the Strike zone, full power!

In the past, if he threw at full power to this location, it would basically fly to a different spot, and most of the time it would drift high.

If he threw like this in a game, it would even lead to four balls and send the Batter to base.

He didn't understand Chris's purpose in having him throw at full power, but Furuya knew that since Senior Chris did this, it meant his pitching like this could cause trouble for the senior at this position.

At the Catcher position, seeing Furuya's expression, a smile also appeared on Chris's face.

His expression was serious, but his face wasn't stiff; he looked to be in good condition, and perhaps he could throw a great Fastball.

The Bullpen was very quiet; Sawamura, who was developing a new cutter, also stopped and watched the movement here along with Miyuki.

Just then, Furuya moved, swinging his arm with full force. The feeling in his fingertips was good, and he could clearly feel the friction of the baseball flying off his fingertips.

Whoosh!!

This pitch was faster than every ball Furuya had thrown before.

Dong Qingguo's eyes narrowed. This pitch speed was nothing difficult for him, and the trajectory was also very straightforward.

Boom! Swinging the bat with force, Dong Qingguo was already certain in his heart that he would hit this ball as well.

Suddenly, in Dong Qingguo's field of vision, the baseball accelerated!

The ball disappeared!

Thwack!

The baseball entered Chris's glove.

"This..."

"Swung and missed."

"How could that be?"

The onlookers were all surprised. Furuya's pitch speed was very fast, but Dong Qingguo had been teammates with Huangqian Yangyi for a year and had hit balls faster and harder to hit than this.

This pitch should have been within his ability.

In everyone's mind, at most Dong Qingguo would have just failed to hit it well, but he definitely wouldn't have swung and missed.

"No, there's something wrong with this ball," Dong Qingguo said. It couldn't be seen from other angles, but looking at it head-on, there was definitely something wrong with this pitch.

Dong Qingguo looked down at Chris. Chris stood up at this moment, looked at Miyuki, and then looked at Huangqian Yangyi.

"Yangyi, did you see it?" Chris asked.

"A Fastball that accelerates, right?"

Huangqian Yangyi said. He could also throw such a Fastball; he had already realized it the moment the baseball entered home plate.

Today's surprises were truly one after another: first Dong Qingguo returned to school, then Sawamura developed a new cutter, and now Furuya had unexpectedly thrown an accelerating Fastball.

Hearing Huangqian Yangyi's reply, the others looked at Furuya in surprise.

"Not bad, how did you do that?"

"One after another, you're all improving so fast."

"We have to thank Senior Dong. As soon as he arrived, our little pitchers started evolving one after another."

"Perhaps Senior Dong is a lucky charm."

Dong Qingguo had already taken off his helmet at this time, looking at Furuya and Sawamura with great satisfaction.

"Not bad, not bad. I've gained a lot today."

"Good work," Director Kataoka suddenly said.

Dong Qingguo was startled, then hurriedly waved his hands.

"Coach, you're making me feel embarrassed," Dong Qingguo said.

Coach Kataoka's mouth curled up: "You are a Professional Baseball Player now; it's one thing that there's no pay for being a practice partner here, but I still have to say thank you."

The more Dong Qingguo heard, the more flustered he became; he dragged Nan Tian Dazhi out of the Bullpen as if fleeing for his life, hiding where he was out of the Coach's sight.

After Dong Qingguo left, the others gradually dispersed; in the Bullpen, Miyuki accompanied Sawamura to develop a new cutter, while Chris helped Furuya master his Fastball that accelerated and caused Batters to misjudge it.

The Seido Pitcher group was thriving, and Coach Kataoka and Coach Ochiai also remained in the Bullpen to guide the training.

If Sawamura and Furuya could master their new weapons, then this summer, at Koshien, their pressure on the defensive end would be much less, and Huangqian Yangyi could also be more relaxed.

Time arrived at evening; after Dong Qingguo had wandered around the field like a loafer for the whole afternoon, he and Nan Tian Dazhi left the school.

That night, in the conference room.

After conducting an analysis and study of Inashiro Industrial, Coach Kataoka announced the starting lineup for the Summer Tournament final.

First Batter: Shortstop, Kuramochi Yoichi.

Second Batter: Second Baseman, Kominato Ryosuke.

Third Batter: Center Fielder, Isashiki Jun.

Fourth Batter: First Baseman, Yuki Tetsuya.

Fifth Batter: Pitcher, Huangqian Yangyi.

Sixth Batter: Catcher, Miyuki Kazuya.

Seventh Batter: Third Baseman, Masuko Toru.

Eighth Batter: Right Fielder, Shirasu Kenjiro.

Ninth Batter: Left Fielder, Sakai Ichiro.

Perhaps considering that Miyuki was more familiar with Inashiro Industrial and Narumiya Mei, Miyuki became the starting Catcher for the final.

Early the next morning, everyone from the Seido Baseball Club gathered at the field.

The First String, Second String, and the remaining Second Year and First Year members all boarded the bus, not one missing.

In addition, the Wind Instrument Department, the Cheerleading Squad, and the entire school's faculty and students had already taken buses to the venue a step ahead.

July 31st, the Summer Tournament, the day of the final, had arrived.