Yamaguchi stopped moving forward with a dumbfounded look on his face.
Takei, who was a step slower, also nodded his head vigorously, "It's amazing! It doesn't give the batter a chance to get on base at all."
The conversation between the two broke the silence, and the students suddenly started discussing.
"Was that just a follow-up kill? It was definitely a follow-up kill, right!?"
"It's too strong!!"
"Ah! And it even broke the bat. How strong is it??"
"What a monster!"
"What was the speed of the ball just now?" Teacher Hirakawa turned around and asked.
The dark-skinned former catcher struggled to speak: "1...165km/h..."
Hearing this, Pingchuan's expression instantly became dazed.
"Question: How many pitchers in Japanese professional baseball have pitch speeds exceeding 160?"
"Answer: There are only ten people."
And what about 165? The answer is no.
This is a record that breaks the Japanese high school ball speed, and is also the top level pitcher in MLB.
"Koshien..." Mr. Hirakawa murmured in a voice that only he could hear, his eyes glowing.
The photography department off-site is still filming.
Facing everyone's gaze, Kato Yusuke on the pitcher's mound quietly walked up to Ishikawa.
"Exchange." The boy said, looking down at Ishikawa.
There was no joy or complacency in his voice, just calmness.
It seemed that he didn't care about the results just now.
Ishikawa's eyes moved, his dilated pupils suddenly became focused, and he looked at Kato Yusuke with a complicated expression.
After a long while, he got up from the ground and walked toward the pitcher's mound without saying a word.
As he passed by, he said: "Bat... you can find it yourself."
In response, the young man smiled, then raised his arms and waved towards the audience.
After a while, Yamaguchi Takashi ran over holding a black helmet and bat.
This is the signal agreed upon by the two of them.
After handing the equipment to Yusuke Kato, Yamaguchi seemed to have a lot to say. But after looking at the catcher and referee on the side, he didn't say anything in the end.
He just warned the young man: "Be careful, don't wear it out."
There seemed to be reluctance in his eyes.
Seeing this, Kato Yusuke couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Don't worry, I will try to be more careful."
After a pause, he continued: "If it breaks, I'll give you a new one."
"Hey, that's why I said I'm not allowed to wear it out!" The opponent made a one-handed chopping motion and complained: "That's the first home run bat in my life! Bastard."
After thinking for a while, Yamaguchi said hesitantly: "...Forget it, you can use the equipment and so on, but don't lose!"
After saying that, he immediately turned around and left.
Looking at the polished metal bat in his hand, Kato Yusuke just whispered.
"Ok, I know."
Then he stood on the strike zone and assumed the same fighting stance as Ishikawa just now.
Different from when throwing the ball, this time Yusuke chose to use his left hand to exert force.
Seeing this, Teacher Hirakawa's eyes flashed, but he said nothing.
So the game started again.
…
"A good shot!"
"Hey, the ball speed is 143km/h."
"Two good shots!"
"Hey, the ball speed is 145km/h."
"Three good shots!"
"Hey, the ball speed is 147km/h."
What was a bit unexpected was that after the two men switched positions offensively and defensively, as if to avenge the previous attack, Ishikawa immediately responded to Kato Yusuke.
Three consecutive pitches were thrown, and each ball fell into the catcher's glove accurately, without giving the opponent a chance. Each hit was missed.
Sliding balls, curve balls, and finger balls are used alternately, and the completion quality of each ball is very high.
Not only did it give the opponent a direct blow, it also made the doubts on the court much smaller.
Looking at the young man's confused expression, his confidence began to recover bit by bit.
He did not choose to compete with Kato Yusuke for ball speed. The various balls used by Ishikawa all showed obvious arcs before entering the base.
As a result, Yusuke sometimes feels that he is aiming at the hitting position, but the trajectory of the baseball often changes suddenly at a certain moment.
And this is also the reason why he failed to hit the target.
"The movement of baseball will change due to different grips. Don't worry, try to observe the path of the ball carefully." Teacher Hirakawa, who was squatting on the ground, reminded Asahi in a gentle tone.
The attitude is very good.
Kato Yusuke nodded slowly, his eyes thoughtful.
So the young man adjusted his fighting posture, stared ahead, and began to carefully observe the opponent's moves.
Unfortunately……
"A good shot!"
"Hey, the ball speed is 149km/h!"
"Two good shots!"
"Hey, the ball speed is 150km/h!"
Again, the two sticks were swung in vain.
There was a burst of admiration from the audience.
"As expected of Ishikawa-senpai, it will be completely different if you switch to the pitching position!"
"It turns out the ball can change like that, it's so exciting~"
"You can't hit it like that!"
While several people were having a heated discussion...
"Bah——!"
A thick sound suddenly sounded from the auditorium.
"Brother Kato, come on——!"
However, they saw that the four-person team from the baseball club had found two small trumpets from nowhere and were blowing loudly while cheering for Yusuke Kato on the field, causing everyone to cover their ears and look sideways.
The students' cheers for Ishikawa were instantly silenced.
"What are you doing all of a sudden!"
"It's so noisy!"
Faced with each other's complaints, the foursome responded unceremoniously.
"Hey, if you're not satisfied, you can go find the props yourself!"
at this time--
"boom--!"
It was accompanied by a dull sound that shook the eardrum.
"Beautiful!" the referee shouted.
Under the blue sky, a white dot was seen quickly crossing the sky and heading into the distance.
First it was in the infield, then it was in the outfield, and finally it flew over the high outfield fence.
The crowd was silent for a moment, then suddenly erupted into an astonishing sound.
"All, it's a home run——!" Someone couldn't help but stand up and said.
When the most exciting moment in baseball appeared before their eyes, everyone who witnessed this scene screamed with excitement.
On the court, Teacher Hirakawa also patted the boy who made the hit on the back to show his appreciation.
But they don't know that this is just the beginning.
…
"boom--!"
"boom--!"
It's still a familiar voice, it's still a familiar smell.
Another two-home run!
"Beautiful!!" Teacher Hirakawa's voice trembled with excitement, and his face was covered with a flush of excitement.
Auditorium, inside the fence, outside the fence.
Many people stood up from their seats involuntarily and looked at this scene with shocked faces.
"Ah ah ah ah ah--!"
The mountains roared and the tsunami roared, and people started chanting that person's name!
Even at a temperature of 29 degrees, it still cannot stop people's enthusiasm.
"Home run! Three-run home run!!"
"Lie, lie, lie! I can't believe it!"
"One more ball left! Can we continue!!?"
The passion seemed to be hotter than the sun.
In such a situation, until the last ball.
On the pitcher's mound, Ishikawa's vision began to blur.
The summer wind is sucked into the nose and burns the lungs.
Like a broken bellows, he kept breathing heavily.
The soreness in my arms and the pain in my lower back were all numb at this time.
As if he had been soaked in water, his clothes were soaked with sweat.
But Ishikawa just stared at the figure in the distance with bloodshot eyes.
‘Can’t fall down here!’ he couldn’t help but think.
Holding the baseball tightly in his hand, Ishikawa licked his chapped lips, then closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
Then the world became quiet again.
Pictures of the past flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern. From the first time he touched a baseball, flowers and applause had been surrounding him.
His fingers rubbed the surface of the baseball, carefully feeling the touch.
"I... am a genius, a genius who has never failed." - He told himself this.
Ishikawa placed his fingers on the side of the ball, holding the baseball between his four fingers in an X shape.
For the last ball, he planned to use his best finger to hit the ball.
When this kind of ball is thrown, it will produce a spinning effect similar to a bullet.
Open your eyes suddenly.
Raise your hands and legs! Throw your arms and throw the ball!
"Dip! 152——"
"boom--!!"
"Kaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa"
The black metal bat hit the baseball, and the baseball turned into an oblate shape in an instant, which was recorded by the camera.
The white baseball turned into a small dot and disappeared into the sky!