Chapter 212: Battle of Endurance

Ushijima Wakatoshi had been struck out in the bottom of the first inning.

Now, in the top of the second...

It was his turn to respond.

Facing the heart of Komadai Fujimaki's lineup, Ushijima showed no mercy.

Nine pitches.

Three strikeouts.

Three batters.

Three up, three down.

"Nice!"

After retiring the side with ruthless efficiency, Ushijima calmly walked off the mound.

Across the field, Hongo Masamune clicked his tongue.

"Damn it..."

Watching his rival dominate just as thoroughly naturally irritated him.

Still, his expression remained calm.

His focus never wavered.

In the bottom of the second inning, Hongo answered with a flawless inning of his own.

Seido's batters were retired in order once again.

The championship had become exactly what everyone expected.

A duel between two extraordinary first-year aces.

Four innings passed in the blink of an eye.

The scoreboard remained unchanged.

Neither team had scored.

Komadai Fujimaki had yet to record a single hit.

Seido had managed to put runners on base, but every scoring opportunity had slipped away.

By now, the differences between the two young pitchers had become obvious.

Hongo Masamune relied on exceptional command.

His 145 km/h four-seam fastball painted both corners with precision, while his devastating 140 km/h forkball served as his put-away pitch.

Those two weapons formed the foundation of his dominance.

Ushijima, meanwhile, possessed even greater velocity.

However, he understood his own weakness.

Whenever he pushed his fastball beyond 150 km/h, his control became unreliable.

Rather than chasing maximum speed, he kept most of his pitches around 145 km/h, mixing in his fastball variations and breaking pitches to keep Komadai's hitters completely off balance.

Fortunately for Seido...

Komadai Fujimaki's batting lineup wasn't nearly as dangerous as its pitching staff.

Even without Ushijima, Seido's offense ranked among the strongest in the country.

Ushijima remembered the original timeline well.

Komadai Fujimaki had once faced Inashiro in the Summer Koshien Final.

After an exhausting fourteen-inning battle, Narumiya Mei and Inashiro had managed to score only two runs.

Komadai's greatest strength had never been its hitters.

It was its seemingly endless supply of elite pitchers.

Hongo Masamune's pinpoint command and blazing fastball had left even Inashiro helpless.

By comparison, Seido's lineup had once scored four runs against Narumiya Mei—the only team in the nation capable of doing so.

That alone spoke volumes about Seido's offensive firepower.

And now...

With Ushijima anchoring the middle of the order...

Their lineup was undoubtedly the strongest in Japan.

Still...

Even the strongest batting order could be silenced by elite pitching.

That was exactly what was happening now.

The championship had become a pure pitching duel.

For Seido, only Ushijima possessed the experience and composure to shoulder the pressure of a game like this.

Furuya had tremendous talent, but he was still inconsistent.

Tanba often struggled under pressure.

Kawakami had excellent control, yet lacked overpowering stuff.

As for Sawamura...

He remained an unpredictable wildcard.

After the fourth inning, Komadai Fujimaki finally made a move.

Hongo had already allowed two runners to reach base.

And with cleanup hitter Yuki Tetsuya coming to the plate...

Their coaching staff decided not to take any chances.

Having already thrown four demanding innings, Hongo was beginning to show signs of fatigue.

Komadai immediately turned to its bullpen.

The decision paid off.

The reliever escaped the inning without allowing a run.

By the end of the sixth...

Ushijima had once again retired Komadai in order.

Former Seido captain Azuma Kiyokuni couldn't help clenching his fist.

"That's our ace!"

"He's shut down Komadai's lineup twice without letting a single runner reach base."

Another alumnus, however, frowned.

"But how much longer can he keep this up?"

"If Seido's lineup can't score..."

"Ushijima can't carry the team forever."

"He still has to keep his concentration at its highest level."

"One mistake..."

"...could decide the championship."

Another nodded.

"It's not that Yuki and the others are playing poorly."

"They're actually playing very well."

"But after so many consecutive games..."

"And yesterday's exhausting semifinal..."

"Their bodies aren't in peak condition anymore."

"This is also their first appearance in both Koshien and the championship game."

Someone glanced toward Komadai's dugout.

"Their pitching staff is incredible."

"Hongo threw 145 km/h with pinpoint control..."

"And now they've brought in last year's ace as a reliever."

"They just keep coming."

Neither side was willing to yield.

Time slowly slipped away.

Before anyone realized it...

The game had reached the top of the ninth inning.

Still scoreless.

Ushijima stepped into the batter's box with a wooden bat in hand.

Just then—

"Time!"

"Komadai Fujimaki requests a pitching change!"

The announcement echoed across the stadium.

"Their third pitcher already?"

A wave of discussion spread through the stands.

"Well, Ushijima is batting."

"He already has double-digit home runs this tournament."

"If they leave in a tired pitcher and give him one mistake..."

"The game could end immediately."

The cautious move worked.

Seido once again came away empty-handed.

Back in the dugout...

Ushijima slowly rolled his aching shoulder.

It's starting...

Coach Kataoka suddenly looked toward Chris.

"Pitch count?"

Chris checked the scorebook.

"One hundred sixty-three."

"...What?"

The entire bench fell silent.

"That's the highest pitch count he's ever thrown in an official game..."

Chris nodded.

"And this isn't bullpen practice."

"Every pitch today has carried the pressure of protecting a scoreless game."

"He has to be exhausted."

Everyone quietly turned toward Ushijima.

Since the seventh inning, Komadai's hitters had completely changed their approach.

Rather than trying to get hits...

They focused on extending every at-bat.

They fouled off pitch after pitch.

Forced him deeper into counts.

Made him throw again...

And again...

And again.

Realizing this, Ushijima had stopped chasing strikeouts.

Instead, he pitched to induce weak contact.

But every foul ball meant another delivery.

Another ounce of stamina gone.

That was why his pitch count had climbed so dramatically over the last three innings.

Ushijima looked down at his right hand.

It trembled slightly.

Even with world-class stamina...

He was still only sixteen years old.

The scorching summer heat beat down relentlessly.

The game had already lasted more than two hours.

He had pitched every inning.

Taken every important at-bat.

Run the bases whenever he reached safely.

Komadai had deliberately forced him to expend as much energy as possible.

It would have been stranger if his shoulder didn't hurt.

Coach Kataoka stepped closer.

"Ushijima..."

"Do you want me to make a pitching change?"

The dugout fell completely silent.

Ushijima took a deep breath.

He set his glove on the bench.

Rolled his shoulders once.

Then calmly picked it up again.

"No."

He looked toward the field.

"Let's go."

That was all he said.

Every Seido player immediately stood and followed him onto the field.

Across the diamond...

Komadai's head coach gathered his players.

"Seido's ace is reaching his limit."

"He's already thrown more than 160 pitches."

"The tenth inning..."

"...is our opportunity."

"If we're going to score..."

"It has to be now."

He glanced toward Seido's dugout.

"Their other pitchers aren't reliable enough."

"Furuya throws hard, but he's inconsistent and struggles early in games."

"Coach Kataoka won't risk him unless he has no other option."

"Tanba is even less dependable under pressure."

"And Kawakami..."

"His command is solid."

"But his fastball simply isn't intimidating enough."

The coach's eyes narrowed.

Everything had led to this moment.

If Komadai could survive one more inning...

The championship might finally tilt in their favor.