Chapter 213: Unlocked! Ushijima's Full-Power Mode

"In this situation..."

"The only choice Seido has left is to keep their first-year ace on the mound."

Komadai Fujimaki's head coach, Nitta, calmly voiced his analysis.

"Seido's batting lineup has clearly been affected by Koshien's demanding schedule."

"This is their first time playing in the tournament."

"They're still adjusting to the rhythm of consecutive games."

"On top of that, yesterday's semifinal was an exhausting battle."

"The accumulated fatigue is why their offense hasn't performed the way it usually does."

Standing on the mound, Ushijima Wakatoshi quietly smiled.

Seeing that expression, Miyuki blinked in confusion.

He's... smiling?

At a time like this?

Komadai's cleanup hitter stepped into the batter's box.

So this is how it ends...

Ushijima thought to himself.

Winning Koshien was never going to be easy.

If it were...

So many players wouldn't leave high school with regrets.

His smile widened.

Looks like...

It's finally time.

To unseal it.

Slowly...

Ushijima removed his glove.

Then, before fifty thousand stunned spectators—

He placed it...

On his right hand.

"..."

The stadium fell silent.

Coach Kataoka abruptly shot to his feet.

"...What?!"

Komadai's coaching staff stared in disbelief.

"No way..."

Around the stadium, voices erupted all at once.

"Did he just..."

"Put his glove on his right hand?"

"Is he... going to pitch left-handed?"

"That's impossible!"

"An ambidextrous pitcher?"

"I've heard of switch-hitters..."

"But never a switch-pitcher!"

The entire stadium exploded with disbelief.

Even Seido's players were completely stunned.

"Time!"

Miyuki immediately called for a mound visit.

The umpire granted it.

The infielders hurried over.

Miyuki looked directly at Ushijima.

"...You're serious?"

Ushijima let out a slow breath.

"My right arm has reached its limit."

"During practice, throwing two hundred pitches isn't a problem."

"But that's different."

"I don't bat."

"I don't run the bases."

"Today..."

"I've done all three."

"I pushed too hard early in the game because I wanted to score first."

"My stamina is almost gone."

"And my right arm can no longer give me reliable control."

He flexed his fingers once.

"So..."

"I'll pitch with my left."

Kuramochi looked completely bewildered.

"But..."

"You've never used your left hand in a game."

"Miyuki's never caught those pitches."

Ushijima turned toward his catcher.

"You've caught Sawamura before."

"Just treat it like you're catching for Sawamura."

Miyuki froze.

"...Sawamura?"

Ever since obtaining the Diamond: Non-Dominant Hand skill, Ushijima had planned for this day.

He had once read about an ambidextrous pitcher named Billy Wagner.

A pitcher capable of throwing with either hand at elite velocity.

Inspired by that idea...

Ushijima had quietly practiced pitching left-handed whenever no one was around.

Even more importantly...

During two separate one-hundred-day sign-in streaks, he had obtained another reward.

Diamond: Seven-Colored Breaking Ball.

It was the very ability that formed the foundation of Sawamura's unique pitching style.

That was why Ushijima had spent so much time observing Sawamura's mechanics.

Although he had never revealed it during an official game...

He had mastered it in secret.

Komadai's cleanup hitter frowned.

"...Is your ace actually serious?"

Miyuki only grinned.

"You have to save a trump card or two."

He settled back behind the plate.

His curiosity had completely replaced his nervousness.

Just how strong...

...is Ushijima's left arm?

The batter tightened his grip.

This time...

Ushijima held the baseball in his left hand.

He slowly raised both arms.

His right leg lifted high into the air.

His body coiled like a drawn bow.

Every ounce of power flowed from his lower body.

His stride exploded forward.

At that moment—

Miyuki's eyes widened.

That form...

No way...

Behind the dugout railing...

Coach Kataoka and Chris instinctively stepped forward.

Even Sawamura himself froze.

His pupils trembled violently.

"...That's..."

"...my pitching form..."

One-Pitch...

Soul.

Ushijima silently completed the motion.

His left arm whipped forward.

The baseball vanished from his fingertips.

The batter's eyes widened.

Where...?!

He couldn't find the release point.

One moment—

Nothing.

The next—

The baseball was already racing toward him.

It was as if it had teleported.

Like a flash of lightning.

THWACK!

The ball slammed into Miyuki's mitt.

A powerful gust of wind brushed across his face.

For a brief instant...

Miyuki felt as though Sawamura himself was standing on the mound.

No...

Not Sawamura.

A perfected version of him.

"Strike!"

Even the home plate umpire paused for a split second before making the call.

As an experienced official, he immediately understood what had just happened.

The mystery wasn't the pitch itself.

It was the release point.

The Komadai players looked completely confused.

"What happened?"

"That was a fastball right down the middle!"

"Why didn't he swing?"

Only a handful of people truly understood.

The Seido players stared at the mound in stunned silence.

No one recognized that pitching motion better than they did.

It was unmistakably...

Sawamura's signature delivery.

The exaggerated leg lift.

The hidden arm action.

The completely invisible release point.

Batters couldn't pick up the ball until it was already halfway to the plate.

That illusion made a 130 km/h fastball feel almost 150 km/h.

Sawamura relied on deception to overwhelm hitters.

But Ushijima...

Was an entirely different monster.

His Diamond Four-Seam Fastball was capable of reaching 169 km/h at its peak.

Even while limiting himself to around 140 km/h for better command...

Combining that velocity with Sawamura's invisible release point created something terrifying.

To the batter...

That 140 km/h fastball didn't feel like 140.

It felt every bit as explosive as a 150 km/h rocket.

For the first time in the tournament...

Everyone watching Koshien realized one thing.

Ushijima Wakatoshi...

Hadn't been pitching at full power all along.