Chapter 501: The Prince of Tokyo!
Top of the Inning:
In the top half of the inning, Inashiro Industrial's offense was halted at second base.
Bottom of the Inning:
When Narumiya Mei took the mound, the pressure he brought to Yakushi High was on a whole different level.
A fastball nearing 150 km/h.
Diverse breaking pitches.
And a changeup even more refined and devastating than Eijun's.
Although the young catcher, Tadano Itsuki, lacked skill, he was self-aware.
He minimized calls for risky pitches he couldn't handle and reserved them only for key moments—when used sparingly, their impact was enormous.
Narumiya's strength carried the team. A "one-star with strong support" system, Inashiro wasn't fully cohesive as a unit, but Narumiya made up for it.
In the bottom half of the first, Narumiya struck out Yakushi's batters one through three.
Mishima Yuta, in particular—who had sworn to surpass Raichi and become Japan's top batter—whiffed three times without making contact. His face was as grim as it gets.
Second Inning:
Tadano, despite his limitations, showed excellent pitch calling.
Yakushi knew he wouldn't frequently call for changeups or forkballs—but just when they let their guard down, he'd sneak one in. The unpredictability was frustrating.
Then, in the bottom of the second:
"Whoosh!"
"Pop!"
"Strike! Batter out!"
"A flawless pitch! Tokyo's Prince, Narumiya Mei, strikes out Yakushi's cleanup hitter, Raichi, on four pitches!!"
Narumiya smirked coolly, standing tall on the mound, as Raichi's stunned expression lingered at the plate.
That's the real Prince of Tokyo in full throttle.
Yakushi's fifth and sixth batters—Sanada—were completely suppressed. Narumiya wrapped up another flawless three-up-three-down inning.
On the Seido Bench:
"Too strong… Narumiya-senpai…"
Everyone on Seido's bench wore tense expressions. It was clear—even with his pitch arsenal slightly limited, Narumiya was only using about 70–80% of his power. Yet that was enough to strike out Raichi.
A terrifying force indeed.
Haruchi compared himself and realized: his only chance was to rely on precision and hope the catcher slipped up. Pure strength wouldn't cut it.
Miyuki, arms crossed, murmured,
"Smart catcher."
Eijun nodded.
"Yeah. He knows his weaknesses and plays to his strengths, using every bit of the pitcher's potential. Among our generation, Tadano might be the most capable catcher yet."
In the original story, Tadano's growth was terrifying.
By spring of his second year, he could catch almost all of Narumiya's pitches—including the changeup, which, although still sometimes dropped, had a much higher catch rate.
His growth as a catcher elevated Narumiya's performance—three clean outs of Raichi in the spring tournament.
And his batting improved too.
Tadano's growth curve was steep and formidable.
Even now, his potential was beginning to show.
"Maybe the odds in this match are shifting a little…"
Eijun thought to himself, his gaze flicking between Narumiya and Raichi.
The key to this game lay in their hands.
He clenched his left hand discreetly.
A faint jolt of pain struck—his brow twitched.
But he quickly smoothed his expression.
No one noticed.
Yet at the same time, what Eijun didn't notice—was that sitting slightly behind him, Kuramochi had unconsciously cast a fleeting glance in his direction. Within that glance flickered a complex mixture of emotions: concern, heaviness, hesitation, and worry.
Kuramochi, the one who always acted brash and carefree…
Was always, in moments like this, the one with the most sensitive heart.
Of course, at this moment, Eijun had no idea that some of his condition had already been exposed.
Back to the center of the field—
As everyone's attention returned to the game, what shocked the spectators was this:
Yakushi High, originally expected to dominate early, had clearly fallen into a suppressed state right after the start.
And the reason?
It was none other than Narumiya Mei cleanly shutting down Raichi in the second inning.
That strikeout alone shifted the entire momentum of the match.
Though the scoreboard still displayed a series of zeros for both teams, it was obvious to any keen observer:
Inashiro Industrial now held the psychological edge.
From the third-base dugout, Coach Todoroki's eyes darkened as he watched the game unfold.
After a brief silence, he decisively began adjusting his tactics.
It seemed their original plan to rely on a brute-force offensive wouldn't work against Narumiya. Style and identity should be engraved to the bone—but at critical times, adaptability was essential.
Now was the time Yakushi had to shift its strategy.
Coach Todoroki's quick adjustment was timely…
But someone else acted even faster.
"Whoosh!"
"Clang!!"
Top of the fourth inning. The ace and cleanup hitter—Tokyo's Prince—Narumiya Mei stepped in for his second at-bat.
A fierce swing.
A pinpoint strike slicing across the sky.
The ball soared high and fast—clearing the left-field stands.
"Ping!"
A clean, resounding crack echoed through the stadium.
On the mound, Sanada instinctively clenched his right hand tighter as he watched Narumiya lift his left arm high while rounding the bases. He took a deep breath and adjusted his cap.
In his pupils, flames of battle burned even hotter.
Damn this guy…
This prince is seriously too much!!
"OOOOHHHHHHH!!"
The crowd erupted in thunderous cheers.
A solo, no-doubt homer.
A royal blast from the Tokyo Prince.
Inashiro Industrial struck first in the top of the fourth inning—taking the lead!
"Awesome job, Mei!!"
"Narumiya-senpai, that was amazing!"
"Keep it going!"
"Let's go, Inashiro!"
With Narumiya's powerful hit, the delicate balance of the game finally began tipping clearly in Inashiro's favor.
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