"Smile. Why aren't you smiling anymore?"
Standing on the pitcher's mound, Ushijima Wakatoshi stared coldly at the "Little Monkey" in the batter's box.
Just a moment ago, Raichi had been laughing with excitement and anticipation.
But after only one pitch…
his laughter had stopped.
"Hm…"
Raichi Todoroki tightened his grip on the bat.
The pressure coming from the mound was overwhelming.
At this moment, Ushijima Wakatoshi seemed much bigger than before.
Like a giant standing high above him, looking down.
This was the first time Raichi had ever felt something like this while standing in the batter's box.
Come on!
No matter how strong you are…
I'll smash your pitches to pieces!!!
Raichi shouted in his mind, trying to suppress the negative emotions rising inside him.
He absolutely could not allow the opponent's momentum to overwhelm him.
Ushijima seemed to sense Raichi's determination.
And he couldn't help but feel a bit of admiration.
"Let's see if you can hit it."
As he spoke, Ushijima raised his hands and began his pitching motion.
The baseball rested firmly in his right hand.
His eyes focused on the target inside Miyuki Kazuya's glove.
Then—
his arm whipped forward like a long steel whip.
Whoosh!
The baseball shot forward with tremendous speed toward the outside corner.
Raichi's eyes sharpened immediately.
Fast…
Almost 150 km/h!
Four-seam fastball to the outside corner!
With that thought, Raichi swung decisively.
The moment he seized the timing—
he unleashed a full-power swing.
His eyes locked onto the incoming ball.
But just as his bat approached—
the ball suddenly began sliding toward the outside.
At that moment, Raichi realized something was wrong.
Not a Four-Seam…
Not a Two-Seam either…
Shootball?!
At the last possible moment, Raichi desperately tried to adjust his swing angle.
He believed he could still catch up to it.
The bat and the ball drew closer—
just a few centimeters apart.
Then suddenly—
the ball floated upward.
Under Raichi's stunned gaze, the bat sliced through empty air beneath the ball.
He completely missed.
BANG!
The baseball slammed violently into Miyuki's catcher's mitt.
The sharp sound echoed across the entire stadium.
For a moment—
the entire stadium fell silent.
Miyuki Kazuya caught the ball cleanly and looked toward the mound with excitement.
Across the field, every Seidou defender had a smile on their face.
They all recognized that pitch immediately.
It was Ushijima's Shootball.
A Shootball with a very distinctive personal style.
"Strike!"
Even the umpire sounded slightly shaken as he made the call.
"Impossible…"
Coach Todoroki still couldn't believe what he had just seen.
Raichi had swung with everything he had—
and still missed.
Ushijima had thrown five pitches to Raichi so far.
Raichi had missed three of them completely.
Only the Two-Seam had barely made contact with the bat.
"Raichi actually missed multiple times…" Akiba muttered in disbelief.
"Raichi… you felt it too, didn't you?" Mishima said quietly.
"The pressure from that guy."
Even Yakushi's explosive momentum had been completely suppressed by Ushijima Wakatoshi.
Yakushi's dugout fell silent.
Meanwhile, the audience exploded with excitement.
"WOOOOOOO!"
"That Shootball even floated upward at the end!"
"That pitch is insane!"
At the stands, Amahisa Kousei stared at the field with shining eyes.
"This Shootball is ridiculous…"
"Speed over 145 km/h, sliding across the plate—"
"And it even floats upward at the end."
"The intimidation from that pitch is terrifying."
"Is this really Ushijima Wakatoshi's Shootball?"
"This is not an ordinary Shootball."
Beside him, Manaka Kaname stared at the mound in disbelief.
Amahisa spoke lazily.
"High-Speed Jet Ball."
"High-Speed… Jet Ball?" the Ichidai Sankou players repeated in shock.
The players from Inashiro Industrial had the exact same reaction.
Cold sweat ran down their backs.
Ushijima had thrown a Shootball earlier in the game.
But that version didn't have the upward float.
That earlier pitch had the classic Shootball characteristics—
strong inward movement at around 140 km/h.
Everyone already thought that pitch was troublesome enough.
But now—
Ushijima had revealed another version.
This Shootball was faster than 145 km/h and had an upward drifting movement at the end.
Its sharpness was at least two levels higher.
Carlos analyzed quietly:
"It's just like Narumiya's Changeup."
"Mei's Changeup doesn't just slow down—it also has a sinking movement."
"That pitch reflects the pitcher's personal characteristics."
"Ushijima's Shootball is the same."
"He keeps the identity of a power pitcher…"
"So the Shootball becomes a high-speed version."
"And then he adds that upward drift."
"That's a troublesome pitch."
Everyone around him nodded.
Meanwhile, Inashiro's coach, Kunitomo, watched the field silently.
Ushijima Wakatoshi's growth had far exceeded his expectations.
The crowd was still buzzing with excitement.
The two reporters from Baseball Kingdom were equally shocked.
"That Shootball clearly incorporates the pitcher's personal style."
"The speed is over 145 km/h, approaching 150 km/h, and it even floats."
"A pitch like that could drive many batters into despair."
Reporter Fujio wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Beside him, Owada Akiko suddenly noticed something.
"Wait… didn't that pitch actually miss the strike zone?"
Fujio nodded.
"Yeah."
"It barely missed."
"But if it makes the batter swing…"
"Then it's still a perfect pitch."
"That ball is extremely deceptive."
"At first it looks like it's heading straight into the strike zone."
"But right before reaching the plate, it suddenly floats upward and leaves the zone."
"That's probably why Raichi swung."
Owada nodded in understanding.
On the field, Ushijima watched calmly as Raichi returned the ball to Miyuki.
But inside the Seidou dugout, three pitchers were completely stunned.
Tanba. Kawakami. Sawamura.
All three stared at Ushijima with shock.
They all knew one thing.
That pitch—
the High-Speed Jet Ball—
was still something Ushijima couldn't fully control.
And yet…
he had used it against Raichi Todoroki.
How much courage does it take to throw a pitch like that in this situation?