It took a full three seconds for the Sharingan to activate.
He clearly observed that there was nothing extraordinary about the pitching of the player named Midori.
His sandbag-sized palm completely enveloped the ball. The moment the ball left his hand, a powerful spin was applied.
In terms of speed alone, Midori's pitch wasn't very fast—about 135 km/h.
However, it was this speed combined with the intense spin at the tail of his pitch that gave the ball extraordinary power.
Not to mention, even if other batters from Seidō stepped up, it would be difficult to hit this ball.
How could the ace of one of West Tokyo's top four teams not have some tricks up his sleeve?
If they lacked confidence, how could they complain about facing Seidō's Second String?
Whoosh!
"Calm down," he whispered firmly to himself.
'If I think carefully, there has to be a way,' he reasoned, steadying his mind.
He focused, replaying the pitch again and again in his head.
From Midori stretching his arm, pulling back his stance, stepping forward—
until the ball flew from his hand.
The ball, spinning powerfully, cut through the air and appeared before him.
The tailing spin unleashed its greatest force during this flight.
Is there any way to counter this?
Lost in thought, the ball flew toward him a second time.
Boom!
Once again, the terrifying sound of air breaking, and the ball zipped past the strike zone.
He had no time to react.
Thwack!
"Strike!"
One foul, one strike.
The Nanamori players seemed to spiral into a frenzy.
"That kid must be scared out of his mind, right?" one sneered.
"He's not even trying to swing," another scoffed.
"Two strikes, the batter's backed into a corner. Just wait—he's about to strike out," someone muttered with certainty.
"Even the Second String of a top national powerhouse is still just the Second String," another jeered.
Having been frustrated in the top of the first inning, they now vented all their anger.
And their target was unmistakably Takumi.
In the Seidō dugout, a group of players wore solemn expressions.
Watching with cool detachment, they sensed the pitcher's extraordinary skill.
Could they, if on the field, actually hit that ball?
"It's probably tough," one admitted reluctantly. "If it doesn't work, we'll just drag it out."
"This kind of all-out pitching can't last long," another remarked with quiet resolve.
The Seidō players were already contemplating a strategic retreat.
Takashima Rei, pushing up her glasses with a finger, frowned and declared firmly, "This game was specially arranged by the coach. If you don't perform well today, you won't be promoted to the First String. The First String players are already very solid."
What had once been a mere guess was now confirmed.
This practice game was the Second String's last chance for promotion.
After she spoke, many third-year players quietly clenched their fists.
Their three years of effort at Seidō came down to this moment.
She then looked at Takumi.
Though his physical condition was poor, his mind was sharp.
Even without saying it aloud, she believed he fully understood:
Being cornered with two strikes was nothing.
But if he truly allowed himself to be intimidated by the opponent, he would likely lose his chance to be promoted to the First String altogether.
At the batting plate, Takumi remained completely unaffected by the outside world.
For some reason, the bulky man's pitching posture grew clearer and clearer in his mind.
So vivid that he could pause every subtle movement and study it carefully.
During this continuous mental replay, a sharp "Ding!" suddenly echoed in his mind.
[Sharingan has upgraded—Current level: 2]
Could this system skill actually be upgraded?
He was momentarily stunned, snapping out of the replay.
And just as he recovered, a flash of inspiration struck him.
He seemed to have found a way.
Explosive power is often the hardest to counter.
Because aside from meeting force with force, there's simply no alternative.
If this man before him truly relied solely on brute strength to throw fastballs,
he would be at a loss.
The Sharingan allowed him to see everything, but it couldn't boost his own strength.
However, the man's pitching wasn't purely brute force—it relied heavily on spin.
He imparted extra spin to the baseball during his pitch. To handle such a ball, one had to find the correct batting angle.
He looked up and carefully observed the Nanamori players' positions.
Since the previous two pitches had thrown him off, the Nanamori players were inevitably a bit complacent.
Clearly, they had witnessed too many opponents crumble before Midori's pitching—so much so that when he went all out, they doubted the ball could be hit.
'As long as I can make contact, the chances of a hit are very high,' Takumi reasoned internally.
He narrowed his eyes with determination.
"Sharingan, activate!"
With the Sharingan now upgraded to level two, the world through it became even clearer.
From a distance of 18 meters, he could clearly see the seams on the ball.
At that moment, he felt his body surge with power. He knew, of course, that this was just an illusion—an effect of his Sharingan's upgrade.
But this illusion filled him with boundless confidence.
Boom!
The ball whistled through the air once more.
The Nanamori players had already struck victory poses.
Meanwhile, the players in the Seidō dugout instinctively turned their heads away.
They couldn't bear to watch the outcome any longer.
Just then, the ball flew right in front of him.
He swung decisively.
His swing wasn't fast, but it was steady.
As the bat neared the ball, he deliberately adjusted its angle by about five to ten degrees.
Ping!
The result was the same as his first hit, but this time the ball didn't bounce foul.
Instead, it landed squarely in fair territory.
Though the hit lacked power, the Nanamori fielders were caught completely off guard.
By the time they scrambled to react and stop the ball, it was already too late.
They could only watch helplessly as it rolled past them.
"It went through!!" someone shouted excitedly.
The Seidō players whipped their heads back, but they had already missed the most thrilling moment.
All they saw was Takumi casually sprinting toward first base.
"Safe!!" another called out triumphantly.
No outs, runner on first.