Chapter 7: The Moron in the Rain

The rain was drizzling, not heavily, but enough to make everything feel damp and unpleasant.

Two reporters from Baseball Kingdom Magazine arrived at the stadium 15 minutes early, wearing raincoats.

As soon as Owada Akiko arrived at the stadium, her eyes widened in surprise as she looked around.

The seats around the stadium were already filled, and there were even many people standing to watch. Though the stadium wasn't as grand as Jingu Stadium or Koshien Stadium, it could still accommodate 10,000 to 20,000 people.

"But it's just the first round of the tournament. Is there really going to be this many people? And it's still raining," Owada said disbelievingly.

Fujio, standing beside her, wasn't surprised at all.

"It's only natural for there to be such a scene. After all, this game features the kings of West Tokyo against the kings of East Tokyo. It's like having the Koshien champion play against the Koshien quarterfinalists! To put it bluntly, this is definitely a match to rival the Koshien finals. How could such a match not attract attention?"

"Where is the Brotherhood of the Red Heart?" Owada wondered.

***

"Go! Go! Teito!!!"

"Go! Go! Teito!!!!"

"King! Seidou!!!"

"King! Seidou!!!!"

"Who are we?"

"King Seidou!!!!"

Before the game officially started, the fans on both sides were already pumped up.

Even with the rain falling, their enthusiasm couldn't be dampened.

The beautiful cheerleaders wore simple outfits and were jumping and dancing energetically.

The orchestra musicians were also playing vigorously…

Amid this vibrant atmosphere, the Tokyo area high school Fall baseball Tournament began.

In the first round, Seidou High School faced off against Teito High School.

In the top of the first inning, Teito High School was on the attack.

Seidou High School's starting pitcher was, of course, their Ace, Sawamura Eijun.

Facing a crucial first-game opponent like the formidable Teito, it was only natural for Sawamura to start.

Before the game, Miyuki took a moment to speak with Sawamura.

"Are you going all out from the beginning?"

"No, it is too risky with this rain." Sawamura shook his head. The rain gave him a bad feeling, suggesting that this game might be a severe test of his stamina.

"There's no need to go all out from the start. Just focus on getting those Outs steadily."

'Understood!' Miyuki nodded.

Pitchers are the most exhausted players in a game, and in such rainy conditions, Sawamura's stamina would be greatly affected

If the goal was to strike Out every batter, Sawamura's stamina might not hold out. Even if it did, there was no guarantee that the quality of his pitches would remain high later in the game.

Choosing to conserve some strength at this point was reasonable.

Moreover, Sawamura's sudden change in approach might catch Teito High School off guard, giving them an unexpected challenge.

Their plan was well thought out, but the game didn't unfold as they had envisioned.

Whoosh!

Sawamura Eijun's first pitch was a Moving ball that fooled Kajiyama, Teito High School's first batter, into swinging and hitting the ball toward third base.

The plan seemed to work, and the ball was hit right in front of the third baseman.

In this game, the starting third baseman was still Higasa, and Coach Kataoka had given him the chance.

Higasa, eager to prove himself and not embarrass Coach Kataoka, stood ready as the ball came down. However, the ball didn't bounce as Higasa had expected.

The rain had caused the ball to stick and stop right where it landed.

'Oh no!'

'Why do I always encounter such bad luck during games?' Higasa felt like crying.

Despite his frustration, Higasa quickly retrieved the ball and threw it to first base.

However, the delay allowed Kajiyama to reach base.

As Teito's leadoff batter and their second baseman, Kajiyama is known for his speed.

The advantage of such a batter leading off is clear: once on base, the team's chances of scoring increase significantly.

Just like Seidou and Inashiro, who have fast leadoff batters, Teito's batter shared this trait.

From his catcher's position, Miyuki looked up at the eager Kajiyama and felt a wry smile.

'This must be what they call a rough start.'

In games where Sawamura started for Seidou High School, over 95% of the time, they wouldn't allow a single hit in the first three innings.

'Yet, in this game, they had already given up a hit in the first inning.'

It was an unfortunate turn of events.

'Don't worry about it; that ball was out of our control,' Miyuki signaled to Sawamura.

'I know.'

On the mound, Sawamura knew that some things were simply unavoidable.

He had planned to conserve his strength at the start.

'But it seemed that wasn't an option anymore.'

With a runner already on base, throwing tricky pitches required more caution.

'Then don't hold back any longer! Aim for strikeouts,' Miyuki signaled.

When there's already a runner on base and they are fast, relying on the defense to get outs is risky.

'In this case, aiming for strikeouts is the better strategy.' Miyuki thought.

'Conserving stamina needs to be timed right, and this was not the moment to hold back.' Sawamura thought.

'Let's do this!' Sawamura and Miyuki thought at the same time.

At this point, Teito High School's second batter stepped up to the plate.

He was an outfielder for Teito, and his position in the lineup showed his strength.

Upon stepping into the batter's box, he was very cautious, gripping his bat in a shout grip, as if determined to make contact with the ball.

Miyuki observed this closely.

'It seemed that Teito High School had put considerable effort into preparing for Sawamura.'

Miyuki could also guess what kind of tactics they might have devised.

'It's a pity. If you think you can deal with Sawamura this way, you might be too naive.'

'First pitch: a Moving-Up ball!'

'In the rain, making the ball rise required extra wrist strength and spin.'

'Don't underestimate this.'

Miyuki could think of it, and naturally, so could Sawamura.

He made his stride, his arm lashing like a whip.

Then, the ball was launched as if it was shot with a bow.

Whoosh!

The white ball became a beam in the rain, flying across the distance from the mound to the plate and appearing in front of the batter.

Teito's batter was clearly unprepared, and could only watch as the ball zipped by.

'So fast!'

Too fast!

Snap!

"STRIKE!"

"Ha~hu~!" The second batter from Teito High School was gasping for breath in the batter's box.

The pitch just thrown by Sawamura Eijun kept replaying in his mind.

Even though he had practiced with a pitching machine before, facing Sawamura's pitching in the batter's box was a completely different experience.

'The pitch came with no warning and was terrifyingly fast!'

Seeing the first batter handle the ball with ease, he thought he'd at least make contact, even if he didn't get a hit.

It turned out he was completely wrong.

'What is happening with his pitching?'

Not only did he fail to hit the ball, but he couldn't even swing the bat.

'The batter seemed extremely shaken.' Miyuki was somewhat frustrated by this outcome.

It seemed he had overestimated the Teito High School batters. Seidou High School's team was new, but so was Teito's. Their top third-year players had retired, leaving a team of mostly second-year players. Though not weak, they lacked experience.

'Against such an opponent, starting with a tricky pitch like the Moving-Up Ball seemed like a waste.'

'Forget it. If it's going to be a waste, so be it.'

'After all, this is Teito, and you still could not underestimate them.'

For the second pitch, Miyuki asked for a regular Cutter for the inside corner.

Sawamura is a left-handed pitcher, and he faced a left-handed batter.

From the batter's perspective, Sawamura's Cutter would be quite impressive.

Sawamura, on the mound, nodded slightly after receiving the signal, then took his stance and threw the ball.

Whoosh!

The small white ball flew directly towards the batter.

'Wha..!!'

The batter's face turned pale.

He saw the pitch coming at him and wanted to swing but couldn't. From his perspective, the ball was headed straight for him. How could he possibly swing?

Even elite high school players have their limits.

Facing a pitch that seemed aimed right at him, the Teito batter did not flinch.

It seemed he was determined to get on base, even if it meant taking a hit.

The determination was admirable, but the ball didn't actually hit him.

SNAP!

"STRIKE!"

Like that, Sawamura had already recorded two strikes.

Against such sharp pitches, the Teito batter couldn't even manage to swing.

In the Teito High dugout, Coach Okamoto was fuming.

"You idiot! Swing! Swing! Swing!!!"

For a batter, Strikeout isn't something to be embarrassed about. But being so intimidated by the opponent's pitching that he can't even swing is humiliating.

No wonder Okamoto was angry.

The batter, hearing his coach's scolding, felt bitter.

'I am trying!'

He wanted to swing, but he couldn't even bring himself to do it!

In the current situation, where was he supposed to find the chance to swing?

As the batter stood stunned, the white ball zipped past him like a laser and landed firmly in Miyuki's Mitt.

SNAP!

"STRIKE BATTER OUT!!!"

The umpire's voice wavered slightly.

Though in the Tokyo area, this was his first time as the umpire for a Sawamura game.

'The pitch was so fast it left no time for reaction.'

Not just the batter, but even he was baffled.

'Looks like he is not famous for nothing. Oh boy, I am going to brag about this a lot!'

One Out, runner on first base.

Kajiyama, eager to steal bases, didn't get a chance to try as his teammate Struck Out.

Before each pitch, Sawamura would use his Demon King's Eyes at the runner, pinning him in his place.

Every time he saw Sawamura's gaze the runner felt like he was frozen by a spell, unable to move.

He had an overwhelming hunch that if he tried to steal, he would be Out.

Whether containment or tagged Out, he will be Out.

Under these conditions, he could only watch helplessly as his teammate struck Out.

In the Teito High dugout, Coach Okamoto was angrily rebuking the recently struck-out batter.

"You're an idiot! How can you not even swing? Are you completely petrified by the opponent? What a disgrace!"

Okamoto was certainly old but still highly respected in the baseball coaching world.

Despite his age, his temper hadn't cooled and he even looked younger. According to him, players were like fire. When they first joined the team, they were just kindling. As a coach, he had to light them one by one and make them burn brightly.

Of course, some players were on fire themselves.

Taiyou Mukai, for example.

With the existence of Aces like him, Teito High School was able to achieve all of this.

A good pitcher can indeed lead a team forward.

That's why Okamoto valued Mukai Taiyou so much. He had established Mukai as the Ace well before summer, and now that the third-year players had graduated, he handed the number one position to Mukai.

With such players, Okamoto had high expectations for this game.

Despite facing Seidou High School, the current National Champions and the most formidable opponent in high school baseball, Okamoto was confident they could win.

Even against Sawamura Eijun, who was known as the Demon King, he believed they wouldn't lose.

But from the very start of the game, Sawamura had shown them just how wrong they were.

Facing Sawamura's pitching, his prized players couldn't even make contact, let alone hit the ball.

'Of course, overcoming the Demon King wouldn't be easy.' Okamoto knew that well.

'While it was tolerable to go scoreless for a while, seeing the batters unable to even swing was unacceptable!'

He had seen disgraceful performances before, but this was something else.

'The worst part was that Sawamura's power was now fully on display, even the runner can't run, and is standing there stupidly like a moron in the rain.'

Like this, when Others face Sawamura, would naturally think of him as an insurmountable opponent.

In such a mindset, they would probably accept that getting a hit was out of reach.

'This can't continue.'

…