Chapter 48: Capable Kohai

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T/N: The Fourth Chapter Today!!

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Psychologically, he had already passed the test.

Sawamura and Miyuki exchanged a knowing glance and nodded at each other.

The player Kataoka focused on developing was Yui Kaoru.

From his recent performance, while Yui might not be ready, he was certainly worth cultivating.

In fact, he was the most promising rookie catcher at this stage.

It was fascinating how a person's experiences and personality could bring about such change.

From a talent perspective, Yui wasn't bad, but he certainly wasn't the best in the world.

In pure talent, Okumura and Matsumoto likely surpassed him.

But in terms of overall strength at this stage, Yui Kaoru seemed to excel.

His positive attitude and diligent study had shaped him.

"The runner advances to third base; all else remains the same."

As Sawamura prepared for the second pitch, he said again.

This practice mode had every cell in Yui Kaoru buzzing with excitement.

Not just his body, but even his brain cells were working overtime.

He looked at Sawamura with admiration, beginning to understand why Sawamura-senpai was considered the unparalleled Demon King.

Just thinking about how he managed so many details during practice showed that his success was no accident.

'In this situation, the biggest threat was the opponent employing a tactic to force points.'

'So a strategy change was necessary; we can no longer rely solely on Straight balls and should decisively throw some off-speed pitches.'

Time to strike out the batter.

'Next up: a sharp Fastball to the inside corner.'

When Sawamura noticed the sign from Yui Kaoru, he was momentarily stunned.

'This guy, who once struggled to catch ordinary fastballs, was now challenging himself.'

"You're tough on yourself!"

Most people wouldn't push their limits like this just to maintain appearances, but Yui Kaoru was different.

It seemed he never considered the possibility of failing to catch the ball.

Sawamura shook his head slightly at the catcher's position.

"Don't worry about me, senpai! Even if I can't catch it, I'll block it with my body. I won't let it get past me."

When Yui said this seriously, Sawamura had no choice.

He could only trust his Kohai.

"Then let's do this!"

As he positioned himself again, Sawamura focused all his strength into the two fingers gripping the ball, then threw it with force.

Whoosh!

The ball shot through the air like a rocket, reaching the catcher in an instant.

'So fast!'

'Incredible!!!'

Though Sawamura's actual speed didn't exceed 150 km/h, from the perspective of a catcher or batter, his pitch felt even quicker.

It flew through the 18-meter gap without hesitation.

SNAP!

This time, Yui Kaoru stood firm and caught the ball securely.

"Wow, suddenly you're so capable!"

Miyuki said, intrigued by the change.

"I just believe that Sawamura-senpai will always throw the ball right where my Mitt is!" Yui Kaoru replied earnestly.

The flattery from Yui is truly appreciated. It's precisely because he trusts Sawamura's control that his Mitt remains in position, unmoving.

On one hand, it indicates his own stance, and on the other, it praises Sawamura's status and strength.

"You guy!"

Putting aside everything else, Yui's ability to communicate with the pitcher is absolutely top-notch among all the new catchers.

Sawamura smiled and said, "It won't be that easy from here on out. Are you ready mentally?"

Yui took a deep breath, clearly looking forward to Sawamura's question.

"Always ready!"

He was, of course, prepared; long before teaming up with Sawamura, he had researched Sawamura's pitching extensively.

Sawamura's pitching has two lifelines, and these aren't derived from his breaking balls but rather from two other characteristics.

One is his extremely peculiar pitching form. From the batter's perspective, Sawamura's release point is completely hidden.

This way, by the time the batter sees the ball, it has already been thrown.

Invisibly, it makes Sawamura's pitch seem much faster.

His natural velocity is already quite high, and with this trait, it appears terrifyingly quick to the batter.

Often, it leads one to feel that Sawamura's speed even surpasses that of Furuya.

On the surface, this trait may not seem remarkable, but in reality, it slightly enhances the quality of Sawamura's pitching.

It raises his pitching to a new level.

The other lifeline is the characteristic of his Moving ball.

Because Sawamura possesses a very sharp fastball along with various odd breaking balls, batters often find it incredibly difficult to hit his pitches.

However, as is often the case, where there are advantages, there are also disadvantages. While it's hard to catch Sawamura's pitches, if one does manage to connect, they generally hit well.

This is especially true for batters who swing only after the ball reaches their hands.

These batters find it easier to deal with Sawamura's pitches.

Sawamura's other lifeline comes into play. Mixed in with the fastballs and breaking balls are his subtly varying Moving balls.

Sometimes, even if a batter makes contact, they could still get caught off guard.

It is precisely for this reason that Sawamura has earned the title of the "Invincible Demon King."

To date, there has not been a single batter who has completely grasped him in any game he has participated in.

Even if he gives up points, it's always through strong team cooperation and surprise tactics.

In one-on-one confrontations, Sawamura has never been at a disadvantage, let alone been defeated.

'This is the invincible demon king, Sawamura.'

As an excellent catcher, Yui has long wanted the opportunity to collaborate with Sawamura on the field.

However, he had only just been promoted to the second team and had never had the chance to practice with Sawamura.

Now, the opportunity has come.

He certainly intends to seize it.

His big eyes widened, staring fixedly at Sawamura on the mound, waiting for him to throw the ball.

"This kid's expression is quite good!"

Regarding Yui's performance, Miyuki was also very optimistic.

Originally, he intended to take a look around, but ultimately abandoned that thought and focused intently on the collaboration between Sawamura and Yui.

'If nothing unexpected happens, after I leave the team, the most likely battery at Seidou will be this pair.' (He is so wrong at that.)

Of course, the most important thing is for Yui to improve his skills during this time.

'Otherwise, if he ultimately cannot catch Sawamura's ball…'

Then Coach Kataoka would have to consider changing personnel.

"Whoosh!"

On the pitcher's plate, Sawamura set himself up and released the ball.

'So fast!'

This pitch looked no different from the last, the ball arrived in the blink of an eye.

Here it comes!

As the catcher, Yui's entire being tensed up.

He watched the ball fly toward him, instinctively swallowing his saliva and readying his Mitt.

'Wait!'

Just as the ball neared the batter, it suddenly shifted slightly.

'This is the legendary Moving ball.'

The thought flashed through Yui's mind, but fortunately, he wasn't too affected by it and decisively pursued the ball.

Thud!

The ball landed in his Mitt.

It was like a mischievous child refusing to behave, struggling to escape from Yui's mitt.

'What a hassle.'

Inside, Yui felt as if a myriad of emotions were clashing.

While he successfully caught the ball, he hadn't caught it well—at least, not securely.

'How terrifying!'

He glanced in shock at the nonchalant Sawamura on the mound.

'This wasn't even a clearly breaking ball; it was just the simplest Moving ball.'

Yet even with that, he couldn't secure the catch?

'Is the gap in strength really that huge?'

Long before entering Seidou, he already knew that he would have a significant gap compared to the star players.

Especially when compared to Miyuki or Sawamura.

But he never imagined the difference would be this vast.

They were on entirely different levels?

'How serious was Sawamura-senpai when he pitched?'

He couldn't be sure, but he faintly sensed his own limits.

"Alright, he should be fine with a Level-One pitch. Next, let's step it up a notch!"

Nearby, Miyuki, with a look of mischief, began to suggest ideas.

Sawamura shot him a glare but didn't say anything, seemingly considering his input.

'Levels?'

This was the first time Yui had heard such terminology.

'Could it be that the previous pitch was just the most basic? Sawamura-senpai has even more advanced pitches?'

The answer is affirmative.

Then he heard Miyuki say, "First, Level-Two Moving ball Kai!"

Just the word "Kai" alone sounded so appealing.

It felt like an evolved ultimate move, evoking boundless anticipation.

"What would such a pitch be like?"

Yui pondered but found no answer.

However, he was even more eager to catch for Sawamura now.

On the mound, Sawamura firmly gripped the ball with all five fingers, looking at Yui.

"This next pitch is different from the previous ones. It will step up several levels at once, so be careful."

"I am ready!"

Yui appeared unfazed by Sawamura's warning; rather, he was eager to try.

He wanted to see Sawamura-senpai giving it his all in their collaboration.

'With such a bright personality, he shouldn't be afraid of being challenged!'

Miyuki nodded approvingly as he observed Yui.

Very good, quite good indeed.

'However, Sawamura's pitching was not as simple as one might think, especially with the level up involved.'

'This is why I called them levels.'

On the mound, Sawamura took a step and forcefully threw the ball.

'Here it comes!'

The ball shot through the air like a brilliant beam of light, instantly covering the distance and appearing before Yui.

'This…!!'

Actually, looking at this pitch alone, it didn't seem faster or sharper than the previous ones.

Yet, the moment Sawamura released the ball, Yui clearly sensed a signal.

That is, this pitch is very powerful.

What exactly was powerful about it, he wasn't sure. All he could do was quietly wait for the ball to come and catch it with his Mitt.

In the blink of an eye, the ball was upon him. Yui actively opened his mitt to receive it.

Just as his mitt was about to touch the ball, it suddenly dropped ominously.

'A Curveball!'

'No!'

'This break was sharper and faster than a Curveball.'

It completely bypassed Yui's Mitt, the ball flying heavily behind him.

'This is the Moving ball Kai!!'

Yui turned in disbelief to see the ball, his eyes filled with incredulity.

"Alright, time to switch out."

"The next pitches won't be as easy for you to catch."

Miyuki said with a grin.

He believed this pitch would leave a deep impression on Yui.

'Even with his experience as the main catcher of the world runner-up, he had probably never seen a pitch like Sawamura's.'

Watching as Sawamura coolly dealt with the Kohai, it easily stimulated the remaining players.

Kawakami gritted his teeth, continuously throwing various sharp breaking balls.

However, his catcher absorbed those pitches like a sponge.

Thud!

Though it was now hard to produce the crisp sound in the mitt like at the start, Okumura successfully caught Kawakami's ball.

He didn't come off too badly.

Given the current situation, Kawakami seemed to find it not so easy to quickly deal with this Kohai.

On the other hand, Furuya, stimulated by Sawamura, unleashed extraordinary fighting power.

Roaar!

The ball thundered as it instantly appeared in the strike zone from the pitcher's hand.

So fast, the ball zipped over in the blink of an eye.

Faced with this incredibly sharp pitch, Matsumoto calmly extended his Mitt, confidently grasping for the ball.

But suddenly it dropped!

...

T/N: Well, That's it for now.

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