Chapter 56: Sawamura the Avenger

"Is the opponent's ball difficult to hit?"

"That's not the case."

In Japan, there are indeed pitchers similar to April. For instance, there are Seidou High School's Furuya Satoru and Komadai Fujimaki High School's Hongou Masamune, both of whom are of a similar style.

Compared to the three, April's pitch is actually the easiest to hit, with not much movement or break.

As long as you gauge the rhythm and aim for the straight ball, you can generally make contact.

The issue, however, lies in the power of the ball.

The small ball that comes flying in feels like a massive heavy tank.

At the very least, Kuramochi Youichi can't imagine anyone hitting that ball head-on.

"A power pitcher?"

Seidou High School seldom encounters such opponents.

And this is precisely what Seidou High School lacks the most.

Seidou High has two hitters with home run potential: Sawamura Eijun and Miyuki Kazuya.

Yet neither of them is a typical power hitter; they rely on a combination of strength and skill to hit home runs.

They are not adept at just swinging with power.

"This is tricky!"

Miyuki frowned.

It seems that Seidou lacks effective countermeasures and can only focus on wearing down April's stamina and pitch count...

This is a result Seidou's players are reluctant to choose. If there were a strategy spectrum, this would undoubtedly be a last-resort option.

"Change the strategy to focus on entangling the opponent's pitch count."

Superintendent Kataoka, wearing sunglasses, clearly thought of Miyuki and the others and signaled Kominato Haruichi in the Batter's Box.

After Haruichi nodded slightly, he concentrated all his attention on the pitcher's mound.

Whoosh!

The pitched baseball was terrifyingly fast. Almost in the blink of an eye, it was right in front of him.

Determined to engage the opponent's pitch count, Haruichi naturally didn't swing, safely letting the first ball go by.

SNAP!

"STRIKE!"

"STRIKE!!"

Two Strikes in a row, and Haruichi didn't swing. As if deliberately provoking the pitcher, he didn't even assume a ready position, instead calmly staring at his opponent.

This clearly conveyed to the opponent what his intentions were: to entangle the count!

'As expected of a Seidou player, even executing tactics so confidently!'

The catcher for Bunkyo High School, Aoki Sugi, couldn't help but admire Haruichi's calmness.

He was genuinely impressed.

Seidou had laid their cards on the table.

The reason Seidou acted this way was not because they were foolish enough to reveal their strategy.

On the contrary, they were flexing their muscles.

In a head-to-head strength contest, Seidou High School wouldn't fear Bunkyo High School.

They have enough experience and confidence to win.

That's why Haruichi made it clear that he wanted to drain the pitcher openly.

'Truly, this is Seidou!'

With their dominating presence and steady play, they really embody the spirit of a Champion high school.

'However, they shouldn't underestimate us.'

Thinking this, Aoki Sugi glanced at April on the mound.

'The position of the next pitch should be a bit trickier…'

'Since the opponent wants to drain the count, why not help them out?'

After being pushed to two Strikes, even a tricky pitch that is hard to judge should prompt a swing!

Aoki's plan was becoming clear.

Since the opponent wanted to entangle him, he wouldn't even give Haruichi a chance to hit, aiming to Strike him Out right here and right now.

On the mound.

April nodded slightly and threw the ball directly.

Whoosh!

The small ball shot through the air like a bright beam of light, instantly reaching Haruichi.

As the ball was in the air, Haruichi was already prepared.

Now that he saw the baseball coming in, he decided not to hold back and swung the bat with all his might.

Paak!

The ball brushed against the bat and flew foul.

"FOUL!"

Haruichi didn't seem surprised by the outcome. After taking a deep breath, he continued to focus on the pitcher's mound.

Aoki frowned and examined Haruichi.

This result was somewhat unexpected for him. What's worse, he sensed another presence in Haruichi.

'The Devil Brother, the legendary Kominato Ryosuke!'

Though they were brothers, their batting styles weren't identical.

If that were the case, they would be in a tough spot.

Two more corner pitches were thrown, and without exception, all were deftly hit Foul by Haruichi.

Aoki finally realized that relying on such pitches to get Haruichi Out was unrealistic.

Instead, it would give him more opportunities and entangle him in more pitches.

'If that's the case, let's go head-to-head!'

'Next pitch, aim it here!!!'

The more cornered the ball, the easier it is to hit Foul.

Conversely, the closer the ball is to the center of the strike zone, the harder it is to be a Foul!

'Believe in your own pitching and crush your opponent with strength, April!'

On the mound.

April nodded slightly when he saw Aoki's signal.

Standing on the mound, he was a stark contrast to his usual self. April's personality is cheerful in private.

With the playboy Emil, they make a comedic duo.

But once he's on the mound, he turns serious.

When pitching, there are no unnecessary words.

Whoosh!

The ball shot straight into the center of the strike zone.

As the ball flew in, Haruichi gritted his teeth and swung his bat.

In the previous swings, he appeared unfazed, but in reality, his hands were starting to get numb.

'So heavy!'

Right now, if he had a moment to prepare, Haruichi would have struggled to make contact with such a ball.

Paak!

The stiffness in his hands made his swing less agile than before.

Although he made contact, the ball didn't fly Foul.

Snap!

"OUT!"

Just like that, Haruichi was Out.

After being solved Out, Haruichi's eyes seemed a bit vacant.

He couldn't help but think of his brother's figure.

If it were his brother, what kind of results would he achieve?

Haruichi was almost certain that his brother would have made April leave the field on a stretcher.

On the surface, he seemed to have completely taken over Ryosuke's role.

But in reality, he felt a considerable gap between himself and his brother…

Two Outs, no one on base.

"Third batter, pitcher, Sawamura-kun!!"

"Sawamura!"

"Sawamura!!"

"Demon King!"

"Demon King!!!"

Seeing Sawamura step into the Batter's Box, the crowd erupted in cheers.

Even though Seidou High School had just lost two Outs in a row, the moment they saw Sawamura stepping up, the fans remained confident.

It seemed they were sure that as long as Sawamura stood in the Batter's Box, he would produce results.

"Now I feel the pressure too!"

Sawamura muttered quietly while standing in the Batter's Box.

With his experience, he wouldn't take this kind of pressure too seriously. However, he couldn't help but grumble about Seidou High School's over-enthusiastic fans.

For him, if it were someone with poor mental fortitude, this kind of cheering might just crush them.

"Brat, don't embarrass me while you're avenging me!"

In the dugout, Kuramochi shouted angrily.

Sawamura returned to him with a big smile.

He always keeps his word!

Well, except with Miyuki, but that is a different matter.

His eyes locked on April on the mound.

Sawamura had some understanding of this opponent's tendencies.

If he was primarily throwing straight balls…

Almost instinctively, Sawamura raised the bat high above his head, his arms lifted.

His entire body twisted into an awkward position!

'Sure enough!'

Sawamura's actions did not escape Bunkyo High School catcher Aoki's notice.

Seeing Sawamura's stance, he immediately guessed what Sawamura intended to do.

'He wanted to hit the ball hard and directly.'

This wasn't the first time Sawamura had taken such a stance against a power pitcher.

'Think again!'

'Knowing your habits, how could we throw a straight ball for him to hit right now?'

'Come on, it's time to bring out the winning shot.'

'Since the opponent had made it clear they wanted to hit the straight ball, we would instead use a breaking ball.'

So far in the match, including previous games, April had barely ever used a breaking ball and had always relied on Straight balls to dominate his opponents.

But that didn't mean April could only throw straight balls.

'He had mastered the Forkball, just like Furuya and Hongou.'

For pitchers at this level, mastering the Forkball allows for significant evolution…

Now that it was suddenly introduced, it could definitely have a multiplying effect.

'If he could successfully Strike Out Sawamura…'

'That might just regain the momentum of the game in one go.'

'Bring it!'

Aoki decisively signaled, then squatted into the catcher's position.

April on the mound didn't hesitate.

After nodding, he decisively threw the ball.

Whoosh!

The small ball appeared before Sawamura like a laser beam in an instant.

Perfect timing!

Originally poised to swing with full force, Sawamura had unknowingly adjusted his swing to a more controlled stance.

If it were someone else, he might not have been able to predict.

But against April, he was sure he would throw a Forkball.

BANG!!

After making contact with the ball, it soared high into the air, flying out of the park and landing in the stands of center field.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!"

The stands erupted in cheers.

With two Outs, Sawamura hit a home run!

The crowd was stunned!

"SAWAMURA!"

"SAWAMURA!!!" 

"DEMON KING!"

"DEMON KING!!!"

As they watched Sawamura launch a home run off his opponent's incredibly powerful pitch, the fans of Seidou felt their adrenaline surge, leaving them unable to stop cheering.

They stared at Sawamura with rapt attention, chanting his name and nickname in unison.

Indeed, the title of 'Maou' is not something anyone can claim.

A name like this, once spoken and acknowledged, carries a profound significance.

"Nice Batting!" 

"Great hit!"

"So Cool!"

After completing his lap around the field, Sawamura returned to the dugout, where he was immediately surrounded by enthusiastic teammates.

They celebrated joyfully as if Seidou High School had already secured victory.

In fact, this is precisely how everyone felt deep down.

Now standing on the pitcher's mound was Sawamura, and for the opponents, trying to conquer him was no easy feat.

Even just one run was more than enough.

Recently, the freshman pitcher had been impressive; Furuya's skills were becoming increasingly formidable, and Kawakami had shown improvement too.

Yet, the Ace of Seidou High School remained Sawamura.

Only he could provide such a sense of stability for the team.

As long as he stood on the mound, it felt as if Seidou wouldn't allow any runs.

"I need to step up too!"

Just after hitting a home run, Sawamura had a prime opportunity to further rattle the opposing pitcher.

Miyuki Kazuya's eyes burned with determination.

…