Chapter 25: Magic Show!

People in the stands had only a vague sense of how incredible Sawamura's pitching is.

But for Mori Hiroshi who is standing in the batter's box as the leadoff hitter for Ichidaisan High School, the experience became much more vivid.

The baseball flew past him like a streak of white light, and he didn't even have time to react.

Staring in shock at the calm figure on the pitcher's mound, the first batter Mori felt his throat go dry.

'I-Incredible!'

There was no boasting—Sawamura Eijun simply stood there and threw what seemed like an ordinary pitch.

Mori was deeply flabbergasted.

No need for anything more; this one pitch was enough.

Though he had heard that from the Batter's Box, Sawamura Eijun's pitch would seem faster than its actual velocity, seeing it in person was a different experience.

The ball was not merely fast; it was terrifyingly so.

In the blink of an eye, the small ball zoomed past, leaving him no time to react or swing.

He lifted his head and inspected the man on the mound.

The leadoff batter of Ichidaisan knew well how difficult the opponent was.

At this moment, he needed to be extremely careful.

As the first batter, Mori had an important job. If he was easily taken Out, it would unintentionally increase the pressure on the batters that followed him.

In this situation, he absolutely could not afford to be easily Out.

'I must not be Struck Out.'

Even if he didn't manage a hit, he at least had to compete evenly with Sawamura. As long as he made contact with the ball—whether it was a pop fly or a grounder—it would be acceptable.

'Just make contact!'

This wasn't a cowardly choice but a wise decision based on a true assessment of the level scale involved.

'I need to understand Sawamura's pitching better and better help the batters that followed.'

'This was the style of Sankou.'

Bring it on!

Clutching the bat with both hands, Mori sensed every cell in his body spring into action. In that instant, he felt invincible, or at least, that was his impression.

Miyuki, the catcher, glanced at the opponent in surprise.

He hadn't expected the opposing batter to calm down so quickly in the first round against Sawamura.

'As expected of Sankou.'

'Even though they hadn't played in Koshien or faced many big moments, their training was thorough enough.'

Tears and sweat had given them ample confidence and strength.

'It was impossible to crush this opponent just with sheer momentum.'

'Throw a sharp Splitter. Straight balls alone won't solve the problem.'

Seeing Miyuki's signal, Sawamura gave a slight nod.

He felt the same way.

Since the new team had been formed not long ago, Ichidaisan High still had many issues, but one thing was undeniable: their players' prowess!

The players of Ichidaisan were selected from various areas in Tokyo.

They were all exceptionally talented.

In the past, because Seidou High School was relatively weak, many of the best players either went to Sankou or Inajitsu.

This directly led to a noticeable gap in player quality.

The quality of Seidou High School's second-year players was clearly higher than that of the juniors, let alone compared to the well-recruited Inajitsu team.

Now, Sawamura and Miyuki were facing a team of such talented individuals.

They could not afford to take them lightly.

Since Miyuki believed Sawamura should use a breaking ball, Sawamura had no objections.

He stepped back, lifted his right foot, and then slammed it down.

Whoosh!

As his body weight shifted, the white ball in Sawamura's hand appeared before the batter like a laser beam.

So fast!

Even with mental preparation, the batter felt flustered facing Sawamura's pitch again.

The ball was so fast that it caught him off guard, reaching him almost instantly.

He could only swing his bat hastily.

Clearly, his timing was off, and he missed the incoming ball.

After leaving the bat behind, the baseball accurately landed in Miyuki's open Mitt.

'This terrifying monster!'

At this moment, sweat beads dripped from the batter's forehead.

So frightening!

Before he could adjust to the speed, Sawamura had already started using breaking balls.

Thinking of Sawamura Eijun's complex array of breaking balls, Mori didn't even know which pitch to anticipate.

He could only helplessly raise his bat and wait for the next pitch.

He didn't have to wait long; the ball came Soaring.

With Sawamura's current speed plus the Wall-Making Form, the batter couldn't wait until the ball was in his reach before swinging.

He had to swing early.

Here it comes!

The moment he saw the ball, he swung his bat.

He swung so early that he hadn't yet seen the ball come.

At that moment, time seemed to stretch for the batter.

It felt like an eternity before he heard the sound of the baseball landing in the Mitt behind him.

Snap!

"STRIKE BATTER OUT!!!"

Despite the batter's best efforts to avoid this outcome, it came.

He was Struck Out decisively.

"YEAH!!"

"WOW!"

"That Change-up was INSANE!"

 "As expected of the Demon King!"

"Did you see that break?"

"Awesome!"

"You're the best!"

After Striking Out the first batter, Sawamura Eijun continued his dominance, striking out Sankou's second and third batters in succession.

Nine pitches, three Strikeouts.

This was Sawamura Eijun's performance.

At that moment, the entire field was on fire.

"OH!!!!"

"DEMON KING!"

"SAWAMURA!!!"

"It is like a magic show!"

"Damn it! I missed this so much!!"

"SAWAMURA!"

"SAWAMURA!!"

They cheered and roared, shouting Sawamura's name hoarsely.

It seemed that this was the only way they could express their emotions.

So strong!

Really too strong!!!

Not just against weak opponents, but even the batters from the Famous Ichidaisan couldn't make any impact in front of Sawamura.

He had already undergone a complete transformation!

He was no longer the freshman who had just moved up from middle school.

He was now the top pitcher in high school, the Ace of Koshien.

Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!!!

***

The match between Seidou High School and Ichikawa University Third High School(Sankou) was in full swing.

After being hit with a home run, Sankou's Ace, Amahisa Kousei, did not falter as everyone had expected. Instead, he showed extraordinary pitching skills and continued to perform like a true top pitcher.

By the end of the third inning, the score was still 1-0, with neither team's batters managing to reach base.

A fierce pitching duel had begun.

Sawamura's performance—although entertaining—was not surprising to the audience. They had seen similar scenes during his previous games.

However, Amahisa's performance was impressive. Although there had been rumors about his top-tier skills, many had not experienced it firsthand.

Watching him suppress the powerful Seidou's lineup, it was evident that Amahisa's strength was significant.

The fans finally believed in his formidable abilities. With Amahisa's performance matching Sawamura's, Sankou's momentum also rose.

Being a Famous Team with outstanding players, once they gained momentum, even Seidou couldn't afford to be careless.

"One point is still not enough!" Coach Ochiai said thoughtfully, stroking his chin.

Coach Kataoka, wearing sunglasses, nodded and gathered his team.

"One point isn't enough. Our next focus should be to secure another run as quickly as possible. Their Ace pitcher is stronger than we initially scouted. Relying on consecutive hits to secure a win is challenging. We must take it one point at a time. If we can build up our lead, it will eventually make the opponent feel desperate. Do you understand?"

"Understood!"

There was no ambiguity. Coach Kataoka's message was clear: get another run and extend the lead to two or more.

They needed to dominate the game.

…

T/N: As always, Thank you all for reading!!

Have a good day people!

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