On the pitcher's mound at Koshien Stadium.
Sawamura stood there calmly, looking at the Batter on the strike zone with cold eyes.
'What kind of eyes are these?'
It was cold without any emotion, like a demon who had just climbed out of hell.
Takeda never thought that one day he would see such eyes on the field, which made him shudder.
It's not that he didn't play against Sawamura before, and he didn't feel that way then. Why did it suddenly change?
Takeda's intuition is right, and Sawamura's expression has indeed changed. Not only his eyes but his entire demeanor and momentum are completely different from when he pitched before.
The blood coursed through his veins, every cell in his body stretched and alert. He was ready to pitch the baseball with everything he had.
Sawamura feels very bad now. Originally, he thought that Seidou High School should be sure to win this match. But the previous attack had shaken his thoughts. If they lack a bit of luck, Seidou might really lose this game.
The baseball game is like this. Skills are important, but sometimes when the two teams are close in strength, luck is also an aspect of winning or losing.
And Sawamura is absolutely unwilling to accept this result!
After he returned to the past, his wishes were not many but they are grand. In addition to reaching a height he has never reached before, one of his few wishes is to win the championship with the third-year seniors.
Eijun would never accept the possibility of losing. Since the opponent's defense was unexpectedly tough, as the Ace of Seidou High School, he can't lose points.
No, not just that, he cannot give them even hope.
And with his feeling and determination, his concentration improved accordingly!
In the catcher's position.
Of course, Chris was also keenly aware of Sawamura's change.
But as a partner, he certainly didn't mind Sawamura getting stronger. He just didn't know if this change was good or bad, nevertheless, his trust in his Kohai was enough to bet on him.
So he very calmly gave Sawamura a sign and asked him to throw the ball into his Mitt.
Whoosh!
Just after Chris gave the sign, the Ace made his stride and threw the baseball in his hand.
His rhythm was terrifyingly fast, and Takeda didn't react at all, watching the white ball fly into Chris' Mitt.
SNAP!
"STRIKE!"
It was not until the referee spoke that Takeda came back to his senses.
So he's one strike behind?
'Wait a minute, is there something wrong, why does it feel like something is wrong?'
Just before he took the field, he had already seen Sawamura's pitching, and he was determined to hit the base.
'I couldn't even get the time to swing. What is going on with this pitcher?'
Takeda bit his lip firmly, biting a row of teeth marks on his lips.
There is no way to accept Sawamura leading him by the nose like that, he must go to base no matter what.
Facing Sawamura's terrifying eyes, Takeda stubbornly held his bat forward.
Bunt!
Obviously, he has made a plan, even if it is a bunt, he will hit the ball right now.
Even if he really couldn't get to base, he definitely couldn't let Sawamura continue his rhythm like this.
On the mound, facing Takeda's sudden bunt, Sawamura threw the baseball in his hand as if he didn't see it.
Whoosh!
The small white ball flew and reached the top of the plate in the blink of an eye.
'A ball high in the middle!'
For Sawamura Eijun to throw the ball in such a position, Takeda was not prepared at all, he could only force himself to lift the bat up.
But just as he lifted the bat, the small white ball close to his hand suddenly sank.
Takeda reacted, and he pulled the bat down.
But he couldn't follow the ball fast enough.
The white ball slid into Chris's Mitt, bypassing the bat.
SNAP!
"STRIKE!"
Takeda's face was full of shock, confusion, and frustration.
'Not even a bunt?'
Takeda felt like he was going crazy. He had clearly gotten used to Sawamura's pitching. Even if it is difficult to hit the ball well this time, it should be fine to hit the ball.
But the result now, let alone hitting the ball, he didn't even bunt the pitch of Sawamura.
'Just what the hell is going on?'
***
"The bunt didn't touch the ball!"
"What is going on? Is this a new trick?"
"No, not like that! Look! Look!"
Sawamura forced Takeda to miss the bunt, making the audience in the stands confused until some of them started to notice something.
In the position of the catcher, Chris's eyes also became radiant.
He looked behind Sawamura and understood what was going on.
'You did it at last, and in the final no less! Looks like your path is still very long.'
Chris was very happy for his Kohai, and also a bit sad. This is the last time they will play together in High school.
'There is no time for this now! Let's focus on winning this game. This is what has pushed you forward, right?'
He made up his mind to win this game and enjoy his remaining time with his Kohai.
Two Strikes, no Ball!
A batter who is chased by two Strikes can no longer use bunts. Takeda reluctantly took back the bat in his hand.
Now his entire body is tense, and his mind is completely blank when facing Sawamura's pitch that he didn't know what was going on.
Saw Sawamura throwing the ball off the mound. Almost mechanically, Takeda swung the bat in his hand.
The bat was swung, but the ball thrown from Sawamura's hand never came.
Takeda was completely dumbfounded.
After a long time, the white ball came over.
SNAP!
"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!"
The last ball, the Change-up.
Sawamura faced the starter of Komadai High School in the second round and still forcibly struck Out the batter. Even if the batter used a bunt during the process, nothing changed.
As the game continued, it was the Komadai's second batter, Enjou Renji, who also served as an outfielder.
When Renji came on the field, the cheering voice was not small, and it could be seen that he had defended brilliantly before, which gave him a lot of extra expectations.
Sawamura on the pitcher's mound also recalled Renji's previous performance in his mind.
'This guy's ability to learn and act is really amazing.'
Sawamura has used similar stunts before, but he plays high school games with the mentality of a Major League player, so he can naturally do such a thing.
But Renji was just an ordinary high school student, and he was able to achieve this level of composure and self-control, which really impressed Sawamura.
But the more he did, the less Sawamura intends to let him go.
The pitcher wants to show offense by ruthlessly solving the opponent who has performed well.
The better the opponent, the more ruthless his pitching will be.
The right foot was raised high and then fell down like a battle axe. As the center of gravity of his body shifted, the Mitt of his right hand was pushed out like a wall, and the arm of his left hand was swung like a whip…
Whoosh!
The small white ball soared forward like a laser light.
Renji on the strike zone looked at Sawamura's pitching in disbelief. He knows it is not an illusion. Sawamura Eijun's ball speed was faster than before.
SNAP!
"STRIKE!"
first ball, Renji didn't swing the bat and chose to let it go.
Then he set his sights on the electronic board above the pitch.
143 km/h! (~89 mph)
His pitching was getting faster!
…