"Can I be their practice pitcher?" Sawamura volunteered to pitch to his teammates.
Besides pitching machines, having a real pitcher is crucial for hitting practice. Facing a real person offers better motivation and more realistic conditions compared to machines.
"Hm?" Coach Kataoka frowned at Sawamura.
Sawamura, slightly embarrassed, explained, "Pitching without an opponent is dull. I also want to use this chance to practice my control."
Practicing control through real combat was a good suggestion, and Coach Kataoka agreed.
"Only straight pitches allowed, and you don't need to limit control."
Coach Kataoka issued his instructions as Sawamura prepared.
With the third-year players gone and a new team forming, Kataoka didn't want Sawamura to undermine the confidence of the new players.
"Don't worry! I'll use only straight pitches and will even tell them where I'm aiming." Sawamura spoke with confidence.
"Go ahead. After everyone has had their turn, you can have another go."
"Yes!" Sawamura agreed enthusiastically.
"I want to join too!" From a distance, Furuya Satoru, seeing Sawamura's chance to pitch, raised his hand.
"Alright, you can line up behind Sawamura," Coach Kataoka agreed, showing a rare moment of leniency.
"Seriously? Are we going to be crushed?" After hearing Coach Ochiai's plan, the once eager players now felt deflated, like ballons, unsure of how they could win against these two.
"Bring it on!" Maezono was the first to step up to the plate.
His determination puzzled his teammates, who exchanged confused looks. What was Maezono thinking?
"Maezono!"
No one expected Maezono to be the one to step up now.
Originally, the players had heard about the opportunity to compete for the main jersey numbers, and they were all eagerly preparing, excited to try their best. During their time at Seidou High, they felt they hadn't been lazy. They might not be as skilled as star players like Sawamura or Miyuki, but compared to others, they were definitely impressive.
For Seidou High's players, hitting balls from the pitching machine was a breeze.
They were confident in their own achievements and believed they could handle it.
Even if the opponents were real people, whether it was Kawashima or Kaneda (the pitcher from the Second String who also pitched practice balls for the First String), they felt they could manage.
Perfect! Everything seemed set for an exciting scoring spree, and their scores would surely be impressive. Even if they didn't secure the main jersey numbers, a strong performance would leave a lasting impression on the coaches.
But then, a twist changed everything.
Their opponents were now Furuya and Sawamura!
Facing Sawamura, the feared Ace of Koshien, left the players with little hope. The monster batters at Koshien couldn't handle Sawamura; they couldn't even touch his pitches. How could they hope to score against him?
It wasn't just Sawamura. Even when Furuya pitched at Koshien, he had overpowered the top batters in the country, leaving them helpless.
How could they possibly score hits against such opponents? Simply not embarrassing themselves in the strike zone would be a success.
The gap between the front and rear was too wide, and it was no wonder the players felt disheartened.
At this moment, Maezono was eager to take his turn and asked to be first.
Was he just stupid or aiming big?
"Don't be foolish! The opponents are clearly making a lot of restrictions. Sawamura is only throwing straight balls and even telling you where he'll pitch. Even Furuya is only throwing straight balls. If that's the case, we have no confidence to stand against them. What qualifications do we have to represent Seidou?"
"But…"
"There's no 'but'. We are the top team in the country. If we lack the courage to challenge the top Demon Pitcher of high school, what right do we have to compete for the main lineup?" Maezono's boldness inspired many.
"If you're going to do it, why not do it with a bang?" Kuramochi said with a grin.
He was delighted to see his peers with such determination.
"Have you already recovered from the earlier defeat?" Miyuki asked with amusement.
"Don't call it defeat!! It wasn't a big deal in the first place, this Kuramochi-sama will not fall from something like that!" Kuramochi said with a mix of smiles and annoyance.
Kuramochi had been quite dejected after losing to Sawamura but had quickly recovered.
The loss to Sawamura didn't break him. It wasn't his peak performance, meaning his fastest speed was still greater than Sawamura's. Even with average performance, his results were above Sawamura's.
Of course, he wouldn't forgive himself for losing to Sawamura for such a reason, but no matter how frustrated he was, it couldn't change what had happened.
Since it couldn't be changed, what use was there in dwelling on it?
Kuramochi had thought this through clearly.
Not only had he thought it through, but he also knew what he wanted and what he should do now.
To avoid losing to Sawamura in the future, he needed to work harder on his speed. In future competitions, Sawamura wouldn't even be able to keep up with his speed. Let's see how Sawamura could defeat him in his Final Form!
Of course, that was a matter for the future. For now, he had to focus entirely on the test.
Even if Sawamura had a speed advantage, Kuramochi had to make up for it in other areas.
For example, hitting Sawamura's pitches during practice would be a great start.
Maezono was up first.
He had no difficulty hitting balls from the pitching machine; every ball flew into the outfield, including two home runs.
In top form, he approached Sawamura.
"I won't go easy on you just because you're the team's Ace, Sawamura!"
Maezono looked at Sawamura with an unwavering fighting spirit.
Before his regression, Sawamura and Maezono had a good relationship, mainly because Maezono admired Sawamura greatly.
To make a long story short, before entering Seidou High School for the first time, Sawamura was essentially an amateur in baseball.
His achievements came from training harder than anyone else. After the Senpais retired, Sawamura trained every day until the last one left.
As the most diligent second-year student, Maezono often saw the lights still on in the indoor practice area after training. The person training there was always Sawamura.
Therefore, Maezono, a training maniac, held Sawamura in high regard.
Training maniacs only respect those who train even harder.
But in this life, Sawamura wasn't the same as he was before his regression. Naturally, Maezono didn't admire him as he did before.
To some extent, the hard-working genius like Maezono felt a bit antagonistic towards the naturally gifted Sawamura.
Today's Maezono had this motivation and was especially driven.
On the mound, Sawamura's eyes sparkled with determination.
"First pitch, low inside corner!" Sawamura shouted, then took his stance and threw the ball with a casual demeanor, not using his full strength. He aimed for Maezono's best hitting zone and even altered his pitching form, not using his mitt to cover his pitching hand.
Whoosh!
The white ball shot forward, heading straight for the inside corner of the strike zone.
'Here it comes!'
Maezono's eyes followed the ball intently, and he swung his bat decisively.
Ping!
The ball connected perfectly, soaring through a perfect arc and landing beyond the outfield fence.
Home run!
An absolutely stunning home run!!!
The spectators were stunned.
Honestly, they had considered many scenarios but never expected Maezono to hit a home run off Sawamura. Even with Sawamura announcing where he would pitch, Maezono's achievement was remarkable.
Maezono, having hit the home run, stood in the batter's box, roaring with excitement like he won the Championship right here and right now.
"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!"
"Zono!! Calm down!!! You will get a heart attack!!"
…