"Are you kidding me?"
Even though Taiyou knew that the Maou Sawamura was exceptional, watching his Senpais unable to even swing or run was still hard for him to believe.
Teito High School, like Seidou, is one of the top traditional high schools in the country. However, unlike Seidou, which has suffered from bad luck and hasn't made it to Koshien for several years, Teito High School has continued to thrive and participate in Koshien Tournaments regularly almost every year.
Given this, the quality of players they recruit is naturally higher than that of Seidou High School.
These top-tier players undergo two full years of training at the prestigious Teito High School before being promoted to the main team. You can imagine how strong they are.
Taiyou himself had previously stated that he didn't want to compete against these teammates of his. Just thinking about it was already quite troublesome.
"This is just too overwhelming!"
Next to Taiyou, Kengo Inui, who was preparing to take the field, looked at the mound.
"The ball speed is faster than I expected!"
Even from the sidelines, you could clearly feel the increase in Sawamura's pitch speed.
"It's only been a little over a month since Koshien ended, and the increase in ball speed is quite frightening," Inui spoke hesitantly.
"It's not just a recent increase. Even during the final stage of Koshien, Sawamura's ball speed had already improved significantly." Taiyou wasn't surprised by this.
Most first-year players experience a major boost after entering high school. Mukai had a significant improvement, and so did Eijun.
While they were talking, Teito High's third batter was facing Sawamura.
Snap!
"STRIKE!"
Sawamura's pitching was incredibly fast and unrelenting, giving the batter no chance to catch his breath. Almost as soon as Miyuki caught the ball, Sawamura was ready to pitch again.
There were almost no pauses or breaks in between.
'The second ball, a Straight Fastball to the outside.'
Whoosh!
Snap!
"STRIKE!!"
What's even more terrifying is that Sawamura was still able to maintain his control over the runner on base during this process.
Kajiyama was known for his speed and agility. Yet, even he couldn't get far from the base against Sawamura.
He seemed to sense that any attempt to leave the base too far would result in being Out immediately.
"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!"
Without any suspense, the third batter was struck out.
Of the three batters who came up, only the leadoff man reached base by accident; the others didn't even touch Sawamura's pitches.
In Teito High's dugout, the old Coach Okamoto had a grim expression.
He was not unaware of Sawamura Eijun's fearsome reputation. When he analyzed Seidou's games, he realized that Sawamura was extraordinary. At that time, he understood that scoring against Sawamura would be very difficult, which is why he had devised such tactics for his team.
"Don't miss any opportunities and score whatever you can."
However, experiencing Sawamura in action was different from what he had anticipated.
Sawamura's fundamental skills were solid beyond high school, making him seem nothing like an amateur pitcher.
'His concentration was far beyond ordinary levels.'
Looking up at the sky, the light rain continued to fall.
'This was a rare bit of help from the heavens!'
Such high concentration from Sawamura was a tremendous test of mental and physical endurance.
In rainy weather, this challenge became even more intense.
'I don't believe you can maintain that level of concentration and pitch nine innings in this weather,' Okamoto thought.
"With such weather, errors will inevitably appear. So when you got one make use of it. Until then, continue putting pressure on the opponent until they are defeated."
Kengo Inui, the fourth batter for Teito High School, received this encouragement from his coach before stepping up to bat.
Inui nodded and then walked to the field.
As the team's fourth batter, he was clearly determined.
"STRIKE!"
He had let the first pitch go by, not because it was a bad pitch, but to conceal his intended target. By not swinging, he hoped the opponent would be uncertain about what pitch he was aiming for.
This was a classic psychological tactic, similar to the "static defense" strategy used in military tactics.
This tactic wasn't necessarily crafty. if Seidou High School fell for it, they might throw the pitch Inui was waiting for. Unfortunately, Seidou's battery wasn't fooled. They threw the second pitch almost immediately.
Whoosh!
Inui had to adjust his swing. He took a step back, shifting his focus to adjust for the extreme inside pitch.
As he was ready, he swung intending to hit Sawamura Eijun's pitch out.
However, the pitch suddenly slid back toward the inside corner just as it neared him. His swing missed the ball entirely.
Snap!
"STRIKE!"
'A Ball!'
Despite being known to battle within the strike zone, Sawamura threw a rare Ball.
For the opponent known as the Maou to treat it so seriously left Inui feeling mixed emotions.
'No no! No time for that.'
With two Strikes against him, Inui had no room for extra thoughts.
'From the batter's perspective, the pitch seemed to come in much faster than expected, almost like a 150 km/h fastball!'
Facing such speed, Inui instinctively increased his swing speed.
Whoosh!
When Sawamura threw his third pitch, it was at the same angle as the previous one. Prepared this time, Inui adjusted his stance and took a mighty full swing.
Determined to hit, even if the pitch was at the extreme inside corner or slightly outside the strike zone, Inui swung with full force.
BUZZ!!
The bat sliced through the air with a low hum, but he missed the ball.
To Inui, the pitch seemed unusually slow, despite his bat fully swinging through the air.
'A Change-up?!' Inui felt like he was struck by lightning.
He hadn't expected Sawamura to use such a pitch against him. For a batter who can wait until the ball is close before swinging, hitting a Change-up should be simple.
Inui had thought Sawamura would never dare to use a change-up against him, yet the outcome was contrary to his expectations.
SNAP!
"STRIKE BATTER OUT!!!"
Kengo Inui, the core player for Teito High, was Struck Out on his very first appearance at the plate.
Inui Kengo was Struck Out swinging!
The result in front of him dealt an immense blow to the players of Teito High School. While they had seen similar scenes in Seidou's game footage before, witnessing it firsthand was far more impactful. When Sawamura started pitching, no matter how formidable the opponent, he seemed to crush them one after another.
Seeing it on video had been shocking, but that shock was from an observer's perspective.
Now, however, watching their strongest batter being toyed with by the opponent was a whole different experience.
Three Outs, offense and defense exchange.
No matter how unbelievable this was for Teito High School, the game had to go on. The game was now in the bottom half of the inning.
Seidou High School was up to bat!
Before taking the field, Inui, who had just been struck out, stood there like a statue, his face devoid of expression.
"Are you really that scared?" Taiyou teased.
Though meant as a joke, there was undeniable worry in his tone.
If Inui was truly intimidated by Sawamura's pitching, their chances in this game could be dire.
Inui was stunned, replaying Sawamura Eijun's pitches over and over in his mind.
"How did it feel facing Sawamura?" Taiyou asked, concerned.
"On that last pitch, it felt like a lightning bolt hit my brain, opening a whole new world."
"Your brain is too easily struck by lightning, isn't it?" Taiyou joked.
Despite the jest, Taiyou understood Inui's experience. The true terror of the Maou could only be felt in confrontation.
Sawamura Eijun was undoubtedly a tougher opponent than they had imagined.
"Against such an opponent, we must ensure we don't lose any points!" Taiyou said firmly.
Inui agreed. Although he trusted Taiyou's abilities, he acknowledged that Sawamura's style was entirely different.
Sawamura's strength was showcased through his superb skills, making it exceptionally hard for opponents to hit his pitches, let alone score.
In contrast, Taiyou's pitching style was different—slower and relying on defense. Even with clever pitches, there was no guarantee they wouldn't be hit.
Taiyou was a pitcher who depended on defense for Outs, whereas Sawamura made batters miss the ball directly. The chance of unexpected outcomes was higher with Taiyou's style.
Inui had hoped to score before Taiyou took the mound, easing the pressure on him. But being Struck Out with three pitches and unable to score meant Seidou High School's momentum soared at the game's start.
This increased the pressure on Taiyou even more.
"Damn it!" Inui muttered, casting a determined gaze at Seidou High School, focusing on Sawamura.
His eyes held both fierce determination and a trace of fear.
'What a challenging opponent!'
…
T/N: That's it for Today.
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