Three Outs, offense and defense exchange.
Sawamura's pitching continued to be flawless, leaving Teito High School unable to find any weaknesses.
"Sawamura!"
"Sawamura!!!"
In the stands, the Demon King's Guard chanted Sawamura's name in unison.
What they loved most was watching the Demon King's dazzling performance on the field as he outplayed his opponents.
"Commander, where's the Brotherhood of Red Hearts? Why haven't they shown up yet?" A fourteen-years-old boy asked Miyamoto.
"I just called Kobayashi-san, but there was no answer."
"Is something wrong?"
"Don't jinx it!" Miyamoto snapped.
The game continued.
It wasn't only the Demon King's Guard who noticed the absence of the Brotherhood of Red Hearts. The spectators, media reporters, and many of the Seidou High School players also noticed.
However, everyone chose to remain silent.
No one was more anxious than Sawamura himself. But he was in the middle of a game—worrying wouldn't change anything.
The game resumed, and in the bottom of the third inning, Seidou High School went on the attack.
Toujou, Higasa, and Asou gave it their all, but Mukai Taiyou's pitching proved too challenging.
All three were Out.
By the end of the third inning, the rain had intensified.
The poring became so much that playing the game like this is dangerous.
Eventually, the organizers had no choice but to suspend the game.
Unlike professional baseball, high school games cannot be postponed indefinitely. They must be rescheduled, which might result in the game being back-to-back with the next one.
This would be unfair to both teams.
Moreover, most high school games are scheduled for weekends. If rescheduled, it would have to be during weekdays, which could affect students' academic performance.
Therefore, organizers usually avoid rescheduling games unless absolutely necessary.
Given the worsening rain, continuing the game could result in players catching colds at least, or even more serious consequences.
After careful consideration, the organizers decided to pause the game.
If the rain showed no sign of stopping close to noon, the game would be canceled and rescheduled for a later date.
With the score tied at 0-0, even the referee couldn't determine a winner.
After the game was suspended, Teito High School's players sat on their bench.
They eagerly discussed Seidou High School's strengths and players, with Sawamura Eijun being the most frequently mentioned.
"Just a monster!" was the unanimous verdict from Teito High School's players about Sawamura.
"Taiyou, this break might be longer than expected. Make sure to keep your shoulder warm," Inui advised Mukai with concern.
"Don't worry, I know."
"I'm worried the game might be postponed," Mukai said. He was eager to finish the game today, as his pitching felt unusually good.
If the game were rescheduled, he might not have the same good feel.
Based on his prior observations of Seidou High School, Mukai knew that if his performance was average, he might lose several points.
And for Teito High School's players, scoring against the Demon King Sawamura would be an uphill battle.
"If we miss today, our newly formed team probably won't stand a chance against them."
On the other side, in Seidou High School's rest area, Miyuki gave Sawamura similar advice.
"Keep your shoulders warm and don't let them cool down."
Sawamura was gently moving his shoulders. Although he disliked rain and hated playing in it, he had experience with such conditions.
He had faced unexpected rain many times before and knew how to keep his shoulders warm between innings.
Even though he was aware of this, he appreciated Miyuki's concern.
"Got it! Thanks!!!"
"How many shirts do you have with you?" Miyuki asked.
"With this one, three more!" Sawamura replied.
Miyuki raised an eyebrow, surprised that Sawamura had prepared for the weather.
"What kind of look is that? I check the weather forecast before games, you know," Sawamura said with a smile.
Miyuki recalled Sawamura's past achievements. It was clear that Sawamura was thoughtful and well-prepared for every game.
"Looks like I underestimated you!" Miyuki said with a wry smile.
"Don't say that. You're the captain and my partner. It's a relief to have you watch my back," Sawamura said, genuinely appreciative.
"Stop with the melodrama. I'm almost in tears," Miyuki joked, though he was happy by Sawamura's words.
During the break, two people stood up in the stands and walked toward the back. One had blond and a bit wild hair, emerald green eyes, and a very cool face. He looked like a character that came out of a video game.
The other had brown hair with red highlights and he wore a bandana over it, he also wore glasses and he looked like the affable kid next door.
Next to the vending machine.
Clang~
After inserting the coin and selecting the drink, it dropped down automatically.
The brown-haired boy with glasses bent over took out two bottles from the machine and handed one to the blond boy beside him.
"I hope this game doesn't get rescheduled. I won't have time to come back tomorrow!"
The brown-haired boy's tone was tinged with regret.
Although he thought the match between Seidou High School and Teito High School would be interesting, he never expected it to be this thrilling.
Teito High School's Mukai had an even matchup against the legendary Demon King in a pitching duel.
Just thinking about it was exhilarating.
The brown-haired boy continued talking by himself.
The blond boy next to him opened his drink and drank silently, without saying a word.
The brown-haired boy, clearly accustomed to this silence, wasn't bothered and continued sharing the information he had just observed.
"By the way, I just saw Hayakawa in the stands. There was a girl sitting next to him!"
When talking about the girl, the brown-haired boy looked especially irritated.
His white bandana seemed to be pushed up by his anger.
The blond boy remained unfazed.
"And Kuroki from Jonan senior! It seems he's there too. There are also a lot of big names, that I barely remember half of their names."
"If nothing unexpected happens, they should all be aiming for Seidou High School. After all, they just won the National Championship, and with Sawamura-senpai on their team, they're in the spotlight. But Mukai-senpai is impressive too; I never thought he could hold his own against Sawamura-senpai. Both Teito and Seidou have extended invitations to us. Who would you prefer to catch for? Koushuu."
Facing the brown-haired boy's question, the blond boy, Okumura Koushuu, remained silent, simply continuing to walk forward.
The brown-haired boy, understanding his friend's thoughts, tried to persuade him, "It's really unfortunate for Coach Kawasaki, but we should decide our future soon. At this point, if we haven't made a decision, it's probably just the two of us left."
The brown-haired boy, Seto Takuma, was about to continue persuading when cheers erupted from the stands.
The game was resuming!
After waiting a full half-hour, the rain had finally tapered off.
Although it was still drizzling, it no longer affected the game.
"Damn it!" Sawamura glanced helplessly at the sky.
He felt incredibly frustrated. The gloomy weather only added to his irritation.
The game resumed in the top of the fourth inning with Teito High School on the offense.
Previously, they had been at bat in the first slot; now, they were starting from the second slot.
Coach Okamoto had specifically advised the players before they took the field.
"This break will definitely affect Sawamura's pitching to some extent. If you get a hittable pitch, don't hesitate—swing hard. If the opponent hasn't managed to get three Outs and we've already gotten on base, immediately switch tactics and focus on scoring. Understood?"
"Understood!"
For Coach Okamoto, attacking was like a venomous snake—strike decisively and without mercy.
The players trained under him also carried that determination onto the field.
But unfortunately, after the half-hour break, Sawamura Eijun, now refreshed, wasn't about to give them an easy chance.
Had the game not been interrupted, Sawamura wouldn't have dared to rely so heavily on his Breaking Balls. Even if his stamina was fine, his fingers might not have held up.
But with the half-hour break, and only six innings remaining, he could afford to use his sharp Breaking Balls more widely to challenge his opponents.
Especially at the game's restart, using his sharp Breaking Balls to make his opponents feel desperate was exactly what he, as the ace pitcher, should do.
"STRIKE!"
"STRIKE!!"
"STRIKE!!!"
"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!!"
"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!!!"
In the blink of an eye, Sawamura had already taken out Teito High School's second and third batters.
Two Outs, no one on base.
Even facing Sawamura for the second time, the batters from Teito High School were still struggling to adapt.
Sawamura's pitching seemed ever-changing, making it impossible for them to counter.
"Even after all the practice, do you still feel powerless against Sawamura's pitching?" Coach Okamoto frowned, looking at Sawamura.
'No, this shouldn't be happening.'
He shook his head gently, dispelling his doubts.
No player is truly invincible. The issue must be with their inaccurate information.
'After Koshien, Sawamura Eijun's power had grown.'
Perhaps his pitching speed hadn't increased dramatically, but his feel for the game had improved.
Moreover, Okamoto had a strange feeling.
He felt that Sawamura wasn't giving it his all.
In other words, even against Teito High School, Sawamura's pitching had some reservations.
"Fourth Batter, Catcher, Kengo-kun!"
At that moment, it was Kengo Inui's turn to bat.
Facing this formidable opponent, Sawamura Eijun performed with ease.
His pitching was sharp and focused.
"STRIKE!"
Ping!
"Foul!"
The first pitch wasn't swung at, and the second pitch was hit Foul.
Inui solemnly lifted his bat again and let out a long breath.
Despite being down to two Strikes, his aura remained intimidating.
From his position, Miyuki watched Inui thoughtfully.
'This guy is different!'
Even in the second round against Sawamura, Inui had fully seized the opportunity to swing.
'It wasn't easy to get rid of a batter of this caliber.'
Did he need to use the newly honed Breaking Ball?
Miyuki thought, glancing at Sawamura on the mound.
As expected, Sawamura's expression showed no sign of unusual stress.
It was Sawamura's confident performance that reassured Miyuki.
'No, it's not necessary!'
This was only the first round of the Tournament. In the third round, they would face the formidable opponent Inashiro.
Before that, Sawamura's newly honed Breaking Ball should remain a secret.
'If he wasn't using the new Breaking Ball, then for this last pitch…'
It could only be a Straight Fastball or a Forkball.
'But why should we limit ourselves?'
Miyuki realized he had been thinking too narrowly. There was no rule saying the final pitch had to be a winning shot.
With a smile, Miyuki gave Sawamura a sign.
Ping!
The white ball was hit high into the air and landed perfectly in Sawamura's mitt.
"The Swallow's Homecoming!"
…