Human intuition is a mysterious phenomenon—something we can neither see nor touch, but it undeniably exists.
At this moment, Sawamura Eijun had an ominous premonition.
The atmosphere of this game felt strange and unsettling. From past experience, he knew that games with this kind of ominous feeling often turned out to be very troublesome.
Like this double play.
It seemed like a pure coincidence. Theoretically, Miyuki had a good chance to reach second base. Even if Maezono were Out, Seidou High School would still have a good chance to score.
However, reality took a different turn. The ball landed perfectly in the pitcher's hands, leaving Miyuki, who had started early, unprepared and tagged Out by the narrowest of margins.
This was highly unreasonable.
'Even if the ball was in the pitcher's mitt, the throw to second base shouldn't have been so quick.'
The ball was pitched by Narumiya, hit by Maezono, then caught and relayed back to Narumiya in under three seconds.
Many spectators missed this incredible moment due to its fleeting nature.
When Inajitsu High School completed the double play, the expressions on their faces were puzzled.
"What just happened?"
It was abnormal, very abnormal.
It felt as if invisible hands were manipulating the game.
Eijun's unease grew.
His teammates also behaved oddly. Normally, playing against a strong rival like Inajitsu would excite the team. Yet, the Seidou players seemed unusually unmotivated.
'This was peculiar and unreasonable.'
Coach Kataoka had already given words of encouragement.
On the surface, everything seemed fine, but if Sawamura voiced his concerns, others might think he was paranoid.
But this was Sawamura Eijun's intuition. Although it wasn't concrete evidence, he had a hunch that something was about to happen.
Now, the sixth batter was up.
The double play by Inajitsu had completely nullified the hit Miyuki had achieved earlier.
The momentum Seidou had briefly gained was now firmly back with Inajitsu.
Although most of the spectators were Seidou fans, they were eerily quiet.
When the team performed well or was in a close contest, they cheered loudly. But when the team faltered, indiscriminate cheering could backfire.
Professional fans knew better. They understood that cheering was crucial when morale was high and even more necessary when morale was low. Their silence was a sign of their own lack of confidence.
The audience, sensitive to the game's atmosphere, likely shared Sawamura's premonition.
'This game might not proceed as smoothly as before.'
Ping!
As expected, Shiratsu barely made contact with the ball. Against a 150 km/h inside corner pitch, he could only manage a weak hit.
Three Outs, offense and defense exchange.
The game moved to the top of the third inning, with Inajitsu now attacking.
"This game feels terrible!" Miyuki suddenly said to Eijun before taking the field.
It felt as if he had sensed something.
Sawamura knew this was impossible.
Some people have an innate calmness, always thinking about turning the tide, regardless of how dire the situation is. Miyuki was one of those people. He excelled in overcoming hardships as the weaker side. In contrast, Narumiya was more suited to this kind of pressure, with his abilities increasing when leading.
Miyuki was better at climbing as the underdog.
Such players tend to optimize their opponents, putting themselves in a low position to compete.
With Miyuki's mindset, how could he have such a premonition? The game was still at the beginning, and Seidou wasn't in a dire position yet.
The fact that Miyuki was concerned likely stemmed from because he noticed the stiffness on Sawamura's face.
'My unease is showing.'
Sawamura appreciated Miyuki's concern but kept his own thoughts private.
"Don't worry about me. I know what to do."
With his premonition of trouble, Sawamura resolved to give it his all. He would not take any batter lightly and would use all his skills.
When Sawamura was serious, he was challenging.
Inajitsu's eighth and ninth batters were struck out without even understanding what happened.
Two Outs, no one on base.
Now it was Carlos's turn to bat.
Carlos had been largely responsible for the point Seidou High School had lost earlier.
He was a difficult opponent once he reached base.
Neither Miyuki nor Sawamura dared to be careless.
"Do you need it to use it?" Miyuki asked, looking at Carlos and then at Sawamura on the mound.
The two seemed to be in sync. Although Miyuki didn't have the same premonition about the game, he could sense Sawamura's apprehension.
Sawamura didn't want any batter to reach base. While using Sawamura's previous Breaking Ball could work, Carlos's strength made it risky. The best approach was to unlock a new Breaking Ball that had never been used before.
Of course, this depended on Sawamura's decision.
If he deemed it unnecessary, Miyuki wouldn't insist. He trusted Sawamura's judgment.
On the mound, Sawamura Eijun nodded firmly.
When Miyuki saw Sawamura nod, he was jolted.
'Has the situation deteriorated this much?'
Although he had signaled Sawamura, Miyuki felt it was still a bit early to reveal the Breaking Ball. It would be better to wait until the next inning.
Take Carlos, for instance. He still had two more chances to bat in this game. Showing him the new Breaking Ball now seemed a bit premature.
It would be better to save it for a later batter who has already faced Sawamura twice, not three times…
Miyuki saw Sawamura's hesitant and conflicted expression, felt his surging fighting spirit, and decided to ask him.
Unexpectedly, he received a positive answer.
'In other words, Sawamura believed that if he didn't demonstrate his crushing strength now, the game's situation would become extremely dangerous?'
As a partner, Miyuki was willing to trust Sawamura's judgment.
'Since Sawamura thought it was necessary to unlock the new pitch now, then it should be done.'
First pitch, your new Cutter, Cut-Ball Kai!
Miyuki knew that Inajitsu batters had thoroughly researched Sawamura's pitching, especially the core weapons. They would have already chosen the type of pitch they wanted to face. Once they saw that type of pitch, they would swing no matter what.
As for being pushed into a corner and then having a showdown with Sawamura…
The players from Inajitsu weren't foolish enough to do that. Sawamura's abilities were well known.
With his control, he wouldn't bother throwing Balls. Waiting for the right pitch and swinging at it would only put the batters in a worse situation.
'Understanding this, the Inajitsu players couldn't wait to be chased down before confronting Sawamura.'
'They probably didn't have the confidence to do that.'
Miyuki had no doubts about this.
'Let's go!'
After Miyuki signaled, he crouched and held out his Mitt.
Sawamura on the mound nodded slightly, then assumed his stance and pitched.
His right foot lifted high and came down like a battle axe.
Carlos in the batter's box bit his lip tightly, a small gesture of intense focus.
Facing Sawamura excited him greatly.
At that moment, he was exhilarated yet mentally calm. He even had time to assess Sawamura's pitching.
'Here it comes!'
Without making Carlos wait, Sawamura shifted his weight and threw the baseball like a sharp arrow.
'Still very fast!'
No matter how many times you see it, Sawamura Eijun's pitching remains hard to get used to.
What's more terrifying is that regardless of the type of pitch, Sawamura's form is always the same.
Standing in the batter's box, you can't see any difference.
This poses a huge challenge for the batter. They can only judge the pitch's direction and any changes after the ball is thrown.
Carlos, sensing the pitch, noticed the baseball's movement.
'The ball is flying to the outside corner!'
'It's a fastball!'
With this judgment, Carlos swung the bat without hesitation.
He knew that with Sawamura's characteristics, the pitch might have other breaks.
But he didn't let that deter him.
Facing the Maou, Carlos never expected to hit every pitch perfectly.
With three chances in an at-bat and at least three at-bats per game, he had already made one hit. This meant he had one more chance to bat.
Being the first batter had its advantages.
With this clear in his mind, Carlos swung the bat decisively.
As the ball came towards him, Carlos's swing was incredibly swift. He saw the bat about to connect with the baseball.
Buzz!
In his mind, he even imagined the scene of hitting the ball.
But unfortunately, the bat ended up hitting nothing.
The baseball that was in front of the bat had vanished before Carlos's eyes.
'Disappeared…?'
Carlos's face turned pale as if he had seen a ghost.
He had never seen a Breaking Ball like that before.
Snap!
It wasn't until the sharp sound of the baseball hitting the glove behind him that Carlos snapped back to reality.
His expression was as if he had just witnessed something inexplicable.
What just happened?
Carlos wasn't the only one confused.
In the Inajitsu High School dugout, everyone looked equally bewildered.
The baseball next to him scratched his thinning hair and hesitantly said, "I knew Sawamura-kun's skills were exceptional and that he likely developed a new Breaking Ball, but I didn't expect it to be this sharp."
Superintendent Kunitomo shook his neck, his face unusually serious.
"This is our opponent in this game!"
…