"Seidou High School advances to the fourth round!"
It seemed only natural as Seidou High School easily defeated their opponent and secured their spot first.
After the victory, the players of Seidou High School didn't display much joy; to them, the outcome was expected.
As the media has mentioned countless times, there are only a few teams that can truly pose a threat to the current Seidou High School.
Having defeated those teams, the players of Seidou High School had reason to celebrate.
For the other opponents, it was just a given that Seidou High School would win; losing was the real headline.
As the most-watched team in the country right now, Seidou High School attracted not only ordinary fans and spectators but also a group of special guests.
These guests were sent by various schools to scout information on Seidou High School.
Most of them were tycoons from the Tokyo area, along with several scouts from elite teams across the nation.
From Seidou High School's very first match, they began making records. This scouting will continue until the Summer Tournament, the moment they face each other…
"They're strong!"
"12:0, the game ended early."
"No, their opponent wasn't a weak team. Judging by that team's performance, they still have solid strength."
"Yes, I think so too."
"Seidou will still be our biggest competitor!"
Almost all the schools that came to Scout reached similar conclusions: Seidou High School is still very strong and remains their most significant strategic competitor.
After the game, the players of Seidou High School saluted their opponents, thanked the audience, changed their gears, and prepared to head back.
From time to time, they could hear the audience commenting on today's match.
"So strong!"
"No wonder they are King Seidou!"
"Though Kawakami's pitching was nerve-wracking, he ended up not giving up any runs! It shows that the foundation of his strength is still there."
"What shocked me the most was Sawamura!"
"Even though I've seen it countless times on TV, witnessing him get three strikeouts in a row is still exhilarating!"
"Are those young fans Sawamura's supporters?"
"Absolutely!"
"It's rare! Today's youth are either staying at home, gaming or watching anime. It's refreshing to see so many young people in school here today."
"Sawamura's fans—there are so many young people!"
"He's definitely going to be the future of baseball!"
Sawamura had become somewhat immune to such compliments.
However, his teammates were not so unaffected, looking at him with a mix of emotions.
In this regard, Sawamura felt helpless.
Some things could only be understood by other people; as the person in question, he couldn't figure it out for them.
Of course, the freshmen of Seidou were the ones talking most about today's game.
For the first time, they were viewing the game from the perspective of Seidou High School.
"They're really strong! Even though I saw Sawamura-senpai's sharp pitching before, seeing it again on the field is still awesome…"
Takuma said excitedly.
His excitement made him a bit incoherent; he had actually said this twice already.
On the other side, Okumura Koushuu just listened quietly, not speaking.
It wasn't until Takuma looked at him with questioning eyes that he finally spoke.
The two had been friends since childhood. Despite their vastly different personalities, as partners, they shared a certain tacit understanding.
It was as if Takuma didn't need to say anything; Okumura already knew what he wanted to ask.
"Nine pitches! Seven inside corners, two outside corners! Not a single ball was a Ball; they were all Strikes. And all nine pitches were Straight balls! Five of those pitches were so fast the batter didn't even swing, and the remaining four were swung at but couldn't find the rhythm…"
A complete dominance!
In this duel, Sawamura displayed terrifying, one-sided power.
'Like playing with children, he toyed with the three batters from Eigen High School.'
"As expected of Shisho; he truly is overwhelmingly powerful."
Unlike Okumura, who viewed Eijun's pitching as a catcher, Hirota looked at it from a batter's perspective.
To be honest, his hair stood on end!
Just thinking back to the pitching he witnessed made him shudder.
Before, during Sawamura's break, he had also practiced with his Senpai.
Though they had never had a serious duel, Hirota had faced Sawamura's pitches.
Originally, Hirota thought he had seen Sawamura's pitching.
He felt confident that one day, he would be able to hit his boss's pitches.
However, after watching Sawamura pitch live, Hirota, who had previously been confident, felt a slight doubt creeping in.
'It was different!'
Completely different from when he practiced with him; Sawamura, standing on the field, was truly terrifying.
"Baseball players, you can never predict their strength unless you stand on the field and compete," Sawamura had once said.
Hirota had always taken every word Sawamura said to heart, but at the time, he couldn't fully grasp that statement.
It wasn't until just now that he seemed to have an epiphany.
"Indeed, it's amazing to be able to come to Seidou High School!"
Hirota's realization wasn't surprising at all.
When he was on the Akagi Middle School baseball team, he had just begun to learn baseball, guided by the experienced Sawamura.
Having someone as experienced as Sawamura instruct a newcomer was naturally a breeze.
In those two years, Hirota's skills improved rapidly.
After Sawamura entered high school, Hirota practiced on his own for the next year.
Under Sawamura's protective wing, Hirota never felt any issues with his skill development.
It wasn't until Sawamura left that he truly felt the vast gap in their abilities.
During that year, his progress was agonizingly slow.
Though he continued to train, the pace was painfully gradual.
Hirota was ecstatic when Takashima Rei invited him.
He could finally escape this predicament!
The thought of continuing to play with Sawamura excited him immensely.
Now, he felt even more grateful for his initial choice.
The same sentiment applied to the other freshmen.
On one hand, they were impressed by Seidou High School's strength, and on the other, they marveled at Sawamura.
Even without Sawamura on the field, Seidou High School was still a powerful team. But when Sawamura took the mound, everything changed.
Seidou High School without Sawamura was just another strong team.
With Sawamura, Seidou High School was a true champion.
He was like a gigantic beacon, illuminating the path forward for these players.
Want to become a core member of the team?
Then strive to be a player like Sawamura Eijun, someone who can bring monumental change to the team.
Only by doing so can promoted early.
Bang!
Walking at the front of the team, Yuuki Masashi suddenly felt an indescribable surge of fighting spirit.
"Yuuki, are you alright?"
"Hey, something alien just came out of you!"
Yui Kaoru turned back to look at the field, a broad smile on his face.
'Indeed, baseball is most exciting when played on the field.'
Meanwhile, the two younger teammates in Sawamura's dormitory walked together.
"Nishiyama-kun, what were you just thinking?" Asada asked curiously.
"You don't need to use honorifics with me; just call me Nishiyama," Nishiyama replied.
He also glanced back at the field.
When Sawamura pitched just now, he had put himself in Sawamura's position.
If he were in that situation, how would he choose to pitch?
Probably something similarly dominant.
Though he was confident in his pitching, Nishiyama was not sure he could reach Sawamura's level.
'Being able to Strikeout those three batters so effortlessly…'
Don't think that just because Eigen High School played poorly against Seidou High School, their skills are lacking.
In fact, that team was quite good.
They had decent offensive strength, and their Ace pitcher was capable.
With a bit of luck, it wouldn't be impossible to have a shot at the top national teams.
'The reason for their poor performance was primarily due to underestimating their own strength.'
'The weak have should their own fighting style!'
'When realizing they are outmatched, they should decisively adopt a survival strategy suited for the weaker.'
'In such situations, they shouldn't confront their opponents head-on, but navigate the game between caution and boldness.'
'Don't take eggs to break granite.'
One of baseball's biggest illusions is thinking, "I'm strong!"
It's one thing when you haven't faced strong opponents, but encountering truly powerful teams can shatter that illusion.
'That illusion is enough to doom a team.'
But that doesn't mean the opponent is weak.
'Kawakami-senpai's pitching condition was a bit off today; it was clear his throws lacked vigor.'
'Yet, even so, in cooperation with Miyuki-senpai, his performance was still solid.'
Eigen High School managed several hits against him in four innings.
From this, it's easy to see that Eigen High School has impressive batting strength.
Though Nishiyama believed he could Strike them out in order, he couldn't replicate Sawamura's effortless control that left opponents helpless.
While everyone was immersed in Sawamura Eijun's performance, a newcomer was reflecting on Kuramochi's earlier display.
That person was Lee-Hyun.
…