"Next ball, Moving ball Kai!"
Before anyone realized it, the practice had come to a halt, and everyone was staring intently at Sawamura and Matsumoto.
They sensed that something significant was about to happen.
Beside them, Miyuki Kazuya was completely focused on Sawamura, ignoring everyone else as he provided one instruction after another.
He was determined to help Sawamura rediscover that feeling from before.
What Sawamura had pitched earlier wasn't a wrist-pressing throw; it was the most authentic Moving ball Kai.
Sawamura didn't need to alter his pitching form; he simply changed his grip to create a variety of breaking courses.
Thus, strictly speaking, all his breaking balls evolved from the foundation of the Moving ball.
Just like now, Sawamura had discovered another intriguing course.
Was this new ball effective? What would the final result be?
They had no idea, but that didn't dampen the enthusiasm of either him or Miyuki.
Nor could it stop the excitement of the other players.
The nearby teammates had lost interest in their previous exercises. They were fixated on Sawamura, eager to witness the development of a new breaking ball by the legendary Sawamura Eijun.
Whoosh!
The ball shot through the air like a sharp beam of light, traveling over ten meters to appear before Matsumoto.
SNAP!
This Moving ball Kai, which was extremely challenging for other rookies to handle, was effortless for Matsumoto.
He easily secured the ball with his Mitt!
"Wow!"
This scene left several watching catchers stunned.
They truly didn't expect it to end this way.
Disregarding other factors, Matsumoto Jun's catching skills were clearly superior to Yui Kaoru and Okumura Koushuu.
Yui Kaoru turned his gaze curiously to Ono.
"What kind of balls can Ono-senpai catch?"
It seemed like a silly question, but Ono quickly grasped what he meant.
Yui Kaoru was asking how he fared with Sawamura's pitches versus Furuya's.
"What level of pitches have you managed to catch?"
"I must admit, it's a bit embarrassing! Furuya's pitches are slightly easier. I have no problem with fastballs and vertical sliders. But the Forkball is different; I can't guarantee I can catch it 100%."
'As for Sawamura...'
Ono glanced at Sawamura with a complex expression.
Thinking about Sawamura's pitching made him feel embarrassed.
"I can handle Level One and Two balls easily. For level three breaking balls, I can catch about seven or eight out of ten."
'Level Three!'
"How many levels does Sawamura-senpai pitching have?"
"Actually, not many. Most of what he developed are Level One fastballs and ordinary Moving balls. The Moving ball Kai and clearly defined breaking balls count as Level Two. As for Level Three, Sawamura has only mastered three types of breaking balls so far."
Ono spoke casually, unaware that his teammates were already in shock.
They had previously struggled to catch even Sawamura's Level Two breaking balls.
One could only imagine how startling Level Three breaking balls must be.
And to think Sawamura-senpai already had three of them!
"I thought Sawamura-senpai had quietly changed his pitching style since he always used fastballs. Now it seems I was overthinking it," Yui said with a wry smile.
"It's not entirely overthinking. There are many reasons for Sawamura's style change. The two main ones are that he wants to refine his fastball to be sharper, and he's finding it harder to encounter a challenging batter."
'Finding challenging batter is becoming increasingly rare…'
As they watched Sawamura on the pitcher's plate, the hearts of the younger players were filled with awe and frustration.
'No!'
'Still no!'
Sawamura had thrown a dozen pitches in a row but still couldn't find his previous state. In desperation, he shook his head at Miyuki.
Continuing like this was pointless. Perhaps a different approach was needed.
Miyuki nodded at Sawamura, then turned to Matsumoto.
"You and Sawamura have been partners, but you haven't really caught his pitches for a year, have you?"
Matsumoto, who had been focused on catching the ball, looked up at Miyuki in confusion.
Miyuki smiled knowingly and nodded at him.
"The difficulty of the upcoming pitches will increase several times; they've far exceeded the level of middle school players. Be prepared, Kohai-kun!"
On the mound, Sawamura raised his right foot high, bringing it down like a battle axe.
As his weight shifted, his arms swung like whips.
Whoosh!
Without warning, the ball appeared!
Matsumoto, who was crouched as the catcher, felt as though time had slowed.
Although Sawamura's pitching speed was fast, he could still see it clearly.
'It was coming…now!'
He watched as the ball flew toward him and reached for it with his Mitt.
Even though the ball was sharper than he expected, he was confident he could catch it.
'Caught it!'
The instant he stretched out his Mitt, Matsumoto's eyes widened in disbelief.
'Wha…!'
The small ball, which seemed about to settle into his Mitt, suddenly veered off course.
The angle of the turn was sharper and more dramatic than anything he had ever encountered.
Fortunately, Matsumoto was positioned as the catcher. If he had been in the batter's box, he would never have kept up with the ball's break.
'Stop…!'
Matsumoto's mind went blank, and his body moved mechanically.
His Mitt hand extended outward involuntarily, determined to block the ball no matter what.
But that was easier said than done.
The sharp break of the ball was beyond Matsumoto's imagination.
As the baseball approached, it grazed his Mitt and flew past.
PAK!
The baseball slammed hard against the net behind him, creating a flurry of movement in the netting.
The few younger players watching were left speechless.
Yui Kaoru muttered, "This is the Level Three breaking ball."
His whisper was heard by Ono, who nodded in agreement.
"That's right; that was just one of Sawamura's Winning Shots, one of his three Level Three breaking balls."
"We are calling it the Cutter Ball Kai!"
Just the name alone sounded impressive.
"Alright, kid, it's time for a change."
Matsumoto stood frozen, dumbfounded.
Miyuki stepped up to take Matsumoto's place.
"This level of pitching is a bit too early for you; leave it to me!"
Matsumoto stood up obediently and yielded his position to Miyuki.
In his mind, he kept replaying Miyuki's previous words.
This level of pitch was still too early for him.
In fact, he had never seen a ball of this caliber before.
Previously, he believed that Furuya's Forkball was definitely not inferior to the strongest breaking ball of Sawamura.
He thought that sudden drop at nearly 160 km/h was something beyond the reach of ordinary players.
Even his Shisho, though he seemed all-powerful, was still an ordinary person. It seemed impossible for him to surpass Furuya's Forkball.
When Matsumoto reached this conclusion, he felt surprisingly calm.
As Sawamura had said before, those who make it to the end of the baseball field aren't necessarily the most gifted ones.
Only those who are talented and know how to work hard can reach the end.
Even if Shisho lacks the raw talent of Furuya, I still believe that he will undoubtedly surpass Furuya in the future.
Because Sawamura Eijun was inherently talented and hardworking.
But after receiving that last pitch from Sawamura, Matsumoto's perspective shifted dramatically.
Now he was 100% certain that their captain's highest-level breaking ball would certainly surpass Furuya's Forkball.
"As expected of the captain, you truly are omnipotent!"
The partners rotated from Yui Kaoru, Okumura, and Matsumoto, to finally Miyuki Kazuya.
Sawamura felt every cell in his body being energized by his spirit.
A cool breeze brushed past the back of his head.
Suddenly, he had a breakthrough.
He finally recalled how he had made that pitch while partnered with Okumura.
'It's here!'
Without any verbal communication, once Sawamura understood the pitch,
Miyuki immediately sensed that the ball was on its way.
Without making him wait long, the ball truly flew out.
Sawamura's fingers slightly squeezed the baseball, allowing the small ball to leave his palm.
Then he raised his foot high and stepped out forcefully.
The moment his center of gravity shifted, it felt as though Sawamura suddenly unleashed the ball from his hand, and the ball shot out.
Whoosh!
The moment the ball was pitched, Miyuki, who was crouched in the catcher position, felt a sudden clarity.
'Here it comes, this time it's real.'
Although he hadn't seen the break in the ball, Miyuki already had that feeling.
After the ball was released, he extended his Mitt, ready to catch it.
He was focusing on the ball, as he didn't to lose track of that pitch!
But it truly disappeared right before Miyuki's eyes!
How is this possible?
Even if a pitcher can deceive a batter's sight, it's impossible to trick the catcher.
After all, the catcher faces the pitcher directly.
Yet, Sawamura was about to turn the impossible into the possible.
"It worked!"
...