If Bunkyo High School could crush Sensen, their strength was beyond question.
Such opponents wouldn't be easily defeated, even by Seidou High School.
If they could find a weakness, they could take the opponent down in one blow.
Why not seize the moment?
Miyuki was eager to take down his opponent!
Bunkyo High School's catcher, Aoki Sugi, wore a look of disbelief.
If he hadn't misread things, Sawamura seemed to have been aiming for the Forkball!
'But how could that be possible?'
According to logic, Sawamura shouldn't have been able to aim at the Forkball and swing his bat effectively.
After all, April's fastest pitch clocked in at 154 km/h, with an average speed of around 150 km/h.
Even with the Forkball, its speed would still be close to 150 km/h.
At that velocity, the baseball traveled from the pitcher's hand to the catcher's Mitt in just 0.4 seconds.
In that brief 0.4 seconds, even if Sawamura saw April's pitching motion, he shouldn't have had time to react.
'Yet just now, it looked as if Sawamura had deliberately aimed and swung at the Forkball.'
That defied all logic.
'The Demon King, Sawamura Eijun.'
Although Aoki truly grasped its meaning only after facing him.
It represented invincibility and the incomprehensible.
'Looks like it is effective!'
Miyuki Kazuya noticed Aoki's confused expression.
He knew that Sawamura's home run must have dealt a significant blow to their opponent.
This was perfect.
As a player with a dark soul, Miyuki Kazuya knew precisely what he had to do—this was not about helping the opponent, but about pushing them down hard, ensuring they never rise again.
'Bring it on!!'
A smile crept onto his lips as if a demon had awakened.
Miyuki eagerly awaited the arrival of the ball.
Whoosh!
Then the little ball came.
Like a sharp sword, it aimed straight into the heart of the strike zone.
'The pitch was still sharp!'
'While the catcher hadn't fully recovered from the earlier shock, the pitcher's form was steady.'
'Clearly, April hadn't been affected by Sawamura's previous home run.'
When Miyuki saw April throw the ball, he realized the opponent clearly hadn't collapsed.
Not even a hint of breakdown was visible.
'This was bad.'
To defeat his opponent in one go, he needed to follow Sawamura's lead and keep the pressure on Bunkyo High School.
No holding back.
With determination, Miyuki aimed at the approaching ball and swung his bat.
Ping!
The moment the ball connected, Miyuki's expression soured.
So heavy!
Watching Sawamura hit the ball so far, he never imagined it would be this heavy.
It felt like his arms were no longer his own as if he'd been hit by a truck, completely numb.
Damn!
Frustration surged within him, and he gritted his teeth, forcing himself to send the ball away.
The ball didn't travel far, landing right in front of the third baseman.
Snap!
The third baseman picked it up and threw it directly to first base.
With that, there were three Outs.
Both teams seemed to be back at square one.
However, that was not the reality. Thanks to Sawamura's home run, Seidou High School had established an advantage.
One glance at the scoreboard confirmed this.
At the end of the first inning, the score stood at 1-0.
Seidou High School led by one run.
If someone other than Sawamura was on the mound, that one-run lead might not mean much and wouldn't provide comfort to the players.
But since it was Sawamura on the mound now,
Even a single run was incredibly reassuring.
Pitcher Duel!
Since Sawamura became the Ace of Seidou, they had never feared any Pitching Duel.
And indeed, the reality was the same.
In the bottom of the second inning, Bunkyo High School was on the attack.
The first to step into the Batter's Box was their pitcher, the cleanup hitter.
Jack April.
Pitchers with strong pitches typically possess strong batting power.
At the very least, their hitting power is substantial.
With such strength backing them up, as long as they make contact with the ball, they can hit it far.
Furuya Satoru from Seidou High School is of a similar type.
Jack April was no different.
He raised his bat high, ready for action.
Clearly, he intended to reclaim the points he had just lost.
'Interesting!'
The opponent's action surprised Sawamura greatly.
April later joined the Cubs as their Ace pitcher. At that time, he wasn't a batter on the team, and when it was his turn to hit, he would use a designated substitute.
Thus, Sawamura didn't know much about his batting skills.
But judging by his stance, Sawamura could make a rough guess about his type.
Miyuki also signaled to Sawamura.
After a slight nod, Sawamura stepped forward and threw the ball.
The pitcher started pitching.
This time, Sawamura's pitch had a completely different momentum.
He pulled back and shielded his wrist with his mitt.
'I can't see the drop point!'
April quickly noticed this and felt astonished.
If the previous batters had seen it, they should have alerted him.
'Why hadn't they said anything before?'
Whoosh!
'Quick! Faster than expected.'
The ball zipped through the 18-meter distance and appeared before April.
By the time he registered it and tried to swing, it was already too late.
SNAP!
"STRIKE!!"
'So fast!'
April's heart was still reeling from shock.
In Bunkyo High School's dugout,
Emil stared at Sawamura on the mound in disbelief.
"Maybe it's just my imagination, but Sugi, has he changed his pitching rhythm?"
Aoki next to him nodded with certainty.
"That's right!"
At this point, denying it made no sense; Sawamura had indeed altered his pitching rhythm.
No, perhaps it was more accurate to say he had returned to his original rhythm.
The Demon King was finally serious.
And once he got serious, he gave off an impression of being invincible.
Whoosh!
The first time April didn't have time to swing, and the second time April finished his swing but the ball was not there yet.
The ball flew by.
This was a Changeup!
"STRIKE!!!"
Immediately afterward, another pitch came flying in.
Sawamura's pitching was fluid and unimpeded.
The most frightening aspect was that no matter what kind of pitch he threw, his movements remained consistent.
It was impossible to discern what he was throwing from these details.
'No way, how could that be!'
Regardless of how hard April tried to believe otherwise, the truth was undeniable.
SNAP!
"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!"
"My goodness!"
Emil stared in disbelief at Jack April, who had just struck out on the field.
"Jack didn't even touch the ball?"
He was shocked as he looked at the figure on the mound.
At that moment, Sawamura appeared unfazed, as if he had just accomplished something trivial.
He completely ignored April's expression and focused on the next opponent.
Seeing Sawamura act this way as if they were inconsequential, filled Emil with overwhelming astonishment.
It turned out there really are monsters out there who can completely disregard them.
If their opponent were an established professional player, they wouldn't be this surprised. No matter how proud they were, they knew their skills were not even close to those of the top Major League players in the world.
Technically speaking, they were no longer weak.
But at 16 years old, their bodies limited their potential further.
While adults don't grow much after 16, there is still some growth.
A person's peak physical state is generally between 20 and 25 years old.
If maintained well, that peak can be pushed forward or backward by two to three years.
Of course, baseball is different from other sports. In addition to physical confrontation, it requires high levels of skill and experience.
Even if a player has passed their physical peak, as long as their experience and skills are up to par, they can maintain their condition for about ten years.
In comparison, baseball players have the longest careers among all athletes, typically from 18 to around 35 years old.
That's nearly 20 years.
With so few teams in the Major Leagues, it's hard to imagine just how many monsters are out there.
But those are all seasoned veterans, many of whom grew up in the Major Leagues.
Among their peers, Emil and April had never admired anyone.
Even the so-called 'Prodigies' in New York, if it came down to individual skills, they didn't believe they were worse than those guys.
With such confidence, it was no surprise they had little interest in high school baseball in Japan when they first arrived.
To them, it seemed like a game for children.
Unexpectedly, they found such a master hidden in this game they looked down on.
'Sawamura Eijun!'
From this moment on, Emil would remember this opponent's name deeply.
He vowed to defeat him no matter what.
"Oh dear, don't be sad!"
Seeing April walk off the field, Emil took the initiative to comfort him.
"I'm not that fragile."
Jack did not appreciate it, still cautiously eyeing Sawamura on the mound, as the cheers of the audience calling for Sawamura and the 'Maou' echoed in his ears.
Although his Japanese wasn't great, he understood what they were doing.
'They were cheering for the guy on the mound!'
At that moment, every move Sawamura made stirred the audience's hearts.
Each small gesture drew wave after wave of cheers.
"He's just like a real superstar!"
This scene made Jack envious.
"By the way, didn't those guys from New York refuse to participate in the exchange match here in Japan?"
Suddenly remembering something, Jack turned to ask Emil beside him.
Emil was a cheerful and social guy who loved making connections, especially with hot girls.
The youthful hormones in him seemed never to run dry.
"That's right, the guys from New York have already declined. So the organizers found another group!"
"Humph! If we win after the game, that'll be fine. If we lose, just send him this video."
"Who?"
"Of course, that bastard!"
"STRIKE!"
"STRIKE!"
"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!"
Just as Emil and April were discussing these matters, the situation on the field shifted again.
Sawamura Eijun easily dispatched his opponent and Struck him Out.
Moreover, his pitching rhythm was completely different from the first inning. Now, Sawamura shifted his focus to making the batter miss the ball.
Each time Sawamura performed in this manner, his fans would immediately provide the loudest support.
There is nothing more mesmerizing than watching Sawamura Eijun score consecutive strikeouts.
For them, this experience was pure joy.
"Sawamura!"
"Sawamura!!!"
Amidst the cheers, Sawamura successfully scored the last strikeout with three consecutive breaking balls.
He ended their defense for the second inning.
…
T/N: Seidou boys will be getting a taste of the Major League.
Will they prevail? We will find out!
Leaving the cringey after-note aside, as always, Thank you all for reading!!
Have a good day people!