Kengo Inui, despite looking a little older and having a quirky nature, was still a capable partner.
Narumiya Mei, feeling enthusiastic, threw some breaking balls.
With a fastball of 150 km/g and sharp breaking movements, Narumiya perfectly displayed what it means to be a dominant pitcher.
Even with Kengo Inui's great ability to catch, there were still two pitches he fumbled with.
Kengo Inui, however, wasn't discouraged and quickly regained his composure.
By the end of the session, he had gotten into the rhythm of Narumiya's pitching.
Although he couldn't guarantee any mistakes during an actual game, he could now somewhat function as a battery.
Narumiya glanced at his Kohai, Tadano Itsuki, and then subtly pointed at Kengo Inui with his finger.
"See the difference?" he seemed to be saying.
Sawamura, who noticed the gesture, sighed helplessly.
Sometimes, Narumiya acted like a child who couldn't grow up—there was nothing that could be done.
'At this point, there was nothing to do but let him be.'
After all, life doesn't always have to be difficult.
Meanwhile, the catcher of the Seidou baseball team, Miyuki, was partnering with two others—Umemiya from Ugumori High and Yoh Shunshin, who had lost eligibility for official high school games.
Umemiya, who had initially partnered with Miyuki, had given him a great surprise.
Despite his team not being strong, Umemiya's individual strength was formidable.
Even Miyuki had to admit that Umemiya was a player with great pride.
His two breaking balls were especially unique, even if they didn't match his "airplane-head" hairstyle.
In terms of ability, while not completely refined, Umemiya was a nationally competitive pitcher.
If he played well against North American teams, he could be a strong force.
"Great, very good, let's switch!"
After catching a dozen pitches, Miyuki assessed Umemiya's ability and suggested a partner change.
Umemiya was quite displeased with this.
"I've only thrown a dozen pitches, and I'm not done yet!"
"Don't say that. In an actual game, a single inning only has about a dozen pitches. We're doing this to simulate a real match."
Miyuki's response left Umemiya with no rebuttal.
Meanwhile, Yoh Shunshin, who was observing, was deep in thought.
They say that details determine success or failure.
Yoh Shunshin was unclear about how Seidou High School trained internally, but based on the details revealed by Miyuki, it was clear that Seidou High School's baseball team was a formidable force.
'They tailored their practice to closely simulate actual games.'
In contrast, although the players at Akikawa Academy also trained diligently, they couldn't even be compared to Seidou High School.
At that moment, Yoh Shunshin couldn't help but sigh deeply.
In the Tokyo tournament, they didn't lose unfairly.
On the surface, it was only a few points difference.
But behind the scenes, the gap in training—measured by the sweat shed by the players—was likely enormous!
Umemiya left the pitcher's mound, passing the position to Yoh Shunshin.
When Yoh Shunshin took the mound, he nodded to Miyuki.
Miyuki understood and immediately raised his Mitt.
His initial position was on the corner of the strike zone, just on the inside edge.
Because it was a corner, it was harder to pitch accurately there, and even more difficult to do it well!
This kind of pitch tests a pitcher's control; if a pitcher can precisely throw to this spot, the strike zone will seem to expand.
'Let's see!'
Miyuki eagerly watched Yoh Shunshin, looking forward to what kind of pitch he would throw.
Yoh Shunshin didn't disappoint him.
As soon as Miyuki raised his Mitt, Yoh Shunshin began his windup, and without a moment's hesitation, threw the ball.
The entire motion was smooth and seamless.
Whoosh!
The baseball shot like an arrow, instantly reaching Miyuki's Mitt.
Snap!
It landed perfectly in the Mitt.
After catching the pitch, Miyuki's expression became extremely excited.
He had known Yoh Shunshin's control was excellent, but actually standing behind the plate and receiving his pitch made Miyuki feel like his blood was boiling.
'The baseball had landed with pinpoint accuracy.'
Miyuki had never caught such a comfortable pitch before.
'This is incredible!'
Miyuki's mind was racing, like a supercomputer, calculating the strategies he could employ.
Though Sawamura and Kawakami had great control, they couldn't compare to Yoh Shunshin's level.
This was truly the edge of the strike zone—precision, down to the millimeters.
Miyuki even had a feeling that if he could effectively use Yoh Shunshin's pitches, defeating the American hitters would be no problem.
There were just so many ways to utilize his pitches.
What surprised him even more was Yoh Shunshin's pitch speed.
A year ago, when they faced Yoh Shunshin in a game, his pitch speed was just above 130 km/h, nearing 135.
But now, his speed had surpassed 140 km/h.
In just one year, his ability had improved this much?
At this point, Yoh Shunshin was already qualified to be in the nation's top pitching ranks.
'Could he compete against Sawamura and Mei?'
As Miyuki pondered this, Kengo Inui was having similar thoughts.
Having finished his partnership with Narumiya, he was now ready to catch Sawamura's pitch.
'The Great Demon King, Sawamura!'
He was undoubtedly the top high school pitcher today.
'What kind of pitch would he throw?'
Kengo Inui was eagerly awaiting.
Who would emerge as the No.1 pitcher in this team?
It looked like the answer would soon be revealed…
Now, it was time for Sawamura Eijun to team up with Kengo Inui.
Inui was brimming with energy, staring intently at Sawamura, the most famous pitcher in high school today.
"Here we go!"
But Sawamura didn't seem to care about his intentions. Instead, he casually shouted.
'Truly worthy of being the Ace pitcher of the King Seidou, this kind of composure is rare.'
Inui greatly admired Sawamura's calm demeanor and nodded, signaling he could pitch.
When Sawamura stepped up to the mound and was ready to throw, his aura changed.
This was a very natural phenomenon.
Just like someone who works seriously; when they are focused, their demeanor is different from their usual playful self.
Sawamura Eijun, when pitching seriously, was no different.
You could clearly feel the change in atmosphere from before.
Even Inui, bold as he was, couldn't help but feel his heart tighten.
Badum, Badum...
He could even clearly hear his own heartbeat.
This sensation was incredible, forcing him to face his opponent seriously.
'Sawamura Eijun!'
In the sunlight, there seemed to be a faint glow around Sawamura's head.
This made him appear even more enigmatic.
At that moment, it felt as though everything else in the stadium had frozen.
The world's center seemed to revolve around Sawamura.
Then, Sawamura's right leg lifted high and then slammed down.
It felt like a strongman wielding a great axe, about to split the mountain.
Inui, who was in the catcher's position, felt his heart lurch.
His heart was about to jump out of his chest from the tension.
The pressure he was feeling was unlike anything he had ever experienced before.
Catching pitches from players like Taiyou or Narumiya was tense, but compared to this moment, it didn't even compare.
Here it comes!
The moment the baseball left Sawamura's hand, Inui's heart skipped a beat.
Whrroosh!!
The baseball shot towards him like a laser, arriving almost instantaneously.
Snap!
Inui firmly caught the ball, his expression becoming serious.
'As expected, Sawamura Eijun's pitch was no joke.'
Now he truly understood the power of the Great Demon King.
"Well done!"
Sawamura on the mound seemed satisfied with the result.
Then he spoke.
"Next, I'll throw seriously!"
Inui froze for a moment.
'What does he mean by throwing seriously? Wasn't that sharp pitch just now a warm-up?'
What he witnessed next made Inui fully understand the meaning of Sawamura's words.
Sawamura was not joking!
Compared to the pitch he just threw, the next one truly felt like a warm-up.
Sawamura lifted his right leg high, and it fell like a battle axe.
The momentum felt as if it could split through anything in its path...
Using his body's momentum, Sawamura's entire body followed the movement.
His right hand shot forward, pushing away all resistance like a wall.
At the same time, his left hand whipped through like a whip...
WHRROOSH!
Without warning, the baseball suddenly appeared.
At that moment, Inui finally realized what he had missed.
How had he forgotten that Sawamura hadn't yet used this pitching form?
Had Sawamura's aura been so overpowering that it clouded his mind?
'It was so fast!'
Faster than he had imagined.
Inui never expected that Sawamura's pitch would be so hard to catch from the catcher's position.
It looked even faster than the fastest pitch from the national champion, Furuya Satoru...
Inui gritted his teeth, staring intensely at the incoming ball.
Having seen this before, he was able to maintain his composure, without panic.
His Mitt was wide open. Inui was good enough to handle this.
Though he was rushed while catching, he still tracked the ball's trajectory accurately.
He was ready to catch it cleanly.
But just when the ball crossed into the strike zone, it suddenly dropped!
Caught off guard, Inui hastily lowered his Mitt to block the pitch.
But the ball was already traveling at over 146 km/h. With that kind of speed, the drop came too quickly.
Before he could react, it was too late.
TAK!
The baseball hit the Mitt but slipped out, bouncing off the edge.
Inui could only watch helplessly as the ball flew away.
His eyes followed the ball, then turned to look in shock at Sawamura.
That was the true form of the Great Demon King, Sawamura Eijun's pitch.
It was one of his signature pitches—the "Quirky Ball."
Inui never imagined it would be this hard to catch.
His mind felt like it had been struck by lightning, completely fried.
"Let's go again!"
Every great player has their unique traits.
Moreover, some of their personalities are also quite similar.
For instance, almost all accomplished players share one common trait:
Stubbornness.
They don't give up easily...
The more challenging the situation, the more they want to perform well.
Inui's reaction now wasn't surprising at all.
Sawamura was accommodating, starting another round of practice with Inui.
Until Inui could catch the Moving ball confidently.
Coach Kunitomo, watching this unfold, had a conflicted expression.
Having Inui familiarize himself with the pitching styles of Sawamura and Narumiya seemed wise.
'Even if he was skilled, it would take time...'
If time ran out, Sawamura and Narumiya might not fully unleash their strengths.
From this perspective, it was more reasonable to have Miyuki as the main catcher.
But the issue was, this was a choice they couldn't make.
Apart from Umemiya, all the pitchers were from West Tokyo.
And those three were the true Aces, with Umemiya merely an add-on.
Considering the competition between regions, if only one catcher could be chosen, Inui would be the best choice.
If Miyuki was the main catcher, then Narumiya wouldn't be able to pitch.
After a period of working together, they might not even be able to keep the smallest details safe.
This was the last thing Coach Kunitomo wanted to see.
Even though he was open-minded, he wasn't willing to sacrifice his own interests entirely.
'There's no choice now, I hope he can handle it!'
Despite some lingering concerns, Coach Kunitomo was resolute in his decision.
As for the consequences of this choice?
Coach Kunitomo didn't want to think about it too much.
Too many worries would only stop him from acting.
After the pitching test, Coach Kunitomo had everyone practice defense.
Pitchers' defensive skills!
From this point of view, Sawamura, Narumiya, and Yoh Shunshin all performed very well.
This was beyond dispute.
If they didn't have this ability, they wouldn't be here.
This was a relatively simple test, at least for them.
It wasn't easy to separate them based on these tasks.
To truly differentiate them, real combat was necessary.
And that opportunity would come soon.
That afternoon, the team faced their practice match opponent:
The Tokyo University Baseball Team!
The Champions of the University League!
…
T/N: This Volume and the next Volume are completed in Pater0n!
You also can check my Patre0n for extra Chapters.
https://www.patre0n.com/ColdColt
There are +160 Chapters there.
Well, That's it for Today.
Thank you all for reading!!
Have a good day people!