Originally confident, Osaka Kiryu now finds themselves truly dumbfounded.
They had expected that their opponent might very well be the man from the Seidou High School baseball team, the one known as the "Demon King."
They had also considered that this man might be difficult to defeat. After all, the various legends about Sawamura have spread all over the internet, and he is almost a household name now.
But the Osaka Kiryu High School baseball team, having ambitions to challenge Seidou, could not have gone into the game unprepared.
In fact, they prepared quite a lot, in fact.
They summarized Sawamura's pitching routine and the common pitches he uses.
While they couldn't say they were confident enough to hit his pitches, let alone score a run, they at least had a strategy. With that strategy, theoretically, they had a chance to defeat the Demon King.
Today's match was the best opportunity for them to test their theory.
Because they had a strategy, the players from the Osaka Kiryu High School baseball team were fired up during the match, especially when it was their turn to bat. They were eager to test their skills against the legendary Demon King.
However, when it came time to face off, the Osaka Kiryu players were shocked to discover that Sawamura's pitching was nothing like they had imagined.
This guy wasn't throwing blazing fastballs, nor was he using any of his notoriously unpredictable pitches or the famous breaking balls that had made him a legend.
He was only throwing what looked like extremely ordinary fastballs.
This should have been a golden opportunity for the Osaka Kiryu High School team.
Theoretically, there is no better pitch to hit than a fastball.
Especially when the opponent keeps throwing fastballs. All they needed to do was locate the pitch's direction and time it correctly.
They should have been able to hit the ball!
Of course,
There's always someone better, and there are always variables. It's possible that the pitcher's fastballs were too fast, or the angles too tricky.
There is always the possibility that the batter simply can't make contact.
Though Sawamura's pitches looked sharp, it was clear that he wasn't at that level yet.
Now, this was getting interesting.
They had calculated the timing, and their swings appeared fine.
So why was there such a large gap between their bats and the ball?
Back in the Osaka Kiryu High School team's dugout, the previous batters exchanged confused looks.
Honestly, they couldn't figure out what had gone wrong.
In simple terms, none of them understood what had just happened.
Coach Matsumoto frowned deeply.
People often think of him as someone with a kind, gentle demeanor. Those who don't truly know him might think he is the type of coach with a calm and mild temperament and a very gentle personality.
But is that really the case?
No way.
Coach Matsumoto was never a patient man, just like the nickname his players once gave him.
The Smiling Devil!
His smile was always cold, the kind that sent a chill down your spine.
Behind the scenes, Coach Matsumoto was incredibly strict with them.
So strict, in fact, that many of the players from Osaka Kiryu High School had developed a psychological fear of him.
"You idiots, what's going on with you? Where are your eyes? Why is your swing off by so much?" Coach Matsumoto raged.
"Calm down, calm down. I'm sure the players have their reasons. One mistake is forgivable, but so many players making the same mistake? There must be something we haven't figured out about the opponent's pitching," the assistant coach tried to calm him down.
His words struck a chord with the players who had previously faced Sawamura.
That hit the mark!
Though they still didn't understand what exactly had happened during their confrontation with Sawamura, it didn't matter.
In fact, they had already been outsmarted, hadn't they?
Although they didn't know the exact reason, they understood that when standing in the Batter's Box, facing Sawamura's pitches, they were utterly clueless.
But that wasn't the scariest part!
The scariest thing was that even if they could get back on the field and face Sawamura's pitches again, the same exact pitches he threw earlier…
The players from Osaka Kiryu High School were all nervous.
Simply put, even if they got another chance to face him, they still didn't have confidence that they could hit his pitches.
They weren't even sure they could make contact.
The three batters who had just faced Sawamura avoided each other's gazes.
"You're not even good enough, and yet you're acting like a bunch of useless weaklings. If any of you are done, stop wasting space and get off the field. We don't need useless players on the Osaka Kiryu High School team!" Coach Matsumoto's gaze was icy, and his words were cutting.
His harsh words had some effect.
The players who had been thoroughly befuddled by Sawamura's pitching earlier now had a glint in their eyes.
The coach was right!
No matter what had happened before, it was over. They didn't need to dwell on it.
What mattered now was the real challenge ahead.
"Coach!"
At this moment, a young voice suddenly spoke up from within the team.
The tyrant coach Matsumoto immediately shot a sharp glance in that direction.
When he was lecturing, the players should have kept silent.
Who gave this kid the courage to speak now?
Had he been too lenient on him since he joined the team, giving him the wrong impression that he had a right to speak up in the team?
Seeing their coach's cold, knife-like glare, Morishita didn't retreat.
Instead, he spoke frankly, "Although I really don't want to admit it, that person is, after all, Sawamura Eijun!"
Just these few words caused Coach Matsumoto, who had been enraged just moments before, to suddenly calm down.
He had lost his composure!
In his fury, he had unknowingly neglected this point.
Yes, their opponent was no longer someone without real strength.
It was the Demon King, Sawamura Eijun!
To put it bluntly, he had already become a living legend!
No matter how much Coach Matsumoto might not want to admit it, this fact couldn't be changed.
With Sawamura's abilities, it wouldn't be easy for even Osaka Kiryu High School's star players to hit his pitches.
"But you still shouldn't lose to his fastball," Coach Matsumoto said with a smile.
When he had been furious, the players of Osaka Kiryu High School were worried, fearing that their coach was revealing his devilish side.
But in truth, they had some confidence.
As long as their coach was still angry, it meant he hadn't fully gone into a berserk state.
If he truly lost his temper and went berserk, things would get much worse.
But now, he had stopped his hysterics.
It was as if all the anger had just blown away.
He even had a smile on his face.
However, the moment the players saw that smile, their calm was shattered.
It was as if a frightened rabbit was ready to jump out of the cage!
It was terrifying!
The players of Osaka Kiryu High School had a deep impression of their Coach's strange response.
The smile he showed was like the summoning of a devil.
Matsumoto, lost in his own nature, seemed like he was about to enter a berserk state.
"That person is different! The fastball he throws—looking at it, we should be able to hit it, and it shouldn't be difficult!" Morishita's tone was somewhat dreamy.
He couldn't help but recall the scene when he faced Sawamura earlier.
The sudden disappearance of the ball still left him puzzled.
It was truly inexplicable.
He clearly felt like he was about to hit the ball, but that white little ball just disappeared.
His eyes had clearly tracked the ball's trajectory, and his bat was aligned with that path.
Why did the ball suddenly vanish?
"Enough talking, do you have any new ideas or plans?"
Hearing his Coach's question, Morishita shook his head.
Earlier, he had racked his brain but found nothing.
However, he believed that no trick could keep working forever.
If they observed carefully, they would eventually spot a flaw in Sawamura's seemingly space-warping pitch.
"Once we pay attention, we'll definitely find a clue about this pitch that seems to distort our vision."
Morishita's words were as if they had no real substance.
Coach Matsumoto remained cold and silent.
Only when all the players turned their attention to him did he nod grimly.
"What's the use of all this nonsense? Before we figure that out, how about focusing on how to stop the opponent's offense?"
…
T/N: As always, Thank you all for reading!!
See you Tomorrow!
Until then, take care!
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