The match between the Seidou High School baseball team and the Osaka Kiryu High School baseball team was in full swing.
The players from both teams, or rather their pitchers, were fiercely competing, with neither side giving an inch.
Sawamura easily dispatched the batters of the Osaka Kiryu High School baseball team.
And provoked by their Coach, Morishita went back on the mound, performing with exceptional calmness.
He had let go of his lingering doubts and, with red eyes, faced off seriously against the Seidou High School players.
In the top of the second inning, Seidou High School's Shiratsu, Toujou, and Kanemaru, one by one, were swiftly taken Out without any suspense.
The first-year rookie pitcher, Morishita, did not just sit back and get hit. He also counterattacked fiercely, catching the Seidou players off guard.
Several of them were completely stunned.
What's going on?
The opponent was just a first-year rookie, and on the surface, his pitching didn't seem particularly extraordinary.
But when combined with Osaka Kiryu High School's rock-solid defense, everything was different!
Now, even the Seidou players found it incredibly difficult to hit the ball, let alone break through the nearly impenetrable defense of Osaka Kiryu High School.
Apart from Sawamura's home run, both teams were going back and forth, not giving an inch.
This surprised the players of Seidou High School.
Originally, they had thought that after enduring the Demon King's torment, the Osaka Kiryu High School team would either collapse or be greatly affected.
But to their surprise, Morishita's state had not been shaken in the least.
While pitching, he even showed stronger strength than before.
It was truly unbelievable!
The crowd at the scene was on fire, unable to take their eyes off the game.
This match had not disappointed them at all!
It was simply exhilarating!
The "Great Demon King" Sawamura was still dominating, both in pitching and batting, displaying exceptional skills.
Osaka Kiryu High School's baseball team was no slouch either.
Although they were clearly at a disadvantage in their direct confrontation with the "Great Demon King" Sawamura, when facing other Seidou players, they were holding their ground.
At this stage, there were only a few pitchers across all high schools who could hold their ground against Sawamura for a short period.
Although Morishita's personal skills still had a lot of room for improvement, combined with Osaka Kiryu High School's defense, they were still a formidable team!
Very strong!
It was impossible not to admire them.
Now, they were even playing an evenly matched game against the Seidou High School baseball team.
It was simply unbelievable!
Who could have imagined that the previously declining Osaka Kiryu High School baseball team would produce such a powerful team chemistry with the addition of this rookie?
At this moment, someone beside Obayashi commented with emotion.
"I never thought that the addition of a pitcher would boost the entire Osaka Kiryu High School baseball team's strength so much."
Osaka Kiryu was an old rival of Seidou High School.
As a die-hard fan of Sawamura and a seasoned baseball enthusiast in the Brotherhood of Red Heart, Obayashi was naturally familiar with Osaka Kiryu High School.
Hearing this, Obayashi was quite uncomfortable.
"How could you say that when you're also a member of our club? Didn't we watch Sawamura when he played for the Akagi Middle School baseball team?"
A great pitcher can lead an entire team forward.
It can even bring about a complete transformation in the team.
For the true fans of Sawamura, this change was something they felt most acutely.
They had seen Sawamura create one miracle after another.
As they were talking, the teams switched between offense and defense, and Sawamura faced off against Takami Hakumatsu.
This showdown was highly anticipated.
Since Hakumatsu had hit Akashi's pitch out of the park earlier, people had begun to wonder how Sawamura would perform against him.
Everyone was on the edge of their seats, eager to see the two masters face off.
Before the duel began, the majority of fans were supporting Sawamura.
It was hard not to.
There was no other baseball player in the entire country as famous as Sawamura.
In this situation, people naturally favored the widely known Sawamura rather than the previously unheard-of Hakumatsu.
However, during the actual duel, Hakumatsu brought a huge surprise to everyone at the scene.
Normally, when an opponent faced the "Great Demon King" Sawamura for the first time, not only would they fail to hit the ball, they'd even struggle to make contact with it.
But Takami Hakumatsu was an exception.
During their confrontation, Takami Hakumatsu made contact with the ball twice, sending it foul.
Although that resulted in him being down 0-2 in the count, it had to be acknowledged that during their duel, Takami Hakumatsu displayed some exceptional skill.
He even broke a legendary feat.
In their first encounter, he actually hit Sawamura's ball, sending it Foul.
Although the ball flew out of bounds, Hakumatsu was one of the few players in recent games who had managed to do that.
From this, it was clear that his ability was unquestionable.
Facing such a strong opponent, the catcher, Miyuki, hesitated.
The strategy they had been using against other opponents might not work against Hakumatsu.
He was uncertain whether he should have had Sawamura throw a higher-level breaking ball.
Sawamura, standing on the mound, firmly shook his head.
'No need to make such a big deal out of him.'
Up until now, the Osaka Kiryu High School players had not realized the secrets behind Sawamura's pitching.
Now, Hakumatsu was even less likely to discover them!
They didn't need to worry about him—just focus on attacking with all they had.
Seeing Sawamura's stance, Miyuki could only reluctantly nod.
He made it clear that if anything went wrong, he wouldn't take responsibility.
Even though Miyuki expressed this, his next action was decisively sharp.
He crouched down, placing his Mitt out in front of him.
From Sawamura's perspective, the Mitt looked like an infinitely absorbing black hole, ready to swallow the world at any moment.
This was Miyuki's unique style.
He always had a way of drawing out the full potential of a pitcher, like squeezing toothpaste out of a tube.
"Such a terrifying guy!" Sawamura couldn't help but mutter, then took his stance and threw the ball with all his might.
WHRROOSH!
The baseball whizzed toward Hakumatsu.
Takami Hakumatsu stood in the Batter's Box, fully prepared to hit the ball.
He was determined to make contact, no matter what.
In the blink of an eye, the ball came into view.
Takami Hakumatsu gritted his teeth and swung his bat.
It seemed like he was about to hit the ball, but suddenly, the baseball transformed into an illusion.
The bat swung through the air, but nothing was hit.
The batter stood dumbfounded, and the crowd gasped in astonishment.
"It happened again!"
They had witnessed this same scene many times before.
It was as if, every time, the outcome was the same.
The bat seemed like it was about to strike the ball, but the ball vanished without a trace.
'What was going on?'
Hakumatsu had no idea.
Even the umpire, after a long pause, finally called out.
"S-STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!"
'What Kind Of Black Magic Is This?!'
The umpire too was confused, thinking that he maybe visit a shrine after this game.
Hakumatsu, who had been regarded as a secret weapon by Osaka Kiryu High School, was swiftly taken out.
The next two batters were no exception.
Sawamura made it seem effortless, knocking Out Osaka Kiryu's batters one after another.
Three consecutive Strikeouts.
And so, the game continued back and forth, with neither side yielding.
By the end of the third inning, the score remained 1-0.
…