Chapter 21: Sawamura Vs Tetsu(Pro Version)

When Coach Kunitomo issued the order to have Narumiya return to the bench and send Sawamura Eijun to the mound, Miyuki, who was at first base, couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration.

"Truly, Coach Kunitomo is impressive. His actions are meticulous, with no room for error."

The second round of the showdown between Narumiya and Tetsuya will reveal far too much information.

Even Miyuki couldn't help but be filled with anticipation.

He believed that if Narumiya didn't want to allow a run, he would definitely show a portion of his true strength, even perhaps revealing his hidden trump card.

This would be of immense value and significance for the future competition between the Seidou High School and Inashiro Industrial High School baseball teams.

Miyuki was already on high alert, waiting for this moment to arrive.

But Coach Kunitomo was no fool. He didn't give Miyuki any chance.

After the third inning, he immediately swapped in Sawamura Eijun.

Such an arrangement couldn't be questioned by anyone.

However, it concealed a hidden danger that most people would never notice.

In the top of the fourth inning, the Tokyo University representative team started their offense with Tetsuya, the third batter.

If Sawamura pitched for three innings and perfectly suppressed Tokyo University's representatives, it would be fine.

He would only need to face Tetsuya and the others once.

But if Sawamura started allowing hits, the consequences would be disastrous...

For example, if Sawamura gave up a hit, he would have to face Tetsuya a second time.

If he allowed two hits, the fourth batter, Fumei, would step up.

If it went to three hits, it would be Harada Masatoshi's turn.

And so on. If Sawamura found himself in a difficult battle, the situation would become very tough for him.

Even if he barely managed to survive, he would certainly reveal a lot of his strength.

On the surface, Coach Kunitomo appeared fair and meticulous, with no flaws in his decisions.

Anyone who saw it couldn't help but be impressed.

The most terrifying strategies in the world are never devious plots.

They are traps clearly laid by your opponent, and you have no choice but to walk right into them.

It's an honest and open strategy.

"You'd better be careful, partner!"

Miyuki was very clear that Coach Kunitomo's true cunning was not just in this aspect.

There was another point where Kunitomo excelled.

For example, separating him and Sawamura.

At first glance, it seemed like no big deal. Everything was done for the benefit of all the players and teams involved.

But when you think about it carefully, especially from the perspective of the Seidou High School baseball team, an interesting phenomenon emerged.

Sawamura and Miyuki, the perfect duo, were now separated. They could no longer cooperate and display their full strength.

Now, Sawamura was left to face the challenge from the three excellent batters of the professional baseball league alone.

When the two of them worked together, they could cover for each other. Even if there were weaknesses, they were hard to expose.

But now, Sawamura was on his own, facing the challenge alone.

There might be small mistakes in the details.

With Coach Kunitomo's sharp eye, if such a mistake appeared, he would catch it immediately.

Even if he didn't catch it right away, don't forget, that this is the headquarters of Inashiro Industrial High School's baseball team.

The training field is recorded.

As long as they study the footage, they'll surely discover their weaknesses.

This isn't Miyuki being overly suspicious. It's just how things logically unfold.

If this were at Seidou High School, they would do the same.

This has nothing to do with morality.

For those gathering information, as long as it doesn't break the law or ethical boundaries, anything else is fair game.

In spy games, if you worry about trivial matters, you're just making things harder for yourself.

To be honest, few teams can uphold those ethical boundaries. Let alone in such a situation.

This is why Miyuki reminded Sawamura to be cautious.

What Sawamura was facing now wasn't just one batter.

He was under pressure from all sides.

The better he performed, the fewer the gaps left. But if he performed well, he would inevitably reveal some of his strength.

It was a dilemma that seemed to have no clear solution.

Miyuki also felt helpless.

But he believed that Sawamura would find a way out.

Though Miyuki was well aware that Sawamura wasn't some genius, his baseball IQ was unexpectedly high.

No matter what dire situation he faced, Sawamura always found ways to resolve it.

Miyuki was confident this time would be no different.

He looked at Sawamura with expectation in his eyes.

Even though Sawamura was now facing their former senior, Tetsuya, Miyuki's expectations didn't fade.

Was Tetsuya strong?

The answer was definitely yes. Miyuki acknowledged this completely.

He had spent a year and a half with Tetsuya, so he knew his former senior's abilities very well. Tetsuya's strength was already terrifying, and now, after half a year in professional baseball, he had likely become even stronger, reaching a truly alarming level.

But even so, Miyuki still had more faith in Sawamura in this showdown.

This wasn't blind confidence, but trust that Sawamura had earned through his actions over the past year.

Sawamura and Tetsuya had faced off many times before.

Both had wins and losses, but Sawamura had a higher win rate. Tetsuya had managed to hit him sometimes.

Considering they hadn't seen each other in a long time, and Tetsuya had improved in professional baseball, his chances of hitting Sawamura were not low.

Of course, they wouldn't be too high.

After all, Sawamura's win rate was over 70% in their previous encounters.

In an average of three battles, Sawamura would win at least twice.

So, the probability of Sawamura defeating Tetsuya this time was still quite high.

Sawamura's thoughts aligned closely with Miyuki's expectations.

He knew that it was a critical moment. No matter how interested he was in his opponent, he couldn't afford to take his time and play around.

He had to finish this quickly and decisively.

"Sorry, Tetsu-san!"

WHRROOSH!!

Sawamura silently muttered to himself before decisively throwing the baseball in his hand.

Though he felt a bit guilty towards Tetsuya, he didn't hesitate to pitch the ball directly to Tetsuya's weakest point—the area where he struggled most with his swing.

No batter could cover the strike zone perfectly. Even if they could, their sensitivity to each part of the zone was never the same.

SNAP!

"STRIKE!"

The baseball landed right in Tetsuya's weakest area.

Tetsuya gripped his bat tightly but couldn't swing it in time.

He stared incredulously at Sawamura on the mound.

In all their previous duels, Sawamura had never pitched like this before.

'He didn't rely on raw might, but on experience and something else...'

'Did you not seek victory but confrontation all this time because I was your Senpai? Now that we're in different teams, you don't feel the need to hold back anymore, do you?'

Tetsuya wasn't someone who liked talking a lot, but Sawamura's change in attitude deeply affected him.

When that thought crossed his mind, his actions changed drastically.

During their time at Seidou High, Sawamura had always observed his seniors closely.

However, Tetsuya's generation also observed Sawamura closely.

Sawamura was still the newcomer.

He couldn't understand what Tetsuya and his peers thought.

They had been through thick and thin together, and Tetsuya's generation had become a team that could rely on each other.

But with Sawamura joining, Seidou High's baseball team had become centered around him.

Other top teams, might have welcomed such a change, but Tetsuya's generation didn't want to accept it.

They didn't want to ride on the bus of Kohai to make it to the Koshien.

They wanted to prove their own strength.

They even had a true showdown with Sawamura.

Though they ultimately lost, Tetsuya managed to equalize with Sawamura, while the others were at a disadvantage.

Sawamura's performance that day had left a deep impression on everyone, including Tetsuya.

Even after entering professional baseball, Tetsuya had never forgotten Sawamura.

He had replayed their past duels in his mind countless times.

Now, standing in front of Sawamura again, everything seemed clear to Tetsuya.

The situation was no Out, no one on base.

From Sawamura's current perspective, he absolutely didn't want to give up a hit.

But with his partner being Kengo Inui, not Miyuki, Sawamura had fewer options in his pitch arsenal.

Fastballs, Moving ball, Change-ups...

In this situation, Sawamura desperately wanted to rack up an Out.

But this also limited his options.

'What should he throw?'

In the blink of an eye, a pitch came to Tetsuya's mind.

Seeing the baseball coming, Tetsuya decisively swung his bat.

Shuuuuuuuuuu!!!!!

With a deep helicopter-like sound, the bat seemed to leave an afterimage as it cut the air apart.

Kengo Inui, the catcher, immediately grew serious.

As the bat swung, he felt the air around him sucked away.

This strange feeling nearly caused him to suffocate.

'This guy is terrifying.'

Only now did Kengo Inui truly begin to pay attention to Tetsuya.

He had thought the biggest threat was the fourth batter, Fumei.

But now, it seemed his view had been too narrow.

This third batter, the star of his year's draft...

Tetsuya might just be the most dangerous.

Such a powerful swing was enough to send the ball flying, even if it didn't hit the sweet spot of the bat.

PAAAAAKKKKK!!!!!

The small baseball was hit and instantly shot out like a white streak, landing near the shortstop.

"Shortstop!!!"

Sawamura wasn't surprised by the ball's trajectory. He quickly called out for his teammate to cover.

But it was too late.

Even though Shirakawa rushed to the spot, the ball was far too fast.

Before he could get there, it had already bounced away.

'How fast!'

Shirakawa had never encountered such speed.

He didn't even have time to react.

If all batters had Tetsuya's style...

Then the idea of fielders' defense would be useless.

"SAFE!!"

Tetsuya was on base with a powerful hit.

On the mound, Sawamura's face turned serious.

He knew his senior's strength, but he hadn't expected Tetsuya to hit the ball so hard, even with a wooden bat.

It was simply unbelievable.

No Outs, runner on first!

Miyuki turned to look at Tetsuya behind him.

He couldn't help but laugh bitterly to himself.

He hadn't expected Tetsuya to pull that off.

Now, Sawamura had to face two rounds of the opposing core lineup...

Giving the opponent an advantage.

Miyuki was frustrated but had no choice. This was the reality.

Whether Sawamura liked it or not, he had to endure this challenge.

…

T/N: I hope that one day there will be a (Sawamura Vs Tetsu Pro Max version)!!!