Chapter 65: Words For Us Both

The threat emanating from Sawamura made the Dream Team stand on high alert.

As for why they didn't tell Ramirez, it was because of Jack Ramirez's personality.

Among the Dream Team, there were many players with high pride, and Ramirez was one of them!

Moreover, this guy's rebellious nature had already become ingrained in his bones.

Before he stepped into the Batter's Box if they raised Sawamura's status too much and tried to provoke Ramirez...

It would not only be useless, but it could also backfire due to his impulsiveness.

He had already been frustrated when Sawamura had shut him out earlier, and during his time in the dugout, he had mentally simulated countless confrontations with Sawamura.

The fire was already enough!

Adding fuel to the flames could very well have the opposite effect.

It had to be said that Walter truly understood his players.

At this point, Ramirez had already entered his perfect state.

Sawamura's strength had greatly ignited his fighting spirit.

Ramirez's full attention was on Sawamura.

Great players are like this: they can effectively adjust their own state.

At this moment, adding too much external interference would be akin to overdoing it.

'Here he came!'

In the Batter's Box, Jack Ramirez had absorbed Andy's lesson well.

Andy had been so focused on dealing with Sawamura's fastballs and Cut balls that he had neglected the intelligence gathered beforehand.

Ramirez was different!

Standing in the Batter's Box, his stance was quite ordinary, and his grip on the bat showed no significant changes.

It seemed like he was offering no particular response or counter to Sawamura's pitching.

But was that really the case?

Not from the perspective of the catcher, Miyuki.

The "no moves" strategy against Sawamura actually worked quite well.

If the same approach had been used against someone like Allen or Furuya, with their distinctive styles, it would have been suicidal!

Their own styles were too strong. Without a specific countermeasure, it was impossible to handle their pitches.

Sawamura, on the other hand, was different!

If you deliberately targeted Sawamura, you were only a step away from getting out.

Sawamura's abilities were too well-rounded!!

There was no specific countermeasure that could handle him.

Now, Ramirez's stance showed that he had thoroughly studied Sawamura's pitching.

This guy was fully prepared!

It was only now that Miyuki truly felt it.

Indeed, none of the Dream Team players were ordinary—they were all top-tier players!

If they didn't have some kind of technique to subdue them, they would not be able to handle them.

'The opponent has top-tier dynamic vision and has done enough homework. Can ordinary Moving ball really deal with them?'

Miyuki's doubtful gaze turned to Sawamura.

Sawamura showed no hesitation and smiled as he gave an affirmative answer.

'Of course!'

The advantage of experience was that Sawamura had done this before.

Moving ball Kai that has a wider range for breaking could be easily figured out by the Dream Team players, especially those with dynamic vision...

They could easily figure out the direction of the ball's movement.

And with their batting skills, they could wait for the ball to enter their range before swinging.

From Sawamura's experience, his Moving ball Kai didn't fare well against these players.

Instead, it was the seemingly ordinary Moving balls!

Even with their top-tier dynamic vision, these monsters saw no clear difference between them and fastballs.

If the Dream Team players were all powerful dragons...

Then Sawamura's ordinary Moving ball was his hidden dragon-slaying knives.

Sawamura had also played in the Major Leagues. Although he didn't reach the top position...

His achievements were still quite good!

In fact, several Major League Coaches called him the most practical pitcher.

Though this "practical" meant more that his value was affordable, his abilities were still widely recognized.

Sawamura also had some methods to deal with these top-tier players.

Actually, at this moment, Sawamura wasn't entirely satisfied.

If it weren't for the live broadcast with so many media present...

He would have preferred not to rely on such a clever tactic but to bring out his ultimate skills and have a head-to-head contest with these players from the Dream Team.

He was eager to test how much his strength had grown.

But just thinking of his teammates and Coach Kataoka...

He forced himself to suppress that feeling.

'As long as we win, the method didn't matter.'

With a deep breath, Sawamura decisively threw the pitch.

Paak!

Faced with a pitch that was hard to come by, Jack Ramirez certainly wouldn't let it go.

So, he decisively swung his bat.

But after he swung, he realized that the ball had Moved.

The ball actually rose by half a ball's distance as it neared him.

'How was that possible?'

Although Sawamura's pitch speed wasn't slow, it wasn't fast enough for the ball to rise...

Ramirez was baffled, but there was nothing he could do.

He could only watch as the baseball he hit kept flying away, further and further.

Finally, it has fallen in the center field.

A swift figure was already waiting there.

Without any trouble, Toujou caught the ball.

Snap!

"OUT!!"

Two balls, two Outs, and no one on base.

The performance of Sawamura Eijun left the New York team dumbfounded!

They were genuinely dumbfounded!

The Cutter ball Kai completely baffled the Dream Team's lineup for an entire round. They were racking their heads against Sawamura.

The New York team reacted quickly, and by the time of the second round, they had already come up with a very thorough strategy.

Whether this strategy would be effective or not, no one could say.

But the fact that they reacted so quickly showed that the Dream Team truly possessed the strength to be considered the best in the world.

However, just as they came up with a strategy, Sawamura presented a new weapon.

An ordinary Moving ball.

This forced the American players, who were considered the elite of the elite, to scratch their heads in confusion, utterly dumbfounded.

The key was that these elite players had extraordinary skill and an eye for the ball.

After experiencing Sawamura's Moving ball, they immediately understood.

It was not going to be easy to hit this ball with any certainty.

Both skill and luck were essential.

Under such circumstances, it was no wonder the New York team seemed completely helpless.

The opponent's strength far exceeded their expectations.

'More fragile than imagined!'

On the pitcher's mound, Sawamura Eijun noticed the change in his opponent's state.

But this wasn't unexpected.

In Sawamura's memory, these guys had already reached a certain level of skill after spending a few years in the major leagues.

Now, while they did have extraordinary strength, compared to a few years down the road, they were still a little immature.

It was understandable for them to show a bit of immaturity when faced with successive problems.

"I won't hold back then!"

Sawamura was very interested in giving these guys a good lesson before they fully grew up.

Especially since these were the future elite players.

Sawamura's smile looked like he had just unlocked his Devil Brother's side.

His smile which looked heartwarming at first glance, appeared especially sinister to his opponent.

Faced with the incredibly skilled third batter, Ortiz, Sawamura decisively threw a Moving ball.

As expected.

Paak!

Ortiz, at first, was also helpless against this kind of ball, and he hit a ground ball.

At third base, Kanemaru finally made up for his earlier mistake.

He quickly rushed forward, picked up the ball, and threw it to first base.

Snap!

"OUT!!!"

It looked like an ordinary fielding play, but the process was actually quite perilous.

Ortiz, the shortstop for the Dream Team, was extremely fast.

In what seemed like a sure out, Ortiz managed to run up to just a few steps from first base.

He was only three or four meters away from reaching first base.

The players from Seidou High School were all sweating coldly at that moment.

Had Kanemaru made even the slightest mistake, Ortiz could have made it safely to first base.

With the third Out, the sides switched.

Back in the Seidou dugout, all the players were visibly nervous.

Though they still had an advantage in the game up to this point, the Dream Team's performance constantly reminded them.

The moment they made even the smallest mistake, the opponent would have no hesitation in taking full advantage.

In fact, they did have the strength and confidence to do just that.

It wasn't just the others—Sawamura himself was facing considerable interference.

If you observe the game closely, you can sense the signs.

Though the Dream Team players weren't at their peak performance yet, even in their current form, their strength far surpassed that of Seidou School's players.

When the strength gap is so wide, the margin for error is nearly nonexistent.

In simpler terms, if any of the Seidou players made a simple mistake, this game would be over for them.

No matter how extraordinary Sawamura was, there was no possibility of turning the game around.

After all, baseball isn't a game that can be won by relying on just one player.

If Seidou High School's baseball team wanted to create a miracle and win this game, they had to score before the Dream Team reacted.

Once they had the lead, the remaining game could turn into a pitcher's duel.

Sawamura didn't dare to make bold claims, but if it came to a pitcher's duel with the otherworldly Allen, Sawamura was confident he wouldn't be outmatched.

He decided to make his move!

After his first encounter with Allen, Sawamura was confident that if he could catch Allen off guard, it wasn't impossible to get a hit from him.

"Second batter, second baseman, H. Kominato."

The first to step up to the plate was Kominato Haruichi.

"FOUL!"

"FOUL!!"

Although he was able to make contact, the balls were just too strong for him to hit it forward.

He had worked hard to overcome this weakness during practice, and his skills had improved somewhat, he wasn't yet capable of handling a super power pitcher like Allen, who had turned violence into art.

Paak!

After hitting two Foul balls, Kominato barely managed to get the ball into fair territory, but the ball floated weakly.

Although it was placed in a decent spot, this floating ball was too easy to catch.

The Dream Team's infielder ran a few steps and easily caught the ball.

"OUT!"

As a result, he was Out.

The situation now: one Out, no runners on base.

The American player raised an eyebrow on this, glancing at Haruichi from the corner of their eyes.

They thought if this player had more power in him, he might be no less than their three musketeers, as he was making contact with Allen's pitches from his first at-bat.

As Haruichi walked off the field, he passed Sawamura, who was preparing to take his turn.

Haruichi lowered his head in shame.

He felt like he had let Eijun down. Had he gotten on base, Sawamura would have faced a much easier situation.

But unfortunately...

"Being able to hit three consecutive balls is no small feat. What you lack is just strength."

Sawamura said this sincerely.

He wasn't just comforting Kominato; he genuinely thought so.

Three consecutive hits off 160km/h pitches.

Even Sawamura couldn't guarantee he could do that without using bunts.

Yet Haruichi did it.

It was hard not to admire him.

But, strength remained his flaw...

In lower-level games, he could overcome this with bat speed.

However, in higher-level games, Haruichi would have to find other ways.

'Well, these words go for both of us.'

Sawamura also knew that this was an aspect he should improve on, but it was a dilemma for him too as his pitching and now batting were dependent on his flexible body.

He was thinking of asking coach Ochiai about this later, as he now has a very important battle.

"Third batter, pitcher, E. Sawamura!"

...