Chapter 66: NOT A Good Sign.

The second round of confrontation between Sawamura and Allen could be seen as a direct clash of the two teams' Aces.

The result of this clash would greatly change the situation on the field.

Even without a change in score, such a confrontation would still alter many things.

"ALLEN!"

"ALLEN!!!"

With the cheers from some fans, a wave of support echoed across the stadium.

They wanted to transfer all their energy to Allen on the pitcher's mound.

The support of tens of thousands of people is a great help to any player on the field.

However, in the New York Team's dugout, no one, including their Coach Walter, had even the slightest smile.

They were all very aware of what this scene meant.

Why were the fans so obviously supporting Allen?

The reason was simple: the fans also felt that their opponent today was extraordinary.

This opponent was strong enough to challenge the Dream Team!

If they hadn't felt this threat, the fans wouldn't have bothered with so much support.

In the previous games, hadn't they easily overwhelmed every opponent?

They only needed to quietly watch their opponents fall apart, why waste so much breath?

It was precisely because they now felt the unusual strength of their opponent that they were nervous.

The fact that such worry arose among the die-hard fans of the New York Team showed how serious the situation was.

Walter focused his gaze on Sawamura Eijun and began to reassess the young man in front of him.

The longer the game went on, the more Walter could sense the extraordinariness of this young player.

At this point, his mind started thinking of other plans.

Although their team already had Allen and another veteran pitcher, there was no shortage of pitching vacancies in the Major League.

Every team had at least two or three Ace-level pitchers.

Before others caught on, was there a chance he could sign Sawamura?

Thinking of this, Walter glanced at the corner of the stands.

There, aside from the cameras and photographers doing live coverage, there were several media reporters with long lenses.

Among them, several familiar figures caught Walter's attention.

Some were taking notes furiously, while others had cameras in hand, meticulously focused on capturing the actions on the field.

Walter knew exactly what they were doing.

Sawamura was like a bright incandescent bulb in the dark, and once lit, those around would swarm to it like sharks smelling blood.

Walter felt a pang of regret.

Their team already had ace players, and with Allen being a potential star in the making, there wasn't room for Sawamura.

If no one pursued Sawamura, they could sign him with a generous offer first.

But looking at the current situation, that seemed unlikely...

In terms of money, they weren't the wealthiest. As for positions, they couldn't offer one either.

Other teams with money and openings were plentiful.

For teams not lacking money, the advantages of signing Sawamura were endless.

Walter couldn't think of a single reason why Sawamura would want to join their team.

Watching such a promising talent go to another team was like a knife twisting in Walter's heart.

The more he thought about it, the more his expression relaxed. It was as though he wasn't troubled by it at all.

Since the opportunity was gone, he couldn't be blamed.

He closed his eyes, only to reopen them with a completely different demeanor.

He decisively sent a signal to his proud student on the mound.

After receiving the signal, Allen nodded slightly and refocused his gaze on Sawamura.

Clearly, the New York Team had a plan.

In the Seidou High School dugout, many players were silently praying, hoping that Allen wouldn't avoid the direct confrontation with Sawamura and use tactics to take him out.

Though they weren't sure if Sawamura could hit Allen's pitch, it was clear this was Seidou's only chance. If Allen avoided this confrontation, Seidou might never have gotten a hit from Allen today.

This wasn't an overestimate, but rather a reasonable judgment after observing Allen's performance.

Allen's strength was just too formidable!

Over 162 km/h pitch speed, coupled with precise control and sharp breaks.

Forget the Seidou players; this was already high Pro Level shit.

Given the current situation, Sawamura was the only one with a slight hope of getting a hit.

So, the Seidou players pinned all their hopes on Sawamura.

If Sawamura could just make contact, even if he didn't hit a home run but simply managed a single, it would give the team the confidence they needed.

At least it would show that Seidou had a chance of getting a hit.

This was crucial! It is directly related to the morale of Seidou High's team.

If Sawamura could get a hit, that would mean there was hope for scoring.

But if even Sawamura couldn't get a hit from Allen, then Seidou's offense would likely come to an end.

Standing in the Batter's Box, Sawamura was fully aware of this.

So, as he prepared to bat, he didn't dare to be careless.

He knew Allen's abilities well—when to strike and how to do it. He was fully prepared.

'Bring it on. Just throw the ball!'

Sawamura's expression was resolute.

On the pitcher's mound, Allen!

He also understood the current situation.

It was his previous lapse in concentration that allowed Sawamura to get on base.

Though Allen quickly resolved the next few batters, one thing was clear.

That was, after Sawamura got on base, Seidou's morale was greatly boosted.

Initially, Seidou was at a disadvantage compared to the New York Team.

From Allen's perspective, this gap wasn't small.

Yet, during their previous encounters, you couldn't tell that there was any gap.

Because both teams' Aces were so strong, the other players had been sidelined.

This led to an unbelievable phenomenon.

Seidou High's baseball team was actually holding their ground against the New York Team.

It seemed like a joke!

And yet, in this situation, they were evenly matched.

Did this mean that Allen was no longer the top player?

Any genius has its pride!

Allen was no exception.

Therefore, he must use his powerful strength to restore his pride.

His earlier carelessness allowed Sawamura to find an opening.

Now, fully prepared, Allen is confident he can defeat Sawamura.

Especially after receiving the secret signal from his coach.

With that, Allen completely let go and was determined to give it his all.

"There's no need to hold back! After all, we don't have to participate in any major tournaments after this. Let's show them the gap between us."

Allen wasn't sure why Coach Walter suddenly seemed so excited, but the fact that the coach had lifted the restrictions on him made Allen very energized.

Honestly speaking, it had been a long time since he had given his all like this.

With everything in his favor today, he could finally enjoy himself.

VROOOOOOO!

After setting up, Allen threw the small baseball with all his might.

The baseball flew like a laser beam.

In an instant, it crossed the distance of several meters and appeared right in front of Sawamura Eijun.

Sawamura, standing in the Batter's Box, was also fully prepared. When he saw the ball coming, he instinctively grabbed the bat, ready to swing.

But he waited until the baseball flew past him, and he never swung.

KABOOM!

The baseball landed in the Mitt of catcher William, with a crisp sound.

Sawamura was standing unbothered.

"BALL!"

As expected, the pitch was outside the strike zone.

"Phew!"

"Good Eyes!"

"You are Seeing!"

With the count in their favor, the teammates in the Seidou High baseball team's dugout became very excited.

It was a good sign.

But Allen himself didn't care.

Since the strategy to induce Sawamura to swing wasn't working, there was no need to use these tricks anymore. The best approach was to deal with Sawamura head-on.

VROOOOOOOO!!

Without hesitation, the baseball shot out.

Sawamura, of course, didn't let it pass by.

He decisively swung the bat.

Sawamura aimed!

But the bat didn't connect with the baseball.

In his eyes, it seemed like the bat was about to hit the ball, but then the ball suddenly dropped.

'A Splitter!'

Sawamura had predicted this, so when he swung, he slightly lowered his bat.

But even with his bat lowered, he still couldn't reach the ball.

The ball dropped too quickly.

The speed at which it dropped far surpassed the speed at which Sawamura lowered his bat.

By the time Sawamura reacted, the baseball had already passed his bat and slammed into the catcher's Mitt.

KABOOM!

"STRIKE!"

But it wasn't over. Immediately after, another ball that seemed identical came.

Sawamura swung again.

PAAK!

This time, he barely managed to catch up with the ball, but the moment it hit the bat, Sawamura was stunned.

The ball ricocheted off his bat and flew high into the air.

It landed behind the catcher.

"FOUL!!"

One Out, no one on base.

The count: two Strikes, one Ball.

'This is bad…'

Sawamura was chased by the count.

…