Chapter 80: Movement!

Luck is also a part of strength!

When Sawamura swung the bat for the third time, he had a vague premonition in his mind.

'It's here!'

It was like the feeling an excellent basketball shooter gets when making a three-point shot.

He had a strong feeling that he would hit a home run with this swing.

Sawamura was very confident in this feeling of his, a result of more than ten years of accumulated experience.

To hit a clean home run off someone like Allen, the Holy Son of Baseball, made Sawamura incredibly excited.

Even though Allen was still far from his peak, that didn't stop Sawamura's excitement.

That feeling was incredibly satisfying.

Even if it's not entirely true, it still felt amazing.

While Sawamura was lost in this feeling, something unexpected happened.

The bat in his hands couldn't withstand the extreme strain.

It finally broke into two pieces.

As a result, Sawamura couldn't fully exert his strength. Though the ball soared high into the air, it didn't travel very far.

It just dropped.

On the pitcher's mound, Allen raised his mitt and effortlessly caught the ball.

SNAP!

"OUT!"

Sawamura Eijun, who had been seen as the last hope for the Seidou High School baseball team's offense, was Out.

This wasn't just his personal defeat; it also marked the difficulty Seidou High School would face in their future attacks.

Based on previous circumstances, it seemed unlikely that Sawamura would get another chance to step into the Batter's Box in this game.

The broken bat, his numb hands, and the tough game situation...

Sawamura could see no light ahead.

"AWOOOOOO!!!!"

"OOOOOOOOOHHH!!!"

"OOOOOOOHHHH!!!"

In the stands, the American fans were howling like wild animals.

It's no wonder they were so crazy—the blows Sawamura dealt them earlier had been too harsh.

Even Allen, the best player of the Dream Team, hadn't gained any advantage over Sawamura.

Two matchups, and both times the ball had been hit out.

Now, they finally had the chance to stand tall.

With his immense strength, Allen had broken Sawamura's bat and secured the Out.

This let the fans of the Dream Team truly puff their chests.

"So Cool!"

"Feels So Satisfying!"

No ordinary words could capture the emotions they were feeling right now.

That feeling of satisfaction was absolutely amazing!

Back in the dugout, Sawamura smiled bitterly as he looked at his teammates.

He wasn't sure what kind of expression he should show to his teammates.

"Don't Mind!"

"You Have Done Great!"

"Leave The Rest To Us!"

One by one, his teammates came over to console him, and it was clear that Sawamura had a good rapport with them.

But he didn't need any consolation, did he?

Considering the situation just now, Sawamura knew that the responsibility wasn't on him.

He was an experienced veteran who had spent more than ten years in professional baseball.

How could he not know that luck is also part of strength?

And once luck was involved, anything strange could happen on the field.

What happened to Sawamura wasn't even the worst.

"That's a shame!"

Coach Ochiai rubbed his small beard and looked regretful.

Though he knew that the responsibility for that play couldn't be placed on Sawamura, it was still a crucial moment.

If Sawamura didn't reach base, Seidou High School's situation would become even more tense.

In the subsequent battles, Miyuki and Shiratsu took their turns at bat.

They too understood that Seidou's baseball team desperately needed a hit.

Only with a base hit would Sawamura have a chance to get back into the Batter's Box in the fourth round.

Without Sawamura's strength, it would be tough for Seidou to score against Allen.

The goal was clear, but achieving it was no easy feat.

Though Miyuki fought through six tough pitches, he ultimately couldn't escape the inevitable.

Paak!

On the final outside pitch, he barely managed to hit the ball.

The ball didn't land foul but stayed within the fair area.

A Dream Team fielder rushed forward, caught the ball in his mitt, and threw it to first base.

"OUT!!"

The whole process was clean and swift.

By now, the performance gap between the Dream Team and Seidou High School's team had grown wider.

As the game continued, it wasn't just Sawamura who was exhausted—his teammates were also drained.

Now, aside from Miyuki, no one could even catch their breath.

On the other hand, the Dream Team players continued to impress.

As the game progressed, their performance became even better.

Their movements were sharp and clean, showing no signs of fatigue or loss of stamina.

"Their physical conditioning is amazing!"

Seeing this, the Seidou coaches were amazed.

It had to be said, the Dream Team was truly exceptional.

They were so extraordinary it almost seemed unreal!

Before seeing these Dream Team players, Seidou's coaches always believed that the players they trained were world-class.

You could tell from the team's slogans:

Who shed sweats more than anyone?

Who shed tears more than anyone?

Seidou, of course.

With the harshest training, the best coaching staff, and the most advanced equipment...

All of this laid the foundation for Seidou's baseball team.

Not only now, but Seidou had dominated Japan's high school baseball scene twice.

Even before, Seidou's coaches considered their players to be the best.

The reason they hadn't made it to Koshien was partly due to a lack of top-tier pitchers and partly due to a lack of luck.

When it came to player strength, they were absolutely on par with the best.

But after seeing the Dream Team's players, Seidou's coaches began to realize how narrow-minded their previous views had been.

They clearly recognized that there were players in the world who were even better than Seidou's players.

"The world's top stage— we're still far from it!"

This realization was a good thing for Seidou's baseball team, who had slowly begun to develop a sense of pride and complacency.

Otherwise, if they kept expanding with that mindset, sooner or later they'd face real hardship.

"STRIKE!"

"STRIKE!!"

"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!!!"

Miyuki couldn't get a hit, and it was the same for Shiratsu.

Shiratsu didn't even touch the ball throughout the at-bat.

This was no surprise; Allen's pitch speed was simply too ridiculous.

It wasn't the type of pitch any batter could easily make contact with.

In Seidou's lineup, only two or three players truly had a chance to make contact with Allen's pitches.

The rest didn't even have the qualifications to face Allen head-on.

In contrast, Allen's pitching seemed effortless.

Because in Seidou's lineup, very few batters really posed a threat to him.

Sawamura's situation was different.

Every player on the Dream Team was a star player. The only difference was that some had bigger reputations than others.

Each player had the ability to make contact with Sawamura's pitches.

That's why, whenever Sawamura faced an opponent, he had to give it his all.

Otherwise, he would inevitably make a mistake sooner or later.

This was also the reason Sawamura's stamina drained faster than Allen's.

It might sound rude to Seidou's baseball team, but it was the truth.

Their opponents were different, so the physical toll they faced was different.

When it came to stamina reserves, Sawamura's were no worse than Allen's—if anything, he was stronger.

Three Outs, offense and defense exchange.

The game entered the eighth inning.

At the beginning of the eighth inning, the Dream Team employed a strategy.

They didn't seem in a hurry to get a hit but were patiently wearing down Sawamura's stamina.

Clearly, they had noticed that Sawamura was running low on energy.

For this, the battery duo of Seidou High's baseball team were at a loss.

The opposing team was determined to engage in a battle, and they had no good solution.

After a brief discussion, they decided not to waste time and directly switch to a breaking ball.

Now, they were facing the lower-order batters from the New York Manhattan Academy team. Although they were also star players, their skill level was far from that of the American team's big three.

Against them, a normal breaking ball would suffice.

Although they couldn't guarantee it would solve the problem, at this point, who could still be certain of anything?

Under the conditions of insufficient stamina, any unforeseen event could happen.

Sawamura was well aware of this.

So, he didn't hesitate.

He trusted his defense behind him and let the opponent hit.

Paak!

The eighth batter of the Dream Team hit the ball toward third base.

Kanemaru, like a dartfish, suddenly shot out from third base and caught the ball cleanly in his mitt.

"OUT!"

A clean and decisive play.

The man who completed this was Kanemaru.

In other areas, he might have some weaknesses. Among the competitors for third base, his advantages weren't particularly clear.

But when it came to defense, Kanemaru could certainly be ranked among the best.

One Out, no runners on base.

Next up was the ninth batter.

It was almost the same routine—the ball was hit behind the third baseman.

"Hyaa-ha-haa!"

Kuramochi, swift as a leopard, dashed out and, after the ball rebounded from the first drop point, snatched it up smoothly.

He then threw it to first base.

"OUT!!"

Though there had been some entanglement, the result was still favorable for Seidou High.

With no runners on base, they easily got two Outs.

In the Dream Team's dugout.

Including their Coach, Walter, everyone was scratching their heads.

Earlier, they had felt that Sawamura's pitches were a bit odd. They had heard that the ball moved after reaching the batter.

But the change wasn't very obvious.

Walter had suggested that the players should swing with full force, even if there was a slight change, they should still try to hit the ball.

Now, the situation had taken a turn.

The movements in Sawamura's pitches were no longer just small adjustments. Even from the dugout, it was clear to see how much the ball was changing.

The most terrifying part was that the Dream Team's players couldn't find a good strategy to deal with Sawamura's Moving pitches.

They could only dumbly watch.

"Indeed, the final offensive must rely on the core batters!"

At this point, Coach Walter had resigned himself to the situation.

Relying on their lower-order batters to break down Sawamura seemed too difficult.

Sawamura wasn't the kind of player they could easily deal with.

Fortunately, the two batters in the lower order managed to fulfill their mission by forcing Sawamura to throw seven pitches.

At least they had consumed some of Sawamura's stamina.

Next up was Andy, the first batter.

His performance had been the best; he had made Sawamura throw six pitches before he was forced to hit a pop-up.

At second base, Kominato Haruichi raised his mitt and safely caught the falling ball.

Snap!

"OUT!!!"

Three outs, change of sides.

In this inning, Sawamura used 13 pitches.

He secured three Outs.

Overall, both teams were relatively satisfied with the outcome.

After a long struggle, the Dream Team had successfully worn down Sawamura's stamina.

From Sawamura's standpoint, he had also survived a tough phase.

With that, only three more Outs remained until the game ended.

As for how to handle those last three Outs, Sawamura hadn't decided yet.

He wasn't sure if his current stamina would allow him to execute a Level 4 breaking ball.

And after executing that pitch, he wasn't sure if he would be able to get Bill and the others Out.

These were all uncertainties, things that hadn't been tested, and no one knew for sure.

Fortunately, he still had time to think carefully.

…