"My god… is this really the Sawamura we know?"
"A three up, three down inning—and he didn't even let Akiha's batters touch the ball!"
"The guys from Akiha aren't weak either. Their swings and batting form looked solid. I never expected it to end like this."
"Sawamura's getting more and more impressive."
Neither the players nor the supporters of Seido High School had expected Sawamura Eijun to perform this well.
So when they witnessed it with their own eyes, none of them could hide the astonishment in their expressions.
The moment Sawamura returned to the dugout, countless thumbs-up greeted him.
"You're finally starting to look like a true Ace candidate!"
"Next, you need to improve your batting too. Keep working hard!"
The standards for Seido's Ace pitchers had completely changed ever since Zhou Hao appeared.
Originally, as long as the team's Ace pitched well, nobody expected much else.
If they could bat too, that was a bonus. If not, no one really minded.
But Zhou Hao was different.
Not only was his pitching terrifying, his batting was equally monstrous.
Then there was Furuya Satoru, who had just blasted a home run earlier.
As a result, Seido's players and supporters had unconsciously begun expecting their future Aces to possess dominant batting power as well.
They wanted pitchers who could not only dominate on the mound but also smash the ball cleanly and become the core of the lineup.
"I definitely will!"
If anyone else had said those words, people would probably have laughed it off as a joke.
After all, a pitcher who could both dominate on the mound and excel at batting was incredibly rare among powerhouse schools.
Most Aces were already considered outstanding if they could simply handle their pitching responsibilities and contribute a timely hit when necessary.
That alone was impressive enough.
But Sawamura Eijun didn't think that way at all.
In his mind, the standards were Zhou Hao and Furuya Satoru.
With those two serving as his goals and reference points, how could his batting possibly be weak?
"Starting today, fifty extra swings every day."
Sawamura was like an indestructible cockroach.
When he first joined Seido, his physical condition had been far below the level of the regular players.
At the time, he didn't even meet the minimum standards for the First String.
Yet over the past month, he had trained as though his life depended on it.
And now, little by little, he was finally beginning to catch up.
Every player on Seido's team had witnessed that growth firsthand.
Encouraging others might not always lead to results.
But encouraging Sawamura Eijun?
That would definitely pay off.
Just thinking about it made everyone excited.
At this point, the team practically treated motivating Sawamura like some kind of character-leveling game.
Watching a player you supported gradually grow stronger step by step…
It brought an incredible sense of accomplishment.
"It's our turn to bat!"
In the bottom of the fourth inning, Seido High School—despite already slowing down offensively—added another run.
The score became:
11–0.
The supporters who had specifically come to cheer for Akiha High School could barely continue watching.
Deep down, they already understood the truth.
If Seido hadn't intentionally slowed their pace, the score gap might have already approached twenty runs.
This was supposed to be the semifinals of the Kanto Tournament.
A battle between nationally recognized powerhouse schools.
Yet in front of Seido High School, Akiha looked utterly helpless.
It was as if they had encountered their natural enemy.
They were being completely crushed.
"This shouldn't be happening…"
Unwilling to accept reality, Akiha's players entered the top of the fifth inning determined to at least get a hit—and preferably score a run.
The first batter up, their cleanup hitter, stepped into the box with fierce determination.
And this time—
He actually made contact.
Ping!
The white baseball bounced sharply off the ground after being hit.
But Akiha's fourth batter looked even uglier afterward.
Only now did he realize how naive he had been.
Sawamura's pitches might look like ordinary Fastballs on the surface…
But in reality, they were anything but ordinary.
The pitches had movement.
And unless a batter actually made contact with the ball, that movement was almost impossible to notice.
Just like the ball he had hit moments ago—
It was instantly intercepted by Seido's defense.
Without wasting even a second, the ball was fired to first base.
Pa!
"Out!!"
Akiha's fifth batter fared no better.
After an extremely difficult swing, he barely managed to touch the ball.
Ping!
The baseball soared high into the sky.
Everyone in the stands lifted their heads, watching the ball descend from above.
But a hit like that could never escape Seido's defense.
Pa!
"Out!"
Kominato Ryosuke rushed beneath the falling ball and caught it steadily.
In an instant—
Two outs. Bases empty.
"Damn! Aren't Seido's first-year pitchers getting outs way too easily?"
Calling it effortless wouldn't even be an exaggeration.
Sawamura Eijun had casually secured two more outs.
Combined with the previous inning's three up, three down—
Akiha's batting lineup posed almost no threat to him whatsoever.
"Too strong…"
"Zhou Hao hasn't even stepped onto the field, and they're already dominating this badly."
"As expected of Seido High School. They're truly extraordinary."
"This is practically a kingdom of pitchers!"
"The nation's number one player, Zhou Hao…"
"Furuya Satoru, the super rookie capable of throwing 150 km/h fastballs…"
"And Sawamura Eijun, who's completely toying with Akiha's lineup…"
"With just those three pitchers alone, Seido already has the right to look down on every other team."
"And don't forget—they still have another pitcher who hasn't even taken the mound yet."
"Before this, everyone said Seido lacked strong pitchers, which was why their results stagnated."
"Who would've thought things would turn around like this?"
"Seido High School has become a true Pitcher Kingdom!"
The spectators in the stands felt the impact deeply.
But the ones who felt it most clearly…
Were Akiha's players themselves.
Watching Sawamura dominate the mound so effortlessly, disbelief filled their eyes.
They had never expected this first-year brat to be so troublesome as well.
For most teams, obtaining even one pitcher of this caliber would be cause for celebration.
Yet Seido had found two of them in the same year.
And above those two—
There was still Zhou Hao.
Thinking about Zhou Hao's terrifying strength while looking at Seido's current mound situation…
Akiha's players felt only despair.
They realized with painful clarity that they were powerless to turn things around.
At this point, even scoring a single run to preserve their dignity felt nearly impossible.
And yet—
Despite all those thoughts, Akiha still refused to give up.
There was still plenty of game left.
They couldn't just sit there waiting for defeat.
So they continued swinging with everything they had.
But the result remained the same.
Out after out after out.
Behind the plate, Chris narrowed his eyes slightly as a faint smile appeared on his face.
Ever since his injury last year, such a smile had rarely appeared.
That alone showed how proud he was of Sawamura Eijun's performance.
"Very good…"
"You're starting to show more and more of the bearing of an Ace pitcher."
At least for the current Sawamura, if one ignored everything else and focused solely on the quality of his pitching—
His hidden release point…
Combined with his Fastball and Moving Fastball…
Those weapons alone were enough to make him a pitcher nobody could underestimate.
And beyond that—
Sawamura still possessed many other strengths.
For example…
His velocity.
And his control.
Although he had only been with Seido High School's baseball team for a short time, Sawamura Eijun had already improved tremendously in these areas.
His pitch velocity had increased.
And his control had become even better.
Up until now, if one ignored all the messy external factors and focused purely on the quality of Sawamura's pitching, it had already risen to an entirely new level.
Now, even against a team strong enough to reach the semifinals of the Kanto Tournament, he could still pitch with remarkable ease.
That alone was proof of how much he had grown.
"Keep it up… keep it up!"
By the end of the sixth inning, Sawamura Eijun had allowed no runs and no hits.
The players of Akiha High School were practically coughing up blood from frustration.
They had truly tried everything they could think of.
None of their core batters had held back in the slightest.
Every single one of them had gone all out against Sawamura Eijun.
And yet, in the end—
They still couldn't get even a single hit off him.
Against first-year rookie Furuya Satoru, they had gained no advantage whatsoever.
And now, facing another first-year rookie in Sawamura Eijun, the result was exactly the same.
That reality dealt an enormous blow to Akiha High School's confidence.
As the game continued, it became obvious that their mentality was beginning to crumble.
At this point, only a single thought continued supporting them:
Since Seido intended to use a relay of pitchers, they would definitely change pitchers during the final three innings.
And this time—
They guessed correctly.
At the beginning of the seventh inning, Seido High School finally made another pitching change.
The team's final pitcher stepped onto the mound:
Tanba Koichiro.
By now, the score difference between the two teams had already expanded to fifteen runs.
In truth, Seido had already been holding back considerably.
They had even started substituting in reserve players.
For this semifinal match, Seido truly didn't want to appear overly high-profile.
However, Akiha High School's Ace had already been completely destroyed by Seido's batting lineup.
In the end, Akiha had no choice but to send in a substitute pitcher.
Unfortunately, the substitute performed even worse.
Even with Seido intentionally easing up, they still surrendered several more runs.
By the time Tanba Koichiro took the mound, the only thing left was to finish the game.
Even so, the batters of Akiha High School still refused to give up.
If nothing else, they wanted at least one run for the sake of their pride.
And Tanba Koichiro—
In their eyes—
Was their final hope.
They had been helpless against those two first-year monsters.
But Tanba was different.
At least, that was what they believed.
"We couldn't do anything against those two freakish first-years…"
"But don't tell me we can't even deal with you?!"
The players and supporters of Seido High School immediately sensed this mentality from Akiha's side.
And honestly—
They found it somewhat speechless.
Since when had Seido's original Ace, Tanba Koichiro, become the opponent's "best chance" to score?
"The perfect opportunity to prove yourself has arrived, Tanba!"
"Show those short-sighted idiots from Akiha exactly how strong you are!"
Standing on the mound, Tanba took a deep breath.
Of course, he clearly understood how the opponents viewed him.
In the past, Tanba Koichiro definitely wouldn't have been able to accept it.
Back then, he had been extremely sensitive—
Especially while carrying the title of Ace.
The Ace of Seido High School was supposed to stand proudly above everyone else.
But at that time, Tanba couldn't do it.
Because his strength simply wasn't enough.
Now, however, things were different.
Now—
He was merely a substitute pitcher.
Tanba Koichiro raised his head proudly, his eyes filled with cold disdain.
He was no longer the same person he used to be.
Now, he possessed absolute confidence in his ability to crush the opponents before him.
Arms lifted.
Stride forward.
Whoosh!
The moment Tanba released the pitch, Akiha's leadoff batter froze in shock.
From his perspective, the baseball flashed past his eyes in an instant.
So fast!
At that moment, only one thought remained in his mind:
When did this guy's Fastball become this strong?!
Before he could even process it, Tanba's second pitch had already arrived.
Whoosh!
The baseball dropped violently from above, like a meteor crashing toward the earth.
Akiha's batter stood there completely stunned.
He had never imagined Tanba Koichiro's pitching would become this powerful.
Especially that sharply dropping curveball—
He couldn't even grasp the timing needed to swing.
"Strike!"
"Strike!!"
"Strike!!!"
"Strikeout!!"
One out. Bases empty.
To be honest, Akiha High School's players were already drowning in despair.
Being unable to do anything against the first two rookie pitchers was humiliating enough.
After all, Akiha wasn't some random weak school.
They were a nationally recognized powerhouse.
Their batting lineup wasn't weak either.
Failing against Zhou Hao could still be understood.
But being utterly helpless against two first-year rookies?
That was simply unacceptable.
And now—
Facing Seido's third pitcher—
They were still powerless?
How could they possibly accept that?
No matter how others viewed it, they simply couldn't swallow this reality.
But whether they accepted it or not…
What could they actually do?
The facts were already right in front of them.
Against Tanba Koichiro—
They were equally helpless.
"Out!"
"Out!!"
Three outs. Side retired.
In the seventh inning, Akiha High School's batters went three up, three down once again.
Not only did they fail to score—
They even surrendered another run afterward.
In the eighth inning, Akiha finally managed to get a hit.
Unfortunately, they still failed to score.
Meanwhile, Seido added two more runs of their own.
By the end of the eighth inning, the score had widened to:
18–0.
At this point, everyone could already tell—
Akiha High School was doomed.
The only remaining suspense in the ninth inning was whether they could finally avoid a shutout and score a single run.
Meanwhile, the team's pinch hitters were all restless and eager.
It was obvious they desperately wanted to step onto the field and change the flow of the game.