On the dugout, the players who had come from Tokyo with Sawamura all sat obediently in their seats.
When they saw Sawamura Eijun suddenly display his overwhelming strength, as if he were playing with children, they were completely baffled as he toyed with the American players. He swiftly took out the 4th, 5th, and 6th batters from America one after another.
These guys, who had no opportunity to take the field, stared at each other, each seeing shock and disbelief in the other's eyes.
Before this, Sawamura had clearly appeared exhausted, so how could he suddenly become so powerful in just a short time?
Could it be that he took some kind of medicine?
It wasn't that they wanted to think the worst of him, but the situation was so strange that they couldn't help but speculate.
"This is insane! How could his stamina suddenly increase like this?"
In the game yesterday, Sawamura was the main pitcher, and his stamina had definitely taken a big hit.
Now, in this game, the intensity was more than double that of yesterday's, so naturally, everyone's stamina would be drained much more.
Given these conditions, it would be entirely reasonable for Sawamura to be exhausted.
They understood this.
The Tokyo guys weren't doubting Sawamura's abilities, though.
In fact, apart from Sawamura's most loyal fans, it's safe to say no one had more faith in him than they did.
The title of "Great Demon King" wasn't just a nickname—it was earned through countless games and matchups.
They fully believed that Sawamura would be able to hold on until the end, no matter how tired he was.
This was their trust in him, not just in terms of ability, but also in his character.
But even if they understood him, Sawamura was still just an ordinary human. He wasn't Superman.
This wasn't some over-the-top action manga.
It didn't make sense that his stamina would suddenly increase like that.
The Tokyo players were equally puzzled.
"Could he have been holding back his strength earlier?" one of them speculated.
A fair number of them had this thought.
They knew Sawamura's personality and character well.
For the sake of a victory, pretending to be weaker than he actually was, something Sawamura could definitely pull off.
"I don't think so. The situation just now is near the end of the game. If Sawamura had been holding back, he definitely wouldn't have let the American players catch up with the score."
One of his teammates from the same team, Miyuki, said this firmly.
After hearing Miyuki's comment, everyone was even more confused. If Sawamura hadn't been holding back, how could he have suddenly exploded like this?
It didn't add up!
"It wasn't a sudden explosion; he changed his pitching rhythm and technique," said Narumiya, another pitcher.
As one of the top pitchers in his age group, few could see through it as clearly as he could.
Sawamura's stamina was definitely drained, and the rhythm of his breathing and the sweat on his forehead made it obvious.
But if you thought that meant Sawamura was now a sitting duck, that anyone could take advantage of him, you'd be seriously mistaken.
The reality of the situation was enough to make one despair.
Sawamura was never a pitcher who won games with sheer velocity. While stamina was important to him, it wasn't the most important thing.
At least not as crucial as it was for guys like Hongou or Narumiya.
Even with most of his stamina drained, he could still give 70–80% of his full power.
Earlier, Sawamura had abandoned his off-speed pitches and focused solely on fastballs, directing all his energy into control.
He stopped chasing after speed and instead aimed for accuracy.
Of course, Sawamura was still able to place the ball perfectly in the corners.
Combined with Renji's calls behind the plate, they used this simplified approach to catch the American players off guard.
As for the few fast pitches? It was simple—Sawamura wasn't throwing just any fastball, but a Straight-Fastball.
The actual speed of the ball was a little faster than a typical fastball, but not dramatically so.
However, for the spectators or those in the Batter's Box, it felt completely different!
It seemed as if the ball had a life of its own, its speed astonishing and filled with vitality.
"Truly an enviable guy," someone remarked.
Even though his current partner wasn't Miyuki and he couldn't use his own specialty, Sawamura still managed to shine, drawing the attention of everyone in the stands.
As long as he stepped onto the field, he became the center of attention. All eyes would naturally gravitate toward him, with no room to focus on anyone else.
That was the talent of an ace pitcher!
There are many players with such qualities, or else where would all the star players come from?
The key trait of a star player is that they draw attention, right?
But compared to Sawamura, other star players seemed like mere stars beside the moon.
No matter how bright the stars were, standing next to the moon, they were simply on a different level.
Despite never admitting it aloud, Narumiya knew full well.
The reason that the Inashiro Industrial High School baseball team had never been able to beat Seidou in official competition wasn't because of the relationships within their team—it was because Narumiya had lost to Sawamura.
Narumiya wondered how Miyuki saw the scene in front of him.
He was curious, tilting his head as he observed Miyuki's expression.
But Miyuki, as always, was difficult to read, and his face revealed nothing.
In reality, Narumiya was overthinking it. Of course, Miyuki couldn't be expected to reveal anything.
Miyuki had known about Sawamura's strength for a long time.
Even before Sawamura joined Seidou High School's baseball team, he had already gone head-to-head with the older senpais.
Even without Miyuki's help, Sawamura held his own against those Senpais and never backed down.
Miyuki definitely helped Sawamura, pushing his abilities to even greater heights.
But to say that Sawamura couldn't have succeeded without Miyuki was a bit of a stretch.
At the very least, Miyuki never thought that way.
Back when Sawamura was at Akagi Middle School, he had switched partners twice, yet he still led his team to a national championship.
At Sawamura's level, a partner was only a bonus.
Having a partner like Miyuki was great—it helped Sawamura take his game to the next level.
Miyuki had accompanied him step by step to develop his Level 3 and Level 4 pitches.
But without Miyuki, would Sawamura still be powerless?
Perhaps his evolution would have been slightly off track.
Maybe he wouldn't have reached the level he's at now—the unique height he's attained.
But even if he didn't, even if he never developed a Level 4 pitch, Sawamura would still be one of the top pitchers in the nation, with just a slight adjustment to his title.
He wouldn't be so self-assured as he was now.
In this situation, Miyuki had no other thoughts.
Furthermore, it wasn't only Miyuki who helped Sawamura—Sawamura had, in some ways, also helped Miyuki, hadn't he?
If not for their partnership, Miyuki wouldn't have had such a smooth path to becoming the top catcher in Japan.
The people in the dugout were all deeply moved.
The game on the field continued to unfold at a fever pitch.
By the bottom of the seventh inning, it was time for the Japanese team to bat.
To be honest, the Japanese players looked a little disheveled. Apart from Sawamura's two home runs, none of the other players, including Renji, had managed to get a hit.
Compared to Sawamura's dazzling performance, they seemed like background characters.
So why did the fans in the stands, as well as those watching the live broadcast, feel that the American team, despite trailing, had the stronger momentum?
There was a reason for that!
Looking at the Japanese players' pathetic expressions, it was no surprise that people thought the American team had the upper hand.
Yet, the score on the board was mockingly ironic.
2:1!
…