"It's... it's out of the park!!!"
The on-site commentator's voice was completely hoarse. He was too excited—this match had truly stirred everyone's emotions.
At the beginning, the Japanese team had taken the lead over America thanks to Sawamura's individual performance.
It wasn't until the 7th inning that the situation began to shift.
In the top of the 9th inning, with momentum on their side, America pushed hard and scored two runs, overturning the score.
The total score became 3:2.
At that moment, no one believed Japan could turn things around.
No matter how you analyzed it, the chances of a comeback were slim to none.
No one expected that, at the final moment, Akashi would get a hit and hand the bat over to Sawamura.
Sawamura, in the final moment, with two Outs and three Balls, two Strikes against him, hit a game-ending home run.
Watching the ball land in the outfield stands with their own eyes, the commentators still couldn't contain their excitement.
'These kids are incredible!'
Whether it was Japan's players or America's, the temperament they displayed was no less than that of seasoned professional athletes.
Once these kids enter the professional leagues, especially Major League Baseball, their future is boundless!
A senior journalist from Baseball Kingdom magazine, Mr. Fujio, once wrote an article about these rising stars.
He wrote that this new generation, led by Sawamura, would bring a new revolution to the world of professional baseball.
These were his exact words, showing just how exceptional this generation's talent truly is.
The Japanese players, upon winning the championship, were initially dazed.
To be honest, many of them didn't even understand what had just happened.
'Was the game over?'
They remained in that dazed state for nearly half a minute before it finally hit them—
They had won!
The Japanese team had taken the national championship from America.
"WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!"
"WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!!"
Other than that line, they couldn't think of anything else to express their overwhelming excitement.
In the dugout, their Japanese teammates were also overjoyed.
Although they hadn't played, the team still claimed the championship.
That left them feeling a bit complicated inside.
Still, they were undeniably thrilled by the team's victory.
Sawamura almost carried the team to ultimate victory.
For that alone, the star players from Japan owed him big time. If not for Sawamura, who knows what criticism they'd have faced upon returning home.
After their initial celebration, everyone stood and looked out over the field.
In the crowd of cheering players, Sawamura stood at the center. Surrounded by his teammates like stars encircling the moon.
Such a scene was nothing new to those present.
They'd seen it before—many times, in fact.
No matter the occasion, as long as Sawamura was on the field, he was always the center of attention.
It was like that during his time with the Akagi Middle School team, with the Seidou High School team, and again during the Tokyo All-Star selections.
And now, representing all of Japan—
It was still the same.
As long as that man was there, the world revolved around him.
"This kid's going to be even more arrogant now!"
Originally, Sawamura was already Japan's top player. Now, after leading a half-strength Japanese team to defeat America, the baseball kingdom—
His fame and prestige would surely rise to a whole new level.
Just like Suzuki Ichiro and Ohtani Shohei, his influence likely wouldn't remain confined to Japan. Soon, tales of the "Demon King" would spread across the world.
No, he would surpass them all, carving his name in baseball history forever.
"To be born in the same era as this punk, I don't know whether to feel lucky or cursed!"
Narumiya Mei said with a complex expression.
It was precisely because of Sawamura's presence—like putting a catfish in a tank with other fish—that everyone else was forced to act.
Honestly, the other players had benefited greatly from his existence.
Their generation's overall strength far surpassed those of previous ones.
Without someone like Sawamura, Japan's team wouldn't be this strong, and their match against America wouldn't have gone so well.
A half-strength team managed to beat America—
In any previous era, that would've been utterly impossible. Even with a superstar like Sawamura, it couldn't have happened.
But now, that dream had become reality.
They actually won!
World Champions—what a glorious title. And now it belonged to them!
When the organizing committee presented the trophy to the Japanese team—
Sawamura, as Captain, lifted it high with both hands.
At that moment, the entire stadium erupted in cheers.
By tradition, the trophy should be passed around. As teammates on the same team, the others had every right to share in that honor.
But at that moment, not a single person stepped forward to take the trophy.
They didn't have the face to.
In today's match, the players on the field were, at best, merely competent.
The real reason for the victory was essentially Sawamura alone.
At most, you could also credit catcher Renji and Akashi.
The rest had only fulfilled their basic duties, with no standout performances.
In fact, not even "effective" would describe some of their play.
Under such circumstances, how could they shamelessly try to share the glory with Sawamura?
Just being able to stand beside him and receive a medal was already a tremendous honor.
At least it was better than the rest, who didn't even get to play.
Even the American players were content with the result.
If both teams had played at full strength and the result had been like this, they might have been upset!
They couldn't win against Sawamura in a direct duel, sure. But as two teams competing, America still had a real chance at victory.
As long as pitcher Benjamin avoided a direct showdown with Sawamura.
But clearly, that wasn't the case for Japan. Many of their best players hadn't even made it onto the field.
The most important of all is Miyuki.
As Sawamura's best partner, there was no exaggeration in saying that whether he played or not made Japan two entirely different teams.
If Japan had gone all-out from the start, fielding all their best players—
America would've lost badly.
Given those circumstances, the proud American stars couldn't keep pressing the issue.
They had their pride, too. Say too much, and it just sounds like sour grapes.
Besides, they truly admired Sawamura.
Before the match, none of them believed Sawamura was better than them.
But after his showdown with Allen, his fame in America had skyrocketed. He was now seen as the best pitcher after Allen.
Previously, these American prodigies had faced off against Allen many times, but they had never gained even the slightest advantage.
They had already begun to feel hopeless about that.
Now, finally, someone had emerged who could stand toe-to-toe with Allen. Naturally, they wanted to challenge him.
Losing to him would be understandable.
After all, hadn't many of America's top players already lost to Seidou High School?
Or more accurately, hadn't they already lost to Sawamura?
Under those circumstances, what's so strange about them losing to Sawamura again?
On the contrary, if they had won, that would have been something.
To beat someone on par with Allen—that would've made them overnight sensations in America.
Sawamura had created a huge sensation in America before. If they could defeat him, their own impact would only be greater.
After all, compared to a foreign player, as homegrown talent, they would naturally be more popular in America.
Now that they had finally competed head-on—
They were truly convinced. Completely and utterly.
Even while his abilities were significantly limited, using only fastballs and a few basic breaking balls—
He still played them like it was nothing.
And not just his pitching—his batting was absolutely monstrous!
He was a real monster, and they couldn't help but admire him.
After the game, during interviews with the media, the American players gave Sawamura a thumbs-up.
They called him a true genius.
Whether they truly meant it or not, the fact that they could say so with such sincerity on their faces—
There was nothing they could do.
Admitting you lost to a genius monster is far less humiliating than losing to just an ordinary person.
And if you lose and then start badmouthing your opponent—unless that opponent really violated sportsmanship—it just makes you look like a sore loser.
Though the American players might seem a bit goofy at times, their intelligence was very much intact. Of course, they weren't going to say something that dumb.
Meanwhile, the reporters rushed in—
To interview the newly crowned champion team from Japan.
Coach Takeda's old face was blooming like a chrysanthemum with joy.
In his coaching career, whether with the national team or a secondary squad, He had won world championships.
He had never once had he been this excited.
Naturally, people began to question whether Coach Takeda still had what it took for this level of competition.
This time, he finally proved himself.
He successfully led the team to become world champions.
Although the journey had many twists and turns, the result was what mattered.
They took the championship!
Everything else no longer mattered.
What disappointed Coach Takeda, however, was that the reporters didn't really care about his feelings.
They only asked him a few token questions before eagerly asking: Where's Sawamura?
Coach Takeda felt a bit helpless but still answered:
"Sawamura is simply too exhausted and has already gone to rest."
He had pitched back-to-back high-intensity games—one of which was the final against America.
Even though he dominated throughout, Sawamura had burned through an enormous amount of mental and physical energy.
Resting now wasn't unreasonable.
Still, for most people, wouldn't they hesitate to miss the chance to be interviewed and appear in the spotlight?
At the same time, on a plane flying from Taiwan back to Japan—
Sawamura had already fallen into a deep sleep in his seat.
To him, the game was over, and the result was perfect.
That was enough.
Two years ago, he would have been eager to give interviews. But now? It didn't matter much.
One more or one less—it made no difference to him.
The team's new training had already begun. As the new team captain, he needed to hurry back.
Of course, before that—
He wanted to go home.
To see his family. There were things he wanted to say. Especially to Wakana—he needed to finally have a proper talk.
A long-distance relationship was never a long-term solution.
If some pig back home stole her again, where would he go to cry foul?
As he drifted into sleep, Sawamura thought he'd dream of his hometown, his family, or Wakana.
But he didn't.
Instead, on that flight, he dreamed of the summer tournament from over a year ago, when he had just joined the team and become the Ace.
"ISN'T IT BECAUSE YOU WANTED TO BE STRONGER?!!
ISN'T IT BECAUSE YOU WANTED TO GO HIGHER?!!
ISN'T IT BECAUSE YOU WANTED TO WIN?!!!"
"YEAAAAHHHH!!!!!"
"SO! WITH A HEART FULL OF PRIDE! I ASK YOU!!"
"WHO ARE WE?!!!!!!!"
"KING SEIDOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"WHO SHED SWEAT MORE THAN ANYONE?!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"SEIDOU!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"WHO SHED TEARS MORE THAN ANYONE?!!!!!!!!!!"
"SEIDOU!!!!!!!!!!!"
"ARE YOU ALL READY FOR THE BATTLE?!!!!!!!!!"
"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"SWEAR BY THE HONOR OF THE SCHOOL! OUR GOAL IS ONLY ONE! TO WIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
In his first year, it was Tetsu-san who led the chant.
In his second year, it was Miyuki-senpai.
Now, a year and a half had passed.
Seidou High School's baseball team had become a legendary team.
And he had become their Captain.
From now on, he would be the one leading that chant.
…