Chapter 276: Power Pitching!
After successfully catching the ball, Sawamura didn't stop.
He turned and fired the ball to first base.
Damiel had already taken off toward second base. Even when he realized the ball hadn't flown out but had been caught by Sawamura, it was too late to turn back immediately.
His sudden stop slowed him down considerably, and by the time he made it back, the ball had already landed in Yuuki's glove.
"Pop!"
"Out!!"
Sawamura, who had been in a dangerous situation just moments ago, had just completed a double play?
Even the players from Seidou and their fans were stunned for a moment.
"Double play?"
"Looks like a double play!"
With two outs and no runners left on base, once the Seidou supporters confirmed the call, the stands erupted into thunderous cheers.
"Hell yeah!!"
"King Seidou!!"
"You might not be that monster first-year ace, but your performance is just as amazing!!"
Many fans gave Sawamura a big thumbs-up.
They truly thought the kid was awesome.
They had taken a three-run lead right off the bat, and now their pitcher was performing brilliantly.
And most importantly, their ace hadn't even stepped onto the mound yet.
This scene sent waves of excitement through the Seidou players.
It was electrifying!
Even against returnees from North America, Seidou's players were still shining brilliantly.
They were in no way inferior—in fact, in many ways, they were even stronger.
"Let's finish them off in one go!"
The fans were fired up, filled with confidence.
Back in St. Dorf's dugout…
Coach Mitsuki, who usually wore a sly grin, looked like he'd been frozen into a statue.
He stood there dumbfounded, like a joke of himself.
"Coach?"
St. Dorf's team manager looked at him with concern and gently called out.
Mitsuki didn't react.
It took him a long moment to snap out of it.
The moment he returned to his senses, he glared fiercely at Damiel and their No. 2 hitter.
"You two better have a good explanation. If not… hmph!"
His words were cold as ice.
The St. Dorf players shivered.
They knew all too well—when their coach was angry, it meant trouble.
Serious trouble.
Everyone looked at their coach with a hint of fear.
St. Dorf's No. 2 batter struggled to explain.
"There was an unexpected break when the ball reached the plate. That little guy's weird pitch—it looks like a fastball, but breaks right as it enters the strike zone."
Just thinking about it made him feel awful.
He couldn't believe a pitcher like that even existed.
"His naturally flexible arm—he can throw with fastball mechanics, but the ball still breaks. And not in any predictable way." Mitsuki clenched his teeth and nodded.
They had actually gathered some intel on this before—
But nobody had really taken it seriously.
That so-called "quirky pitch"?
It sounded like nothing more than a minor variation with small, random movement.
For island nation players, who tend to lack raw power, maybe that was a problem.
But for their team of overseas returnees? All they needed was a bigger bat, and those pitches would be child's play.
That's what they had assumed.
But now that they were face-to-face on the field… the feeling was totally different.
They hadn't expected this unknown kid—this so-called backup hiding under Furuya's shadow—to be this hard to deal with.
"Damn it! Weren't we supposed to overpower him!?"
Mitsuki barked furiously.
St. Dorf's second batter lowered his head.
He wanted to argue, but had no grounds to do so.
Could you hit Sawamura's pitch using the biggest bat and full strength?
In theory, yes.
But he didn't have that kind of strength.
So in short— he simply couldn't.
He couldn't do it—so what was there to argue? The more he tried to explain, the more incompetent he'd seem.
"Batting third, Joseph!!"
St. Dorf's third batter was a tall, power-focused slugger.
Both the coaches and players of St. Dorf had always placed high expectations on his hitting.
After giving up three runs right off the bat and suffering a double play, no matter how strong they acted, it was clear—they were now at a decisive disadvantage.
If they couldn't turn things around soon, the game might slip completely out of reach.
Coach Mitsuki was visibly restless.
As their No. 3 batter stepped into the box, he raised his bat high and locked his sharp gaze on Sawamura.
His desire to crush the ball was pure and overwhelming.
"This one's a true power hitter," Miyuki muttered from behind the plate, analyzing Joseph.
Unlike Wada from Ichizen High, whom Seidou had faced before—
Even though Ichizen was also a top national team, Seidou could clearly sense the difference in strength.
But St. Dorf was something else entirely.
They weren't a traditional powerhouse, but their raw strength—especially the players' individual skills—
They weren't your average underdog. In fact, they exceeded many elite teams.
After Sawamura's double play, of course everyone was thrilled. But alongside the excitement, there was anxiety.
Could Sawamura really keep this up against such fierce opponents?
And just then, from the mound, Sawamura confidently fired his next pitch.
The kid looked like he had no clue what pressure was. His eyes burned with resolve.
"Whoosh!"
Facing the incoming ball, Joseph narrowed his eyes.
"The speed's weak. The pitch path is clear!"
He read the pitch perfectly.
As one of St. Dorf's top hitters, Joseph's eyes lit up with certainty— He could crush this one.
He didn't wait. With a powerful step and full-body swing, the muscles on his arms bulged as he unleashed tremendous force.
"Boom!!"
The swing itself roared through the air.
In Seidou's dugout, the players all frowned instinctively.
They could feel the weight of this swing. It was a monster shot.
Before they could worry too much, the bat connected squarely with the ball.
"Ping!"
As soon as the ball left the bat, Coach Mitsuki in the St. Dorf dugout flashed a smug grin.
"How's that, first-year brat? Feeling the pain yet?"
He was sure this hit had the power to sail over the fence.
The white ball soared high into the air— And under the watchful eyes of thousands at Koshien, it looked majestic.
But no one noticed… Joseph's eyes were full of surprise.
Everyone thought it was a perfect hit. Only Joseph knew—it wasn't right.
It felt good, sure. But it wasn't clean.
Even using a heavy bat, he'd failed to hit the sweet spot.
And that wasn't even the biggest surprise.
They'd known about Sawamura's quirky pitches.
Joseph had gone all out—full strength, biggest bat—precisely to handle that.
Even missing the sweet spot, he'd expected to launch it deep.
That was their plan.
They didn't think there was anything wrong with their strategy.
But what they hadn't expected… was Sawamura's pitch having such terrifying late movement.
Even after planning for everything, Joseph couldn't do a thing.
The ball traced a beautiful arc through the sky—
But it landed in the outfield.
Sawamura's roommate, Furuya, had already seen it coming. He shifted his position in advance, raised his glove…
And stood still.
As if the ball was destined to land directly into his glove.
"Pop!"
"Out!"
"Three up, three down! Change sides!"
And just like that, the inning ended.
Top of the 2nd inning—Seidou to bat.
The score remained firmly 3–0.
Facing the fierce offense from Saint Dorf, the players of Seidou fought back tenaciously.
They held onto their lead and advantage, firmly taking the initiative.
Now at bat was their seventh hitter—also the team's main catcher—Miyuki.
The moment Miyuki stepped into the batter's box, the crowd erupted.
"So cool!!"
"Send it flying, Miyuki!!"
Inside the team, Miyuki was known for his scheming nature and wasn't exactly beloved—but among Seidou's supporters, he was a favorite. To them, he was the field commander, and they treated his appearance with the utmost excitement.
Meanwhile, Saint Dorf's players were already harboring frustration. Seeing the crowd's reaction lit a fire in them.
"Another star player? This team's full of them, isn't it?"
Seidou didn't just have one popular player—they had many.
Speedster Kuramochi, devilish batter Kominato, unpredictable Isashiki, powerhouse captain Yuuki…
And of course, the biggest star of them all—the monster first-year, Furuya Satoru.
That would've been fine if they were all core players.
But Miyuki? He was all the way down at seventh in the lineup and still this popular?
Saint Dorf's players were visibly annoyed. Still, they understood—popularity like that doesn't come from nothing. The guy must have real skill.
They'd already gotten a taste of Seidou's terrifying batting lineup. Just the thought that Miyuki was part of that same group made them sick to their stomachs.
In Saint Dorf's dugout, Coach Mitsuki's face had gone pale, consumed by rage. There wasn't a hint of a smile left.
His patience had hit its limit.
"Brother…"
Aoi Shingetsu didn't dare say more, only looked on in concern.
"They brought this on themselves… Alex!!"
The mention of that name made Shingetsu's eyes widen in disbelief.
"Brother, you're not serious?"
"We're down 3–0 and they're still attacking. If we can't hold them here, it's over. Alex!!"
At Mizuki's second call, a figure rose from the end of the bench.
With golden hair and a towering, muscular frame, he looked like a wild lion unleashed.
"Already? This is only the second round," Alex said.
"We can't wait. Let's put them down now."
"As you command, boss."
Top of the second inning. Seidou at bat.
Just as Miyuki prepared to swing, Saint Dorf made a pitching change.
Jack, the Black pitcher, was moved to center field.
Replacing him on the mound: Alex.
"Another unknown?"
In Seidou's dugout, Chris felt like his scouting intel had just been shredded.
These Saint Dorf guys were completely unpredictable.
Neither Jack nor Alex had any recorded appearances before now, yet they were both thrown into this critical Koshien showdown without hesitation.
It spoke volumes about the faith Mitsuki placed in them.
"Tch."
Miyuki, clearly aware of the situation, clicked his tongue in annoyance.
Then he focused completely, locking his eyes on the new pitcher.
"Bring it on… let's see what you've got."
Just as he had that thought, Alex made his move on the mound.
Boom!!
Like a volcanic eruption. Like a meteor crashing to earth.
The white baseball tore through the air, flashing past Miyuki in the blink of an eye.
"So fast!!"
That was all Miyuki could think before the ball vanished past him.
Smack!
"Strike!!"
The scoreboard lit up with the pitch's speed:
151 km/h!!!
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Sorry for the late post, everyone! My laptop broke, so I wasn't able to post anything last month. By the way, I've started a new Diamond no Ace fanfic—feel free to check it out if you're interested!
It doesn't include Sawamura, and the main character plays both as a pitcher and a hitter.
I also have another fanfic in the works, where the main character admires Ryousuke Kominato and wants to play like him.
However, that one doesn't have enough chapters yet, so I haven't posted it.